lovemachine

I have a guy who has a Cannondale road tandem for sale. He wants $1000 for it, it's an older model since it has a drum brake. I told him that I had concerns about my wife fitting since we are a 5'10" and 5'11" team. He told me it's super adjustable blah blah etc. Is this BS? Our current bike a Burley RocknRoll feels a little short on the reach to the bars for the stoker. Does anyone have a tall stoker, what is the reach? How can I tell if I am looking at a M/S frame or a Large/Large are they marked? Would a seat post with a little lay-back be a cure?

Thanks,

Craig

TandemGeek

From the archives...

For a definitive answer where the specs are in question, ask the seller to provide you with the serial number (its located on the bottom of the left chainstay)... Then call Cannondale Tech Support and ask them to decode it: 1-800-245-3872

If it were a single bike I'm pretty sure it could still be decoded using C'dale's standard Serial Number sequence (see quoted text from Sheldon Brown's website below).


Cannondale (https://www.sheldonbrown.com/vrbn-a-f.html#cannondale)

Serial number code: first two digits are the size, next 6 are date of manufacture, remainder are unit number. For instance: SN#54021787121 indicates a 54 cm frame, built on February 17, 1987, #121.

However, off hand I seem to recall that they use a slightly different serial number sequence for tandems, perhaps using letters for sizing on the newer tandems that throws off the standard tables. In the "old days", the first four numbers were the frame size, followed by month/year, then the sequence number, e.g., a 98 MT3000 with serial number 18160398102 = 18" captain / 16" stoker built in March 98 with the sequence number of 102. Our only C'dale tandem was a '98 MT3000.

wheelspeed

You better test-ride it. It's true that the stoker area is quite adjustable, and you can even get a long, lay-back seat post to have a good distance from the pedals and bars. But like that, your wife may feel like the bottom-bracket is too far in front of her. There's nothing you can do to move the bb rearward to get it under her.

mwandaw

Just a couple of weeks ago we test rode this 1994 Cannondale. It was in good condition and the asking price seemed good to me, but it was definitely too big for us. (I'm 5'9" and she's 5'3").

It might fit the two of you!

mtnbke

Love,

You have some learnin' to do about tandems if you believe that the inclusion of an Arai drum brake necessarily means the bike is old. An Arai drag brake is the standard for scrubbing speed from a tandem on mountain descents or hilly areas. While Arai no longer makes the Arai drag brake, no other available product has emerged to replace it. A decent condition Arai drum brake has been selling for over $200 on eBay recently.

Cannondale hasn't really changed their tandem frames all that much, and have never really needed to. Cannondale tandems typically have a much longer stoker cockpit than other bikes allowing to fit a wider variety of stoker body types than many other non-custom makers.

I have a Cannondale tandem and think they are incomparable until you get into the world of Calfee carbon tandems, Co-Motion custom Aluminum tandems, Paketa magnesium tandems etc. That Cannondale will outperform any steel tandem, that's for sure (riders being equal). I've always felt that a Cannondale tandem purchased off Craigslist is the best value in tandems period.

The critical thing for fitting a stoker to a tandem is making sure you have enough available "extension" to fit a parallelogram suspension seatpost for your stoker. This is typically a problem with short stokers on frames where they aren't showing a lot of seatpost.

Parallelogram suspension posts that come to mind:

Tamer Pivot Plus
Cane Creek Thudbuster ST
SR Suntour makes some cheapie versions as well

My preference is the Can Creek Thudbuster ST, for a stoker on a road tandem anyway. I've talked to Ryan McFarland the inventor of the post, and he's a first class guy who really thought through the design.

I didn't catch that you listed the size of the Cannondale tandem, however Cannondale tandem sizing is the same as the old Cannondale ST series touring bikes. They are measured in inches, along the seat tube, from the center of the BB bolt up to the top tube. The largest size was a Jumbo/Large which would be a 25" captain's and a 23" stoker's. Jumbo was also offered in a 23"x21" called Jumbo/Medium. From there all kinds of sizes were offered.

Fit on a tandem is critical. Much more so than on a single. You can not conveniently get out of the saddle to give yourself a seat area break in the same way you can on a single. Before dropping a grand on a tandem I would invite an expert in bike fit to help you. That does not mean what it sounds like. It definitively does NOT mean to solicit the opinion of any hipster wrench down at the LBS. Most bike shops have a deserved reputation of pushing people out of the sport of cycling, more so than bringing them in. The average road bike is sized to fit cyclists to the hoods, not the drops, for a case in point. Find someone who knows what they are talking about, not just talks about fit.

For a starting point try these two links (single bike context, but the gist is the same):

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

https://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_...izing_position

I think you'll find that by the time you consider the "stack height" of the suspension post the C'dale will be closer to fitting than you might think. However, if the stoker compartment is a Small you might be better off looking for a different bike.

austex

I have a '99 RT1000 in M/S, which I believe would be too small for your team (I am 5'6", stoker 5'3"). For easy visual identification, the Cannondale Medium/Small frame has a distinct "kink" in the captain's top tube, as seen here:

https://www.bikepedia.com/Images/Defa...=35313&if=2001 Cannondale RT 1000.jpg

Makes for a very low stand-over - especially important to my stoker.

The Bikepedia site is a pretty good resource for component specs, colors to establish model year (though my '99 by component spec has what Bikepedia lists as a '98 color; and mine came with 48-spoke wheels vs. 40 per spec)

Tom

smiller

I've got a Cannondale tandem for sale, size is 25" front, 23" rear. it's the biggest frame size they made and the biggest non-custom available at the time, maybe still is. The front measures more like 24" front C-T, typical for C-dales. I believe it's a 1993. It's spent most of it's life hanging in the garage, so it looks like new. I may have spent more time upgrading and cleaning it than riding since I bought it to ride with my wife and she didn't want to ride. I'm selling it because my new wife is only 5'6" and can't fit. It's been upgrade to Shimano 8sp cassette hub with 48hole wheels and Deore XT rear Der. with flat bar shifters. If you're interest, you can let me know and I'll get you the details. If you're in or near central Iowa, you can come see it and take it for a ride.

Dean V

I wouldn't be concerned about the stoker fitting. I am 5'11" and have ridden on the back of a M/S C'Dale with out any trouble. Just need a 16" seat post. BTW I have a seat height of 31". Main thing to check is that the top tube length is ok for the captain.

lovemachine

Update. I have a cannondale tandem. The stoker and myself were both fairly comfortable, we do however miss the baloon tires ride quality. The new bike has 700x23 continental somethings and the Iowa roads are just garbage after this neverending winter.. The "burley" ride is due mostly to the Kenda Kommuter tires, now my question. What size of tires will fit on a cannondale? How fat of a tire will fit and what would be comparable in ride quality to the Kendas. Will I fell a decrease in speed going to a 700x37 tire for example?

Thanks,
Craig

Goldrush

Our first tandem was a 1997 Cannondale RT2000. It came with some pretty hefty tires. I believe they were 700x 35. I would think the wider tires would be slower to accelerate, but once at speed they should roll as good as the 23's. 700x23 is pretty small for a tandem. Most all the teams we ride with use 700x28 Gatorskins.

TandemGeek

Did you ever figure out what model and year? That would help a bit.

As for the maximum tire size, if we ignore the rims and brakes for a minute and assume it's got the original fork it should handle some pretty wide tires, i.e., 38mm + fenders + room to spare.

If it has calipers, then the size of the caliper will become your limiting factor. If it has unusually narrow rims, that could also be a limiting factor on the very wide tires. It's the inside width of the rim that dictates the maximum and minimum tire width to use with a given rim.

As for how large of tire you'd want, once you get past the component constraints it's a question of how much tire do you need? What's your total combined team weight? Will you be riding off-road on gravel paths, tow-paths, etc? A 32mm tire might be more than adequate and, as for "speed", it doesn't matter how fast your going if you need a 35mm wide tire just to keep from flatting when you slam into a pot hole or crack in the road from frost heaving.

AngelGendy

My tandem has 37's on it!

lovemachine

Well I ordered a pair of nashbar streetwise tires to try the 700x35 size. Yes I know these are probably not going to have much longevity but they were 10.00. I have to be cheap this month (like I really need an excuse) due to Ragbrai fees and buying the boy a new bike. As for team weight I would say we are between 375 and 400 as a team, I don't have the proper security clearance to be told the stokers weight. Bike is a white RT1000, I am guessing its a 98 based on photos on bikepedia. It has 105 brifters 9speed and the brand new arai drum. I also sat the boy on the back with the seat all the way down (rigid post) and he is close to being able to ride this as a stoker. I love the look and lack of flex in the frame and hopefully the bigger "meats" will cure every bump being transmitted to my body.

Thanks,
Craig

lovemachine

The nashbar tires produced the ride I was after and they went on the rim very easily. What did not go smoothly was the rear tire removal. The new cannondale does not have the quick release kit and the tab for the drum brake arm is not the pacman style. The mounting tab is just a chunk of aluminum with a slot milled into it, the cable stop is a little steel bracket. I don't think cutting up this beautiful bike to have a quick release is worth it (opening the slot out the end), but I may have another option. I thought that I could tack the lock nut on the back of the steel bracket, then I would only need and allen wrench and not a socket or open end. The cable quick release barrel would still work just as it does on any other bike. My other idea was to cut a little pacman style tab and just bolt it to the existing tab. Which of these options sounds best and has anyone done either of these fixes?

Thanks in advance TG

Craig

TandemGeek

Any of them will work, to include the minor frame mod. Go with the one that you think will yield the easiest-to-use solution.

tredlodz

You can still buy quick release kits for the arai brake for about $15-20. There are a couple of styles, but you should be able to pop the cable without tools once it's set up. I think someone makes a bolt on Pacman too. I have something similar on the bike friday (front drum) and it should be easy to fabricate

Another option is a diVinci style cable splitter (remember it's usually a gear cable, not a brake cable if you're ordering one of those)

The non-QR Arai drum is a real "drag" if you get a flat on the road

tredlodz

This was from the tandems east website - is it what you need?

AngelGendy

ohh I need one of those!

lovemachine

Thats exactly what I need.

Thanks,

Craig

flyag1

How about putting a 26 x 2.4 on the 700c Fatty?
It will work... at least until I can get my 700c wheels built up...