[QUOTE=JerrySTL;22338365]I have the same bike. My wife and I have done the entire
Katy Trail, Great Allegany Passage, and most of the C&O trail on it. I have heavily modified the bike as things have broken or worn out.
One of the first things was getting rid of the suspension fork. That alone went a long way to stop the pedal striking the ground. This fork works well:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The cheap seats and pedals went next. My wife uses the old school pedal straps to keep her feet from slipping off the pedals when I shift gears. Yes you both have to pedal at the same time.
The stock wheels lasted only about 2000 miles. Replacing them was somewhat difficult as the rear used a 7-speed freewheel - not a cassette. It's very difficult to find a wheel with a freewheel AND disc brake. You can get an 8-speed cassette wheel and put on a 7-speed cassette with an adapter ring. We did that for a while. However the granny gear wasn't quite low enough for some hills.
Therefore I switch the tandem over to an 8-speed with an 11-34T cassette. To do this you need a rear wheel that can take an 8-speed cassette, an 8-speed rear derailleur, and an 8-speed shifter. It was a great upgrade.
Tip: If you plan on doing any touring, carry a tandem rear derailleur cable and a rear brake cable. They are about 3000-35000 mm long. Many bike shops don't carry them and you'll really be out of luck if one breaks. Plus you can cut the cables shorter if something on the front snaps.
There's much, much more that I can tell you about the bike. PM me or send me an email at whittle at charter.net if you want more information.[/
thank you for the great info, this is very helpful!