Our Trek T50 tandem

[nfmisso]

Updates:

See: http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb8/dianemisso/Tandem%202/

The Kenda Kwest tires are "interesting" They have very soft side walls, with a rigid tread. Even at 90psi (rated 85) they feel "soft"; but they have low rolling resistance. If they don't work out, I am going to the original stock size (38-622) Specialized Armadillos; which have rigid tread and sidewalls.

The fenders are 60mm SKS Commuters; like them allot; I have 45mm SKS Commuters on my red bike that I ride to work everyday.

The handle bar and stem are Avenir 200 series. The brake levers are Tektro 2.1 (work with V-brake or others) (same levers on my red bike with Tektro R559 dual pivots). The brakes are Avid SD 5; SRAM MRX twist grip shifter for the rear (again just like my red bike). The front derailleur shifter is a Shimano lever - I prefer levers for the front, Crosslake (eBay merchant) has very good prices on Shimano levers.

We have ridden it a couple miles so far, still tweaking things for the stoker's comfort The 44T front chain ring is great for most situations. The 28T "granny" ring is great for climbing walls. We haven't got into the 54T ring yet.

[doctordee]

Looking great Nigel, great workmanship. Just for the record, I'm still jealous. lol.

[nfmisso]

And now with chainguards installed.

http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb8/dianemisso/Tandem20110618/

For the one on the triple in the rear is intended for a 56T 130BCD; on my last trip to China, a friend had adapters made for me to work with the 54T 110BCD big ring. The ones on the left side are for 48T 110BCD, where as we have 38T rings. They offer a little extra protection.

[Painkiller]

well Nigel I guess i will have to get up off my butt and refresh my old 91' Gary Fisher Gemini Mountain Bike Tandem. Bought it new and its just been hangin around awhile. Ton o fun o ripping thru the woods with 2 people! I used to commute to work on it 15 miles each way and people would ask me why I ride a tandem by myself and the only thing I could say is ,"I guess the same reason you drive around in a six passenger car by yourself"

[nfmisso]

(07-03-2011, 12:17 PM)painkiller Wrote:  well Nigel I guess i will have to get up off my butt and refresh my old 91' Gary Fisher Gemini Mountain Bike Tandem. Bought it new and its just been hangin around awhile. Ton o fun o ripping thru the woods with 2 people! I used to commute to work on it 15 miles each way and people would ask me why I ride a tandem by myself and the only thing I could say is ,"I guess the same reason you drive around in a six passenger car by yourself"

Yes; you should - or you just send it to me

I like your response here are a couple (not as good as yours) that I just thought off:
* limousine ride
* more luggage room - like your extended cab, long bed pick up that you have never had a passenger in....
* easier to pick up women hitch hikers.

We tried this yesterday on our ride: http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Waterproof-Passenger-Motorcycle-Motorbike/dp/B0034JD2CM/ . The box is great, we ordered alternate headsets to try out. Our computer (for Skype) headsets don't work, because the box uses a single 3.5mm three conductor plug for each headset. Diane really likes being able to hear me.

We also got: http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Clip-Strap-Large-X-Large/dp/B002BW3AD4/ for Diane. She was very happy with them, now her feet don't slip off. She said she felt more secure too. They are the large/ x-large size, fit her shoes fine, too small for mine.

We did 15 miles yesterday - just our fifth ride together, and probably too big a jump from 8 miles. Today we're resting, and tomorrow we'll get another ride in.

I need to be careful on ramping up the mileage so that Diane gets used to it; like I ramped up my commuting mileage. I started with bike - light rail, then gradually reduced the light rail, until after a few months, I eliminated the light rail except under special circumstances - like rain.

After the ride, I added big yellow bucket panniers so that we can haul picnic, tools, etc without packs; and a Topeak Morph pump.
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Turbo-Morph-Bike-Gauge/dp/B000FIE4PO/
Nice little pump, works well, but is slow inflating those big tires, as you'd expect with a pump with less than 20% of the volume of my old floor standing Schwinn brand pump, purchased at Wal-mart over a decade ago.

[Painkiller]

You really find the deals on Amazon I must say. When I start on my tandem project I will treat it as a find and go thru step by step how I refurb from start to finish just for fun. because it certainly looks like one, complete with cobb webs, dinge and the whole shot.give me a week and I will post some before shots and after I am done and only then, I might send it to you! If I ever hit the lottery thats the kind of stuff I would do for fun Have a nice day
Bob

[nfmisso]

(07-03-2011, 01:17 PM)painkiller Wrote:  You really find the deals on Amazon I must say. WhenI start on my tandem project I will treat it as a find and go thru step by step how I refurb from start to finish just for fun. because it certainly looks like one, complete with cobb webs, dinge and the whole shot.give me a week and I will post some before shots and after I am done and only then, I might send it to you! If I ever hit the lottery thats the kind of stuff I would do for fun Have a nice day
Bob

Hi Bob;

We take our credit card rewards in Amazon gift cards - so the cost is good. And I rarely find places that beat Amazon.

[nfmisso]

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.

[Painkiller]

interesting, I had a 50t front and 11t rear on my tandem Gemini , my buddy paced us in his van and he said we hit about 35mph or so from what he could tell. I might have to slap a computer on to check it out. good job Nigel
the one thing I can say about the tandem is two really must become one and when that happens it is a great ride for sure

[nfmisso]

Updates

[attachment=3227]

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Front rack: http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Gold-Tec-Front-Rack/dp/B002MKHR7A/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1337628872&sr=1-2
to support two cut down kitty litter buckets, rotated 90° for light wieght items. Tried the Kryptonite U-locks in them - too heavy.

Replaced the pedals with Diamondback Bigfoot:
http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Bigfoot-Pedals-16Inch-Axle/dp/B002BVUGA0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I7L90GQBV0NHF&colid=UTY71LGEXJUA
My current favorite. Solved Diane's foot cramping issue with the MKS Sylvan pedals - and she no longer wants or needs toe clips. The pins on the pedals are very effective. These are very large pedals. The Diamondback Sound is very similar:
http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Sound-Pedal-Black-Alloy/dp/B001C3GJ22/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2K3RCF59KGYTE&colid=UTY71LGEXJUA

These pedals are a great design, but there are manufacturing quality issues (I have two sets of Bigfoots and one Sound pair) - the worse being the is the high speed over tightening of the lock nut resulting in over rotation of the anti-rotation washer, making it impossible to remove to service the bearings - Any suggestions ???

Added extensions for Diane for a more comfortable riding position (for her): http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Pro-Pulsion-Compe-Lite-Ends/dp/B002I7PRUQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3VCSL7JHZIMHO&colid=UTY71LGEXJUA

The Kenda Kwest tires are proving to be great.

The Avid SD5 brakes are superior.

[RobAR]

Looking good there, Nigel! I like the Kenda Kwest tires too but, have you ever ridden a pair of Tioga City Slickers? For a high-volume tire that can handle 85 - 90 psi, they do get firm. I highly recommend them for an application such as yours.
Avid Single Digit 5 binders are also a sweet choice in brakes!
I love the home-brew panniers!

Rob

Edit - * easier to pick up women hitch hikers.
Hmmm. Dirty old men on these forums,,,

[nfmisso]

(05-21-2012, 08:52 PM)RobAR Wrote:  Looking good there, Nigel! I like the Kenda Kwest tires too but, have you ever ridden a pair of Tioga City Slickers? For a high-volume tire that can handle 85 - 90 psi, they do get firm. I highly recommend them for an application such as yours.
Avid Single Digit 5 binders are also a sweet choice in brakes!
I love the home-brew panniers!

Rob

Edit - * easier to pick up women hitch hikers.
Hmmm. Dirty old men on these forums,,,

Hi Rob;

We're running the Kendas at 100 psi (though only rated for 85). They were very inexpensive, and after having them for a year, it looks like they'll last many years for us. I really like the hard tread and very soft sidewalls. When it comes time to look for replacements - I will look at the Tioga tires.

We have three cats, thus a very large supply of kitty litter buckets - seems a shame to just toss them, when there are so many other uses for them

Yesterday I removed the SLIME brand tubes (after having to replace slimed valves twice), and installed Avenir TR tubes - which have provide puncture free service on my commuting bicycles.

[Bill]

Wow that's really cool!! Love what ya have done with the T50 Nigel!!

[nfmisso]

(05-29-2012, 04:28 AM)Bill Wrote:  Wow that's really cool!! Love what ya have done with the T50 Nigel!!

Thank you !!!!

[nfmisso]

We rode a short section of the Katy trail near Jefferson Missouri today - beautiful weather here today. Tomorrow we continue heading west.
[attachment=3254]

[1FJEF]

(06-05-2012, 08:46 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  We rode a short section of the Katy trail near Jefferson Missouri today - beautiful weather here today. Tomorrow we continue heading west.

Wait, you're in Missouri? I thought you lived across the state from me in CA.

So how did you get the tandem to MO from CA? Did that enormous thing fit on a car carrier? What are you driving, a stretched Limo?

[nfmisso]

(06-06-2012, 12:19 AM)1FJEF Wrote:  Wait, you're in Missouri? I thought you lived across the state from me in CA.

So how did you get the tandem to MO from CA? Did that enormous thing fit on a car carrier? What are you driving, a stretched Limo?

We rented a Dodge Grand Caravan - have to remove the front wheel, but otherwise, no problem fitting it inside. The Stow & Go seats are neat As is the 25 to 28 mpg, and the power of the 3.6l PentaStar V6 - it is 4 to 5 mpg more economical than the 2001 Grand Caravan we had, and with 120 more horsepower (283 vs 163), much faster.

[1FJEF]

Did you do some of your wheel tuning mojo prior to the trip? Stress relief, re-tensioning and final true, all that good stuff?

[RobAR]

darn it, Nigel! You're on the Katy near Jeff City and didn't bother to let KCSteve, Jef or myself know that you were coming? You dog. I hope you get a,,,,, a.... uhhh, ...mmm... something that you can't fix.
At least you'll be fixing it under beautiful skies. You dog.
I bet that if the timing was right, and enough notice given, Bob (painkiller) might even come down from the Land of Lincoln. We might get some others in on it, too!
Sometime last year, there was a thread about a Katy meet. I'll have to see if I can find and bump it. That would be a very cool BT thing to do.

You dog. Have fun!

[Painkiller]

Yea you beat me to the post robar! i could not believe what i read. Nigel taking a break from China and heading towards corn country. Looks like you had a good time Nigel but you posted heading west so I thought maybe next time. I think it would be a hoot to hook up with you guys sometime.
As fate would have it, while on my way to texas in july i will be dropping off a bike to a fellow poster [FredS} from MO. He has the posting about the bountyhunter bike. And I just saved one from the garbage and will give it to him as a gift on my way.
I will check the charge in my cell phone Nigel, I am sure I missed your call.
Please do not make come to Cali, You may get me in the long haul but I think i can out eat you any day of the week
Love Bob