General Category > Tandems

Dynamo hub for tandem

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thesloth:
I'm considering getting a dynamo wheel built up (disc) for my tandem. I've been very happy with the two SP PD-8's I've got on solo bikes. Their website says they only go up to 32 hole, but a few retailers appear to have 36 hole.
Has anybody used a used an SP hub on a tandem?
I see SON do a tandem specific hub...at twice the price. I'm ashamed to say I don't know how many spoke on my current front wheel. Might be 40 or 42.

marcusjb:
What weight are you as a team? 

We're a light team (120kg) and tour with a 32 hole SON built up with DT Alpine III spokes and a Mavic 719 disc rim.  We've yet to do a camping tour on that setup, so we've not had huge weight on it.  But the Tandem Shop were happy with it being used with big loads and much bigger teams than us.

It does seem these days that lower spoke counts are being used even with tandems.  Our first tandem had 48 spokes! 

I guess stiffer, wider rims and big fat spokes are the reason?

Thing2:
We have an old SON on our touring tandem (48 hole), and an eDelux on the Santana (36 hole).  We haven't any experience with the SP hubs, or dynamos with discs I'm afraid (we have rim brakes at the front on all our tandems).
Our newest tandem only has 28 spokes on the training wheels and 24 on the carbon set, although we are a pretty light team (under 130kg) and the most luggage that bike sees is on 1200's where we are definitely not on the carbon rims.

thesloth:
Thanks. We're about 145kg. I was thinking about it solely for audax, very little in the way of luggage on the front.
So it looks like I could get away with 36.
The thought of a catastrophic front wheel failure on a tandem at speed does fill me with fear!

LittleWheelsandBig:
36 hole front wheels was proven reliable for touring tandems decades ago. Similar or lower spoked rear wheels became reliable with better spokes and rims.

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