Originally Posted by
johnicology28
Question 1:Can i get away with using a rock shox recon 100mm air-sprung quick-release fork?
Contact Rock Shox tech suppport and find out what it's maximum rated load is and/or if they would have any concerns with a 250 lb rider using that fork. If they say 'no problem' ask them if they'd have any concerns if that 250 lbs of rider weight was actually you and your stoker's combined weight and that you plan to us the fork on a tandem. To be frank, I tend to worry more about handling qualities vs. a catastrophic failure when considering what could be a fork of marginal strength on a tandem. The front wheel on a tandem tends to have a mind of it's own once it's pushed into ruts and technical terrain and unless your fork is very robust the front wheel won't track worth a darn and will make controlling the tandem a handful.
Originally Posted by
johnicology28
Question 2:The stock bike came with 40-spoke hubs. Do you guys think i can get away with a 36spoke wheelset?
I don't think we've ever used anything other than 36h wheelsets on our off-road tandems and our combined weight is 285lbs. The key is having a well-built set of wheels. However, unless you're making the switch from 40h to 36h for some other reason such as disc brake compatibility, there's not a lot to be gained in changing the wheels to eliminate 4 spokes.