It's time for another update on our Sweet 16's one year after the original post. We have about 11,000 miles on the tandem and the front Sweet 16 at this point (approx 5000 miles per year on the tandem). As mentioned in the August 2007 post, we received our second warranty replacement on our rear wheel for cracked rims. While waiting for the replacement we started using a Phil Wood 40 hole with Velocity Deep V rim for the rear wheel while keeping the original Sweet 16 on the front. I transferred the rotor and we kept the rear disc brake installed (Winzip - 10 inch rotor - originally installed for 2007's 3 State 3 Mtn descent), so we have not ever used the second Sweet 16 rear replacement wheel.

We just returned from a great time at the Tennessee Tandem Rally. Yesterday morning as I was wiping the front rim, I saw a crack on the rim. I was surprised - the front wheel has been fine from the beginning. I looked at the rest of the spoke / rim junctions and found a second smaller one on that side and one on the other side of the rim. With a magnifying glass I found two more smaller ones on the side with the larger one I saw originally. One can see what these sorts of cracks look like in my original post in this thread (photos of cracks on the rear rim).

I checked the tension with a Park tensiometer - still at 26 on that gauge. The front wheel spoke tension has been stable since the beginning. The front wheel never loosened up in the two and a half years we've been riding. The original rear wheel did loosen up but the first replacement rear wheel was never allowed to loosen up (and when Santana finally published the Park tensiometer setting of 26, the tension was raised to 26 on the rear and the front).

I would just keep riding it around home but we are leaving for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado next week so I will put on our Phil Wood 40 hole front wheel which has been sitting in reserve. I don't want to worry about the wheel on that trip. We're five months past the two-year warranty so I'll have to see what the cost will be to replace the rim and decide if we want to do that or not. I believe the aerodynamic improvement of the front Sweet 16 is noticeable but we'll be fine without.

Bloomington, IN