Making a tandem mountain bike on a budget

Author	Message

b1naryMC

Posted: Oct 30, 2023 at 11:21

Quote

BenLow2019 wrote:

I prefer sintered brake pads, but if resin does the trick for your bike then great.

The cockpit is wild - curious to watch how braking is actually accomplished - like playing an instrument.

Ok, will try some bb7s when I have time to set them up.
Also, yeah it is like an instrument. It sure helps that my main tandem partner has been playing the piano for over 10 years.

mior

Mod

Posted: Oct 30, 2023 at 11:52

Quote

BenLow2019 wrote:

b1naryMC wrote:

Good for a mechanical. Pads are an old Shimano standard. It's not as snappy as hydros or an avid bb7, but they manage heat well and provide enough power with a reasonable amount of force. I would like to try out some bb7s, but I would have to mill down the mounting block for bb7 or bb5. I also don't have resin pads for them and surprisingly, I daily this to commute to class with friends, and having immediate performance from resin pads is nice.

I would have liked 220, but I worry about the fork, and the 203R is already at the size limit of the rear triangle. I am looking into a hydro front brake, especially to help with the cockpit because hydro levers tend to require less throw to engage.

I prefer sintered brake pads, but if resin does the trick for your bike then great.

The cockpit is wild - curious to watch how braking is actually accomplished - like playing an instrument.

problems solvers makes a dual lever if you dont care about individual brake control, however the avid fr-5s are about as good as it gets.

this guy also uses 2 levers with 1 hand for a different reason.

BenLow2019

Posted: Oct 30, 2023 at 11:58

Quote

mior wrote:

I knew it had to exist.

mior

Mod

Posted: Oct 30, 2023 at 12:13	Quote
pretty entertaining to look at the problem solvers site and see the crazy workarounds and shit they make

b1naryMC

Posted: Oct 30, 2023 at 14:21

Quote

I actually found one of those in parts bin, and was planning on using it.

Decided not to because it defeats the purpose of a rim brake over just a more powerful disc. The rim brake is nice for burning speed, and much easier to replace the pads on, so it makes sense to use the rim for commuting down paved hills because it doesn’t care about heat. The disc brakes are a must for stopping however.

Plus, it gets the best reactions out of people to have 2 left brake levers

b1naryMC

Posted: Nov 6, 2023 at 10:43

Quote

First time at a real bike park!

Hit some greens and blues, and had a load of fun. Nothing failed, but it was a challenge for both riders who normally do blacks.

Tandem at Griffin Bike Park

Also, got some more budget bike parts from FBM and a local shop. Installed proper front chainrings already.
Have a rockshox suspension seatpost, bontrager grips, and avid black ops v brakes on the way.

Braking performance is good but might look at genuine avid disc brakes and sintered pads next.

BenLow2019

Posted: Nov 6, 2023 at 10:46	Quote
Awesome! Sintered pads are a must with some decent 4 pot brakes. Keep it up!

mior

Mod

Posted: Nov 6, 2023 at 10:55

Quote

b1naryMC wrote:

Have a rockshox suspension seatpost, bontrager grips, and avid black ops v brakes on the way. SNIP

so you bought a reverb? JK. didnt know rockshox made suspension posts until today.

b1naryMC

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 7:11

Quote

We have been riding the bike for awhile, and we have snapped a chain 3 times. The most recent chain was a shimano one that was from an old trek fuel. We want to get the strongest chain possible. What chains would you all recommend? Thanks.

The chain breaks were often due to one or two occasions of bad shifting on steep uphills, but because we use this to commute, we would like to minimize breaking in any situation

mior

Mod

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 8:40

Quote

b1naryMC wrote:

the chain connecting the main rider and the stoker or the chain connecting it all to the rear wheel?

barp

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 12:15

Quote

b1naryMC wrote:

The chain breaks were often due to one or two occasions of bad shifting

I feel like the question contains the answer. Any chain will break if you put enough power through it while shifting a bunch of gears.

b1naryMC

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 15:08

Quote

mior wrote:

the chain connecting the main rider and the stoker or the chain connecting it all to the rear wheel?

Drive chain, not the synchronizing one.

barp wrote:

I feel like the question contains the answer. Any chain will break if you put enough power through it while shifting a bunch of gears.

Yeah of course. It would just be nice to decrease the chance of a failure, and because we really push the bike hard, its nice to have assurance. The shift that caused the failure was a 2->1 front downshift under too much load. Also, the chain was a little worn anyways and we were looking for a new one anyways. Probably going to order a kmc 9 speed and try that out.

mior

Mod

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 15:20	Quote
KMC has always worked well for me, then again im not pushing 1200w while shifting

mior

Mod

Posted: Nov 29, 2023 at 15:26	Quote
ever thought about getting a burly ass singlespeed chain and an 8 speed nexus IGH

b1naryMC

Posted: Nov 30, 2023 at 17:10

Quote

mior wrote:

ever thought about getting a burly ass singlespeed chain and an 8 speed nexus IGH

not enough range. The front deraileur is what causes the failures, and so to remove it with SS and run that hub wouldnt be sufficient range. An alfine 11s would work but those cost too much.

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