[sportsnapper]

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

PK

So true - 20 years together on the road has prepared us well for the scary stuff!

BTW, the ThudBuster elastomers aren't colour coded anymore, they just have a number on the side - so they're all dark grey now.

 

[PMK]

So true - 20 years together on the road has prepared us well for the scary stuff!

BTW, the ThudBuster elastomers aren't colour coded anymore, they just have a number on the side - so they're all dark grey now.

Did not know they changed the colors, thanks for the info.

I guess for us, we are truly off-road at heart, the road tandem and events are nice and fun, though I would probably prefer to crash off-road than be involved with a car.

Sorry to sound rantish, but we had 2 times nearly run off the road and as the third was about to happen I moved more into the lane while waving an arm. This was 1o days ago...November until April, the mass migration of old people arrive or live in Florida. The woods and trails are a safe haven...

PK

 

[sisu]

 

[sisu]

 

[sisu]

 

[sisu]

From these photos, you can tell that the Knard clogs easily with mud, given the closely-spaced nobs. Once a new 29x3" tire becomes available I'll be all over it (prolly early '15).

 

[iLike29er]

@sisu, thanks for the pics! That looks sweet. Out of curiosity, have you tried putting the Knard tire on your rear rim and mounted on the bike? I don't think the knard will fit, but I don't have one to test. Just wanting to get an idea of the biggest tire I can fit in the back with the stock rear wheel.

Thanks!

 

[sisu]

We keep our road tandem on paved bike paths, mostly. Capt. and stoker are parents (same set of kids) and a major involvement with a distracted driver would leave orphans behind.

 

[sisu]

2.75 Vee Trax Fatty fits on right side.

 

[sisu]

Rubs on left. 2.4 would work fine, or perhaps build new wheel with offset? Is there a 2.5 or 2.6 29er tire out now?

 

[sisu]

better view

 

[mercury168]

After breaking ourselves in on a Mongoose Wanderer, my wife and I also decided to upgrade to this bike. The stock Small Block 8 tires definitely feel too skinny and our team weight is only 250lb. Are those Knards mounted on the stock rims? I'm wondering if they're wide enough to prevent squirm.

Both Captain and Stoker prefer to ride on mountain trails nowadays. We have control over how we navigate obstacles, unlike road riding, where the most dangerous obstacles may or may not be under any control at all.

 

[sisu]

The Knard on the front is mounted on a Surly Rabbit Hole rim. Zero squirm. The rear is a Vee Trax Fatty on the stock rim. No squirm, but it rubs on the left chainstay. I'm looking for a tire that is 2.5 or so to replace it. Failing that, I'll put on a 2.4 Racing Ralph.

My wife is petite, so I lopped 2" off the stock stoker bars today. Also ordered some pogies to extend the riding season here in Michigan.

 

[iLike29er]

@sisu, have you considered a Maxxis Minion 29x2.5? They're meant for downhill, but might possibly work for the rear. I've been going back and forth between a knard front and X-King 2.4 in the rear, but would like to know if the Minion would not rub.

 

[ki5ka]

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

PK

Without a doubt! And no traffic to worry about. Honestly, not having to worry about getting hit is one of the primary plusses for me, not that I wouldn't do it anyway. When we are on the road now, I'm a nervous wreck that whole time. Couple of wrecks will do that... off road crashes don't phase me cause I know I'm not going to get run over

 

[mercury168]

@sisu, please keep us updated on what you can manage to fit into the rear dropouts. Even going from a 26x2.0 to a 26x2.25 made a world of difference on the Walmart-esque Mongoose, enough to let us confidently tackle fire roads with it.

 

[sisu]

Will do. Another comment about this bike...LIGHT! We have a Co-Motion Periscope Torpedo that is a tank compared to the Cannondale. Granted, there is no suspension so it isn't ideal, but for smooth singletrack or dirt roads it is perfect.

 

[iLike29er]

I just ordered a pair of Geax Goma's in size 29x2.4. Pictures of it seem big and beefy. The reviews I read praise how fast rolling they are with respect to the large nobs, so figured I give them a shot. I'll post pics when I get them mounted.

 

[NonConformist]

Awesome, that is way better tire clearance than I was expecting! Ours should be in today, picking it up Saturday. We're planning on putting drop bars on ours and making it our gravel/road rig. Already have the ECDM for trail duty, but it's not the most efficient tool for gravel events. I can definitely see throwing a Knard and a fast rolling 2.4-2.6 on there for some of the chunkier events. The frame geometry is basically the same as the RT only with longer stays/shorter headtube due to clear the larger tires, and shorter seat tubes for more standover. Ought to be perfect for gravel and light trail. I'm planning on going with the Bodyfloat alloy post for my stoker as well. Had an LT Thudbuster in the past, Bodyfloat looks like it'll do a little better job on the more frequent smaller stuff on gravel. Maybe the LT is a better fit for the bigger hits on trail.

 

[sisu]

I think you've got it--BodyFloat for gravel, LT Thudbuster for trail. Though you can tune the BodyFloat really quickly, just a few turns of an Allen wrench, so it might do both well if you learn how to tune it for conditions.