Lightweight Tandem wheelset

[carbon29er]

 

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• With rim brakes tandems the continual braking  forces generate much more energy owing to the higher overall weight compares to a single bike and higher speeds  so they generate a lot more heat and therefore need to be a lot stronger and have much thicker rim braking surfcaes - just simply the amount of force required to stop the weight moving at the same speed.

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Luckily in the Cape we use brakes for emergency stops, not on 18km descents at 10% with 20+ hairpins and rapid deceleration required a number of times in quick succession. So rim brakes will be fine on a race bike that rides on tar.

 

But I'm a big fan of using proper brakes so find the investment in metal rotors and hydraulic callipers worthwhile.

 

You are right about tension too. Luckily carbon takes more tension than aluminium does.

 

And carbon looks so much better. I don't even have to worry about how my sock look.

[David Marshall]

Tandem rear hubs are usually 145mm wide (some up to 160mm).  The idea is to give a better spoke angle and a stronger wheel. Some tandems have come out with standard road 130mm dropouts and some hub manufacturers sell their standard road wheels as tandem wheels, just widened to take a tandem axle.  If you have disc brakes you need to squeeze in the brake as well!  Depending on your hub configuration limits you should select your spoke count to compensate for any weakness.  The usual recommendation is 40 or 48 spokes.  That said in this country you are either happy to build with what is available or you import yourself