Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
However the tandem has one big disadvantage in stopping, you have double the mass to stop, and essentially the same size contact patch. Given that the ultimate limiter is the available friction with the ground, this disadvantage is going to be difficult to overcome.
The advantages for the tandem that you list, are all reasons that it's easier to stop a tandem fast (i.e. easier to control panic braking) but they don't make it stop faster compared to a single bike properly operated.
I'm certain a skilled rider that knows how to shift their weight back, and modulate both brakes independently, can stop a single bike in a shorter distance than a tandem.
This may be true on an oil patch, sandy pavement, or dirt/gravel where you stand a chance of locking up your front wheel, but in any of those cases the coefficient of friction does not necessarily decrease with greater tire pressure. (You're assuming the tandem is running higher tire pressure up there) These are special cases.
That being said, riding a single on dry pavement, I defy you to lock up your front wheel without going over the handlebars on a drop bar road bike. It simply can't be done. The bike's center of gravity is too high, and too close to the front wheel. As soon as you've transferred 100% of the weight to the front wheel and the rear wheel starts to lift, you've reached your maximum braking capability. Any additional traction at that point is not available to you to slow down, as it will just launch you over the handlebars.
On a tandem, the center of gravity is much, much further back from the front wheel, and you can in fact use 100% of your available traction and lock up the front wheel without going over the front. I'll have to look up some numbers/measurements to determine the magnitude of the difference, but the math shouldn't be too difficult.