# Advice for new tandem teams; don't skimp on wheels



## crestlinefarm (May 6, 2003)

My college roommate & I decided to ride the Seattle to Portland bicycle ride this year on a tandem. After shopping for a few weeks through the typical 'non-retail' outlets (eBay, Craigslist) I came across an inexpensive tandem. Figuring I had some decent quality bits & pieces, I bought the bike--mostly for the frame--and spent a weekend tearing it down and replacing everything but the seatposts and stoker stem with the 8sp drivetrain off my old mountain bike--including some used Sun 36 spoke wheelset. We took it out for a 60 mile jaunt a few weeks ago and got everything dialed in and ready for our one-day, 200 mile trip to Portland. 
We made 100 miles when I heard the "ping" of a spoke breaking. A few hundred yards later the single riders--who were enjoying the draft that two 200 pound guys on a tandem create--pulled along side to tell us the rear wheel was seriously out of true. Rats. 
Putting two and two together, we stopped and I found the broken spoke. I trued it up as best I could by tightening the four adjacent driveside spokes, but we only made it another hundred yards or so before the wobble was so bad the tire was contacting the frame. Another look and the four spokes I tightened had completely pulled through the rim! I've finished a ride before after breaking a spoke so I was a little surprised at the catastrophic failure but when I thought about it, the wheels were 20 years old (off a '98 K2) with lots of miles, and at one point I remember getting the bike back after loaning it to someone with the brake dragging on the rim (with the brake pad worn down to metal).
SO, my advice is, the bike is only as strong as it's weakest component...and the component most susceptible to failure (and liable to leave you walking) at the hand of a pair of heavyweights is wheels.


----------



## WheresWaldo (Nov 29, 2005)

The first problem was using 20 year old wheels. New clincher rims are generally much stronger today than they were 'back in the day.' At 400+ pounds for a team you are only 55 pounds heavier than us and we use 32 spoke wheels on our Dale. We have had no issues in an entire season of riding. Of course they are modern rims (double eyelet DT R1.1) with modern hubs (2007 NOS Shimano XT) and new spokes and nipples.

At least you made it 100 miles + 100 yards, our longest ride this year has only been 75 miles.


----------

