Tandem Race Wheels
 

Wanting to get a set of race wheels for our Co-Motion tandem. Any suggestions?

Would the HED 3 Tri Spoke Wheels work on a tandem?

http://www.hedcycling.com/images/pro...wheels/h3a.jpg

Topolino.

By racing, are you specifically talking about time trials? Or, are you just looking for a fast set of wheels for road racing and crits?

Just as an aside, I will note that you'll see folks using all kinds of single bike aero wheels on their tandems, particularly at the elite time trials. My general take is, at least for limited use, some of the wheels that are not designed for tandems will hold up if the total team weight isn't excessive and the wheel use is strickly limited to the non-technical time trials. However, that said, you're in a catch 22 when it comes to 'asking the manufacturer' if their wheels are suitable for use on a tandem as it's the right thing to do but, at the same time, it could flag you for a future warranty claim denial as folks like HED and Zipp carry the exact same prohibitions in their Warranty language when it comes to tandems... (same lawyer?).

Now, that said, you'll definitely find folks using HED and Zipp wheels... and in particular the folks who race at the elite levels like Elaine and Jim Miller here in the first photo.

http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/imag...lery/pic16.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...erTandemTT.jpg

I have no idea if folks like the Millers were using HED wheels with the explicit endorsement of HED or not. I do know that when you look at races like the Co-Motion Classic it's rare to see anything more aero than Rolfs and other paired spoke wheelsets.

I'm also aware of a few teams who have torn-up some non-tandem rated lightweight racing wheels used on their tandems that have had them replaced under warranty by not disclosing their use on the tandem, but these were used as everyday wheels and, well, there are simply limitations to how long stuff designed for 180 lb riders will hold up under 300lbs +.

Again, hopefully those who have more first hand experience and knowledge with specific products that will match your intended use will weight in here.

Oh yeah, as for the Topolino wheels, probably a good choice for a hill climb (1,530 grams) or a race on very rugged roads (carbon spoke matrix), but more along the lines of conventionally spoked 32h wheels with 30mm deep section rims when it comes to aero characteristics. Great for everyday use and very plush particularly on alloy tandems. Today we'll be using our Rolf's and leaving the Topolinos in the wheel bag and we'll likely switch back to our conventional White Ind. / Deep-Vs for the rest of the winter.

I want a good set of race wheels for our tandem for mostly road races.

Standard default / OEM solution from Co-Motion are the Rolf Prima Vigor Tandem wheels. Price wise about $959 MSRP.

We have an '07 set and they seem to be more aero / lower drag compared to our 36° conventional wheels with Velocity Deep-V rims that also run on White Ind. Hubs with straight gauge Sapim spokes and the Topolino wheels which seem to have the similar aero drag to the 36° conventional wheels.

Again, the Topolino wheels are really nice for climbing and out of the saddle efforts or rugged roads because they're very light (1,530 grams) even compared to the Rolfs (1,830 grams), and on par for stiffness with our 36° conventional wheelset (2,050 grams) but soak up road chatter and bump shock like nothing else short of a carbon or Ti frame. Price wise, about $1,350 MSRP.

Having gone through all of the various different wheels that we have, the one set that we didn't build that could be the sweet spot between 36° conventional and the Rolfs relative to weight, aero, and cost would be a conventional wheelset built up using White Ind. hubs with ti cassette carrier, Velocity Deep-V rims, and Sapim CX-Ray spokes with 28° up front and 32° in the rear. You could save 100 grams by using the Velocity Fusion rims but I'm not sure I'd want to trade off the added stiffness and slightly better aero characteristics of the 30mm deep Deep-V rim. The price of the spokes in this build would be the biggest driver on overall cost as CX-Rays are about 3x the cost of the Leader and 2x the cost of their Race spokes... or about a $120 bump to what would otherwise be a $550 MSRP wheelset.

Pretty conventional stuff to be sure; perhaps some of the other folks who like to experiment with more exotic / lightweight racing stuff will chime in with suggestions later today or once they're back into their weekday Net surfing routines.

were can I get a set of Topolino? They don't sell them on their site.

www.TandemsEast.com (Mel Kornbluh / tandemwiz@aol.com) has them in stock and has sold several sets, including the ones we're using.

www.PrecisionTandems.com (Mark Johnson / info2007@precisiontandems.com) just added them to his product offerings.

Closer to home, your home, Topolino lists the following Tucson shops as authorized dealers.

Tuscon Bikes
(520) 577-7374
4743 East Sunrise Dr., Tuscon, AZ 85718

Arizona Cyclist
(520) 615-7570
5350 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85711

We're extremely pleased with ours; just wish they were disc compatible. However, I do cringe a bit more when we hit the ubiquitous rock or other road hazards vs. our conventional wheels... which have just gone on the tandem along with our rear disc for the winter.

Thanks!
 

Thanks!

I'd go with the Rolf's for all but the hilliest road races, given that aerodynamics tend to be more important than speed.

There's also the bling factor. I just think they look fast.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1.../co-motion.jpg


If price is not a primary concern, then Zipp 404 clydesdales, or 808's laced to tandem hubs would be sweet.

Awsome looking Co-Motion!

You could also consider some Edge 68 or 38 carbon rims. These are extremely rigid and the clinchers take the higher pressures needed by tandems. You choose the hubs separately, so you could build up a 24h set using some nice tandem hubs quite easily. Alternatively tubulars are also available.

If you really want to go crazy I would get some Lightweight wheels. Supposedly there is no usage restriction on the 24 spoked version. Worth checking first of course. They also come in 130mm spacing, so you may need a new frame too.

We also use the Rolf's and have found them an excellent wheel. In fact they are our only set of wheels. We put 25's on to race but will switch to 28's if we are going on a long ride over unfamiliar ground.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w.../2100Hires.jpg

What tires are you running?

The bike had gatorskins on when we bought it but they wore out at about 1500 miles. We put armadillos 28s on it and got about 2500 miles on them before they wore out. The armadillos were amazing for no flats but they ride a little stiff. We then went with michelin pro race and while they have not been as flat resistant as the armadillos, they have a very comfortable ride and perform really well. The pro race 25's are a lot faster than the 28's.

a friend of mine has been running a pair of hed 3s on his cannondale tandem for at least five years and don't think that he has any problems with them. he doesn't ride it that much but does do the big, fast training rides and rides it very hard with other racers. all of his stokers have been male and i'm guessing that the team weight is at least 320 pounds