We have had the 2014 Cannondale Road tandem (RT2)for a couple of weeks now and have been out on two long rides on it. Initial impressions are good and we both really like the bike. It is our first road tandem and we only have a previously borrowed US made Cannondale to compare it to.
We got the RT2 model as
A) the RT1 isn’t available in Europe
B) If we were going to spend alot more on a bike I would probably get something with couplers
The bike was purchased in Germany as none were available in Switzerland in our size (Medium/Small). The main difference from the specs on the web is the brakes – they are Avid BB7 S_ROAD callipers and 200mm Avid rotors front and rear – not Shimano. The frame has the mount points for rim brakes as well which is useful as I think I will be fitting a backup rim brake (but a little messy looking if that kind of thing bothers you). The brakes are the only thing I don’t like about the bike so far as we are getting a really loud screeching from the front when braking. I will be doing some tweaking to see if I can adjust this out.
The wheels are 36 spoke with DT Swiss 540 tandem hubs and DT Swiss 535 700c rims. Tyres are 25mm Continentals and there is plenty of clearance for even bigger tyres if required.
The frame also appears to have mounts for mud guards (or maybe a rack – not sure which – have a look at the pictures)
So that’s a quick intro – I have posted some pictures (which are also in a slideshow below) if you want a closer look at things.
http://furbo.smugmug.com/Tandem-Cycling/Road-Tandem/2014-Cannondale-Road-Tandem-2/