Tom Dalton wrote:
> how many people really want a full-on road racing tandem?
I do!
> Does the UCI ever recognize road tandem racing? It's my
> understanding that tandem road events go on in England, but
> I'm not even certain how common that is. Of course, the idea
> of a massed start criterium is intriguing, as long as I'm
> a spectator.
Tandem racing is great fun and there are always a few in the US. My wife Laurie and I did the Burley Duet classic, a 5-day stage race in Eugene, Oregon. The crit, which sounds dangerous to many people, was actually a lot safer than most single-bike crits I've been in. Maybe that's just due to captains not wanting to take chances with another person (often their wives) on the back, but the inherent stability of tandems has to help.
I built my tandem (in '89 I think) with racing geometry and lightweight frame, wheels and parts, and haven't regretted it. I gave it fender clearance, which makes it suitable for supported (unloaded) touring or dragging a trailer. With the kind of brakes I used, the fender clearance has no downside at all, though with the Campy sidepulls on that Colnago, tight clearances are a must for maximizing braking. Braking will still be a weak point.
The Colnago also has single-bike size frame tubing and a rear top tube that is way too short, two fatal flaws that make it a bad bike even for its limited purpose. In the classic time period there were builders doing it much better.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA