Tandem Conversion
- Thread starter Chasinky
- Start date
I did a tandem conversion on a Cannondale Mountain Tandem ( Thread link here ). If you go the hub route, I would definitely recommend rear hub - just make sure the wheel / hub drive can handle the total mass that it will need to drive. I chose to do mid-drive as I think the ride feel and power transfer to drive train + choice of gearing make more sense for the hilly terrain around here. After riding it for 2 years with a couple thousand miles on it, my wife and I have really enjoyed this configuration. I've since made a couple of changes:
- replaced the wheelset on the tandem given the number of miles and wear on the bike. Went with a smoother wider set of touring tires (Schwalbe Marathon Plus)
- replaced the chainring with a Lekkie 40T BBS02 kit to tighten up the chainline (not really necessary, but there's been so little maintenance that I wanted to do some work on the drivetrain)
- Added a Kinekt suspension stem - comfort for my wrists with the terrain + miles we like to ride and the amount of stuff we carry when shopping at farmers markets, etc. I didn't want to invest in a tandem rated front fork. I need pretty agile turning for the places we ride.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
I received a couple of questions regarding the standoff on the Cannondale Tandem frame (mine is a 2005 Mountain Tandem, yours may differ). There's only 1 frame modification you need to make. In the before photo, you'll see under the stoker's seat a short standoff where the front / rear shift cables are routed. The post prevents the BBS02 motor from being mounted. It's a solid aluminum post that is part of the frame. I cut it with a Dremel (took about 3 mins). I dabbed some matching automotive paint for the dime-sized circle that happened to match the frame to protect the exposed aluminum. If would be easy to replace with a screw-on standoff if I ever wanted to convert it back. You'd need to tap a screw where the old post is.
Since I wasn't going to have a front derailleur, I only needed to deal with the rear shifter cable. I didn't want the frame to get scratched or anything to snag it and create shifting issues. So I put the shift cable in a Jagwire 4mm shifter cable housing and there is enough room to route the sleeved cable next to the BBS02 after mounting it. I just used the existing shift cable routing mounts to measure and cut the cable housing to keep everything clean and flush. It worked out better in that the shift cable is protected from the mud and grime.
Hope this helps.
Since I wasn't going to have a front derailleur, I only needed to deal with the rear shifter cable. I didn't want the frame to get scratched or anything to snag it and create shifting issues. So I put the shift cable in a Jagwire 4mm shifter cable housing and there is enough room to route the sleeved cable next to the BBS02 after mounting it. I just used the existing shift cable routing mounts to measure and cut the cable housing to keep everything clean and flush. It worked out better in that the shift cable is protected from the mud and grime.
Hope this helps.
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