Fall 2008 - Tandem Owners Survey (Maintenance)

Question #10: Feel free to suggest a topic for this winter's annual survey and we'll give it due consideration if it's a new one that we haven't covered before or a previous subject that may be timely.

WRITE-IN COMMENTS	MARK REPLIES
Did you have a Bottom Bracket failure choice? We have wornout BB's	Look for this in a future poll along with some questions regarding other wear and tear items such as chain, bottom backet, headset, and cassette life.
Question 7: I've done lots of those things infrequently or even frequently but not without reason. the question is vague and should be re worded.	If this turns out to be a popular poll then some of these questions may be delved into with some greater detail that will address the vageness.
Pain while cycling: knee hands neck back feet etc.	Great suggestion. This is an area we have not previously explored. Look for this in a future poll.
Purchase intentions during recessionary economy	I actually thought about this one too and may include it in a future poll when some time has passed and the responses are likely to be less skewed by the current anxiety that has many of us considering our mattresses as being more secure than Money Market funds.
I checked "Collapsed / folded wheel failure" for #8 but I actually broke a front axle (standard quick release) Have gone to 20mm thru now.	Thanks for the clarification. I suspect most of the wheel failures were recorded by off-road tandem enthusiasts along with some of the fork failures.
On question 3 didn't have a box for "build frames for my own amusement but don't work in the bike industry". (I built not bought our tandem with parts and design from another continent). As to frequent flats had problems with sun damage to gumwall tires and one case of incompatibility (rim on small side tire bead at large end)	Appreciate the details.
Why we ride	This one may have been addressed in a previous poll that you can find here. http://www.opinionpower.com/results.cgi?id=316051829
How dependent are you upon T@H for advice vs you dealer fellow local riders fellow tandem riders etc.	Good suggestion. Look for this one in a future poll.
How many of you actually saw/rode another tandem prior to your first purchase? What factors were most critical to your successful off-the-shelf tandem purchase? What factors were most critical to your custom tandem purchase?	Another good one; looks like the next poll may be a two-part / 20 question poll like Winter 2008. Might need some clarification as to the "factors" that you're most interested in, e.g., brand-name recognition, reputation, dealer inventory, pricing, etc. relative to both the OTS and custom tandem purchases.
We had a rim split suddenly (inner channel) so it wouldn't pass through the brake. Luckily it was the rear and at low speed.	Yikes.
Tire wear/peference.	Look for this in a future poll along with some questions regarding other wear and tear items such as chain, bottom backet, headset, and cassette life.
Longest distance ridden in 1 day.	This could be interesting as it would illuminate the folks who have accomplished Paris-Brest-Paris or other significant brevets, as well as the folks who like the double-centuries or Seattle-to-Portland type rides.
How many different tandems have you tried/ridden.	This one might need to be bounded a bit to parse out the spin around the parking lot rides, from substantial test rides, from long-term use and be further qualified by requiring two riders to have been aboard for the ride. I say this because I could easily 'pump-up' my numbers by including all the tandems I've worked on and test ridden by myself which would really be misleading.
What brands owned?	This one may have been addressed in a previous poll that you can find here. http://www.thetandemlink.com/surveys/survey_winter07.jpg Or perhaps in this one: http://www.thetandemlink.com/surveys/surveysummary_winter04.html
Some things you don't cover are how frequently adjustments are required -- how often do people find they are futzing with brakes and shifting. Also frequency of maintenance such as replacing chains cassettes tires.	Excellent. Look for this in a future poll along with some questions regarding other wear and tear items such as bottom backets, headsets, and tires.
1. Have never broken a spoke folded a rim fork chain blown a tire etc in 30 years of tandeming (rd & mtn). 2. Did discover stoker BB race backing out/loosening after long day across rough oavement in michigan 3. Would like to know perhaps via T&H how to braze/upgrade custom mid-80s tandem to have disc brakes...inlcuding will we need to spread rear spacing to do so?"	Our luck has been good, but not perfect. No broken spokes but, then again, I build or at least tension-check pre-built wheels for our tandems. No folded forks or wheels, but we did blow-apart a drive chain 10 years back on our road tandem (early PowerLink) and also blew apart a drive chain on our mtn tandem under some really massive torque and a poorly timed shift. You'll probably need to post your question regarding the retrofit to Hobbes.
I didn't answer 6 because none of them applied. I have built 8 bikes from frames so I don't need any help from bike shops. Any question I would have should be able to be answered by Santana but I wouldn't count on them very much either.	Sorry about that; you are apparently not alone in that it would appear a few others have skipped those both Question #5 and #6. FWIW....Question #5 was intended to quantify the logistics of your last purchase, without regard from whom you purchased the tandem or frame, e.g., if you live in Michigan and bought new directly from Santana in LaVerne, CA, it would imply you "Bought last NEW tandem long distance". If you had lived in San Dimas, California "Our tandem dealer is reasonably close" would have been the most appropriate. Question #6 is similar to #5 in that it's looking at how far you much reach out to get professional help for your tandem which, again, from what you've described would be indicative of, "There is a: local dealer or shop, but I don't use them." The purpose of these two questions was to hopefully give readers insight into how many tandem owners are fortunately enough to have a good dealer close by vs. how many have had to reach out beyond their local area... and just how far.... to either obtain a tandem or to get service and support.
dont ride our tandems as much as we should.	I think a lot of fall into that category... or a similar situation, i.e., as often as we'd like to.
Suggested question: When you purchased your tandem new or used what changes were necessary to make the bike comfortable or safe to ride?	Sounds like a write-in, as the answers probably don't lend themselves to a list of 10 possible changes, e.g., would seem to cover everything from getting a new saddle to a new Captain! However, it's a good suggestion so look for it in a future survey.
Techniques for enticing spouse for more frequent or farther riding	Interesting
Chain lubrication/maintenance.	FOLLOW-UP: What are you interested in knowing about chain lubrication & maintenance? For example, how often or what do you use?
Do you find T@H or other internet list of help regarding tandem maintenance (my answer: YES, emphatically, see my answer for Q6).	Others have suggested this as well, see above.
For #6 above I usually get the necessary info and parts by calling/emailing a tandem dealer (not nearby) who is a friend.	Sounds like response #7, "There is a: local dealer or shop but I don't use them. I fall into this category as well.
Another survey on wheels or tires. These are issues with tandems. Thank you!	Tires are a popular suggestion. Look for this in a future poll along with some questions regarding other wear and tear items such as chain, bottom backet, headset, and cassette life.
Q8: Front tire blew from heat when rear Avid BB7 pads "settled" after breakpad replacement. We had just stopped as it blew. Q9: Catastrophic failure was a snapped stem. Thankfully only minor injuries.	By settled do you mean they were not yet seasoned and worn-in? Regardless, good that you were able to stop. Those stem and handlebar breaks can often times be as nasty as a broken fork; again, good to hear there were only minor injuries.
Traveling with a tandem. Bed & Breakfast riding with a tandem. What to pack on an unsupported weeklong tandem vacation.	These actually sound like good topics for discussions at Hobbes. You should really consider posting each of these over the winter, one at a time several weeks apart. I'll have to see what might work for a future poll
I'd like to see some info on kids on tandems.	Part I of last winter's poll covered some of these topics and you can find the results here. Also, if you have some spare time, some of these subjects have been covered in previous polls. You can find those poll responses at my Survey Archive which can you access by this link. There is a short descrption of what was covered in each poll on the left-hand side of the page and then links to the actual graphed results and, in some cases, my analysis or comments on the poll results.
Survey of tire durability, what sizes are used on different types of tandems and ease of mounting.	Again, tires are a popular suggestion. Look for this in a future poll along with some questions regarding other wear and tear items such as chain, bottom backet, headset, and cassette life.
Does your stoker prefer to ride your tandem or their single? Has tandeming improved or worsened your relationship?	Good suggestion. Look for this one in a future poll.
Travel experiences, ex: #trips, #requiring packing a tandem, S&S?, take with/ship. Seems like you did something like this before, but...	Part of this was covered in our Winter 2005 Poll. and Winter 2007.
Upgrades Other bikes owned Matching clothing Amount of riding / riding skills / training etc.	Part II of last winter's poll covered some of these topics and you can find the results here as well as our Winter 2005 Poll. Also, if you have some spare time, some of these subjects have been covered in previous polls. You can find those poll responses at my Survey Archive which can you access by this link. There is a short descrption of what was covered in each poll on the left-hand side of the page and then links to the actual graphed results and, in some cases, my analysis or comments on the poll results.
At what age did your first tandem experience occur? Do you have children? At what age do you hope to get your child started tandeming? At what age did your child's first tandem experience occur? Does your child ride tandem with you currently? If so, how old is your child? How long have you been riding tandem with your child?	Part I of last winter's poll covered some of these topics and you can find the results here. Also, if you have some spare time, some of these subjects have been covered in previous polls. You can find those poll responses at my Survey Archive which can you access by this link. There is a short descrption of what was covered in each poll on the left-hand side of the page and then links to the actual graphed results and, in some cases, my analysis or comments on the poll results. However, all of that said, look for some of these in a future poll.
Who do you ride with? Do you vacation with your Tandem?	As noted above, some of these topics have been covered in previous polls that may be of interest at least on an interium basis until such time as they may a second appearance in a future poll.
BB-7 pads finished wearing out at the end of a long descent. Had to replace the pads on the road (from on-board spares) in order to continue ride. (The little return spring fell down between the worn pads and rubbed on the rotor.) Years ago, Al top nut of seatpost fractured (not the post itself); forget how we fixed that but completed ride OK.	Always a good idea to keep a spare set of brake pads around for your Avid BB7. We've just put the Avid BB7 on our Calfee for the first time -- aside from earlier fit checks -- and will start wearing in the pads next weekend. This time around (our previous travel tandem had an Avid BB7), I plan to pull off the first set of brake pads shortly after they get worn-in and will then make them my carry-arounds so that if they're ever needed mid-ride on challenging terrain they'll already be fairly well seasoned and worn-in vs. having to deal with a fresh set of pads.
Suggestions as how to get your stoker to ride more.	You're ot the first to suggest this so it may warrant some attention in a future poll. Off the cuff, I'm not sure there is a universal answer to this one since so many different people are motivated to ride for so many different reasons.
Do you see an increase or decrease in tandem riding in your area. What constitutes a hilly tandem ride (feet climbed per 100m or K)	Good suggestions. Look for this one in a future poll.
I would be interested to hear more about more than 2 person tandems, and the types of teams (ages and genders) that ride on the triples, quads, and up bikes.	This could work but, just based on earlier polls, there will be just a handful of respondents, as in past polls respondents with multi-seaters have consistently accounted for only about 5% of the total number of all survey respondents.
Why did you buy a tandem?	Care to suggest the 10 possible reasons to include?
Our new tandem is only six months old.	May you enjoy it for many, many years to come.
What is the single most annoying thing your stoker/captain does? Most thoughtful?	Probably a good single write-in for a future survey.
Wheel failure or loosening of the bearing races for the newer compressed wheels, Tandems are placing higher levels of stress on the bearing races causing them to loosen more often, yes or no?	You would want to post something like this to Hobbes or bikeforums.net; however, you'd need to be more specific about the brand and model of wheels or hubs to which you are referring as I'm not quite sure I understand exactly what you're asking.