surak

I've been meaning to get a better tandem than the Kent Dual-Drive that has been a great low-investment, first tandem for riding in flat MUP conditions but has been challenging for anything else due to its comfort geometry and weight. There's a used Santana Vision that is a bit out of my way to easily check out in person, but priced very fairly considering how people generally overprice their tandems for sale. I'm wondering what to expect going from a low-end but recent componentry to a mid-/late-90s tandem. Assuming no excessive wear-and-tear, would original components like a rear derailleur or cantilever brakes still work well, or necessitate replacing? Any other downsides to getting an older tandem?

Edit: I noticed that Santana uses some proprietary parts, or at least I can't tell whether certain things like headset/stem are easily changeable if I need to adjust fit. Is sourcing different components problematic?

unikid

I assume you mean this one: https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/bik/6709110565.html

I cannot imagine buying anything in good shape with Santana's name on it for less than this price.

Seems like the components are all in good shape. XT from any year is going to be good. Unless the bike was in a crash or visibly damaged, the bike may only need basic tune up, fresh cables, lube, etc.

I will let others comment on anything proprietary to be concerned about. My guess would only be the rear dropout spacing. Which should not be a concern unless the wheels need replacing.

Cantilevers I am less familiar with. But unless you are going down big hills, don't think that should be a problem either. Fresh pads and a proper tune can dial those in.

Good Luck!

obrentharris 

Buy it quick if it fits you; a screaming deal in my opinion!
Brent

Artmo 

I second that!

surak

Thanks, I did indeed buy the Vision! The photos of the CL post (now taken down, I see) were pretty accurate, meaning the bike is in pretty good shape considering its age. The STI levers are a bit sticky, which I think can be fixed with some WD40 and lube. The fit is close but I think I need slightly shorter reach, which means replacing the integrated headset and fork. Is that fairly straightforward, or should I be asking for help in the Mechanics forum?

Joint Venture

surak

Thanks, your information was super useful. I looked again and realized the stem and headset weren't integrated, so I just need to swap out the stem once I figure out what reach I need. The oversized tube is a bit annoying from the stem options standpoint, since I already have 100-130mm stems that I could try. Tempted to explore options to making it more standardized, like with a headtube shim or headset reducer, but probably not worth the price.

bwebel

You'd have to replace the fork and headset to use a standard 1 1/8 inch stem...you could probably buy a dozen different stems to try out for the cost of doing that. Unless you were specifically wanting a modern carbon fork anyway, I think I'd just get the non-standard stems. Santana was right that eventually the market would move to larger steerers for stiffness, but guessed wrong in going to 1 1/4 straight. It is a bit annoying, but once you figure the reach out, it won't matter much.