tandam brakes

jim maybury · Post by **jim maybury** » 5 Sep 2008, 9:14pm

I need to replace my brakes on my tandam and I am thinking of buying Shimano XTR V Brake M970 Does anybody know if these are suitable for a tandam or is there anything else anyone can suggest. Thanking you for your interest.

reohn2 · Post by **reohn2** » 5 Sep 2008, 10:00pm

XTR V's should be OK,we have V's on both of our tandems,be careful though they won't work with drop bar levers as they won't pull enough cable, also some older flat bar levers won't work either if they're designed for canti's.
What is your present set up?

If your using drop bar STI's you'll need to get a pair of 'Travel Agents' (TA's)these are cable acceleraters enabling drop bar STI's to work with V brakes.

If your using ordinary NON STI drop bar levers you could again use TA's or replace the levers with Tektro RL520 levers these are a drop bar lever designed to be used with V brakes and they work well,we've been using a pair for the last few weeks on one of our tandems.

If you are using straight Bars you will need to check if your brake levers are compatable with V brakes,but if you've been using them with canti's I suspect they aren't and you would need to buy new V brake compatable levers.
Hope thats of some help.

anniesboy · Post by **anniesboy** » 5 Sep 2008, 10:12pm

I have these on my 1 year old Thorn ,they are excellent ,I have straight bars ,hence points raised in previous post don't apply.
You will need to keep an eye on pad wear,but having said that I have only just replaced them.

Alport · Post by **Alport** » 6 Sep 2008, 10:22am

We also have these on our tandem - again a Thorn. They have been excellent - very positive in feel and consequently also reassuring.

rogerzilla · Post by **rogerzilla** » 6 Sep 2008, 10:34am

Do you have a drag brake (Arai drum) as well? With only two rim brakes, you'll need to be careful of rim heating on long descents.

anniesboy · Post by **anniesboy** » 6 Sep 2008, 10:55am

I agree with rogerzilla ,regarding drag brake.
I have one fitted but hardly ever use it ,a long descent would be a different matter.
When I purchased my Thorn it was suggested by them that i may not need a drag brake when using these brakes.

jim maybury · Post by **jim maybury** » 6 Sep 2008, 7:09pm

thanks for your help on this matter, at the moment I have got dropped handlebars, but no drag brake or any other brake, we have burst tyres going down hill with the brake on a lot, so I think I have to look into other braking methods. Can you recommend a good bike shop to help me. Thanking you Jim

gaz · Post by **gaz** » 6 Sep 2008, 8:31pm

reohn2 · Post by **reohn2** » 6 Sep 2008, 10:33pm

Rogerzilla is right you do need a drag brake.
An Arai drum brake is the best option IMO as a drag, don't be talked into a disc as they heat up too much for drag brake use.

What type of rear hub is fitted to your tandem? if it is a tandem specific hub it should be threaded on the left side (opposite side to the sprockets) to take a drag,if so then fitting an Arai drum should be a doddle,you will need a lever which is usually a bar end friction lever used so the brake can be 'set' on descents to arrest the speed so that the rim brakes are only used to bring to tandem safely to a stop.
What ever you do don't let the stoker control the drag brake as some do :shock:

Jim, where are you situated?

rogerzilla · Post by **rogerzilla** » 7 Sep 2008, 9:20am

Most tandems will also have some sort of attachment for the reaction arm of the Arai. If it has a disc mount instead, there is an adaptor available.

This page is excellent:

http://www.precisiontandems.com/arai.htm

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