Bontrager Race Lite Tandem

Price Paid:  $2025.00 at individual - used

Favorite Ride:
flat with a huge tail wind

Bike Setup:
stock-which is pretty dang good.

Summary:
Be aware of the rear hub.

Got the bike, indistinguishable from new, from a couple who did a failed tandem experiment. Great bike, good solid ride, light, laterally stiff and very pleasing to the eye. The rub, we blew out the rear hub at 1200 total miles. While we are not typical tandemneers we are not off the end of Bell Curve. Team weight is 330 and we do a fair amount of hard climbs but then also are 53 and 50 years old. The stoker is 130 pounds of loveliness so you can readily cipher the source of the issue. If you are a light team or do little intense climbing the rear hub may not be an issue. In my opinion the T-2000 is overall a very good bike and a solid value. The stock wheels, Bontrager Tandem Race Lites, other than the rear hub are just fine. They are too good and also to costly to trash so I am looking for a replacement hub to salvage them. Hopefully Trek will continue to produce this tandem with a more reliable rear hub. On foot pushing a beautiful bike is no place to be, but it beats pushing an ugly bike.

Strengths:
Solid ride, 50 mph downhill no problem, ride is nearly as good as steel, Georgous finish.

Weaknesses:
Rear hub for sure.

Similar Products Used:
Borrowed Burley as an experiment. Burley ride can't be beat for plushness. Weight is perhaps another matter. In a two dimentional world (Florida and Lousiana) they may be the solution.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
anytown anywhere

Bike Setup:
Trek T2000 tandem with upgrades. Capt'n and crew less than 300lbs.

Summary:
These came on the bike - Trek T2000 tandem

I was actually hoping to find info about these wheels, not to be the first review. Unfortunately the reason I was looking for info is because on todays group ride as we started up "the big hill" we blew out the freehub and had to call for a ride home.

Until this incident these wheels were great, loved them. Fairly light for a tandem wheel, aero and handle well... but all that goes out the window if you have to walk home...

If these were reliable I'd rate them a 4... since we had to walk a 2...

Strengths:
Aero, fairly light, handle well (laterally stiff)

Weaknesses:
The rear hub is obvious;y an issure - blew out the freehub pawls with less than 2000 miles on the wheels.

Similar Products Used:
First time on a Bontrager (DT swiss?) wheel.