Tandem brake ? Hydraulic Rim brakes??

[Robert Burns]

I have an older Burley Duet that came with drum brakes. I took off the drum because my son couldn't
resist fooling around with it as we rode. The canti's that came on the bike don't stop it well
enough or at least I can't get 'em adjusted so they will stop it. I tried V brakes with a travel
agent gizmo but there is so little adjustment in that set up that I couldn't get it to work either.
I am interested in Hydraulic rim brakes since that would eliminate cable compliance problems. Anyone
tried them?

Thanks

Bob

 

[James Annan]

Robert Burns wrote:
> I have an older Burley Duet that came with drum brakes. I took off the drum because my son
> couldn't resist fooling around with it as we rode. The canti's that came on the bike don't stop it
> well enough or at least I can't get 'em adjusted so they will stop it. I tried V brakes with a
> travel agent gizmo but there is so little adjustment in that set up that I couldn't get it to work
> either. I am interested in Hydraulic rim brakes since that would eliminate cable compliance
> problems. Anyone tried them?

We have the Magura rim brakes (road lever model, HS66 or is it 33?). Anyway, they are great. No more
tedious pad adjustment hassles, and the rear especially is noticeably improved. A very worthwhile
upgrade IMO.

(yes, they are on our tandem)

James

 

[Jack Fortune]

On Tue, 13 May 2003 02:48:17 GMT, "Robert Burns" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I have an older Burley Duet that came with drum brakes.

If the drum is on the rear, this is a drag brake. It is not intended to bring the bike to a stop -
its purpose is to enable you to limit speed on long & fast downhills so that you don't overheat your
rims using the caliper brakes (this could cause a tire to blow out at speed). If you don't live in
very hilly/mountainous areas, it is probably not needed.

>I took off the drum because my son couldn't resist fooling around with it as we rode. The canti's
>that came on the bike don't stop it well enough

If cantilever brakes aren't stopping well, they are not set up properly.

>or at least I can't get 'em adjusted so they will stop it.

If you are unable to adjust them properly, I would recommend seeking professional help. There's
really no reason to go through the expense and effort of replacing perfectly adequate brakes...

Jack Fortune Atlanta, Georgia

 

[Mark Hickey]

"Robert Burns" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I have an older Burley Duet that came with drum brakes. I took off the drum because my son couldn't
>resist fooling around with it as we rode. The canti's that came on the bike don't stop it well
>enough or at least I can't get 'em adjusted so they will stop it. I tried V brakes with a travel
>agent gizmo but there is so little adjustment in that set up that I couldn't get it to work either.
>I am interested in Hydraulic rim brakes since that would eliminate cable compliance problems.
>Anyone tried them?

I've got a set on front of my tandem - and indeed they do work very well. They're a bit heavy and
are "clunky-looking", but they will bring my twofer to a rather abrupt stop when necessary (that
said, I HAVE had the experience of squeezing the lever to the bar on a very steep switchback
downhill in Australia).

The setup I finally settled in on for my rear brake (though it applies as well to the front) is to
use the DiaCompe T287 tandem road brake levers, long-arm (old XT) cantilevers, Kool Stop pads, and a
solid straddle. The straddle makes a LOT of difference - it's made by Odyssey, and I'm sure it's
long out of production.

DiaCompe now makes a V-brake compatible road lever that may work well too (though using them will
force you to forego Ergo/STI shifting).

If you can't find the solid straddles for old canti brakes, try the Salsa 50mm wide straddle and a
beefy straddle cable (do NOT use the crappy Shimano "disc in the middle" things - they're horrible).
Set up your canti brakes with the arms wide, the pads moved inboard significantly, and the straddle
fairly low. This will increase the mechanical advantage. Setting mine up this way (with the solid
straddles) took my rear brake from being barely there to the point where I could lock up the rear
wheel on dry pavement.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[Bill Putnam]

> I have an older Burley Duet ... The canti's that came on the bike don't stop it well enough or at
> least I can't get 'em adjusted so they will stop it. ... Bob

Bob,

I suggest you take your tandem to a bike shop that can properly set up your original cantilevers.
Your original brakes should work fine if properly set up. It is likely worthwhile to use new kool
stop salmon colored brake pads and new slick cables. Sheldon Brown has a nice article on cables at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cables.html and cantilevers at
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-adjustment.html

I would also suggest that if you do ever put your drum brake back on that it be controlled via a
friction shift lever by the captain. In my experience, I've never had a need for a drag brake on my
tandem. About the only use I can see for those is controlling speeds on long descents where curves
or road conditions require braking. Rim brakes can handle an emergency stop from high speed even
with a heavily loaded tandem.

Bill Putnam (2 mph short of attaining one mile per minute on a tandem, and very grateful that a
tandem can stop faster than a single)