[Yak] RE: Family Tandem Questions from northern Germany

[Stewart Logie]

Hans:

At 5 yrs, my daughter is younger than your children and most definitely uses
the crank shorteners. Answering your other two questions, I have changed the
brakes to Avid single digit 7 because I felt that the original equipment
Tektros flexed too much, not providing enough force on the pads and giving
weak stopping power - and this with a light load on the back. The Avid 7s
are much better. Also I changed the rings to lower the gearing, moving the
42 ring to the bigger position and adding a 32 as the inner. For a tandem
where members vary in their ability (as in a family) I think the 16 speed
standard tandem is rather limited in its gearing for other than flat local
rides. The two modifications allow me to ride the hills that I want with the
limited stocker power available. I don't have much on the top end, but if
I'm going that fast I welcome the opportunity to coast.

It's a fine bike though, and we've had enormous fun with it over the past 18
months. 

Cheers,

Stewart

-----Original Message-----

From: Hans Friedly <friedly at t-online.de>
Subject: [Yak] Family Tandem Questions from northern Germany
To: yak at bikefriday.com
Message-ID: <4C961ACF-B769-4561-BA2E-1A8715FE0948 at t-online.de>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed; delsp=yes

Dear fellow subscribers,

We would like to acquire our first bike friday tandem:

father 	Hans 	178cm  	5ft 10 in
mother 	Monika 	179cm 	5ft 11 in
son 		Tobias  	142cm  	4 ft 8 in  	8 yrs
daughter Caitlin 	147cm  	4 ft 10 in 11yrs

So here are a couple questions:

Is a crank shortener needed for both children?
What is your experience with brakes -- Is a drum brake or another  
second brake recommended (for the rear wheel)?
What are your experiences with gears? Is a dual drive recommended?