[larry h]

we are looking at a softride for a 2nd bike to use with friends who only bike occasionally is there an advantage with the seat posts like these or not and what else do i need to look for never owned a burley

[The BikeForums Team]

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[zonatandem]

The Softride is, in our opinion and experience, the best suspension for the stoker.
It also has good adjustability with beam up/down, and saddle adjustment forward/aft. Pilot will not have to call out any 'bumps' (unless it's a hole big enough to drop a VW into)!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

[TandemGeek]

we are looking at a softride for a 2nd bike to use with friends who only bike occasionally is there an advantage with the seat posts like these or not and what else do i need to look for never owned a burley

A couple data points for you to consider before buying:

1. Burley has gotten out of the tandem business -- at least for the time being. While you would no longer be covered under any warranty (only extended to original buyer), if you need bottom bracket parts they should still be able to either provide or direct you to other sources who can provide the parts / service you might need.

2. Softride stopped beam production a while back and replacement beams are no longer available. If yours gets damaged for some reason, you'll need to find a replacement on your own.

3. The pivot bolts used on the beams are supposed to be replaced every 2 years / 5,000 miles; you'd want to contact Softride to make sure those were still available.

4. If your beam has the Allsop name on it, be forewarned that there were some quality issues that didn't get fully resolved until Softride acquired the beams.

5. There were two different model beams. The Model #530 (aka the 392) was the the stiffest model offered and is what builders like Co-Motion installed on stock Cappuccinos unless a customer specified the more lively, lightweight model #510. There is also a model #520 mid-weight model. The lightweight model #510 was only approved for a maximum rider weight of 200 lbs, but my memory is a bit vague on weight limits for the other beam; however, it's included on the information label on the underside of each beam.