THE CRITICAL ROLE OF TANDEM FORKS

Besides doubled rider weight, other factors make a tandem fork work 4-to-5 times harder than a single bike fork. First, tandem forks take more hits. On single bikes we “lift and sail” over bumps to reduce the impact—tandem forks, however, must withstand the full force of every bump. Second, because tandems can descend 40% faster, the force required to stop a tandem (f=mv2) is up to 400% as great as a single bike descending the same hill. Because front brakes provide 80% of the stopping power on any vehicle, maximum braking can occur only if a tandem’s fork can withstand quadrupled braking force without shuddering or failing. Safety is why our forks are so beefy and costly.