A couple stupid tandem questions???

[hoof]

Is there a "standard" spacing between the front and rear cranks on a tandem? I am going to try and Frankenstein one together with two old Schwinns I bought and I am not sure where to start. At first I thought I needed enough space for the crank arms to pass when one was back and the other was front, and then it dawned on me that you "time" the cranks so they move together, DUH.

The stroker crank will obviously have to have two chainrings, one to the front and one to the back, will a regular crank arm work with a double chainring? Is it possible to use the same chainring I have and attach a second chainring to it? I am planning on a one sided drive.

Thanks,
CHAZ

 

[CCR]

as far as the spacing goes, most tandems ive seen have a tensioner cog to pull the slack out. i'll have to take a look at my tandem to describe how the rear cranks are mated together but you should be able to come up with something.

you could always use a three piece crank on the stroker with 2 crank arms and just have the drivers crank attached to the left side, while the right side went to the rear wheel.

 

[Wildcat]

There isn't a standard spacing between the cranks, there are some with more spacing, which gives the stoker more room. there's a thread here with one made from a couple old Schwinn frames that's pretty long and looks good.

 

[deorman]

In general, the distance is dictated by basic frame sizing standards, as the rear handle bars are quite often mounted to the front seat post. Not always true, but often. You can imagine how well anything shorter would work out. :shock: :lol: :lol:

 

[culturevirus]

I agree that there is probably not a standard spacing between the cranksets. But if you'd like a data point, the cranksets on my 60's Huffy tandem are spaced at 25 1/2 inches on the centers.