Originally Posted by
trailmix
Let me just start off by saying that I know nothing about tandems so please bear with my stupid questions. I ran across an old Santana that just happened to be the right size for me and my wife (who doesn't know about this yet) and was a pretty fair price (or at least I think it was). I have no idea what model it is though I do think it was made around 82 or 83 guessing by the components. It has been gathering dust in a basement for several years and will need some new rubber, cables and fresh grease but is there any tandem-specific maintenance that needs to be done before riding?
I don't particularly care for the brake lever setup which consists of two huge Magura levers that look like they belong on a motorcycle. The right lever runs both front and rear cantis while the left controls the rear drum. I was also thinking of converting it to drop bars for the front which would require new levers and shifters which leads me to another question: is this tandem worth upgrading or should I just get the mechanical bits in order and ride as is?
If anybody could give me an idea of what model Santana I am working with I would greatly appreciate it. Assuming the components are original:
Suntour V-GT luxe derailleurs
Suze hubs with Ukai rims-48spoke
DiaCompe cantis
Avocet Touring saddles
Sugino Gt cranks front
Sugino ?? cranks rear
Serial# EL111
Wow, a FIVE speed rear hub. That IS old skool!
My main concern is the rear wheel which is NOT a cassette. I'd expect that you not be able to successfully remove the freewheel without destroying it. You might be able to upgrade to 6 or 7 speed. The biggest issue is the rear hub and axle failure. Freewheel hubs have a lot of axle length between the hub and frame dropout (to accommodate the freewheel) which is subject to bending and failure. You'd want to remove the rear wheel and check the axle before riding it. Not a lot you can do, unless you've got wider dropout spacing to accommodate a cassette rear hub/wheel. If you do, you could upgrade to 8-speed which would meld fine with the existing cranks & chainrings.
But that gets into expense. I'd only replace the things that are necessary, with perhaps the exception of the brakes. Upgrade them to make them more functional and safe. V-brakes might be the solution. Quality cantilevers would be totally acceptable as well. And yes, separate the front and rear cantis to the brake levers and use a friction thumbshifter for the drum.
And replace that R derailleur with a higher-quality, year-appropriate replacement. Deore XT or old XTR would be an excellent replacement.
Good luck. It's a beautiful bike with those fillet brazed tubes!