Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Freewheeling => Tandems => Topic started by: Cpt Sisko on 11 February, 2016, 06:23:47 pm
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Hi All,
I've managed to persuade my better half to join me on a 100k Audax event, but only on the proviso that we use our Tandem (a late 90's steel framed Dawes Galaxy Twin). As the bike needs new tyres anyway I'm thinking of fitting something a little narrower and that rolls a bit better than the ancient Conti Top Touring that are currently fitted (700c x 38).
As I'm sure those whose Tandem has a drag brake are aware a rear tyre puncture is a real pain to repair on the roadside so I don't want anything too light weight. Any suggestions on tyres and what's a reasonable width?
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Personally I wouldn't go narrower than 35mm on a tandem - If you choose good quality lightweight supple tyres ( even wide ones ) you will have lower rolling resistance & a better ride quality. Schwalbe Marathon Supremes or Marathon Racer spring to mind.
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Calling Mr Smith and his Stoker. Please pick-up the phone!
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We run 28s, but we don't tour on ours, the most it ever has on it is us & a couple of changes of clothes. Marathon plus for flinty Norfolk winters and something lighter in the summer.
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Continental Gator HardShell 700x28c for us. We are rather heavy, probably around 180kg, including the tandem. In the last three years, we had about one puncture every 1500 to 2000 km. I think avoiding punctures is also a matter of experience: knowing exactly where you should put your wheels on is at least as important as having proper tyres.
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I'm a fan of Pasela or similar tyres in medium widths (32-ish) for Audax tandems. Wider if you ride on crappy road surfaces, narrower if smooth.
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We are too lazy to change the tyres depending on season or the type of riding we are doing, so our tandem has had 700x35 Marathon Pluses on it every since it was built. In 3.5 years we have done 15,000 miles, quite a lot on audax rides, but also some cycle camping tours with a heavy load. In that time we have had two punctures - although we have gone through a couple of pairs of tyres in that time, so some tyres must have gone life expired without ever getting punctured.
No doubt they have been a bit slow, but we aren't planning to change any time soon.
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Although we're not an Audax team, we've done a 100mile charity ride on 25mm Gatorskin front/28mm Gator hardshell rear. IIRC we use 110PSI in each tyre.
I wouldn't say it's a plush ride, but we both survived on a Cannondale Road Tandem.
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My tandem came with Gatorskins which I have since swapped for a pair of Marathon Plusses. Although I found the Marathons horribly sluggish on the solo, the difference is far less apparent on the tandem (probably because we are horribly sluggish anyway) and I find them grippier than the Gatorskins. It's probably the extra width, though for a tyre to be grippier than a Gatorskin isn't hard. Width I would suggest 32mm as a minimum, 35mm or more better. Isn't the tendency now for wider tyres anyway?
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We use 32s on our 90s Galaxy Twin. We tour fully loaded.
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BTW, our total weight is definitely north of 230Kg (not sure exactly how far north at the moment, but it's been a lardy Christmas). The bike came with 25mm gators front and rear, the rear lasted less than a season before it was square.
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That's great, thanks for all your replies. I think if I drop from my 38s to 32s and with some sort of puncture resistant band that ought to do the trick.
Now for another question upgrading the brakes. See a new topic.
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Schwalbe Durano + are available in 32mm and claim the same protection level as Marathons. Comparatively light and fast rolling, just don't go anywhere near mud . . .
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These are heavy, but very reliable. They roll well too
http://www.schwalbetires.com/node/3810
Just don't tell a weight weenie that they weigh 750g each! :)
edit: tandem now rolling on Continental Gatorskin 32mm at 90 Psi. It's massively more comfortable and subjectively just as fast. I wanted Marathon Supremes (apparently saving 5W per tyre) but they're hard to get hold of (and still very pricy). For this season the 'gators feel like a great option.
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from my own experience with Tandems (which is admittely still growing) narrower tyres make little difference in terms of real world rolling resistance but wider tyres make a big difference in stoker comfort - fwiw we mostly ride cinder / tracks etc and run 2.4" wide at 40PSI - they barely clear the frame at the rear or I would happily got even wider
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from my own experience with Tandems (which is admittely still growing) narrower tyres make little difference in terms of real world rolling resistance but wider tyres make a big difference in stoker comfort - fwiw we mostly ride cinder / tracks etc and run 2.4" wide at 40PSI - they barely clear the frame at the rear or I would happily got even wider
If stoker comfort is an issue for you, have you tried a sprung seatpost?
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We run conti gatorskins 28c on both our tandem and tandem trike, we have gone all winter with out a puncture.
I run them at 90psi which seems to aid comfort and no detriment to handling and or rolling resistance.
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If stoker comfort is an issue for you, have you tried a sprung seatpost?
oh yes, suspension seatpost present and correct! - but they still complain ::-)
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I'm looking for a fresh pair of tyres for the Pino for PBP. It's a 20" front wheel and 26" rear and has previously had Schwalbe Marathon 47×406 (front), 50×559 (rear). The combined weight of captain and stoker is probably around 150Kg.
I'm not a massive fan of fixing p*nctures at the roadside on this, particularly at 4am on an audax, so I'm probably thinking something at the Marathon end of things, but less rolling resistance is also good. As is often the case, the front wheel is easier to take off than the rear, so different tyres might be in order.
Any suggestions appreciated!
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https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews are mostly for 622 tyres but there are a few 559 options.
French roads are generally better than British, though there is pave through some village centres.
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Does the fact it's a tandem make any difference to comparative rolling resistance? Obviously there is a lot more weight on them...
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Greater weight increases absolute wattage differences between tyres but relatively the same. Keep tyres at or close to maximum. Don't pick the very lightest sidewalls, particularly for the rear wheel.
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Greater weight increases absolute wattage differences between tyres but relatively the same. Keep tyres at or close to maximum. Don't pick the very lightest sidewalls, particularly for the rear wheel.
Thanks for all the advice on this. There are stickers on the Pino saying to inflate the tyres to 60 psi, so I usually stick to that, though I'm wondering about upping it a bit.
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When I raced tandems, we generally went 10-20psi above maximum but that was with 25-28mm tyres. Belgian pave meant that pinchflatting was a real issue. You mainly have to worry about damage to the tyre casing or rim if you air up too much with such wide tyres.
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What's is the maximum clearance for tyres front and rear? Obviously the wider the tyre the lower the pressures you will run. According to rolling resistance you have the Schwalbe Allmotion and Schwalbe Supremes if you want to drop the rolling resistance and still have decent puncture protection. The only tyres (not the above mentioned ones) in 20" that significantly drop rolling resistance are in the 28mm width which I suspect may be a little narrow for your purposes.
Don't bother with Kojaks; they puncture easily and don't roll any faster. I recently swapped them over (35mm width) to the Schwalbe Marathons in 40mm on the recumbent for Fenland Friends 600 and rolling resistance was not a problem. Like you I prefer not to get punctures on the recumbent as taking wheels on and off is some awkward, but mostly awkward on the rear. My recumbent is also 26" rear, 20" front.
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The lowest rolling resistance wide 406 tyre that I have seen somebody use is probably the Greenspeed Scorcher (up to 100psi) but you may want somewhat more puncture resistance. Ask on the BHPV forum for appropriate options but the Marathon Racer 406 or G-One 406 may suit. https://www.ginkgo-veloteile.de/ginkgoshop/en/Wheel-Accessories/Tires-Tubes/Tires-406-mm/
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What's is the maximum clearance for tyres front and rear?
I see what you're thinking. The Almotion is only available in 55-559. So I'd need a little extra clearance. I'm never entirely clear on what that 50/55 means. There is a small amount of clearance, but I'm tempted to stick to a 50-559 tyre, which I'm more confident will fit without fouling the mudguard. There's more space for the 20" front wheel.
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I could try taking the Big Apple 55-559 tyre off my Urban Arrow and putting that on the Pino, but removing the rear wheel from the Urban Arrow is even less appealing...
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How often are you going to ride PBP? Swapping tyres to check clearance or tweaking your mudguards to allow a slightly wider tyre is a worthwhile time investment if it means a successful and comfortable PBP.
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How often are you going to ride PBP? Swapping tyres to check clearance or tweaking your mudguards to allow a slightly wider tyre is a worthwhile time investment if it means a successful and comfortable PBP.
Very true, but if I take the Urban Arrow to pieces I have to have it back in action it time to pick kids up from school and stuff, and that waits for nothing.
I've had a look at the mudguards and I don't think there is really any tweaking available, so if a wider tyre fits it fits. There's a bit of choice available for the 26" tyre at the back, but really not so much for the front. Front and back don't have to be the same type, of course!
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Hi,
I'm trying to find an alternative to the now discontinued Continental GP4000S II 700x28c. Usually we have at least 100psi in the rear tyre. I'd consider something slightly more robust but we want low rolling resistance and a compound with good grip (Gatorskins don't have such good grip in my opinion). Grand Prix 4 Season 28c are fairly good but are a bit slimmer than the GP4000S II 28c. I'd consider 700x30c Marathon Racers for winter use except I think they discontinued the folding version.
Has anyone tried the new Continental GP5000 on a tandem? Is it as robust/durable? We found the GP4000S adequately robust for Audax and lightweight touring but wouldn't want anything less robust.
How does the Panaracer Pasela ProTite and Schwalbe Pro One tyre sizes and compound (grip in wet conditions) compare to Continental GP4000S II ?
Thanks, A.
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I'm looking for a fresh pair of tyres for the Pino for PBP. It's a 20" front wheel and 26" rear and has previously had Schwalbe Marathon 47×406 (front), 50×559 (rear). The combined weight of captain and stoker is probably around 150Kg.
I'm not a massive fan of fixing p*nctures at the roadside on this, particularly at 4am on an audax, so I'm probably thinking something at the Marathon end of things, but less rolling resistance is also good. As is often the case, the front wheel is easier to take off than the rear, so different tyres might be in order.
Any suggestions appreciated!
How about the new Energizer Plus from Schwalbe which they claim rolls faster than Marathon and has equal puncture protection? Comes in 47mm for 26” / 559 wheels.
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Have been using Pirelli 4 s on a couple of my bikes.
Whether they are suitable for tandems I wouldn't know
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Blimey, it’s been over four years since I posted my original question, time for an update I guess.
In the end I went for a pair of 32 Marathon Plus. I know some say these are a bit slow & heavy, but as Rod Marton almost said upthread, we’re also a bit slow & heavy. Anyway the good news bit, not a single puncture! Whether that was simply down to good luck (that's ruined it hasn't it) or tyre technology is improving I don't know, but eirther way for a, err less than light weight combo the Marathons have done the trick.