WHEEL TECHNOLOGY

The wheels that come on many new tandems will last for only a year or two. And when you need to replace them with a capable pair of wheels, be prepared to shell out $300–$900. Because wheels are the most important (and expensive) item on any new bicycle, and wheels work twice as hard when used on a tandem, every Santana includes a strong pair of wheels that combine innovative design elements, tandem-specific materials, and high-quality workmanship.

TWO CRITICAL DESIGN ELEMENTS

The wheels on every Santana feature symmetric “dishless” design and widely-spaced hub flanges. Dishless wheels, a design pioneered by Santana back in the ’70s, allow spokes on both sides of a tandem’s rear wheel to carry the same load. Wide flange separation, a related characteristic, improves the spoke bracing angle to provide additional lateral strength while preventing “dynamic transfer”—momentary spoke-tension overloads that eventually will cause a rim to fatigue, crack and fail.