Hi Guys, Atom drum brakes came stock on Schwinn Twin Tandems. In the early 80s, I modified a Schwinn Twin which I raced in many of the Early MTB races here in Northern California (Rock Hopper, etc.) There is an airbrush painting of us on the tandem on the back cover of an issue of the Fat Tire Flyer. We broke many Atom rear axles. We rode hard, but our combined rider weight was not much more than 300 lbs. For normal tandem riding, I think the Atom drum is a good choice.
chris ioakimedes http://www.fattiretrading.com http://www.veloclubfairfax.com Fairfax California
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of John Thompson Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 8:37 PM To: Classic Rendezvous Subject: Re: Atom Drum Brake, was [CR]Need advice on some Phil Wood Super Champion Tandem wheels
Harvey M Sachs wrote:
> I would suggest that Sheldon is generous in his description of the
Atom
> rear drum brake for tandems. Three problem areas to watch for:
>
> 1) Hub is narrow, bearings pretty far in, weight is high. Prescription
> for bent axles.
Hasn't been a problem here, but we have relatively light riders and low
use.
> 2) Drilling varied, but frequently done for oversized wheelchair
spokes.
> Installing modern high quality spokes requires drilling new holes
> between the old ones, and leaves you with 36 spoke wheels (I can't
> remember drillings other than 36, except for an acquaintance who laced
> his with 71).
My Gitane tandem has 40-hole drilling with 2mm (14ga) spokes.
> 3) Sometimes came with French FW thread, which means all but
unobtanium
> unless Harris Cyclery has a stash.
Yeah, but the Atom "Tandem" freewheel (4 pawls instead of the usual 2)
is still holding up.
> 4) If memory serves, axle was oversized, with unusual threading. Cones
> were lathe-turned, not ground, and pitted easily.
The Gitane tandem has a 12mm axle, but the cones are still good (20+
years now). I had a standard Atom hub on my old Velital with 36h
drilling and 10mm axle though. Now stolen.
> I much preferred the Shimano "E," a true disc brake that worked at
least
> as well.
I also have a set (front and rear) of Maillard drum brake hubs on my commuter bike. These are 36h drilling, with 10mm axles front and rear, although the front has milled flats to fit in a standard 9mm front dropout. These were samples from Maillard received in the early 80s. I don't think they were ever marketed in the USA as they fail the CPSC "lock up the wheel" requirement.
--
John (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA