Our Trek T50 tandem

[nfmisso]

(06-07-2012, 06:18 PM)RobAR Wrote:  .......
You dog. Have fun!

we're having fun. My wife decreed that this is to be a 2nd honeymoon trip - no extras

next time, I'll let the forum know.

[nfmisso]

Learned something today.

THe Stronglight 1¼" head set on our T50 has tapered roller bearings - not ball bearings like all of my other bikes - and the vast majority of bicycles made. It also does not have the common nut and jam nut - instead it has a single nut with high friction seals.

I opened up because it was a little loose. The grease looked good, so I just tightened everything back up. Unfortunately, I over torque a bolt on the stem, stripping the thread. New stem due Wednesday.

[Bill]

Nice find!!!!

[nfmisso]

New stem arrived Tuesday Rode the T50 to work on Wednesday, picked up a friend about ¾ of the way to work (she normally rides her bike to work, and wanted to try out a tandem). After work we rode back to our place - fastest time for me ever - she is a great stoker. Then the three of use met up with some friends for food and drink.

Scored a Handspun rear wheel on ebay for $100- !! Just arrived, it is brand new, never had a cassette on the hub, Q/R never installed, etc. It has a Shimano HF08 40h hub (around $200- on Amazon), DT Swiss 2.0 spokes (equivalent to Wheelsmith SS14) and a Velocity Dyad ISO 622 rim ($50- on Amazon). It has a few dust bunnies, but that is it. The wheel was built by Matt according to the tag attached to the wheel. I am very happy with my find

The HF08 hub is nominally 145mm, but it is VERY easy to modify it to 140mm - required on both our tandems.

I now have all the peices need to convert the T50 to a 3x9 set up with 11-34 SRAM cassette, SRAM X9 RD and SRAM shifter. This will be on my list of tasks when I return from China in a three weeks.

I also need to service the BB - they appear to be seperate cups, rather than cartridge type. I find the cup type to be easy to service, very low $$ and longer service life because they are adjustable.

[nfmisso]

noon time at work on Wednesday with Hollie

[attachment=3463]

[RobAR]

Some guys have all the luck.

[Bill]

Way to go Nigel!!! Very nice find!

[nfmisso]

well, started hearing a once per wheel rev noise coming from the rear, and a little wobble up front. Flipped the bike upside down yesterday, pulled the wheels off, and went to work. The front hub has sealed bearings, but the axle needed to be a smidge tighter, and one spoke was a bit loose. The rear hub is more interesting, it has a sealed bearing on the left side, and loose balls on the right. These hubs are Sansin high flange. Then I spotted a long crack in the rear rim It is over 300mm long. That is where the once per wheel rev noise was coming from.

Diane just order Velocity Dyad rims and Wheelsmith spokes and nipples to go with the Wheelmaster hubs we have.
http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-Front-Tandem-Black/dp/B006I9SUHW/ref=sr_1_9?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1364168518&sr=1-9&keywords=40h
http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-Alloy-Tandem-Rear/dp/B004MEWSNW/ref=sr_1_17?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1364168461&sr=1-17&keywords=40h


In addition to getting new wheels, the T50 will also get a 9 speed 11-34 cassette, SRAM X9 derailleur and shifter. It will be out of commission for two or three more weekends while I get everything done.

The original rims are Titanium Matrix (trade name) 36H/40H. The new Dyads will be 40h front and rear.

[Painkiller]

hey Nigel, can you post a picture of the crack?

[nfmisso]

[attachment=4034]
[attachment=4035]
[attachment=4036]
[attachment=4037]
[attachment=4038]

[Painkiller]

Thanks Nigel ! Wow that could have been deadly, It is a good thing you are in tune with your bicycle and noticed a strange sound and got right on it. A good lesson for anyone new to cycling "listen to your bike" ride safe and ride long! I hope others see this and learn to be aware of what their bike is trying to tell them, it could keep you from being injured or worse.
But on the bright side, now you can build a new set which I think you kinda like to play with anyways. Love ya bro, thanks for the the pics and good luck

[nfmisso]

Rims and spokes arrived yesterday. Got four rims - for both the T50 and the Jack Taylor. Already had hubs - Wheelmaster 40H with sealed bearings front and rear, with 14mm diameter axle on the rear - one set is silver, the other black.

Deburred the bubs this morning, then had to run errands, go the two fronts laced this evening. Tomorrow morning will lace the rears, then we'll be heading to the trueing stand. Should be ready for tires and tubes by the end of the day. Unfortunately, the tubes don't arrive until Monday.

In the mean time, need to swap the derailleur and shifter on the T50 to go with the 9 speed cassette as mentioned above.

So much to do, so little time.......

[nfmisso]

It rides very nicely

The SRAM X.9 RD, X.0 twist grip, PC-971 chain and 11-34T cassette play very well together. It shifts better and much faster than the Shimano Deore DX that was on there before. The X.9 is also much lighter than the Deore DX.

The 40h Dyads, Wheelsmith SS14 spokes and Wheelmaster hubs are a nice combination. They are noticeably laterally stiffer than the OEM wheels, and glide better than the old wheels. The tires and Stop Flats 2 tire liners are the same ones as before (no reason to change, lots of life left in them). The tubes are new (Kenda), because the old rims were Schrader, the new Presta.

The new tube are not thorn resistant, could not find TR with a 40+mm Presta valve stem; Avenir's are only 32mm, not long enough for the Dyads. With the Kevlar belted tires and tire liners, we shall see. Putting a second tire liner in each tire would still be much lighter than the TR tubes.

The silver rims make the bike look lighter. Diane wanted the black hubs on the T50 (instead of silver). The black hubs disappear visually.

Wheelmaster Tandem Hubs 40h - I will use these again, the rear is 135mm OLD, the front is 100mm OLD. They have sealed bearings. The front has a standard 9mm axle. The rear has a beefy 14mm axle - which is nearly 4 times the strength and stiffness of the standard 10mm axle Shimano uses on their tandem and mountain bike hubs. Axle stiffness can make a big difference in how well a wheel rolls. They are rim brake only hubs, no disc mounting, which is not a downside for me.

[nfmisso]

We finally got a little riding in . Diane notices the much smoother shifts with the X.9 RD and slightly closer gearing. The shifts are definitely faster. The 40H front wheel with Dyad rim is noticeably stiffer than the previous 36H front wheel. The bike seems to roll nicer.

[redfoxglove]

(09-10-2011, 06:38 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  We hit 24.6mph on a level street, and sustained >24 mph until the next red traffic light on today's ride. Pretty good for an out of shape 50+ couple on a flat bar tandem.

Flying!

[nfmisso]

This picture was take Thursday morning, 13 Feb 2014.

[attachment=4920]

And yes; I am in the 54/34 (big/big) combination. The cassette and chain rings are positioned to make this a smooth combination. Small/small is not workable on this bike because of that positioning, and not enough chain take up on the RD. Realistically, the 26T granny ring works reasonably well only on the four biggest cogs at the back. The middle 44T and larger 54T rings work across the whole 11 to 34 T range of the 9 speed cassette.

[Painkiller]

Looking good Nigel,when I would ride my tandem by myself, people would ask me why I would ride a two seat bike by myself. I would reply by saying it just was not as strange as driving a six passenger car by yourself.??? Hello? duh

[nfmisso]

(03-11-2014, 08:54 PM)painkiller Wrote:  Looking good Nigel,when I would ride my tandem by myself, people would ask me why I would ride a two seat bike by myself. I would reply by saying it just was not as strange as driving a six passenger car by yourself.??? Hello? duh

Actually my commuting stoker jumped off to take the picture - note the 24 seconds left on the cross walk.

[Joe_W]

Hm. 26T to 54T chain rings.
What front dérailleur are you using?

[nfmisso]

(03-12-2014, 03:50 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Hm. 26T to 54T chain rings. What front dérailleur are you using?

Hi Joe;

A Shimano, not sure which, it was on the bike when we purchased it.

The T50 originally had 28/38/48; but when we purchased it was equipped with 28/44/54; which is similar, but not the same as the T200.

I'll get some close up pictures of the FD this evening.

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=1994&brand=Trek&model=T50
http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1994&Brand=Trek&Model=T200&Type=bike