Tandem Bicycles

Tandem Bicycles Have Many Parts

Tandem bicycles have many parts to their structure. In the following section, we will briefly go over every part so that, if you are interested in purchasing or one of the many tandem bicycles, you will be an informed consumer. The first part of any of the tandem bicycles is the wheel. Take a minute to think about the fact that since tandem bicycles carry more people, they carry much more weight than any other type of bikes. Therefore, the wheels of tandem bicycles are designed in a unique manner. They typically have rims and more spokes than the wheels of other bicycles. In addition, the rear wheels of any of the tandem bicycles tend to have wider axles or hubs. This is also a unique design to take on the extra weight that tandem bicycles have to bear. In the following sections, we will discuss the crank system of tandem bicycles as well as the unique braking system of tandem bicycles; each of these features add to the safety of tandem bicycles.

Another Important Aspect

Another important aspect of tandem bicycles consists of the design of their crank. Thus tandem bicycles have a very specific drive train. The crank for the front driver (also known as the captain) has a chain ring on the left. On the other hand, the crank of the people or person in the rear (known as the navigator or stoker) has chain rings on both sides. In addition, the navigator’s left side crank is connected to the crank of the captain. What is the result of the connecting the navigator’s left crank to the captain’s crank in tandem bicycles? The result is that the pedaling from both the captain and the navigator become synchronized. In addition, the right side of the navigator’s side of the frame looks like a standard frame that you would see on single person’s bicycle. In addition to the cranks of tandem bicycles, these bicycles also have a stoker handle-bar and a stem. The handle-bars for the stoker (the person or people behind the person in the front) typically are connected to the stem of the tandem bicycles which is clamped around the captain’s seat post. A typical design for a stoker’s handle-bars on tandem bicycles is in the shape of bull horns, and another common design is also wide drop bars that have pegs in the place of brake levers.

Special Breaks On Tandem Bicycles

Tandem bicycles need special breaks since the bike is under much more pressure than typical bikes. For instance, a regular bike usually has a rim brake or disk brake. However, if that type of break would be used on tandem bicycles, it could be catastrophic. For instance, a typical rim, if used on tandem bicycles could melt on a downhill run. As a result, companies that manufacture tandem bicycles came up with a unique brake design knows as the arai drum brake. How is an arai drum brake positioned? The drum brake is typically screwed on the left side of the tandem’s hub, and thus the drum brake has to be threaded for the drum. The next step to add an arai drum break for tandem bicycles is to slip the shoe plate over the axle, which causes a slight reaction arm from the shoe plate that is now engaged in the bicycle frame. What does this mean for the break system of tandem bicycles? The specific positioning of the drum break prevents the plate from turning and a friction shifter is used to make sure that the drum brake tension is under control.

Tandem Bicycles

Tandem bicycles are a fantastic addition to any family. Give us a call today so that we can help you find the right tandem bicycles for your family.