# 29er tandems



## mctweek (Nov 6, 2007)

My wife and I have converted to 29ers and think that they would be perfect for an off road tandem. I was wondering if anyone out there has any experience with them. We have been riding a 26" tandem off road for about 8 years, so the off road part is not an issue.


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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

Vicious Cycles makes the Jeepster.
Doing a Google Image search I came with this:








Dayum. 
http://www.viciouscycles.com/frames-jeepster.php3
I think it was MichiganClydesdale on here that bought a Jeepster off of ebay. Check this thread:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=322486&highlight=29er+tandem. I'd love to see Surly put out a 29" tandem. They already do a long bike; the Big Dummy.


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## twobytandem (Oct 18, 2006)

*Vicious Cycles Jeepster*

My wife & I have been thinking the same thing! We've been off-roading on our mtn tandem for over 10 years now and even though the upgrades have been regular, nothing could be better than the big wheels we've grown to love on the singles.

Vicious Cycles Jeepster, availalbe hard tail or with the 29" Titus Racer-X rear end

http://www.viciouscycles.com/frames-jeepster.php3

Happy Shopping!

Allen


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## 3D's racers (Oct 10, 2007)

They have it in a SS model too.


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## DHS (Jan 14, 2004)

wow, a SS tandem. thats awesome, with a little insane


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## mctweek (Nov 6, 2007)

I've seen the specs on the jeepster, We own a curtlo now and would probably go that way again, I am looking for feedback from someone who has , or at least has ridden a 29er tandem. Thanks Bob


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## mctweek (Nov 6, 2007)

I think the only way we could ride a ss tandem is if the 20 was in the front and the 32 in the back. Lots of big mountains out here


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

We have been riding this one for 3 years now. What I aimed for when specing ours was low gearing and big brakes. I liked the range of gearing that the DaVinci drive that I saw at Interbike had so I went that route and it works quite well for our needs. I have to admit though that we don't do much hardcore offroad with our because the wife isn't that in to it but when I can find a willing stoker I have done enough to know that it is certainly a different animal than the Ibis that I had time on previous to building up this one. I would think that with your experience that making the switch would be a positive one. Really the same things that have gotten you both to ride 29 singles applies to the tandem eh? However the gearing issue is a bit amplified which is why I went this route.









The one pictured is kind of unusual in many regards but it works well in all situations that we have had it in. If you want more info on it email me bigwheel_29 at hotmail.com or you may be able to find the thread I did on it years back when I built it here?

Also Scott Quiring just finished a nice one up and some pictures of it can be seen here:http://www.quiringcycles.net/igallery/igallery.asp?d=\tandem\
Maybe email Scott and he can put you in touch with the owner of that one to get a feel for why he went to a 29?


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

*Ventana*

Ventana makes tandems and 29ers. I wonder if they've ever put the two together.


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## MichiganClydesdale (Mar 24, 2004)

*two if by tandem*

we have a jeepster, but I never rode a 26er to compare it to. Pretty darn nice ride on the 29er wheels. I'm having Walt build me a rigid 20mm TA fork for this next year. That big 6 inch travel sus fork is sweet on downhills, but overkill everywhere else.

Scott Quiring debuted a 29er tandem at the Iceman this year.....unbelieveably beautiful bike. I was afraid to ask what he charges for the frame. He has it on his site: http://www.quiringcycles.net/igallery/igallery.asp?d=\tandem\

here's a shot of ours 23 inch captain seat tube and 19 inch stoker, makes it look like baby wheels.


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## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

This is awsome, guys. After contemplating a 29"er tandem for a couple of years, I gave up. The price premium was simply too great for custom frame for a couple of noobies.

I just today brought home a used 26" tandem. If my wife and I take a liking to it, I'll reconsider a big-wheel dualie in a couple of years. It will be interesting to see how this segment of the 29" market develops over that period of time.


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## tamjam (Jan 23, 2004)

DHS said:


> wow, a SS tandem. thats awesome, with a little insane


I have always coveted Curtis' SS 29er Tandem...


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## chexem (Jan 22, 2007)

I just bought a 29er (single seat) Ventana El Rey from Alex Nutt at mtbtandems.com he is the best bikeman I have ever dealt with regarding input, patience, experience, and pure attentiveness. If you dont buy from him you owe it to yourselves to talk with him. 
678-445-0711


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## zibell (Apr 13, 2007)

*29 vrs 26*

My only concern is, how well will a 29" wheelset hold up for a large team? Our weight is almost 400lbs and we ride a Ventana ECDM with 26" DH wheels and have not had a single problem. Is there a 29" DH wheelset that would hold up as well?

Thanks
Patrick


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## jpc111 (Jun 30, 2004)

hey Michigan Clydesdale,

How do those Shimano dual control units work on the H-Bar?

Thanks!

P.

(from SW Michigan):thumbsup:


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

We have found that we really put some huge side loads on our 26" 40-spoke Sun Rhyno tandem front wheel ('Dale MT1000). It has a rigid fork, and my wife is a great stoker from a bike handling point of view (as far as throwing around what weight she has) - not as much in the horsepower dept.

Anyone fold a 29er front tandem wheel? Roll a tire off the rim? I would think this could be dangerous territory, based on my experience. We've only pounded a few logs, but I'm not so worried about that. I'm worried about the side loads. The tire screams the loudest on pavement with tight turns, but I'm sure it's no better when we miss a turn in the dirt and try to make a huge correction.

I would be looking for a fairly wide 48 spoke wheel if we had 29's. Are 36's enough? I mean they're good for riding hard, but how 'bout if you mess up when you're riding hard?

-F


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## bbudell (Jun 10, 2005)

*29er tandem wheels*

I own the Quiring tandem mentioned in a previous posting in this thread. We haven't ridden it too much yet (winter hit early this year in northern Michigan) but so far the wheels have held up great. I used 40H Hadley hubs (145mm rear and 20mm front), Sun Rhyno Lite rims and straight 14g spokes with really high tension. With only about 40 miles on it I can't say that we have had much of a test yet but those 40 miles were at race pace under a 400 lb team so I am pleased no problems have come up yet.

Front end traction in the Michigan riding we have done has been more of an issue then rolling tires or folding rims. We are running 2.55 WeirWolfs at about 40 psi. During the Iceman Cometh Race the front end pushed through corners a couple times but I never felt the tire roll. My wife and I are going to take the tandem down south with us over our X-mas break. We are going to stop in northern Georgia for some riding and then head down and ride Santos and San Felasco in Florida so we should get a good mix of terrain to test everything out. The only difference will be that with my wife on the back our combined weight will only be a little over 300lbs and therefore we won't beat on the wheels as much.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

bbudell said:


> ... We are going to stop in northern Georgia for some riding and then head down and ride Santos...


If you can, hit Bear Creek in N. Ga. My buddy and I hauled the tandem around there for a couple laps and had a BLAST! The Pinhote tr. may be a bit narrow for it.

Thanks for the feedback - that's good info. Anyone else got anything?

You will prob'ly find better front wheel traction in GA, unless you're on wet Georgia clay - then just flap your arms real hard. Have fun!

-F


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## mctweek (Nov 6, 2007)

Thanks for the feedback. We're closer to 325 lbs and tend to ride mostly on mountain singletrack. frequently on slower tighter trails. I think that we are pretty easy on wheels. The only wheel problem we have had was blowing up a D.T. hub body. I want to reuse my stainless King, it is 36* and 135mm. I am sure I could use Kris Holm rims but I would like to try something lighter, The Rhyno lites are what we have now on the 26. Does anyone know if I can get WTB dual duty FR in 36 holes? Any Other Ideas? Bob


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## Brown_Teeth (Jan 15, 2004)

mctweek said:


> Any Other Ideas? Bob


My application is a bit different cause my rig has way more side loading than a Tandem. I found these 48 hole hubs to be just like its name Bombproof. Only gripe is they are not disc ready. Also there are rather inexpensive jet rims that are extremely burley, even more so than the rhinos.


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