[sisu]

Just picked one up. C'Dale is blowing out the '14s at a discount. Haven't ridden it...hoping the alu isn't too harsh. There appears to be room up front for a Rabbit Hole/Knard 3" tire. Will report back.


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[PMK]

So your plan sounds like running a rigid fork, with a big fat tire?

Some here have done that with mixed results. If I recall correctly, the faster or more serious teams had problems and gave up on the idea in favor of suspension. Teams that have smoother terrain, kept the speeds or rode less technical stuff were able to ride the rigid fork.

Consider that on a tandem, anything the front wheel must get over will be felt whether suspended or rigid. Pretty much everything thing you would like to wheelie over, is a controlled crash on a tandem. Not saying you hit the ground, but the impact can be intense.

PK

 

[iLike29er]

We just bought our discounted '14 Cannondale Tandem 29er last week. I took it out, without my Stoker, yesterday evening to get a better feel of the steering, handling, and weight. I took some gravel trails that follow along a creek. Short, steep climbs and descents helped gauge the feeling of the bike. Like I said, that was without the stoker.

We're planning on riding together tomorrow for the first time on the tandem. As far as aluminum harshness, I don't really think it's going to be an issue. Hopefully my wife feels the same way. I bought a Cane Creek Thudbuster ST for her to help alleviate those harsh bumps. Also, swapped out the Kenda Small Block 8 for some Continental Race Kings. Also, size is Medium. I'm 5'7 and wife is 5'6. Attached are some pics. I'll give a more in depth review once my wife and I get some hours on the bike.

Very glad to hear you got the bike. It's rare to see people riding this particular Cannondale Tandem 29er.

 

[sisu]

Cool. I also scored the close out deal on this bike. We haven't been out on it yet either, hopefully this weekend. I'll also be putting a Thudbuster on for my wife. On the front, I put a Surly Rabbit Hole rim and a 3" Knard tire. Out back I'll put on a 2.4 tire, probably a Racing Ralph. Mostly we will use this for dirt roads and two-tracks. I'm in Michigan...where are you?


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[iLike29er]

I'd love to see some pics of the knard tire and the clearance with the fork. I was wondering how big of a tire I could fit in the rear. Love to see a pic of that too. I'm a heavier rider so I've been paranoid about mixing non-tandem rated components, specifically hub/rim combinations and suspension forks. I'm curious if a Rabbit Hole wheel setup would suffice for our usage.

I live in the Denver area so we have plenty of varying levels of gravel trails and singletrack, which we hope to do both.

 

[annoying crack]

I'm also very interested in this tandem. have some questions for those who already have one:
- is there a lot of clearance in the back? Would a 2.4 fit in there?
- What bottom bracket standard does it use? Regular BSA?
- Same with headset?
- is there anything non standard (easy to find replacements for) on this bike. Usually Cannondales (single bikes) have some odd parts on them?
- suspension corrected I assume, 100mm? Would it take special adapters to add a tapered fork?

And most importantly... how do they ride?

 

[sisu]

I'll have to wait to chime in on how it rides after I've actually ridden it.

I'll post pics of the RH/Knard in the front when I get the chance. Out back, it almost fits a 2.75 tire, ie the Vee Traxx Fatty (which is labelled as 3", but in reality is skinnier). Rubs a tiny bit on the left chainstay. A Racing Ralph 2.4 fits no problem.


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[sisu]

1.5 headset, I'll have to check if it is suspension corrected.


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[ki5ka]

... Rubs a tiny bit on the left chainstay.

When I was trying to fit the biggest tire possible on our the Canonndale MT800 we had, I took a big Gazzalodi and planned the knobs down with my wood plane so it would juuuust fit between the chainstays. I was REALLY surprised a few weeks later when I notice the tire was actually wearing into the aluminium of the chainstay where it was rubbing just a bit. Never imagined it would do that!

 

[sisu]

Got our first ride in...bike handles really well, doesn't feel at all like you are piloting a semi through the woods.

 

[sisu]

The good: handling, esp on tight singletrack at slow speeds. Low-end brakes seem quite good. Equally low-end drivetrain performed well. Loved having the 3" Knard up front, for traction and a bit of float in sand. Ride quality was very good, not harsh like I was expecting from an alu frame.

Not so good: there is a bit of front tire toe overlap. I have size 9 feet. Not a big deal, just noticed it a few times. Stock grips are not cushy enough. The bottom bracket is low, so we had a few pedal strikes on singletrack. Wakes you right up!

Overall I'm very happy with the bike. It will work well as a gravel road/2-track/gentle singletrack bike. If I wanted a true singletrack tandem I'd look elsewhere, probably Fandango.

 

[ki5ka]

If I wanted a true singletrack tandem I'd look elsewhere, probably Fandango.

ECdM

 

[sisu]

^^^well, that would be the ultimate of course. To spend that kind of cash, I'd want to be sure she LOVES riding trails on the back of a bike. Time will tell, but initial testing makes me hopeful--even though she likened it to riding a roller coaster with one's eyes closed.

I hadn't anticipated trying to hit the trails today, but I was so stoked by the handling of this bike on 2-tracks I decided to give it a go.

I think I will end up putting a Cirrus BodyFloat for the stoker's seat post. I have a Thudbuster ST on it now, but I think she'll like the BodyFloat better.



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[iLike29er]

The good: handling, esp on tight singletrack at slow speeds. Low-end brakes seem quite good. Equally low-end drivetrain performed well. Loved having the 3" Knard up front, for traction and a bit of float in sand. Ride quality was very good, not harsh like I was expecting from an alu frame.

Not so good: there is a bit of front tire toe overlap. I have size 9 feet. Not a big deal, just noticed it a few times. Stock grips are not cushy enough. The bottom bracket is low, so we had a few pedal strikes on singletrack. Wakes you right up!

Overall I'm very happy with the bike. It will work well as a gravel road/2-track/gentle singletrack bike. If I wanted a true singletrack tandem I'd look elsewhere, probably Fandango.

Can you show some pics of the Knard/wheel setup?

Thanks!

 

[PMK]

FWIW, in regards to the stoker seatpost, and I have not tried nor has my stoker tried the body float, but a properly sprung Thudbuster LT seems to be the go to item for stoker comfort.

Consider the stoker seatpost may be you salvation to riding a tandem. As a captain, you only experience a portion of the bump from the rear wheel. The stoker gets all of it, seldom stands and sees nothing coming.

Even with the LT Thudbuster, there were many times you could hear the stoker take the hit I did not call out or was not realized during a corner.

All the best with your new machine. We had a USA made 98 Cannondale MT 3000. That machine was very well adapted to tight single track. Sometimes we wish we still were riding it, but quickly realize we are better off on what we have now.

PK

 

[sisu]

Good tip on the LT. I was initially thinking that this would be a gravel road bike, but now that we will be using it on singletrack, I'd better get a LT!

I'll get some pics of the Knard soon.

 

[sportsnapper]

Good tip on the LT. I was initially thinking that this would be a gravel road bike, but now that we will be using it on singletrack, I'd better get a LT!

Your Stoker will thank you. Mine did - the only major upgrade so far on our Lapierre was getting a LT Thudbuster. But my stoker has had a ST on the road tandem for a year now - and on that our riding life is much better - I don't have to call all the little bumps (though I still call all the big ones). It's a bit different off road, and I call everything. I suspect it's quite amusing for anyone else on the trail to hear us.

Not come across a Cirrus BodyFloat before, but I did notice that they were only available in a limited number of seat post sizes. And it looks like they cost even more than a TB!

 

[PMK]

Want to add, if you run gray elastomers in a Thudbuster LT, order some extras. They have been known to split and fail.

When we ran a Tudbuster on our Fandango, even though it did not run gray elastomers, I always carried a spare set when we did epic style rides. The elastomers are fairly easy to replace and not worth having the stoker ride a low rider home.

PK

 

[sisu]

Thanks again for these tips! As an aside, I think my stoker was ready for singletrack after spending a season on the back of our road tandem. That got her somewhat used to the stoker thing, and now, while it is still a big deal to be on the back with trees flying past her, she feeling a bit more up to the challenge.


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[PMK]

Done right, off-road tandeming can be more fun than road tandeming.

PK