# 26" or 700c ?



## Paul Walters (15 Apr 2019)

Mrs W has announced that she is planning a 4-month sabbatical from work, and wants to cycle around the coast of Britain, on a tandem, with me (I'm honoured, apparently), and therefore, since we'll be going together, we need a tandem.....

We've talked about this before, but without consensus, so, for a 4500mile ride, would you go Thorn Raven type 26" wheel, or Dawes 700c ?

If I was spec'ing a new bike for touring I would go for the following, but I am interested to know what everyone else thinks.. (at the moment, our solo tourers are Claud Butler Dalesman (me), Dawes Karakum (Mrs W)

So, for a tandem......

Steel Frame and Fork / 700c wheels / disk brakes / Rohloff gears / dynamo front hub / drop bars / low step though (standover) height.

I'm 5'11" and Mrs W is 5'1".

Any thoughts ?


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2019)

26. Because slightly stronger, slightly more reliable.


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## srw (15 Apr 2019)

Thorn. Because it's a bombproof bike (though you'll want to look up the problems with Rohloff flanges) and because Thorn's aftercare is excellent.

For anything above a fairly short trip I'd only look at specialist tandem makers. Dawes isn't.


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2019)

I thought we were just talking about wheel size & provenance and having re-read I'm still not certain, but as SRW has just said, if you are talking whole tandems, then Thorn in a heartbeat.


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## derrick (15 Apr 2019)

Paul Walters said:


> Mrs W has announced that she is planning a 4-month sabbatical from work, and wants to cycle around the coast of Britain, on a tandem, with me (I'm honoured, apparently), and therefore, since we'll be going together, we need a tandem.....
> 
> We've talked about this before, but without consensus, so, for a 4500mile ride, would you go Thorn Raven type 26" wheel, or Dawes 700c ?
> 
> ...


Have you ridden a tandem yet? I rode one with my grandaughter no problems, but the thought of ridding one with the wife. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Two nice touring bikes is the way to go. Good luck with that one,
The Thorn seems expensive, the Dawes looks nicer, need to ride them both before you buy.


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## TheDoctor (15 Apr 2019)

derrick said:


> Have you ridden a tandem yet? I rode one with my grandaughter no problems, but the thought of ridding one with the wife. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Two nice touring bikes is the way to go. Good luck with that one,
> The Thorn seems expensive, the Dawes looks nicer, *need to ride them both before you buy.*


That, in a nutshell. Derrick is bang on there.
Buying a tandem and then setting off on a 4500 mile ride sounds like a bit of a baptism of fire!
Hope you enjoy it


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## Paul Walters (15 Apr 2019)

We had a test ride on one a few years ago, then Mrs W decided she would prefer the freedom of a solo bike.. she now has 3 ! The tandem idea is because she wants to do the tour, but doesn't want to be 200 yards behind me all the time, which is what normally happens.

Thorn would be my go-to choice, but I am not convinced on the 26" wheels...

The trip is planned for 2020 or 2021 (depending on what our respective employers have to say about taking 4 months off work), but I thought of getting the tandem well before then so we have some practice and bicker before we set off.....


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2019)

What's at issue re the 26" wheels, which are a no-brainer to me?


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## OldShep (15 Apr 2019)

Because of the increasing lack of choice in 26” tyres and rims I’d now plump for 700c. Seriously considering selling my 26” wheel tourer. 
Have a holiday in Yorkshire and try some https://www.tandems.co.uk/tandem-test-rides/


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2019)

I don't think tandems are an issue in that respect tbh - as long as there are Andra 30s, 35s and 40s, and Duremes we're well set - and 26 is still the international size of choice.


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## steveindenmark (15 Apr 2019)

Why tandem and not two touring bikes? You can carry more gear on two touring bikes.


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## Ming the Merciless (15 Apr 2019)

For your wife's height 26" may give a better setup for her.


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> Why tandem and not two touring bikes? You can carry more gear on two touring bikes.


...and that's an incentive exactly how?


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## Blue Hills (16 Apr 2019)

Bonefish Blues said:


> ...and that's an incentive exactly how?


more comfort at stops?


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## Heltor Chasca (16 Apr 2019)

Husband and wife team on a Cannondale tandem at the weekend. Lovely machine. Those rounds look like 26” to me.

A friend also had a Orbit tandems. Now those were beautiful.


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## Blue Hills (16 Apr 2019)

No doubt Thorns are good, but expensive.

Might be some secondhand bargains.

Seem to remember being on a cyclechat ride with someone who had picked up a barely used tandem at a very large discount.

I also seem to remember that the reason for the sale was a divorce ....

Two bikes might be better.


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## OldShep (16 Apr 2019)

I’d done a few club rides with a couple who had always turned out on solo machines. One Sunday they arrived on a tandem I thought it was going to end in divorce.


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## roubaixtuesday (16 Apr 2019)

Wheel size is pretty much irrelevant I think, all that matters is that they are very strong. We have 48 spoke on 700C on ours, and they are absolutely bomb proof.

I think your joint tour is an excellent idea, but have you ever ridden a tandem before? It seems to be very much a marmite thing; I'd suggest borrow or hire one for at least a day or two before committing £000s to a new one.

[Edit, meant to add there are a very few tandem specialist shops around, and a trip to one would be well advised]


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## Blue Hills (16 Apr 2019)

Yes, should have said, tour sounds great - you're a lucky chap OP.


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## Paul Walters (30 Apr 2019)

Thanks for all the advice people.... plans have moved on a little, and we're test riding a hire tandem on the weekend... taking early steps to look at renting out our house for 6 months, and pulling together the other financial strings to make it all happen.... my idea of selling the house, and making use of the equity to partly fund the ride, then downsizing when we get back, fell onto very, very stony ground !!


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## rogerzilla (30 Apr 2019)

Not 26". It's a size the manufacturers are trying to kill off, and the choice of faster road tyres has always been terrible. I know - I had a Thorn Nomad for 10 years and fast tyres were really hard to get.


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## srw (30 Apr 2019)

For touring a four-figure-mile trip on a tandem "faster road tyres" are an irrelevance. You want durability and puncture proofness - which means Marathon (plus).


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## JDR (7 Jul 2019)

If you're doing off-road, or carrying a lot - eg camping - 26" is usefully stronger. Otherwise a good 27" tandem rear wheel should be fine. Thorns are great for heavy duty touring but cost an arm and 2 legs, and they are a bit set in their ways - they snear about dropped handlebars as rohloff gears don't work on them ( just as I disapprove of anything except size 6 shoes because I happen not to use them either).
But you'd be daft not to go for a good weekend tour all loaded up if you are not already a 'proven' tandem team - borrow one or buy a reasonable one on ebay or the tandem club site - they go for less than solos - and sell it again if it doesn't suit you or seem up to 5K miles.


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