What brakes for tandem ?

[Sundayjumper]

I've inherited (not literally, they're still alive) a tandem from my parents. They bought it s/h about ten years ago so we don't know its full history. It's a nice frame so I want to keep it. I'm giving it a spruce up and would like to consolidate the parts to make them more consistent age-wise. I personally like late eighties/early nineties stuff.

It had some LX V-brakes fitted which clearly aren't original, and they don't fit too well as the cantilever bosses are too close together and the brake arms end up like this: \ / instead of this: | |

What brakes should I be looking for ? I have some other modern brakes here which don't fit, for the same reason. I'd also like brakes that work, if it's not too much to ask for, as we'll hopefully be pulling a trailer with a toddler in it !

(and yes, we're a tall family )

 

[hamster]

I would run V brakes with Tektro RL520 levers. The lower cable tension on a V makes a huge difference on a tandem. Fit inline cable adjusters to allow easy adjustment. I would also seriously consider a drag brake if you are lucky enough to have a suitable rear hub.

If you are going with flat bars, then consider Magura rim brakes. My tandem will pull up tidily when fully loaded for touring in torrential rain down a 1 in 4. I've tried.

If you can find drop bar Maguras then use them as the best option of all...however they are rare and haven't been made for over a decade.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

To judge by the generous clearances and likely age of the frame, the bike was probably built for 27" wheels rather than 700c. That's only an 8mm difference in effective rim diameter, but it can be enough to play havoc with cantilever brake setup. I had the same experience as you when trying to use V-brakes with 700c rims on an old Dawes Galaxy.

The bike would probably have had MAFAC cantilevers or something similar originally. More modern cantis with a cylindrical arm (e.g. WTB, SRP, Avid Tri-Align) would allow more vertical adjustment. If you can a) find some and b) get them to fit, Magura HS66 are excellent stoppers. Consider a rear drum brake as well.

 

[Sundayjumper]

HS66 would be perfect, I'd forgotten they even exist. However, it looks like they're a bit rare & expensive.

I'm not sure it was built for 27" wheels, there's no issue with the height adjustment of the brake pads, just the fact the bosses are closer together than on an MTB forcing the arms right out. I suppose finding out the age of the frame might be a good starting point here.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

I'm not sure it was built for 27" wheels, there's no issue with the height adjustment of the brake pads, just the fact the bosses are closer together than on an MTB forcing the arms right out.

The distance of the pad from the pivot affects the angle of the arm, because when the arms are angled outwards, moving the pad upwards also moves it away from the rim.

British touring bikes and tandems were commonly built for 27" wheels until the mid-late eighties. I'd say your bike is older than that.

 

[mattr]

Did you swap all the spacer hardware round on the Vs?

 

[bagpuss]

Re:

A big thumbs up for Magura hs66 .Fitted them on our tandem after a hair raising decent down Mam Tor into Edale . My mate has not been on the back since :twisted:

 

[Midlife]

That's a damn fine looking Bob Jackson. Looks like my era which is the 70's

Shaun

 

[Sundayjumper]

mattr - yep, only by moving *all* of the hardware outboard can I get a nearly sensible setup but then of course you have no way of adjusting the pad alignment.

jim - I spotted these on ebay which look like they have a lot of adjustment, I think you could flip the clamps around so the bolt's on the outside. They're not v-brakes though.

HS66 still look like the best option if I can find any.