Better French-made tandems didn't have much cable housing (nor did singles). The cable runs in the open for the most part. In addition to the friction, I find that the compression of the housing robs a lot of brake power.
That said, why not deactivate one brake? I found that for most riding, tandems stop fine with just two cantilevers. Drums or discs are needed only for long switchback descents, where the repeated braking overheats rims and tires. Of course, that means you don't brake on the straights, but let the aerodynamic drag dissipate the energy. Then, for turns, you brake hard before letting the tandem roll again. It's faster and more fun, too.
While I am totally in love with the best French tandems of old, I haven't tried the production tandems like Peugeot et al. Their non-oversized tubing and single-bike componentry makes me think they would not perform like an Herse, Singer or Narcisse.
That said, I never found the rear top tube length to be an issue with varying stokers on my old tandems. My stoker during PBP liked the more upright position. She found it more comfortable than her single racing bike, despite the bumpy roads and long distance. But then, maybe it is even shorter on the Gitane, to get a frame that is at least reasonably stiff without oversized tubing.
For those who need a well-mannered tandem, I can recommend Jack
Taylors. They use similar oversize tubing as the best of the French
bikes, and they are plentiful. They handling is as nice, and they are
affordable. The only drawback is that most come with 700C wheels - I
definitely prefer 650B for a tandem. But at least you won't have a
hard time finding tires.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/
>I am currently the caretaker for a bright
>orange Gitane Tandem from the early
>70s that has one of those two-cable
>levers on it, and it's a horror.
>
>Pulling that much cable through that
>much casing, no matter how you
>try to reduce the friction, requires
>giant hands and gorilla strength, and
>I'm either going to completely revamp
>the braking system on this bike, or
>sell the bike for something more contemporary.
>
>Personally, I think it's unsafe. With big,
>modern Kool-stop brake pads on both
>Mafac cantis, the whole lash-up works,
>just barely, imho.
>
>Charles "likes brakes that actually stop a bike"
>Andrews SoCal
>
>PS: yes, this Gitane isn't long enough for the stoker,
>but someone thoughtfully installed a special
>high-offset seatpost on this beast, and so, it's rideable
>after a fashion. Those 70s Tandem makers must have
>figured everyone had long legs and no torso...