Equipment |
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Riding a tandem Riding a tandem sure has pro’s and con’s. The advantages for us clearly are the possibility to ride together all the time without someone waiting at the top or next stop. We can chat and ride at the same time. But, to make a full picture, we must also mention that a tandem climbs slow (although down hill makes up for some of that) and that it can be sometimes annoying to hear people shouting the same stuff all the time about how easy this is for the stoker not doing anything or something like that. Happily in most situations we get a much more cheerful reaction, especially in remote places our tandem is a guarantee for easy contact. After quite some trips we are certain this is our thing. It is fun to do crazy thing with a tandem, such as off road downhill in Tibet on enormous boulders, climb to over 5000 m or descend with 74 km/hour with BOB car if you happen to find some asphalt. Taking the tandem in a plane, car, bus or train is always a happing on its own, but usually works out fine. Are you interested in how we came to all of this? Read our stories and look at our pictures and you’ll understand. Our tandem From 2000 to 2007 we have been riding a Koga Myata Twin Traveller. A sturdy 28” bike with full suspension, which is especially nice for the stoker in the back. Almost al parts have been replaced in the meantime, but it brought us everywhere so we feel lucky with it. Except may be for the chainsuck, but you can read all about that in the reports (especially in Norway/Sweden and Patagonia). At the moment we ride a Ventana El Conquistador de Montañas. Again with full suspension, but with a more traditional frame. Somewhat less weight and a Rohloff hub make this bike ready for our new adventures. We justed returned from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a short trip in Holland, at we are very happy with this bike. The suspension works much better than on our previous bike, and the handling is better. The true test for the Rohloff has not yet come, since we have seen nothing but sunshine ;-)! Alex from MTBTandems was a great help and contacted Ventana to customize our bike.  Details of the bike: Brakes: we ride with Magura Gustav M disc brakes. Never had disc brakes before, but they seem to be working well with the Rohloff Hub (see below). Magura, the passion people, were so kind to provide them for us. We were used to have an extra drum brake, so we hope the brakes will do in long down hills. Not easy to find them in Holland, so you’ll hear about that later.  Hub: Rohloff tandem version with 14 hidden, continuous gears. Should keep us free from chainsuck forever. First impression is that the range is sufficient, the shifting very smooth, except for the change between 8 and 7, which is notorious, but if you take the stress off the chain for a millisecond, it works as well. Sound and drag seem not that bad as we heard from some people in the past. Tires: Never ride anything else than Schwalbe’s Marathon XR on your trekking bike! After 7 years without any (!) puncture we thought it was time to ask Schwalbe to send us some 26” versions for the new Ventana. They did and we expect not to think about them again before they are completely gone to slicks, or may be just before that ;-) We have had the 50 mm version since the soft sands of Namibia, but they worked well in Patagonia and Cuba as well. For us the extra friction (which is only a small part of the total resistance) outways the robustness and grip.  Shock: our new shock is a Fox 23 air with 800 Lbs spring Works perfect on the mountainbike trail in Georgia and the asphalt in Holland. A lot of options to adjust (preload, rebound, …) so we can always find the perfect set up. Our BOB A great invention this BOB. Our BOB Yak is stable and always provides the space to take what we need on any trip, although we make sure not to be tempted to bring to much! The new BOB (a black YAK) is ready for our 26”Ventana and sponsored by BOB Trailers (link). The bag however is not very durable and already shows some damage.  Our equipment (all not sponsored) The tent Yep, it’s a Hilleberg, maybe not very surprising in the biker’s scene. It’s 2.9 kg but still gives a hugh amount of space, which makes the Nallo 3 GT a very good tent for our nights on campsites or next to the road. The BOB can be parked in the front even with the back rollers next to it and if it rains we can cook there if needed. We cannot understand why anyone would think about sleeping in a mini shelter when on a bike holiday, this tent can be taken on a bike easily and is definitely worth the weight (and money, this one is not sponsored and quite expensive).  Sleeping bags Never been so happy with a sleeping bag as with our Häglofs Goga and Hypna. Warm and light feather has kept us warm in cold nights to below zero in a number of cases. Goga is Marks yellow hug, a little larger and less thick than Mandy’s red and warm Hypna in a smaller size. A good sleeping bag is worth fitting it to your body’s length and size. Do take care in very wet conditions and keep it in a loose cover when you’re at home. For very cold or very hot conditions we bring our silk lining, either to put in the bag or to sleep in. This is really worth the investment as it is light and keeps you cool if it is hot and extra warm if its cold, although that is only for rather extreme conditions with our Haglofs. Mattresses Having tried a number of things to sleep on, we ended up choosing something different for each of us. Mark likes his comfort and does not mind blowing his lungs out every night to fill his light weight, 6 lane mattress. The type you buy at Perry Sport. You have to buy a new one ones in a while, but they are not very expensive. Weight usually around 600 grams only. Mandy however hates airing these things and only sleeps on self inflatable’s. Currently she has a woman’s version of the Thermarest 3,8 cm lightweight (the one in pink). This weighs around 850 grams and is clearly better insulated than the previous short version of 2,5 cm. Cooking stuff We have an Optimus Nova Plus Stove with medium bottle. Does not need a lot of maintenance or cleaning, and takes about everything that can burn. A magnetic tool keeps the needle moving without taking it apart. What not to forget: - in cold conditions we always bring reusable hand warmers. We have small and large ones and they provide warmth for a couple of hours to get you through the worst of nights if necessary. After cooking they can be used again. - Headlamps, light and small but very useful when cooking a meal in a dark forest or checking which enormous animal walks besides your tent (to find out is usually is not very big, it just sounds like that). - Food containers for marmalade or chocolate paste, refillable. They do keep closed as far as we have experienced. Just do not put in too much when filling it, you must be able to roll it. - A plastic hammer for the poles. We have been laughed at about it but in rocky conditions we do not want to be looking for the right size stones all over the place, mishitting the pole all the time or even abusing your bike shoes. Buy the lightest white plastic one in the outdoor shop, it is cheap and quite light. - Lots of lightweight outdoor clothes. We are not the kind of people to buy everything the most expensive, the Decathlon shirts under 10 or 20 euro also work perfectly fine. Just start collecting them and look for discounts anytime to expand your stock. - Goretex everything, but especially a jacket. Usually paclites have kept us dry and more important happy during long days of rain. Mandy also uses a rainpant, but Mark does not like the long trousers. Shoe covers keep the water out for a while, but won’t last, so prepare for wet stuff anyway or do not ride in the rain. - Gloves against water, wind and cold can be very helpful in downhills and with nasty weather. We never bring: - chairs or anything alike. You usually find something to sit on (look for a large round stone) and we do not mind going in a restaurant ones in a while or have a drink on a terrace. Campsites often have tables and chairs as well, just look for them. - More than half a book (this means the smallest paperback which is to be found or nothing at all but a small travelguide). Usually Mandy buys a book somewhere to finish it in a few days to keep the amount of letters on the right level. |
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