Originally Posted by livngood
....but human nature being what it is...
Well then, if you are going to bring in human nature, all bets are off!! ;-)
Originally Posted by livngood
...tandem captains tend to use overuse the rear brake to control downhill speeds and that is why almost all of the tire blow-offs that you see on tandems are at the rear tire. So, that is why the discs first appeared on the back of road tandems instead of the front.
Interesting point, and well taken, the only tandem team I know who has lost a tire from heat had a front failure. But, as I've said before I am new to the tandem game and don't have the exposure to many tandem teams. I also tend to forget who might fit the profile of an “average” tandem captain
Originally Posted by livngood
...Moreover, as Galen noted, discs are not universally looked at as a proven product for use on road bikes or tandems.
I guess that is the root of this thread. What are this particular “universe’s” experiences with Cantis, Vs, and Discs. I (perhaps naively) tend to think that being relatively new to the tandem universe I might have a bit less biased view than those who have been around a while. However, I can say that even with my short time as a tandem captain, I found that (for me) a front disc up-grade has been money well spent. Additionally, up-grading to Paul’s Motolites along with eliminating housing compression and cable stretch was also money well spent.
Originally Posted by livngood
...Off-road, their utility and value are unquestioned but the demands of road riding, and particularly the demands put on brakes by a tandem are valid reasons for proceeding cautiously with their use.
It goes without saying that proper brake set up is always cause to be cautious, especially if it is someone else’s bike!
Originally Posted by livngood
...Additionally, it truly does take someone who has gained experience using the disc to help guide decisions regarding which teams might benefit from them vs. those who would do better with more conventional brake configurations. The latter is still a very scary area as even some of the tandem specialty dealers dont' have a lot of experience with disc brake systems, never mind a LBS dealer who hardly knows how to spell (or sell) tandems.
Very true, some riders may not be sufficiently mechanically inclined to recognize when they are in over their heads. A LBS retrofitting an existing bike with a disc brake system for someone who brings a bike in for even simple tune ups is scary in of itself. Mark, I think you have done a great job of educating and guiding those of us who frequent this board.
Originally Posted by livngood
…unfortunately, technology acceptance and human behaviour dictated a different migration path.
I guess it was that part (visible to me) of the path taken, which caused me to climb up on a soapbox. Who would have thought that (what now appears to be) commonly practiced poor braking technique combined with a lack of engineering/design foresight would cause such a serpentine path!
Originally Posted by livngood
… However, the logic does support the idea that dual-discs may have great promise for use on tandems... but only time will tell.
One can only hope. I can safely say that when I get ready to build my next tandem, I will specify dual-disc. It just might be possible that the market will drive the technology.
Thanks for the discussion!