First thing we needed to do is to insert seat posts. This is not a permanent thing but it assists in clamping the bike in the work stand. Any old seat post will work, but I only have these two Thomson’s here so I will use them.
I usually start from the bottom and work my way to the top. This means starting at the crank set and bottom bracket. Since a tandem has two bottom brackets and chain line is so important we have to start with the more critical stoker bottom bracket. The bottom bracket cups on the FSA cranks are of the outbound variety and will need some sort of thread locker to prevent squeaking. Old school mechanics would have used grease and then torqued the heck out of the cups and lock ring but today we have thread locking compounds that work much better. With bottom bracket cups I usually use medium strength thread lock compound.
Once the bottom bracket was in place then came the eccentric. Usually only tandems, but occasionally some single speeds have a bottom bracket eccentric. Rue supplies the new Bushnell light eccentric. I was amazed that this eccentric only weighed 138 g. One that was in place it is just duplicating the rear crank set to install the front.
With the hardest parts done it was time to move on to the other components. Fork crown race was a breeze using a split race then since Rue uses integrated headsets the bearings just drop into place then the fork can be attached. I left the steerer tube full length until I find the correct handlebar position. Front and rear brakes then front and rear derailleurs. slap the wheels in, adjust the brake pads and there are only a few things left.
Handlebars and brifters now it was time for cabling. Fortunately I had some tandem length brake and shift cables. Usually you only need one of each as a single bike rear shifter cable usually has plenty of length for front derailleur cabling. I was also using Alligator iLink cables, they are similar to Nokon cables except that they do not come as individual pieces. I did use full length cable liners as I find that even on a road bike the smooth shifting of new cables seem to last longer when no dust or water can get into the cable ends. I was going to add my color here, but at the last moment Nicole decided she wanted all black cables.
Once the cables were on and brakes and shifting were dialed in saddles go on. We will be replacing the saddles with white versions, but we don’t have them yet. Well just a few hours later, plenty of ibuprofen to alleviate some nagging back pain and she is nearly complete. Tomorrow will be its first test ride. Got to make sure everything is in working order before we put two people on it. I will post pictures Thursday or Friday and a complete build list and final tandem weight.
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Hey Bud,
What kind of cable housing are you using? I’ve found with using housing the entire length, especially on the rear brake I get enough compression to inhibit the brake performance. The old Trek I use for commuting does not have stops for the brakes, just guides. My rear break will barely lock the wheel. The ‘Dale tandem is not quite as bad but not nearly as strong as the front brake.
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Dwight,
I am now using Alligator iLink cables. They are more expensive but being that the casing is aluminum there is no compression issue and braking performance is fine. They come in Black, Red (which looks sort of pinkish to me), Gold, Blue and Silver. They can also be used where you need a smaller radius curve in the cable without kinking. Otherwise for regular cabling I usually use something like Jagwire Straight Jackets. They are very good and a bunch cheaper, but the stiffness of the jacket prevents tighter cable bends.
If I recall on the Dale we used a short length of Nokons since it was such a small area and a tight radius. it was the only solution that would work. Essentially Nokon and iLink are compression-less.
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