Is this a good deal and will it fit in my Suburban?

[jberenyi]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum and wanted to know if this was a good deal. My neighbor is selling a 2002 Burley Rumba with Tiagra components for $950 or b/o. Is this a great deal or just average?

Also, since I'm new to Tandem biking, will it transport in my 1999 Suburban if I take the front wheel off and fold down the seats?

[regomatic]

To save Mark Livingood the effort of tooting his own horn, I recommend you try his Used Tandem Price Estimating Tool at;

http://www.thetandemlink.com/usedhome.html

Burley just recently ceased producing tandems but there are still some out there in the marketplace to give you an idea of a base price for "replacement cost" as a starting point.

Whatever you find or decide, I hope that you will post the results here, if only so we get to see your avatar more often and maybe even learn if there's a story behind it (get it? "behind it" ooh, ha ha ha, sometimes I kill myself, then again sometimes others wish I would).

[TandemGeek]

I would say that it's a little high unless it's in exceptional condition or has a lot of "extras". A standard sized '06 Burley Rumba was about $1700 (http://www.tandemcycleworks.com/burley_album/pages/rumba_jpg.htm)and you can punch those numbers into my used tandem pricing tool (http://www.thetandemlink.com/usedhome.htm) (thank you Regomatic) to see the actual results.

As for the Suburban, up and until last Sunday that's what we used to haul our tandems around for the past 8 years or so (a '97 & an '02). Just pull out the 3rd row seat (or set it to the side) and drop the "/40" part of the 60/40 split rear bench and just about any upright tandem will tuck right in with the front wheel removed. An extra large frame with a tall stoker could require the stoker's saddle to be lowered and aerobars present issues but most "swing" out of the way. A fork mount attached to either a slider-board or a piece of lumber will keep your tandem from moving around; however, you may need to put a "riser" between the mount and the board to keep the front chainring from sitting on the carpet of your truck. It's also not a bad idea to get a piece of indoor / outdoor carpet to put under your bike to keep from getting your Suburban's carpet messed up.

[zonatandem]

'06 Rumba sold for $1900 new.
Perhaps a bit of haggling with the neighbor could get the price down a hundred bucks. However, if it's in prime shape with low miles, less than a grand is a good deal.
It should fit in a 'burban without to much hassle.

[TandemGeek]

'06 Rumba sold for $1900 new.

... but only for the Extra Small (XS) model which, in looking at the OP's signature, probably isn't under consideration given his single bike is a 58cm model. The standard sizes were offered by most dealers for $1,699 / $1700 and many were routinely sold for less than that by non-tandem speciality LBS' who bought them on spec.

[jberenyi]

Whatever you find or decide, I hope that you will post the results here, if only so we get to see your avatar more often and maybe even learn if there's a story behind it (get it? "behind it" ooh, ha ha ha, sometimes I kill myself, then again sometimes others wish I would).

Got a complaint about the avatar so I had to change it. Too bad, I really liked it.