aflynn

I am in need of some advice and hope someone has the knowledge to share.

My family is shopping for a tandem for my 10 yo son and me to keep up with husband. I have looked for a good quality used tandem but haven't found anything.

My options thus far are:

1) A 2006 Fuji Absolute that has been very gently used. It retails for $1300 but I can get it for $800.

2) A 2002 Burley San Marino that has been unsold in a shop for the last 4 years. It is currently priced at $1850 but I can get it for $1650. My concern is that the frame is slightly too big for me while straddling the bike at a stop. This seems like a lot of money for an almost-fit. (I am 5'3" and my son is 4'3" and the bike is a medium/small. It fits him perfect and he can grow with it until he is too embarrassed to ride with his mom.)

Obviously I don't know too much about the technical components of tandems. I do know that it is important to get a good quality machine that will hold up with age and maintain its value. I have talked to several bike shops in the last month but most of them don't have staff knowledgable about tandems and I am concerned that the two shops that do have knowledgable staff may want to unload their stale product on me. My ignorance makes me a little suspicious!

Also, I haven't been able to find much information on San Marinos on the internet but am wondering why they stopped making them after 2002.

I am very new to this forum so I apologize in advance for any etiquette errors!