AllezDada

Hi all,
Just got a Cannondale Road Tandem 2 for my wife and me, and as this is our first tandem a few questions. We have been roadies for 11 years, and our combined weight is 270 lbs.

1. With disc brakes how much do we need to be conscious of being careful about overheating on descents?

2. We are very comfortable with Shimano SPD-SL pedals, and are getting them for this bike. Usually on our singles if we need to get started on an uphill (from a stop) it's not a big deal, but I would imagine it would be more difficult on a tandem? Is there a preferred strategy for this?

3. The tires we have are 700x28c Continental Gatorskins. What tire pressure would be a good starting point?

Thanks in advance for the help, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of other questions to come!

ftsoft

Congratulations! I'll chip in my 2 cents.

1. Depends on where you live. Unless you are descending Mt Ventoux, it probably won't be a problem. We are around 250 lbs and use a rear disc and front V-Brake with no problems. However we live in Ohio and have only ridden hill terrain in Georgia with no long decents.

2. Getting started on a hill will be easier on the tandem once you get used to starting with the stoker clipped in. He/she can get the tandem going while you get clipped in (unless it's really steep of course).

3. We run 28 mm Gatorskins at 110 rear 100 front with no problems. I should note that we had some problems with 25 mm tires when we started with the CoMotion and had to run them at a higher pressure than I wanted. So we switched to 28's.

Have a lot of fun with your new tandem.

specbill

Congrats on a great Tandem buy.
Those disc brakes will probably spoil you forever because they will flat get the job done. We live in a fairly hilly area(Southern Sierrra Nevada Mountains), currently weigh in as a 290# team and have not come close to over heating the discs. We do use good braking technique required to survive in the steeps with V's and canti's as described in numerous places on this forum. The Mt Ventoux thread did speak to what can happen to discs at the extreme, but at your team weight and with eleven years of riding experience, I would be surprised if you were to max them out....just go ride them as hard as you like and see if you can even find their limit.

Tire presures...we rum 100 front and 110 rear.

Shoes/cleats/ hill starts....there are numerous threads on this subject as well. Once you get your team starting technique refined, then hill starts will be a non-issue. However, shoes with good traction is a big deal in my book...can never have too much traction. We go with Mountain Bike type shoes with aggressive rubber'ish bottoms and avoid any Road type shoes with hard smooth plastic-like bottoms that can go out from under you when least expected.
Enjoy your newC'dale!

Bill J.

AllezDada

Thank you all for your help!! Definitely not descending Mt Ventoux, although there is an occasional good-sized downhill around here (Maryland).

rdtompki

Agree with all above. You're a light team and shouldn't have any braking problem The tandem weight distribution allows more use of the rear brake, but on descents it can be tempting to use the disc as almost a drag brake; resist this temptation, brake for corners using front and rear - you won't have a problem. I agree with Bill about MTB shoes, but a number of experienced riders use road shoes with not problem. I like the security of the MTB shoes when holding the bike up and starting on a steep hill the captain definitely needs to get a-pedaling whether clipped in or not - another advantage to a mtn-style shoe.

Where a 350 lb team running Conti GP 4 Seasons 28mm tires: 110 psi rear, 105 psi front and we've had zero problems with pinch flats.

steve53mg

We weigh 310#, and the bike about 38#. We have been using 28 mm gatorskins and run both at 120#. You are fortunate, especially at a light weight, to have the most efficient brakes available. You'd have to really bend over backwards to overheat the disc. As others have said, the easiest way to get started from a stop, is to keep the stoker clipped in when you stop, or get the stoker clipped in first, before you start off. It is also, I think, important to be aware of what gear you are in before you stop and downshift as necessary, before coming to a stop. You don't want to try to get going in too high of a gear. My wife uses SPDs with mountain type shoes and is very happy with the setup. I use old style Look road cleats and shoes, but I too will eventually change over to the SPD/MTB system.

AllezDada

We'll definitely have to practice on hills. When I ride a single I start with my left foot clipped in, and after starting clip in my right. Sometimes this happens immediately, sometimes not. Luckily with the SPD-SL's there is somewhat of a broad platform so even on hills I'm able to manage until I get the right foot in. With the tandem I guess I may have to have my stoker watch me (and I guess pedal slowly) until I get in.