1984 Santa Sovereign--worth it? Upgrade advice.
I found a Santana Sovereign locally for $500. It's in very nice condition and appears to be all original. I know that Santana is a premium builder and the frame has a lot of inherent "quality". But it's also old, and often the new low end stuff ends up being superior to the old premium stuff (not talking tandems, or even bike specifically).
Even though it has beautiful welds or brazing or whatever, it's heavy. The wheels are 27 inch and the hub spacing is 140mm, making upgrades a bit more challenging. So I see the following options:
1. Purchase it for $500, put new tires, brake pads, cables on it, and use it as is.
2. Purchase it for $500 and spend $500(+) more to upgrade wheels, brakes, shifting etc.
3. Just wait for a more modern option in the $1000 range.
Any suggestions? Thanks!
Just for background, My wife and I have tried tandem a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it. (day rentals, low-end bikes). It's the only realistic way we can bike together. I don't want to drop $3000 on a tandem just to find that it really isn't for us. But I don't want to get junk that will reduce our chances of enjoying it. Long term, I'd like to do some touring in colorado, and later in Europe.