After the odd occasion where I rode/ raced a tandem round our local lake for fun, I havn’t rode one seriously until this year.
I now have the bug. No I don’t own a tandem, I just captain it and boy what aload of fun we have had.
The tandem is a Dawes double edge, which has now had the brakes up graded from V- brakes to magura rim brakes and boy they are sweet. We can now stop very quickly compared to the v-brakes as we travel around Devon and Cornwall climbing hill after hill, but the decents are great fun.
We can now stop with very little effort.
Hi Pedlar!
Yes the Magura rim brakes are a fantastic upgrade, a bit fiddly to set up initially but looks as though they should be very low maintenance.
Can’t wait for our next tandem adventure!
Hi Stokes,
Yes the setting up is a little bit fiddly, but thats only what I heard from Sue ( Owner of Tandem, real life Cycle Mechanic, Chief Stoker, and very good friend) the problem appeared to be bleeding the rear brake as her arms were not long enough. Otherwise very easy to fit and set up.
Apart from that they were tested, and the stopping power is fantastic. When you pulled the V-brakes you could always feel the cables stretch, and no matter how hard you pulled, the tandem took some stopping.
With the magura’s you don’t have to pull hard at all, unless its an emergency for the tandem to stop. Our next adventure is Sunday, and I think we will be grinning from ear to ear, knowing we have these sweet brakes to stop us. We smile all the way round on our adventures, anyway Have a good fun filled adventure.
