marknc

Hi Folks. For a couple of years, as a non-member, I have benefited from the vast amount of knowledge on the bike forums site. I can't believe it has taken me this long to post to the forum, but I have recently acquired my first tandem and I need some help.

I was lucky enough to purchase this Burley tandem from a great guy in TN and I can't wait to get started on the project. My hopes are to turn this bike into all of the following: touring bike with the wife, drop the seat a little and ride it with the 10 year old in charity rides and with the addition of a child stoker kit to ride with the 6 year old. I have ordered the Brooks seat, the drop bars, the bar end shifters but need some help with a couple of items. My goal is to make this a very functional bike that can withstand many adventures(without breaking the bank).

For the most part, the bike is original and has Suntour components. I would like to imagine taking this awesome early 1990's tandem and turning into a more functional bicycle. I want to replace the freewheel with a modern cassette/hub combination and new front and rear derailleurs. I could either buy a new hub and have someone rebuild the wheel(which seems to be solid) or buy a new wheelset. What hub/cassette/derailleur combo do you recommend?

Original cantilever brakes? I don't know…they seem pretty functional and my gut is to leave them as is. Give them a good cleaning and replace the lines.

Child stoker kit? TandemsEast offers a kit for $265. I was thinking of calling them and ordering unless someone that had experience could point me in a better direction.

As you can tell, I have a vision for the end, but I don't have the knowledge on how to get there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Specifics on what to order would be even more appreciated.

Thanks.

sch

You need to measure the width of the rear triangle to see what you have. Tandems can range from 130mm to 160mm wide, though most are
either 135 (older) or 145 more recent. I also see only two water bottle cages, I hope there are more places than that. You will likely want either
8,9 or 10 speed cassette, which are generally interchangeable on recent hubs but decide in advance and be sure. 9 and 10spd equipment are
readily available, 8spd will be lower end stuff only or NOS. You will need new shifters as well.

mibike

I would take a look at crank shortners. Depending on the size of the bike and size of your 6 year old they might work. I have a set and with them I can get my 5 year grandson on two of my bikes. Not all seats and seat posts are the same height from the top of the seat tube. I found a seat post that let the seat set lower and a thinner seat and was able to fit him on the bike when he was 4 with the crank shortners. If this works for you they are fast to take on and off when you switch stokers and will save you some money. TandemsEast has them.

WillFam-Reno

Welcome Mark,

I does look from the picture to be a tall saddle, Check into a lower profile saddle if it's only a bit too high. A six year old might be a bit of a "stretch" for fitment.

Enjoy the Burley, it's a good basic ride,

Cantilever brakes work great if set up properly.

Enjoy.

Alcanbrad

I would recommend replacing the brake pads as well. The rubber will harden and petrify over the years reducing braking efficiency.

Sounds like a fun project with many opportunities to spend time with the family. Good luck!

marknc

Thanks for all the helpful information. The rear frame spacing is 140 mm. It does not seem like there are many 140 mm rear wheel/hub combinations. Any ideas on how to address this without dropping too much coin on the rear wheel? Could I use a 135 or 145 hub and either add a spacer or have the 145 machined down?

WillFam-Reno

The Burley should be a steel frame. You can easily stretch to 145 or compress to 135, however, I'll bet they are one or the other. No machining necessary. The rear triangle can also be cold set if you wish to ease the installation of the rear wheel.
Cold setting examples are on YouTube.

Good luck.

fxsvelo

Yes, just reset the spacing. You don't want to have to fight the rear triangle every time you take the wheel out and back in. Remember to reset the dropout faces so they are parallel after resetting the spacing.

WillFam-Reno

Mark stated that the spacing is 140. This means that he will have to move the triangle in to 135 or out to 145 to use a standard size. Each half will only have to move 2.5mm. This is not enough to worry about the dropout face angle in either direction that he goes. Mark probably did it already, but I'll suggest that he make sure to check the width without the wheel clamped in the dropouts.

Enjoy!

zonatandem

Agree on the crank shorteners, cheaper than kiddie crankset and less problems.
Keep what you've got for a while before 'modernizing' the old Burley . . . if it ain't broke don't fix it!
Nothing wrong with freewheels; been riding tandem since 1975 and yes tandems have evolved a bit since then.
Enjoy the Burley and maybe you'll find a newer tandem later rather than spending $$ upgrading.
Pedal on!

marknc

Thanks for all the info. I have decided to get the rear hub serviced at the LBS so I can use the same wheel set. While the bike is in the shop, they will install a new freewheel, derailleurs, and bar end shifters. I have ordered the Brooks saddles, drop handlebar for the front, cruiser bar for the back, Schwalbe Marathon tires, tubes, etc.

After I get the bike back together I will check the six year olds position on the stoker seat to see if crank shorteners will work. That is a great idea I had not thought of.