The Dolan tandem frameset was a panic buy due to cracks in our Orbit tandem frame when we did not have a delivery date for the Landescape. I was able to use some parts from our retired+incomplete Dawes Super Galaxy tandem and bits from my spares box but quite a few new parts were required (component supply problems have delayed the project and I've even borrowed parts from my touring bike).
When we ordered the Landescape we intended to keep the Orbit as second best and setup more for touring & wet weather riding. The faults with the Orbit frame have messed up those plans.
My main concern with the Dolan was that the rear top tube is shorter than the Orbit and C. might not have enough clearance from the handlebars to ride out of the saddle comfortably. The choice of stoker stem was critical to give the best possible position and I'm very pleased with the result.
It's actually a standard 130mm adjustable angle 1 1/4" ahead stem which fits to the 27.2mm seat post with a shim. Despite the shorter top tube this stoker stem gives a riding position at least as good as on the Orbit. Thus far we have tried it on a number of 1:7 hills and knee to handlebar clearance has been fine. The compromise is that there is very little clearance between the stoker handlebars and my backside, but C. doesn't use that section of the handlebars anyway and the handlebars are wide enough to hold at the sides.
The Dolan feels a lot smoother and more comfortable to ride than the Orbit. I think this is due to stiff steel forks on the Orbit which give a very hash ride despite having a fairly lightweight front wheel. Having said that the Dolan forks (carbon fibre & alloy steerer) are likely to be less durable and I wouldn't want to load it up for touring. I will probably replace the Dolan forks periodically as a precaution if we do a lot of mileage on it (they are not expensive and I can use them on our bicycles when I retire them from the tandem).
The Dolan feels fairly stiff riding out of the saddle. It's certianly stiffer than our Orbit is after less than a year of use, but it's difficuilt make a direct comparision as our Orbit frame has deteriated and has cracks. The Dolan feels more responsive, probably the geometry is more sporty. The tyre clearances are generous on the Dolan, lots of room for 28C tyres (and bigger) with mudguards, I expect there is enough clearance to ride it with a broken spoke.
The rear dropouts on the Dolan don't have the design weakness which I think has caused the dropouts on our Orbit frames to fracture (two Orbit frames fractured in 2 years). If Orbit redesigns the dropouts and the chainstays to make them stiffer and have better quality control on the welding it could be a lot more durable (but that won't happen unless they accept there is a problem). The latest models of Orbit tandem frames have design features that will make them less stiff - perhaps they want to improve comfort and a lower the stand over height, but allowing more flex on an aluminium frame will increase the risk fatigue fractures. By comparison the Dolan tandem frame appears to have been designed with performance in mind. We like the longer seat tube on the rear of the Dolan compared to the Orbit.
One unusual aspect of the Dolan is the 135mm rear axle. The trend is to have longer axles on modern tandems to minimise the wheel dish. We had nearly identical rear wheels on our Dawes & Orbit tandems except the Dawes was spaced 135mm and the Orbit 145mm. We had no problems at all with the spokes on the Dawes wheel, but numerous problems with spokes coming loose or breaking on the Orbit. So our experience is that a well built 135mm wheel is better than a poorly built 145mm wheel. Another factor with the 135mm axle is less space for a disc rotor, so this may limit the size of the rotor should you want to fit one. I've set our Dolan up with mini-vbrakes front and rear (no disc brake, although it does have fittings).
An advantage of the Dolan being shorter should be better aerodynamics. I've never beaten the maximum speed we set on the Dawes riding the Orbit (the Dawes Super Galaxy was even shorter than the Dolan, hence why we retired it). The Dolan is also lighter weight than the Orbit so I've fitted slightly bigger chainrings as we won't be using it for touring.
I didn't like the headset supplied with the Dolan, I fitted a Hope headset instead (despite our desire to minimise cost I think it is a worthwhile upgrade). I've also devised my own cable guide for the front mech cable as I expected the guide that was supplied would cause problems with the triple front mech I wanted to use. I've used a brake noodle to give the cable clearance so it does not snag the mech when it's in the small ring (I want to add an extra support for the noodle to reduce the risk of it fatiguing)
So we are still waiting for seat posts with a longer offset, and I need a longer stem on the front. A bit more work required before it's Audax ready, but it's getting close. As fate would have it our made to measure Landescape tandem which we ordered in January should be ready for collection very soon, but I don't regret ordering the Dolan frameset as it gave us a backup and it will be good to have a choice of tandems to ride. The Landescape will probably be more suitable for lightweight touring. It remains to be seen what we will be able to negociate with JD tandems regarding our faulty Orbit frame. It was most unsatisfactory having to rely on the Orbit without having a backup tandem whilst JD Tandems were denying there was a problem - our PBP qualifier rides were at risk.
Conclusion: It looks like the Dolan will make a very capable Audax tandem and it is cheaper than an Orbit frameset. We are lucky we have been able to make the Dolan fit us as I think they only make it in one size.
