In the pioneering years of the mountain bike, when the time was not yet ripe for mature, functioning mass-produced products, the road to success usually led via the Eifel. Werner Juchem, virtuoso welder, mastermind and inventor, has been based there for decades. In the mid-nineties, when people could only dream of functioning, low-maintenance fullys, Juchem set standards with his ball-bearing four-bar linkage.
The latest creation by the veteran also required solid design skills and years of experience: a tandem that is strong and stiff enough for tough mountain bike use, but at the same time foldable. Juchem has mastered this design straddle with flying colours. The device - this much in advance - rides incredibly smoothly and precisely for a tandem. The secret lies above all in the stable construction made of high-strength 7020 aluminium tubes with continuous wall thicknesses. The rear triangle, a supported four-bar linkage, is connected to the main frame with both needle and ball bearings.
A Steiner MC Air double crown fork with 150 millimetres of travel is at work at the front. Anyone who still knows the Votec company will recognise this fork with its large tubes. Jürgen Steiner, one of the founders of Votec, continues to build the super-stiff construction almost unchanged.
The fact that the FS 100 rolls on 26-inch wheels has nothing to do with being old-fashioned: 26-inch wheels are simply much stiffer than their new-fangled, larger counterparts. Riding the FS100 over gravel tracks is simply great fun.
The powerful BionX hub motor provides inconspicuous assistance up to 25 km/h and then decelerates almost imperceptibly. You hardly notice that you are suddenly travelling with 100 percent muscle power. This is due to the system efficiency of a tandem: twice the power, but only a little more weight and hardly any more air resistance. You are actually constantly moving the bike beyond 30 km/h without much power. The more technical the trail, the more confidence the pillion rider needs: stay seated, no jerky movements, synchronised weight shifts in bends. Even pedalling is linked.
Conclusion Not cheap, but great fun. With its FS 100, Juchem sets the standard for off-road tandems.
Drive
Motor / Position BionX D250 / hub motor
Max. Torque 50 Nm
Battery Lithium-ion, 555 Wh
Gearstick / transmission Shimano XT / 3x10
Crankset Truvativ Firex
Equipment
Frame material / sizes Aluminium 7020 / Unisize
Fork / damper Steiner MC Air / DT Swiss X313 LO
Front/rear suspension travel 150 mm / 100 mm
Brake / Disc vo / hi Hope Tech 3 V4 / 203 / 203 mm
Impellers 26 inch Veltec hubs, Antra 40 rims
Tyres Schwalbe Hans Dampf 26x2.3 inch
Info
Weight 30.7 kilos
Spring travel (v / h) 100 / 150 mm
Price 8950 Euro
Web www.juchem-bike.de
