Tandem Problem

[mdk555]

WorcesterWheelers - as you say' date=' it is difficult to say to when exactly it happens. Normally when shifting to quickly and putting to much power is definitely one of the reasons and i should learn not to do that. [/quote'] Thought that it might be something like this and just remember that whilst tandems can deliver double the speed (and fun) they do need some pampering especially when it come to changing gears. On a hill you cannot do the same as a half bike and motor from the one end of the sproket to the other. You have to consider the dual weight of the pilot + stoker, the double power that you are exerting which can cause problems.

 

As WW said, wrong gear in a race can cost you beeg time and this is also hugely NB - predict the hill, choose the correct blade before you start the climb and rather spin in an easier gear and go "heavier" than the opposite and blow on the incline.

 

As for "PAP" - never heard of it.

[WorcesterWheelers]

 

As for "PAP" - never heard of it.

 

Ag nee Mike man! Gedag jou Afrikaans is goed....

 

"PAP" means it might be flexing too much.... time for a new frame then.

 

Perhaps you can recommend a good place to get the frame checked?

[mdk555]

Ag nee Mike man! Gedag jou Afrikaans is goed....

WW ek is 'n Engelse de Kock and whilst my knowledge on "PaP" bikes is very limited but surely that tandem, if PaP after 3 years must have the K..K ridden out of it.

[Guest Big H]

Jean

 

The Raleigh frame is of high quality. Firstly. How much do you and your partner weigh? Frame flex might account for your problem. A bent frame might affect your chainline and cause your chain to drop. Take a piece of string, remove your back wheel and string it around the dropout, around the head tube (the tube where the fork passes through in front of the bike) and back to the other dropout. The string must butt against the dropout and the chain and seatstays must not interfere. Now measure the distance from the front triangle downtube, seat tubes and long triangle downtube on both sides. It may not differ with more than 3 to 5 mm. anything more than that will affect the handling of the bike as well as the chainline.

 

Also listen to the advice given by others. Gear shifting is an art on a tandem. Snap changes and sudden changes must be avoided. Think ahead and plan well ahead when you want to change. Does the chain drops happen when you gear up or gear down.???? Flex in your chainrings may also cause the chain to drop. On my Stronglight spider I had to drill extra bolt holes to eliminate this. It takes a while for a tandem pair to gel. When changing gears warn your stoker well in advance that you are going to do it. Ease off on the pedalling and change, making sure that the change has taken place smoothly. As time progresses both of you will develop a sixth sense and changes will become natural. Avoid Campagnolo components at all costs as they are undependable and soft. I had the experience.

 

Change your rear derraileur to a Shimano XT or LX derailleur. Remember to get a long cage derraileur.

 

If you know how to set your derraileurs a fancy mechanic is not necesary. Your own experience in sorting this thing out will be of great value. Buy a book like Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes at the link http://www.kalahari.net/bk/product.asp?toolbar=none&sku=27910597&format=detail  and retails for (R181.76)

 

Also go and look at www.sheldonbrown.com There is a multitude of tandem information and related links to help you enjoy the feling of pedalling together.

 

Rather buy bicycle tools and do the job yourself than taking the bike to a fancy pansy mechanic who will charge you an arm and a leg. Bicylce repair is NOT a dark art and if you can change a plug or the oil in your car you can at very little expense and with fairly inexpensive and basic tools do your own repairs and maintenance.

[jean]

Thanx for all the advice.

I will check everything and hope to get to the point of it soon.

[bikemonster]

There may be some useful info here:

http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/11164.0.html

 

Check out the item towards the bottom of the page.

[slowpoke]

jean, you can also go to linden cycles for good mechanical advice - 3rd street in linden

 

i agree about rather changing your rear derailleur to LX or XT and mdk555 iw very right about advising you to get a flightdeck. i got used to having a flightdeck when i was piloting for a blind girl and ended up getting one for my TCR because it really does help to plan your gear changes ahead if you know exactly which gear you're in

[jean]

bikemonster - i must say that that will be the cheapest way of fixing my bike, will give it a try, thanx

[Guest Big H]

The Dog Tooth or Third Eye Chain Watcher is only prevention ..... not a cure!!!!!! You still have to solve the problem Jean!!!!! It happened to us during a race when the chain dropped and jammed between the BB and the chainring. Took me 15 minutes of swearing and cussing to sort it out. Eventually I had to break the chain and refit it. Got rid of the infernal Campagnolo and the problem was solved. No more bent derraileurs and broken chains!!!!!

[jean]

Big H

 

I agree. I will check if the frame is bent or not, replace the cranks along with bb, derailleur, blades, and jockey and fit a dog tooth type device to prevent further damage.

 

Hopefully this will be enough and wil cost me below R4000.

 

Another question is do anyone know of a nice set of wheels for my tandem, but not as expensive as bontragers?

[jean]

Just another question.....do anyone know of a nice set of wheels for my tandem, but not as expensive as bontragers?

[Guest Big H]

Jean, why do you need to replace the crankset and BB's???? as far as I know the Raleigh has FSA Gossamer cranksets that is of a good standard. A good tandem wheel is a set of Hope or Chosen sealed bearing wide flange hubs built on a DRC 40 spoke rim with DT Swiss spokes. Do not use butted spokes and get your wheelbuilder to put DT Swiss correct thickness copper washers between the spoke head and the rim flange to exclude any movement that may take place there. This stops spokes form breaking. Not a very light wheel but strong for everyday traing use on a tandem. Ensure that you find somebody that knows how to build wheels and uses a spoke tensiometer. It is ok to pluck or squeeze spokes on a half a bike but uneven tensioning on a tandem is disastrous to say the least. Finding the correct guru to build your wheel is quite a task. Wheelbuilding is also NOT a dark art as many would like you to beleive. I purchased a Park Tool Spoke Tensioner....  used it once on my wheels with slicks on the MTB tandem... did it correctly and it has never been used again. This was just after the 2006 ARGUS. Have never owned a wheel that has performes as incredible.

[jean]

Big H

 

Unfotunately i do not have FSA on there, but instead 105 cranksets, wictch looks very  old and thin. I was told that the bike was a 2003 model, wich i doubt now. As for the wheels it is Alex DA22 rims with a 40H shimano hub.

 

I'm looking for a "nice look" wheelset, but do not want to pay alot of money.