Tandem hub selection
05-11-21, 02:51 PM
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Bikes: 1984 homemade 531SL road bike; 1988 Ritchey TimberComp; 1997 Nashbar tandem; 1998 Kona Explosif; Specialized Epic, Scott CR1 Pro; Salsa Beargrease; Curtlo custom Tandem, Curtlo custom S3 steel gravel bike.
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Tandem hub selection
I'm getting a new tandem this summer and still thinking about component selection. I already ordered 32 hole Light Bicycle WR45 rims (hopefully they get here before winter!). I'm going with 148 boost rear, so the hub possibilities are almost endless. I'll also be going with an XD driver so gouging an alloy freehub won't be an issue.
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
05-11-21, 03:40 PM
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I'm getting a new tandem this summer and still thinking about component selection. I already ordered 32 hole Light Bicycle WR45 rims (hopefully they get here before winter!). I'm going with 148 boost rear, so the hub possibilities are almost endless. I'll also be going with an XD driver so gouging an alloy freehub won't be an issue.
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
https://www.dtswiss.com/en/component...hybrid-mtb/350
Center lock seems to go with straight spokes and 6-bolt with J bend so it seems like a Shimano/not-Shimano choice more than anything
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 05-11-21 at 03:47 PM.
05-11-21, 10:13 PM
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I have had no problems using DT Swiss 350 hubs on the tandem. We have had the bike a bit over 5 years now and nearly 5000 miles on it. I know that these hubs are a bit light for some tastes and we are a lighter team at 300 pounds. The bike is shimano, so centerlock rotors. I know that the bearings are really easy to replace too, which is nice.
05-17-21, 02:32 AM
#4
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We use shimano Deore 135 Hubs 32 spokes dt swiss comp jbend on road tandem and 28 straight spokes dt 350 (dt alpine spokes) and Mavic(flat spokes) on E-MTB Tandem. Weight riders+gear 155. In the deore rear wheel ons spoke on the driveside broke after 11000 km.
EMTB tandem has 1500 km and wheels still straight. Dt wheels are H1900 3 pawl. U can change them to ratchet system, but tools are expensive. So i just carry an extra freewheelbody on long rides.
Mavic wheels maximum weight is 180 kg. DT swiss 150. Deore I think 125.
EMTB tandem has 1500 km and wheels still straight. Dt wheels are H1900 3 pawl. U can change them to ratchet system, but tools are expensive. So i just carry an extra freewheelbody on long rides.
Mavic wheels maximum weight is 180 kg. DT swiss 150. Deore I think 125.
06-25-21, 07:11 PM
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I'm getting a new tandem this summer and still thinking about component selection. I already ordered 32 hole Light Bicycle WR45 rims (hopefully they get here before winter!). I'm going with 148 boost rear, so the hub possibilities are almost endless. I'll also be going with an XD driver so gouging an alloy freehub won't be an issue.
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
How important is having 4 pawls over 3? Does anyone besides Hope make a 4-pawl hub? There is a thread on here with someone's DT ratchet chipping, which sounds like a bad problem, but how common is that really? Thoughts on center lock vs 6-bolt on a tandem?
06-26-21, 09:26 AM
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I am just sayin' because I only weigh 135 lbs, and I broke (by myself) two spokes last week on my loaded touring bike with 36 spoke wheels. (OK, maybe they were cheap spokes).
06-28-21, 06:17 AM
#9
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White Industries or Phil Wood hubs. 40 spoke minimum. (I have 48 spokes on our touring wheels) I also have a set of Spinergy's we run when close to home.
Light, strong, cheap....pick 2.
Light, strong, cheap....pick 2.
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06-28-21, 06:48 AM
#10
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I realize that you have already bought your hubs, but I disagree with your choice. 32 hole hubs/ rims are for rated for a single person's weight. A tandem, has twice the load. Ah, but men are reckless and don't consider the downside of serious failure. I would not consider less than 40 tandem hubs, but I am one of those really rare guys who actually worries about ending up in the hospital. Are you racing, I mean really?
we have 28 spoke DT Swiss 240 hubs that are 6 years old, over 20000 miles and yet to break a spoke. We have two sets of wheels, with 28 spoke White industry hubs, one of which is used for off road, and again no broken spokes.
All of those wheels were built by Calfee. I seriously doubt they would build and sell wheels with a significant risk of catastrophic failure. (When we were having trouble sourcing 28 spoke ENVE rims, they did advise against 24 spokes, not due to the risk of catastrophic failure, but because of flex affecting how well the bike would corner.)
28 spoke hubs as part of a well built wheel with quality spokes, and a stiff deep sectioned carbon rim will make a very durable wheel these days.
and even if you were to break a spoke, it’s more an issue of inconvenience, than catastrophic failure.
48, or even 40 spoke wheels made sense in a a day of week box sectioned aluminum rims. With modern equipment, it’s vastly overkill for most purposes.
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You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
Last edited by merlinextraligh; 06-28-21 at 06:51 AM.
06-28-21, 07:51 AM
#11
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I'm hoping Merlinextralight has the better answer! I went with DT 240 EXP hubs, 32 spoke WR 45 carbon rims, DT Comp spokes. Total wheel set weight 1750 gm. With the deep section rim, there is a 2 inch space between spokes - hardly a big gap. When stressing the wheel during tensioning, this has to be the stiffest wheel I've ever built.
The bad news is the spoke length calculation was off and the spokes are too short. According to Lennard Zinn, the #1 cause of spoke nipple failure is a too short spoke that doesn't go all the way through the nipple.
The bad news is the spoke length calculation was off and the spokes are too short. According to Lennard Zinn, the #1 cause of spoke nipple failure is a too short spoke that doesn't go all the way through the nipple.
