On 3/27/2018 12:54 PM, sms wrote:


I still have a Arai drum brake wheel for my Trek tandem. For long steep
descents on a tandem, you really have to watch out for rims heating to
the point where you can get a blowout.

I suspect that not many non-disc brake tandems, other than the el-cheapo
BSO tandems, are being sold anymore. Santana does have one entry-level
model where the disc brake is optional.

Popularity isn't usually driven by practicality. It's usually driven
more by fashion. Tattoos, ripped jeans, aero sunglasses, carbon fiber
everything, minipumps and disc brakes are nearly always fashion choices.
They're hardly different than new hairstyles.

Jay mentions riding in Oregon rain for decades using rim brakes. We've
ridden our tandem with only rim brakes for decades. We've had no
problems at all.

Full disclosu The tandem was a custom build, with the builder (Jim
Bradford) also supplying and installing all the components. I asked for
a double-threaded Phil rear hub so I could install a hub brake if I
decided I needed it.

Bradford said it wasn't necessary, that he and his fiance had toured the
Alps on one of his tandems with only cantilever rim brakes.

I've never toured the Alps, but our tandem has never needed more brakes.
Which is good, because one of his many mistakes on this bike was
supplying a rear hub without the brake threading.

--
- Frank Krygowski