longpete

I noticed all of this on our fullsus mtb tandem. The captain's weight is almost twice the weight of the stoker. Weight distribution wass around 51/49.This made the tandem react the opposite of my solo bikes. And indeed the front tyre needs a lot more pressure and a stiffer carcass not to burp(over 2.3 bar for a 2.4 tyre on a 30mm internal diameter rim. The rear tyre slides a lot more. The rear tyre has less rolling resistance than the front. The front fork needs way more pressure and damping, the rear shock less. The chain stays measure a bit more than 49 cm. The rear tyre never loses grip while climbing but does loose grip on the flat in the mud.I had to change the stem for one with 45° rise. and a lot longer to keep the same reach but get a better weight distribution. .An 80cm bar did not work, 74cm was fine.there's a lot more difference I notice but can't explain. The fact that a longer rear end gives more travel explains probably while over 3 cm of difference in travel between fork and shock works best.