Drum Brake on Tandem

[93legendti]

I'm looking at a new tandem and thinking about adding a drum brake...Is it a necessity or luxury? Thanks.

[hansolo758]

We have one (Arai drum) on our tandem. We bought the tandem with it because we had been advised to get it. If you're doing loaded touring with lots of long descents, I think it's essential but not otherwise. It wasn't essential for us for what we have here in Wisconsin.

[itspeedmoore]

Go disc brakes and you have the best of all worlds!

[Bradford]

Drum brakes are great for regulating speed. I put one on after a close call at close to 50 MPH. Now, to keep my stoker happy, we don't let the bike get above 35.

I have mine hooked up to a bar end set to friction, so we can set it at any adjustment and keep the bike at a steady speed of descent.

Also works great as a parking brake.

[Sheldon4209]

Depends on team weight and the length and steepness of the hills that your ride. The Aria drum works well but the disc is lighter and I like the way that the disc stops the bike.
Sheldon

[DfCas]

Note that the Arai drum brake is out of production. There are some around, but they are becoming scarce.

Disc brakes can not dissipate as much heat as the drum, but they don't heat the rim like rim brkes.

Like the other poster said, it depends on team/loaded weight, and terrain.

Many people these days, me included, are using a disc rear and a rim brake front. Works in our terrain.

[93legendti]

Thanks guys. This would be for a Bike Friday tandem. I am cocnerned about long mountain descents. I am also looking at the Co-Motion Periscope Pilot with double disks.

[itspeedmoore]

Disc brakes can not dissipate as much heat as the drum, but they don't heat the rim like rim brkes.[/QUOTE]

How is that? On motorcycles and cars its exactly the opposite. Drums are easy to overheat, discs aren't. The disk is out in the wind while the braking surface of the drums in enclosed. This is why drums used to have huge ducts to get air to them.

[Smiley]

Thanks guys. This would be for a Bike Friday tandem. I am cocnerned about long mountain descents. I am also looking at the Co-Motion Periscope Pilot with double disks.
Thats the bike to buy we have the same bike in a co-pilot version, Disc's front and rear and they work GREAT. Search the image gallery for Co-motion periscope torpedo co-pilot

[David Kirk]

Drum brakes are typically used as drag brakes to keep speed from rising not for actual stopping. That is better left to discs or rim brakes.

So drums used as a drag work very well. They are often set up with a friction shifter as a lever so you just twist it and leave it be on a long descent.

dave

[scrooge]

If you get one and don't want it (or dont' want it all the time), my understanding is that it's not a big deal to take off.

[93legendti]

Thats the bike to buy we have the same bike in a co-pilot version, Disc's front and rear and they work GREAT. Search the image gallery for Co-motion periscope torpedo co-pilot

I remembered your new bike and that's what got me thinking.
Here's the advantage with the BF model I am looking at: fits in 1 suitcase.

For the trip I am leading next year, I want to take my Coupled Spectrum AND a tandem. So, 2 cases with bikes, in addition to my luggage, could be unwieldy. iirc, BF doesn't offer disc brakes because they won't fit in the case(s).

Drum brakes are typically used as drag brakes to keep speed from rising not for actual stopping. That is better left to discs or rim brakes.

So drums used as a drag work very well. They are often set up with a friction shifter as a lever so you just twist it and leave it be on a long descent.

dave

Yeah, I was thinking I could mount a bar end on the tops, using one of those Riv adapters:

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/shifters_and_derailers?page=2#product=17-124

If you get one and don't want it (or dont' want it all the time), my understanding is that it's not a big deal to take off.

Hmm, that makes the decision easier to make. Good tip.

[DfCas]

Disc brakes can not dissipate as much heat as the drum, but they don't heat the rim like rim brkes.

How is that? On motorcycles and cars its exactly the opposite. Drums are easy to overheat, discs aren't. The disk is out in the wind while the braking surface of the drums in enclosed. This is why drums used to have huge ducts to get air to them.[/QUOTE]

Several factors are at play here- the drum brake weighs 2.5 pounds or so,has fins, and doesn't do 100% of the work on the rear. Disc brakes stop the wheel with more "authority" than rim or drum brakes, but can be overheated. There have been reports of people melting the knobs off of an Avid with 203mm rotors. They also wondered why it faded and was no longer effective.

For a better discussion and explanation of rear brake options,see this thread on a tanden forum. Post #21 is most excellent and a better explanation than I could offer.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=412624

[RPS]

My wife and I are not heavy enough to have needed a drag brake thus far on either tandem, so for us it would be a luxury.

The set up I've seen that I liked best uses standard road calipers front and rear and a large diameter disc on back as a drag brake.

[Smiley]

93 Ti say's "BF doesn't offer disc brakes because they won't fit in the case(s)."

I don't get this statement, Co-Mo sells more S&S bikes and thandems then anybody in the world, if Dwan and company puts them on their bikes for travel what won't fit and why. I figured I may have to remove the rotors to pack the wheels in the case but that was all I could think of. With the Periscope compac frame and the absence of a lateral tube for this tandem its one less pipe to be installed.

[93legendti]

93 Ti say's "BF doesn't offer disc brakes because they won't fit in the case(s)."

I don't get this statement, Co-Mo sells more S&S bikes and thandems then anybody in the world, if Dwan and company puts them on their bikes for travel what won't fit and why. I figured I may have to remove the rotors to pack the wheels in the case but that was all I could think of. With the Periscope compac frame and the absence of a lateral tube for this tandem its one less pipe to be installed.

Smiley, here's what BF says:
http://www.bikefriday.com/faq?question=4397&x=16&y=11

Disc Brakes This style of brake is similar to a car disc brake: a round metal rotor or plate is attached to the hub, and the brake pads pinch the rotor rather than the rim. Pluses: very effective in wet weather, can accommodate all tire widths, less wear on the rim. Minuses: heavier than most brake systems, and make the Bike Friday more difficult to pack in a suitcase.

The BF case is a different size and the bike itself has different dimensions than a 700c wheeled bike.

[Smiley]

I would not think packing is the problem, rather maybe mounting this system on such a small frame. I was skeptical about disc's but NO MORE, its really the way to go to slow down such a heavy load on a tandem. No more brake squeals and no more pad fading and Drums brakes when required are a bitch and are heavy.

[93legendti]

I would not think packing is the problem, rather maybe mounting this system on such a small frame. I was skeptical about disc's but NO MORE, its really the way to go to slow down such a heavy load on a tandem. No more brake squeals and no more pad fading and Drums brakes when required are a bitch and are heavy.
Hmm, it seems 2 Avids are ~ 1 lb. and pretty reasonable. I am going to speak to the BF rep.

[oldfatslow]

My wife and I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway last summer. I weigh ~170lbs and she weighs approximately 130lbs. Our bike is a Burley Tosa tandem that weighs about 35 pounds.

On the long descent from Richland Balasm overlook we had a front flat while doing 45-50 coming through an "s" turn. I was able to bleed off a lot of speed but we still crashed pretty good in the soft shoulder (I was able to get the bike right at the front of the turn but could not get the bike back left).

The flat was caused by the front wheel over heating from the braking required to slow the bike. The Arai drum (drag) brake would have allowed us to bleed off that speed effectively. Foolishly, we had removed it from the bike as we were not carrying our gear on the bike and we didn't think we would need it.

If you are planning trips that include long descents (the Parkway had several 5-10 mile descents I would strongly recommend the Arai drag (drum) brake.