Tandems and suspension forks

[James Foreman]

Hi,
I'm looking to get a tandem soon for off roading, and was looking at a
Dawes Double Edge.

However, this comes with a rigid fork and I'd prefer suspension. What
do people use? I've got an old pair of RS Boxxers in the shed, but I'm
worried that a triple clamp fork might lead to me ripping the headtube
off the frame, which wouldn't be too clever. Anyone have experiences
to share?

Thanks

James

 

[Clive George]

"James Foreman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
> I'm looking to get a tandem soon for off roading, and was looking at a
> Dawes Double Edge.
>
> However, this comes with a rigid fork and I'd prefer suspension. What
> do people use? I've got an old pair of RS Boxxers in the shed, but I'm
> worried that a triple clamp fork might lead to me ripping the headtube
> off the frame, which wouldn't be too clever. Anyone have experiences
> to share?

Go for it - it'll be fine. Well, that's what I reasoned when fitting a set
of JR-T forks to our oldish cannondale MTB tandem, and I haven't been proven
wrong yet. Obviously your fork still needs to be up to the extra weight the
tandem puts on it - eg typically using the biggest springs.

What sort of off-roading are you thinking of? Recent experience has led to
me pushing the advantages of FS quite a lot - the new Ventana is _so_ much
better than the old Cannondale

cheers,
clive

 

[David Martin]

James Foreman wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm looking to get a tandem soon for off roading, and was looking at a
> Dawes Double Edge.
>
> However, this comes with a rigid fork and I'd prefer suspension. What
> do people use? I've got an old pair of RS Boxxers in the shed, but I'm
> worried that a triple clamp fork might lead to me ripping the headtube
> off the frame, which wouldn't be too clever. Anyone have experiences
> to share?

If I was worried about the forks ripping the head tube off the frame
I'd either use a diffrent frame or ride somewhere else. Changing the
forks isn't going to make much difference in whether the head tube
parts company or not.

If that was a quantifiable (ie non-negligible) risk, maybe you should
reevaluate exactly what it is you are trying to do.

...d
>
> Thanks
>
> James

 

[Doki]

"David Martin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> James Foreman wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I'm looking to get a tandem soon for off roading, and was looking at a
>> Dawes Double Edge.
>>
>> However, this comes with a rigid fork and I'd prefer suspension. What
>> do people use? I've got an old pair of RS Boxxers in the shed, but I'm
>> worried that a triple clamp fork might lead to me ripping the headtube
>> off the frame, which wouldn't be too clever. Anyone have experiences
>> to share?
>
> If I was worried about the forks ripping the head tube off the frame
> I'd either use a diffrent frame or ride somewhere else. Changing the
> forks isn't going to make much difference in whether the head tube
> parts company or not.
>
> If that was a quantifiable (ie non-negligible) risk, maybe you should
> reevaluate exactly what it is you are trying to do.

Most MTB frames will have a spec for the longest fork you're meant to fit.
When you make the fork longer, you increase the leverage is has to try and
rip the headtube off with when you hit rocks etc.

 

[James Conrad StJohn Foreman]

Thanks Clive. Will probably be racing a few Gorricks if we can get
entry on it, and Surrey / Thetford - so nothing really heavy duty, just
UK forest singletrack. Rode a Dawes with a pair of Marzocchi MX Comps
a year or too ago, and the problem was that the fork was just far too
lightly sprung - it ran about 50-75% sag, which is hardly what you
want.
The advantage of the Boxxers is obviously there's lots more space in
there to fill up with heavier oil and bigger springs; I'm just worried
about the extra forces imposed on the headtube by it being clamped in
two places. But if you've got away with it with some Jr-Ts, I'm
thinking I'll probably be ok. Would it be rude to ask the combined
weight of captain+stoker, plus the kind of terrain you've been riding?

I'm tempted by a full sus tandem, but can't really justify the spend at
the moment :-(

 

[Clive George]

"James Conrad StJohn Foreman" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...

> Thanks Clive. Will probably be racing a few Gorricks if we can get
> entry on it, and Surrey / Thetford - so nothing really heavy duty, just
> UK forest singletrack.

No real idea what that's like. I had a brief play at Thetford once - FS
isn't as relevant for the stuff I was on there.

> Would it be rude to ask the combined
> weight of captain+stoker, plus the kind of terrain you've been riding?

We're in the dales, so tend to ride rocky bridleways where the FS really
shines. Traditional XC stuff - I'm not that good at technical stuff. 145-150
kg between us?

> I'm tempted by a full sus tandem, but can't really justify the spend at
> the moment :-(

Yes, they are quite a lot of money - but it is really quite a lot better
than our old Cannondale. Part of that is the geometry - the cannondale
wasn't designed to take bouncy forks, so the steering is a bit slow, but the
most significant bit is the fact that when the back wheel hits a bump, Sarah
doesn't get sent flying, which means I don't have to control her landing.

cheers,
clive