So, new tandem. Primary focus is touring (on mainly paved roads, towing our trailer), but a secondary focus will be some Audax riding, hopefully including PBP.
Subject to them not riding like an oil tanker on a test ride (and reviews and personal recommendations suggest that it won't), we're almost sold on it being a Co-Motion Speedster Co-Pilot (we want the Co-Pilot bit to open up easier travelling options and storage as well) -
http://www.co-motion.com/index.php/tandems/speedsterThere is one big decision I thought I had made - but I've got cold feet at the moment.
Rohloff versus dérailleursI started off thinking I really wanted a Rohloff - all sealed away and nice.
But, as I have thought more about it - does it really make sense? I have dérailleurs on many other bikes, and they work just fine thank you.
Weighs lots, costs lots, seems to need quite a bit of maintenance (oil changes etc.), limit us to one set of wheels (whereas there's a possibility that, with a dérailleur setup, we could have a set of touring wheels and a set of lighter Audax wheels, for instance).
Within reason, it's not a cost thing - this bike is going to cost a lot - the uplift to a Rohloff isn't ever so huge in percentage terms.
A Rohloff on drop bars is always going to be a bit funny - Co-Motion make their own grip shifter, which is apparently, very good indeed.
After always thinking I wanted a Rohloff system, I'm suddenly sat there thinking what's wrong with dérailleurs?
As I said, our primary focus is always likely to be touring - this bike's going to spend it's first tour in Thailand next Christmas. Audax is secondary. We've toured with our dérailleur equipped tandem and I know how these things work - I can fix them, keep them running well etc. - a Rohloff is all new to me. Our touring is more likely to be Western Europe (this trip to Thailand aside), Northern America and not ever so far from the beaten track (i.e. primarily on paved roads).
I've just suddenly lost my bottle a little on the whole concept of hub gears - it just seems that I am trying to solve a problem that isn't really there.
Forget the money - what would you do?