You also need to put the timing chains in some kind of order...

Not necessarily. But I did over look that and intend to put them back in the classical order. We've tried our tandem in an 90 degree difference, but after six months of riding it that way, we decided we didn't like it. Mostly because of cornering and starting out from a stop.

Good.

The classical order for a triple.... 45 degrees between captain and mid stoker and 45 degrees between mid stoker and rear stoker.

**********??? Classical or your preferred set-up **********????

OOP on multi-seaters is about as ubiquitous as it is on two-seaters, despite the obvious added wear and tear and even higher power spikes that accompany having 3 or 4 riders in-sync.

You are right.

I do not know what was I thinking. Maybe in the musical definition of the word classical:

3 a: of or relating to music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.

I have only seen one other triple on the road and it was IP.

We were breaking chains and having other problems with three stromg riders while on steep inclines... we have had zero transmition problems since moving to OOP.

What is a good order for a triple? One strong rider and two weaker riders? There is no way we want to break a chain. I was going to sync the pedals all together. Is 45/45/45 preferable for power and endurance for the drive train?

On our tandem we tried both 90 and 180 degrees and ultimately did not like either.

One or the other... Try it both ways and go with whatever appeals to the "team" the most.

Chain breakage is ultimately something you will control on a multi-seater: if you wait too long to downshift when climbing or make a hard upshift coming off of your lowest gears, you significantly increase your chances of finding a weak link.

Power, as it is when riding OOP on a tandem, is simply distributed over a flatter curve which will eliminate the "pulsing" that you get IP with each downstroke by your team.

Wear and tear is also relative: IP or OOP on a triplet you will find that your final drive chain wear will be faster than you saw on your tandem and your rear bottom bracket will be put under a lot of loading, so close attention to those components is always prudent. IP simply accelerates it that much more. IP or OOP, your rear most timing chain will also deal with a bit more wear and tear than you would find on your tandem.

As with your tandem, keeping an eye on your chain wear will allow you to change out chains before they wear enough to start tearing up your chain rings and rear cassette sprockets.

The triplet is ready to ride. We've decided to give the 45/45/45 pedal positions a try. It handles pretty much like the tandem with the piccollo attached, except as Captain I feel more power from my stokers. Turning the triplet is a different story. It feels as though the aft most stoker should have a steering wheel too! Here is a interesting comment concerning U-turns on the triplet from the previous owners:

"John got quite good at steering that monster!! But you are right - you have to plan ahead and can't do u-turns on a whim. There was one time in NYC when we accidently got on the on-ramp for the expressway. Drivers were passing by shouting, "You don't want to go here!!!" So we stood there for a while trying to figure out just what to do. Obviously we needed to get off the ramp. But John needed the entire lane to get that thing turned around. In the end, I ended up standing out in the middle of the road stopping NYC rush hour traffic while John turned the bike around! Good luck getting used to it!!! "

We're learning.

We checked into a powder coat paint job for the triplet. They want $300 for the job. That includes stripping the old paint off of it. I thought it a reasonable price. We're trying to decide on a color right now. So far the contending colors are Yellow, Orange, or maybe White. We're going to hold off until the winter off season before we have it done. Should look good!

The Monkee Mobile is now orange!! Actually it has been orange for about a year now! Our TransAm plans are firmed up and (barring any unforeseen problems) we're rolling out of Yorktown, Virginia around the 17th of May!

Our online journal is at: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/4561

Here's a picture of the new color. We think its a good looking ride now!

Very nice!!!

May I sugest you post one of the pics in the "Happy Tandem Pics" tread?

Thanks,

Sure not a problem!

I had much better luck with crank shortners for my son. Too much trouble with the blocks on the pedals.