Which tandem, or rather, which components are the best value

[cisamcgu]

Mrs cisamcgu and I are seriously thinking of buying a new tandem. We have an old, second-hand Pashley which cost around £130 and we enjoy riding, but find it a rather bad "fit". Last weekend we went up to the Yorkshire Dales (lovely country) and visited the lovely people at JD Tandems who make and supply orbit tandems. We had a few test rides (include a semi-recumbant tandem which was brilliant fun, but not really what we want), and found that the modern tandem is a huge improvement over the Pashley.

We are currently trying to find the best value from the range. We want a cheap(ish) [cheap and tandem don't really go together], flat barred (I ride drops on my solo bike, but find them rather different, and unpleasant on a tandem), 700c wheeled tandem, and are trying to choose between a few models. The frames are basically the same, only the components differ.

The Velocity nine £1500
The Velocity Sports Disc £1850
The Lightning Sport £2500

We would get disc brakes on the front on all of them , so add £100 to the 1st and 3rd. But basically, I am unable to decide, even on a basic level is the difference in price worth it.

We are not planning on going around the world, but with a bit of luck we hope to do Hadrians cycleway this coming summer and then South France to Brittany the year after.

Or, would we be better splashing out £5000+ and getting the Summit with a Rohloff and S&S couplings - and assume we will never buy another tandem ? Should we get 26" wheels ? So many decisions ....

Any thoughts, advice, other choices ?

Kind regards
Andrew

 

[biggs682]

wow what a decision

 

[srw]

There is no such thing as a good value tandem - the components are specialist and made to tiny runs.

Frame - JD know what they're doing. They won't supply a duff frame. S&S couplings are worth it, as they mean that you can take the machine on a train and get it into a (reasonably large) car. The setup on the summit is the same as the setup on the Thorn Discovery, and is very easy to use - comes apart cleanly in 20 seconds and goes back together in a minute or two.

Rohloff - I'm in two minds. I love it for its simplicity, but the flange on the shell (the bit that holds the spokes in the hub) has a nasty habit of breaking when it's in a tandem wheel - there's a limit to the torque it can take.

Front brake - neither of our tandems have a front disc, and I don't see the point. We've got v-brakes, and they're perfectly adequate even though we're not exactly a pair of sylphs. Standard road discs have a plastic adjuster which can melt on a long hill.

Back brake - JD have just fitted a 10" cable disc on our Santana. OMG. It will stop us on a penny.

Wheel size - not especially relevant. Our touring tandem (Thorn) has 26" wheels and is a stately, stable old lady - but that's as much to do with frame weight as anything else. Our road tandem (Santana) has 700c wheels and is a flighty, twitchy flapper until she gets going. When she does, she goes like a racehorse. Again, that's the frame and the lightness. There's about a stone difference in weight between the two.

 

[cisamcgu]

@biggs682 Do you mean "What an exciting decision" or "My God you have no idea what you are doing" [both are true, btw]

@srw - many thaks for your advice and observations.I hadn't really thought deeply about the brakes, I just assumed that the discs would be better - maybe more thought and questions are needed. The Rohloff is about £1000 added to the cost of the bike (I assume), and I have no idea if it is worth it - but I do find gear changes on our current tandem rather haphazard, mainly because I cannot simply glance down and see what gear I am in (like I can on a solo) - perhaps this isn't an issue on modern gearing systems ?

I'm still thinking of 700c wheels though - they just seem better - but again I have no idea why !

 

[cisamcgu]

and, I understand that tandems are never cheap - but as regards value, are the Thorns better value than the Orbits ?

 

[biggs682]

@cisamcgu what i meant was wow what a lucky person you are having to make such a decision

we bought our Tandem second hand 5 years ago for £250 its a 26" wheeled Raleigh Venture +1 and we have covered less than 500 miles on it for 1 reason or another , it served its purpose at the time and the next time it goes out on the road it will still do its job .

Ok i know its not in the same league as the ones you mention , but then our useage is not the same either .

whatever you buy just enjoy and keep us posted

 

[srw]

I haven't looked at the price of Thorns for a number of years, but when we got ours about 5 years ago, the Thorn equivalent of that £5000+ Orbit cost us £3000 - and that was with top-of-the-range XTR brakes and a hub dynamo. The main difference is probably that Orbit use a British frame-builder, Thorn import from Taiwan.

As for the gearing issue, in theory that's solved on our Santana by use of a Flight Deck bike computer, which displays the gear you're in. In practice, I rarely take much notice - I know which chainring I'm in, and roughly where on the cassette. I've gone all night changing gear by feel! It may be the extreme gearing we've got (53-42-28 x 11/34) or it may be the S&S couplings, but the gears are a pain to adjust.

Robin Thorn has a very strong view of front disc brakes - he refuses to fit them to tandems.

Practically speaking, the Rohloff gearing system just works in a way a derailleur doesn't. Maintenance and adjustment are trivial, and the ability to change gear while stopped is a much more important sell on a tandem than a solo.

 

[cisamcgu]

Now I am looking at the Thorn options and wondering if they are better than the Orbit .. sadly, SJS is rather a long way away to visit...

Oh .. this is difficult

 

[srw]

Thorn always used to supply Rohloff-equipped tandems on a 90-day no-questions-asked returns policy. I don't know if they still do. On the other hand, they're only open Monday to Friday.

 

[cisamcgu]

@srw - they still have to return policy, but the distance between Merseyside and Somerset is rather off-putting if any "tweaking" or "fixing" was required. It is only 1hr 20min to Gargrave - easily doable if needed - this is leaning me towards JD, but they are more expensive for pretty much the same thing (but as you said the difference is probably due to the handmade Bob Jackson frame compared to the imported (Tiawanese) frame that Thorn use).

The trouble is the longer Mrs C and I waffle and worry, the more chance we have of saying "Oh, never mind, lets not bother with a tandem - it is too much of worry"

I am definately considering the S&S couplings though - they would make it much more usable.

........

 

[cisamcgu]

Well, after much deliberation and multiple visits to the Yorkshire Dales (which are stunningly lovely, btw) Mrs C and I will be the proud owners, in about 4-5 months, of a 26" Orbit Summit XT -

We tried the Rohloff version, but didn't get on with it at all - it was clunky, stiff, and I couldn't change gears when there was any pressure on the drive-chain. It is a shame really, I did so want to like it

Oh well - roll on spring

 

[steveindenmark]

I occasionally look at tandems in the hope that I can get Jannie interested....no chance.

Co Motion tandems always get good reviews and some are within your budget.

 

[cisamcgu]

Thanks Steve, but we have ordered the Summit from JD over the weekend.

We are really looking forward to it