Refurbing our Santana Arriva
 

We bought this bike from Jim at Richardson Bike Mart, 14 or 15 years ago, and had a great time on it for a while. After a couple moves and family life getting in the way (I have a thread on this in the clyde forum) it's been sitting in the basement, gathering dust.
Gettin' back on the bikes, and going through all our rides. This is now on the short list.

Mechanically, I don't plan to change anything. The bar-ends and gear ranges are fine.
I'll clean/lube everything that doesn't need replacing.

I do plan on working on the 'look' a bit, though. Since it's a 'vintage' steed, I think a retro look would do well, especially given the color.
Honey brown Brooks saddles, matching bar tape, and I'm thinking about using brown cable housings as well. B17 up front, and maybe a 67 in the back, to give my Rear Admiral a little suspension.
As with many tandems, the top tube is a little chipped up, while the rest of the paint is in great shape.
Figured, instead of a repaint, I'd go with some top tube protection. Maybe matching bar tape wrapped around the front and rear tops.
Oh, and replace the black plastic bottle cages with silver or chrome.

We never did go for the newest-lightest-fastest when riding tandem, though we did rip around White Rock Lake at a pretty good clip, and I think this gal can serve for a good while longer, and look good doing it.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ffae0e6624.jpg

Nice lookin' bike! I say "go for it!"

It's beautiful! I'm particularly a fan of purple and green for some reason so I'd probably pick up a pair of green brooks saddles, lime newbaums tape (I don't like padding), and some lime green housing...

On a related note: I like wrapping a roll of bar tape around the top tube of my bikes rather than using a sew on or velcro top tube protector. It does the same job and provides a good grip/doesn't slip around (my bikes live on the second floor so this is valuable to me). Bonus points for being less bulky and coming in a fun range of colors.

I can see that color scheme being very distinctive, all right.
I'd originally looked at some of the lace-on wraps, and figured, for the price, I'd be able to get bar tape cheaper, and well done would be just as effective... and easier to match the handlebars.
My wife likes the honey brown, so we're gonna head in that direction. Purple and green makes her think of the Joker. :D

OH NO now I'll never unthink that! Hard to go wrong with a classic anyway! To be fair, the bike I have that color scheme on is a MUCH darker purple...

Do you have a pic of that one? I'd love to see it.

I think this is the best I've got and it doesn't show the color particularly well. I also hadn't gotten around to swapping out the cables. It's been sitting in my basement for like two years now while I worked on other projects... The second photo is a slightly better idea of the actual color, but only slightly...https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5765f90a8.jpeghttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...787935c11.jpeg

Nice. The skinwall tires look good on the classics, too. I have another set of Pasela TGs for the tandem, as these are a little brittle with age. I don't think I've ridden more than a few yards without hoods on the brake levers. Are they comfy enough without?

I'd thought about the apple green saddle and bar tape on my Kona, which I think would really set it off, but the current setup will do for a while. I have a lot of miles on that saddle, and it's comfy for me.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7b41b5feac.jpg

If the top tube chips are minor, you can likely get some touch-up paint from Santana. Then, you get some clear bra (3M Scotchcal) from Amazon or the like to protect the paint from future damage. Nice looking vintage bike if you keep the vintage look.

Sure, I'll check with 'em. It's, I think, an early '90s bike, but it'd sure be nice if I could match the color.

I never had a problem with them, but I also rarely rode this bike more than 30 or so miles. I don't think I'd be as comfortable doing something like my current riding without them at all. Maybe I'll grab an extra roll of tape and do a few laps around the posts just to see how it feels...

Looks like it isn't such a 'vintage' look compared to the newer Arriva. Nice to have such a timeless bike. :)

I'm waiting for some brifters for Jake, currently in NM with the Montague visiting family... also cleaning/fixing up my parents' dimestore tandem that I bought them long before I knew anything about bikes.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...995717182f.jpg

As Mom isn't really able to ride anymore, I'm just getting it cleaned up so they can sell it for a few bucks.

Back to my Santana... I am tempted to, once I've put the new brifters on my Kona, further clean up the old 105s and upgrade the tandem to a 9 speed. I believe it's an 8 speed cassette right now, and the XTR mech should, IIRC, handle it just fine. If not, I have another set of bar-end shifters of the 9 speed persuasion that should do nicely. Not a big deal, and probably wouldn't bother if I didn't already have the parts laying around.

Brown saddles... I may not be able to fit two B17s in my budget at the moment, so I may have to find something cheaper that'll work for a while, but the Brooks microfiber bar tape is only about $20, and I already have one set.

Brakes... I've gotten better at adjusting cantis, and think that I won't change the Dia Compes out for the near future. I do have some Kool Stop pads waiting for installation though.

Bearings... I doubt they're worn, but I'll give 'em a good greasing. I may change my mind and replace the balls though, as they aren't that expensive anyway.

Cables/housing... I was thinking about saddle brown or tan for housing, and some nice stainless/teflon inners.

Tires... 700x35 Panaracer Pasela TG for now, as I already have them. I may consider something else later, but the skinwalls will look pretty snazzy with the rest of the bike after the saddle/tape swap.

Stoker... Gotta get her out on the bike some and back up to speed. :)

Here is our old girl, also in purple, from 1993.

I love these old steel bikes, though they are heavy. A lot of character and lot of fun.

Love to see pictures of your completed refurb.

W
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0c86d30967.jpg

I have the new bar tape in hand, one more saddle on the way (we're going B17 front and back), and tires are standing by.

I should have inspected the old girl a little more closely before buying the above, though. The front wheel's brake surface is a bit concave now. Not a big surprise given it's a rim brake, stopping a heavier bike and two riders, but something I should have thought to check.
So... cheapest route, since the hubs are fine (so is the rear rim, so far as I can see... gonna look at it more closely too), I'll probably end up picking up a rim for the front, and some double butted spokes. I'm thinking Dyad, and though I have to look again, I believe I'll need a 40h.

Since it's a front wheel, I thought about using it for my first attempt at wheelbuilding... but that thought is tempered by the additional human and overall bike weight. I think I'll source the rim/spokes, and take it to my bike co-op, and either have them lace it up, or supervise/instruct me. They do have a couple wheelbuilders on staff.

Since I'll be flinging the bike around a bit, I'll save the more cosmetic upgrades for last... frosting on the cake.

I can still service the BBs, HS, and hubs in the meantime, and take a closer look at the frame joints while I have the drivetrain apart.
Heck... might as well squirt some framesaver in while everything's out.

Velocity Dyad and Cliffhanger are excellent choices for rim-brake tandem rims. I wouldn't recommend starting with a 40-spoke tandem wheel as your first foray into wheelbuilding. Have your wheel builder source the rims, spokes, and nipples though. They'll ensure that all the parts are compatible; and you'll be helping a local business. The nipples should be brass. The spokes should be double- or triple-butted with 2.0mm nipples and 1.7 to 1.8mm center buttings.

I agree. I think my first wheel will be on one of my single bikes. Perhaps Jake. The front rim is brake-worn, but the hub is in good shape. 32h front oughta be a good 'starter' wheelbuild.

I'm building my first tandem now, with a very similar color scheme. It's a Meridian, said to be (said by the seller) one of their last ones, and it has a very similar layout to this Santana, except for a taller rear seat tube. In addition the color is very close, and the decal size and placement are about the same. And both have 700c wheels.

Here's a picture of mine:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5d69decccb.jpg

Cool. I wasn't sure about the color when we bought it, but getting a good deal on a used tandem that's exactly the right sizes... we jumped on it.
The color just kinda grew on us. :)

Speaking of color... the back half of the bike is scratched and chipped up a bit, spd cleats can be murder on paint. Need to find some touch up paint in this color. I can't justify the budget for a full repaint, but I think it'll look fine with a dab here and there.

The mechanicals are fine. It's old Deore/XTR 8-speed with barend shifters, which I don't feel is in need up upgrading at this point. It does what we need it to do, and always did it well. I'll clean it all up and re-lube though.

I just swapped some Kool Stop pads into the cantis, but I'd like to explore brake options in the future. Hoping the supply of compatible drum brakes holds up long enough for me to save for it. :) Or... a suitable disc adapter.

Pulled the aging (gumwalls starting to get brittle) Panaracers and wrapped on some 37c Conti Contacts, at least for now. While I think we can get a few more miles out of this wheelset, I think I'll want to replace the rims/spokes. The Edco hubs are in fabulous shape.

As mentioned before, saddles, bar tape, cables and housing will be replaced.

Well, after talking with Jack at the central AL tandem shop, I'm informed that the front rim is probably ok. The stock rims that came with this bike were a little concave from the factory.
I'll still want to swap the rims and spokes, but we can get a few miles in on these first.

How did you make your cranksets SO shiny?

W

Thanks! The arms are an upper end Sugino with that original fine brushed finish shared with some Campy and with TA. The rear rings are a matched set of Race Face, with their finishes in polished and brushed.

They do look nice. Ours has Deore cranks. Good stuff, but not a lot of 'classic pretty' looks.

Oh no my wife wants a purple bike I can't let her see this

Just don’t let her see a titanium bike that’s anodized purple.