Story of Purchase

So last week, I bought a 1990 Santana Arrive off of someone on Craigslist.

Turns out the guy was an avid cyclist, but his wife would rather go to the gym ( :rolleyes: ).

So this bike had only around 2000 miles put on it in like 18 years :eek:

So I bought it. Here are the specs (as purchased):

- 1990 Santana Arriva (White)
- Columbus tubing specially made for Santana
- All fillet brazed
- 7 speed Suntour drivetrain with downtube shifters ("Accushift" switchable from friction to index for the rear).
- Suntour "Blaze" tandem triple crankset with 52/42/32 chainrings.
- 11-32 7-speed cassette
- Shimano 600 brake levers
- 48 spoke wheelsmith wheels with Specialized tandem hubs, and Sun rims.
- Shimano XT cantilever brakes
- Crappy saddles
- No front pedals, and platforms with toe-clips in the rear
- Really old crappy tires and brake pads

I brought my pedals and shoes with me for the test ride. Ruth brought sneakers to utilized the existing rear pedals with straps.

So we adjusted the saddles, and went for our test ride.

It was really shaky at first, plus it was dark out (I brought my DiNotte headlight along though). Also the shifters were set on friction. so it made for an interesting first couple moments. Plus, we had never ridden a tandem before.

So the seller lives on the really short cul-de-sac which was right off a really STEEP hill. So we could barely get moving on the cul-de-sac. So the seller told us that at the top of the hill there was a great stretch of straight road that we could really get moving.

We said OK. I tried shifting to the granny gear, but we lost all out momentum (at the corner of the hill and the cul-de-sac), so I had to stop.

The seller got on his single bike, and rode over to join us to see what was going on, and ride with us.

I lifted the rear of the bike and put the front in the 32t chain ring and the rear somewhere in the middle before getting back on. He told me, that we could push the bike to the top if we wanted to. :rolleyes: I said Nah, I think we'll be OK now. We hopped on and started pounding it up the hill, the seller stayed with us for like 10 seconds or less. We dropped our first rider. :D We got to the top and I shifted to the 42 ring, and got a few laps in up there. We rode back to the hill where the seller accompanied us down. He was impressed with our hill climbing for our first time. I told him it was all Ruth :p

After some creativity, we got the bike to fit in the back of Ruth's 4 door Civic, and we were on our way. :D

Current Upgrades/Work done over the last week:

- Kool Stop brake pads for the cantilevers
- Davinci "Small Stiffy" brake boosters (braces), front and rear. I had to slot the rear mounts with my dremel.
- Swapped out the 90mm stem for a nice 105mm Cineli I had in my closet.
- Fizik Bar tape and gel
- Cane Creek stoker "dummy" hoods
- The rear wheel had a broken spoke (unknown until I got it home), so I replaced it and trued up the wheel (via plucking sound and brake pads).
- New tubes and Velox rim tape
- New Conti Ultra Gatorskin tires in 700x28
- Adjustments all over the place (shifting, fit, brakes, etc..)
- Hours of cleaning the gummed up drivetrain, and then lubing it of course.
- Polishing and waxing the frame

Upgrades In progress:

So I decided the downtube shifters would be gone, so I did some research on what would be the best setup. I decided to go with Campy 10s levers with a modified SRAM X-9 9-speed derailleur and cassette. This meant new wheels with a cassette style hub. Here's the plan (most of this stuff has already been purcahsed):

- Davinci built tandem wheelset with White Industries tandem hubs and Davinci rims, 36 spoke. Only like 1800 grams (not bad for tandem wheels).
- SRAM X-9 rear derailleur, modified to work with Campy 10spd Ergo levers
- Campy Veloce Brifters 10s in silver
- SRAM 11-32 mountain cassette
- New Saddles
- Suspension seat post for the stoker.

Ride report to come with pictures...

FIRST RIDE:

So I decided that we would ride the following route, starting from my house (San Mateo):

Alamdeda de las Pulgas -> Crystal Springs -> Skyline/92 -> Canada -> Mountain Home/Portola -> Up OLH -> 35 -> Down Kings -> Woodside -> Back via Canada

Notes:

- Canada was fun, this thing really flies on the flats, however you can feel the weight once the grade changes even slightly.

- OLH was pretty damn hard with the tandem I used the 2nd lowest gear as much as I could to save the lowest for the steepest switchbacks.

- On the climb up Skyline after going up OLH, it seemed to be taking a long time. Long enough, that I thought I may have passed Kings. So we decided to turn around, to see if we did and if not, just descend 84. Turns out we turned around too early, so we just descended 84.

- Crazy stuff: On 84, I let some motorcycles pass us, since I was taking it easy with the new machine (new brakes, handling characteristics, etc..). BTW... Easy for this thing is like 40mph... Anyway, turns our they weren't going all that fast so I was right behind them. Well the guy directly in front of us (maybe only 30 feet in front of us) misjudged a right turn and locked up his rear tire skidding into the opposite lane :eek: I grabbed the brakes and took the inside line. The brakes and tires worked great. The motorcycle got back into our lane and ended up next to us, and went in front of us again :rolleyes: He was very lucky that there were no oncoming cars when he skidded over the line.

- Ruth needs a suspension seat post!! Bumps would send her bouncing out of her seat. Not good since we generally have to be spinning a higher cadence on the tandem as well. So bouncing = bad.\

Anyway, here are the ride stats:

Bikely = http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ruth-and-Marco-First-Tandem-Ride
Distance = 49 miles
Climbing = 4390 feet
OLH Time = Just under 32 minutes (FYI: As part of a longer ride, I usually do OLH in around 22 mins flat on my single bike)

Damn, it was a workout climbing hills on that thing.

Here are the peektures:

Pics from Canada:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/2430752519_d08aee4574_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2430752521_4d14cbaff1.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2045/2430752527_bc55c63311.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2430752531_33fd67ea57.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2430752539_9db3bfccd8.jpg?v=0

Proof that we climbed OLH on a tandem(pics at the top)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/2430752543_ea6bc83ef4_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/2431574424_f6da0e76b3.jpg?v=0

Back to its new home behind my CAAD4 Commuter bike

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/2431574448_0bf73ebcea.jpg?v=0

Really nice!
I've been a stoker, I'm not sure the suspension post will help, but it can't hurt.
There were also several times when I really wished we had a drag brake on long downhills.

I'm sure you've read all about heating up the rims...

That's a pretty nice bike; it's always good to find a deal like that.


I decided to go with Campy 10s levers with a modified SRAM X-9 9-speed derailleur and cassette. This meant new wheels with a cassette style hub.

It's not necessary to use a modified SRAM derailleur with that setup; our Rodriguez tandem is equipped with the same brifters and cassette and shifts fine with a Campagnolo Comp Triple derailleur. There's something about the Shimano cog spacing in combination with the Campy 10-speed shifters that works.

- Suspension seat post for the stoker.

Everyone in our tandem club has one of these. We have the Tamer seatpost; if you get one of these, keep it lubed or you will find yourself searching the bike for phantom creaks.

32 Minutes up OLH on a tandem is really good. The wife and I just did it again this weekend on the singles and scored a new personal best of 27.5. Please keep riding the tandem so we can keep you slow on the uphills, then draft off you on the flats.

:p

It's not necessary to use a modified SRAM derailleur with that setup; our Rodriguez tandem is equipped with the same brifters and cassette and shifts fine with a Campagnolo Comp Triple derailleur. There's something about the Shimano cog spacing in combination with the Campy 10-speed shifters that works.


The modified derailleur just replaced the plastic cable pull ramp thingy with a machined aluminum part with a slightly different shape. It only cost like $30 more, and it's proven. We shall see how it works as soon as my wheels come in :D

Very nice. I wonder why more tandems don't have dual-crown forks. Seems like a good application for them.

Suuuweeeeet...
Are you planning on upgrading the shifting to STI/Ergo soon?
I changed my Raleigh tandem from flat bar mountain set up to a 9sp Ultegra drop bars and they are nice.

Good luck on the stoker seatpost/saddle search. That's the hardest part I/we encountered when we were dialing in our comfort level on the tandem.

Ok ok ... never mind what you thought of it. I wanna know what Ruth said. ;)

Ok ok ... never mind what you thought of it. I wanna know what Ruth said. ;)

You can ask her next time we ride together ;)


Seriously though, she had a great time. I could feel her kick in a little more wattage when we had a rider in sight to pass on OLH ;)

Another great thing about the tandem...

All my other bikes feel light as feathers now :D

Congrats on a great purchase and refurbishment...I am sure we will see you on the road.:)

Nice! Welcome to the club. :)

thanks!

Congrats, Marco!

You know what we need to do now, don't you?

Organize a Tandem Ride!!!


Complete with wheelsuckers!

Who's in????

dude, wheel suck? I'm sooo in. we'll get like 3-4 tandems in the front and a pack of us can just wheel suck all day.

Congratulations and enjoy! We'll keep an eye out for you on the peninsula. That was quite an ambitious first ride!

dude, wheel suck? I'm sooo in. we'll get like 3-4 tandems in the front and a pack of us can just wheel suck all day.

I'm all up for that. We can do a BF Wheelsucker ride aka BF Tandem Rally :D

:cry:Congratulations and enjoy! We'll keep an eye out for you on the peninsula. That was quite an ambitious first ride!

!!! Congrats, and we are so jealous
:cry:[

I'm glad you went ahead and got it, I knew you would!
Cathy and I enjoyed the little ride we did on Dave and Lisa's tandem, so I think she might be up for one down the road. Maybe after summer depending on finances. I would like an adjustable so I could do a double some day... maybe with Jobob:)

Congrats!!! :D

I'm jealous too...would love to get the bf on a tandem, but I don't think I'll be able to get one to fit me as captain and him (6') as stoker without ordering a custom, and we're just not ready for that.

Please keep riding the tandem so we can keep you slow on the uphills, then draft off you on the flats.

+1 ;)

So when can we do the BF Tandem Rally and Wheelsuckers ride?

I see an awful lot of Thudbuster seat posts under the stoker saddle on tandems.

I see an awful lot of Thudbuster seat posts under the stoker saddle on tandems.

Looks like we either have to go with nothing or a Tamer depending on where the new saddle puts the seatpost. She only has like 78mm height right now, however the crappy saddle it a bit tall. The Tamer is an 83mm minumum. The Thudbuster is around 100mm.

With the Thudbuster ST, Lisa's seatpost is just about as low as it'll go. This is the reason why we went with the Periscope.

This is the reason why we went with the Periscope.

Where can you find this Periscope post? I'm still in the hunt for a more comfy post for my stoker. We probably changed saddle ten times before we decided to go with a saddle that has those thick dampening rubber at the rail ends. Heavy saddle but it works for now.

Where can you find this Periscope post? I'm still in the hunt for a more comfy post for my stoker. We probably changed saddle ten times before we decided to go with a saddle that has those thick dampening rubber at the rail ends. Heavy saddle but it works for now.

Not Periscope post.. but frame.

http://www.co-motion.com/peri700.html

nice ride marco -- i wasinthe market for a used tandem too and saw that one come up. i broke my hand right as the bidding heated up for a santana on ebay, so i had to let it go :(

maybe later in the summer we'll be tandeming alongside.

have you read about the Proper Method? this seems like a key bit o wisdom for us couples just starting out

http://www.gtgtandems.com/tech/propmethod.html

Not Periscope post.. but frame.

http://www.co-motion.com/peri700.html

Thanks Marco. I've never seen that before.

Thanks Marco. I've never seen that before.

David and Lisa have one. You should check it out.

Holy smokes, if I only had more room and an extra $3500.
It's even the right size, captain and stoker.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/654185645.html

2003 SANTANA ARRIVA TANDEM stowaway version. - $3500 (san jose downtown)
Reply to: sale-654185645@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-04-23, 11:09PM PDT



2003 SANTANA ARRIVA TANDEM stowaway version.

I have a Santana Arriva road tandem size Small/small for sell. We have 2 tandem and this road tandem have not been use for a while. This tandem is fully loaded with S&S feature Santana carbon fiber V fork,santana 10" disc brake Easton carbon fiber handlebar in front,Chris King headsets,suspension seat post for stoker.Hadley front and rear hubs. Uterga group componentry XTR rear Derailleur Shimano Flight deck computer in front and cateye computer for the stoker.We pay extra $1200.00 for the stowaway version but never have a chance to take it a part.This tandem is really fast. Since my wife like to work out in the Gym better than riding outside this tandem haven't been ridden for more than a year. I have 2 tandem and the other one is for the Mountain. I decided to keep the mountain tandem for occasional camping trip. This road tandem has more than $5500.00 invested. I am asking for $3500.00 OBO. Please call me at 408 398 1038 if you have any question. By the way I am 5'6" and my wife is 5'3" and it fit us perfect. This is a very hard to find size combination.Pedals are not included.Please check out the website, all the specs are still the same.http://santanatandems.com/Bikes/Arriva07.html

Curse you, Henry, for bringing this to my attention. We already have one (tandem), but this one is newer, shinier, more modern, lighter, jumps higher, goes faster... :p

Maybe we should start having community bikes shared amongst the BF brethren.

Yeah. I saw that, but couldn't afford it. Not a bad deal though. S&S couplers alone cost $1500+

It also has the 10" crazy rear disc.

Looks like we either have to go with nothing or a Tamer depending on where the new saddle puts the seatpost. She only has like 78mm height right now, however the crappy saddle it a bit tall. The Tamer is an 83mm minumum. The Thudbuster is around 100mm.

As best as I can recall from searching for a suspension seatpost for my stoker a couple of years ago, the Tamer has the shortest minimum extension of any on the market. Keep in mind that you can cheat a few millimeters because when it is properly adjusted it will have just a bit of sag to it when she sits on it.

Curse you, Henry, for bringing this to my attention. We already have one (tandem), but this one is newer, shinier, more modern, lighter, jumps higher, goes faster... :p

Maybe we should start having community bikes shared amongst the BF brethren.

Hmm, community of BF loaner bikes? Intriguing.

If you do buy this one, will you sell your old one cheap? :D

Tandems seem to be getting more popular lately. :D

You must be a trend setter!

Looks like my wheelset will be done be next Friday!

Hmm, community of BF loaner bikes? Intriguing.

If you do buy this one, will you sell your old one cheap? :D


Loaners would be kind of cool because the cost would be shared, and the poor saps, I mean, the generous hosts who have the space would be able to park these gems in their garages. :D

Yeah, so that's a good question because the one we've got right now is a custom, but, it's 27 years old, has about 90% of the original equipment still installed on it (think Phil disc brake... ;)), and has 27" Weinmann Concaves on it. 21"/20" frame, which is actually not a bad size, but it'd be considered a pretty funky bike by most modern standards. :)

Marco, are you going to post your ride here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=391947)?
I'm on post 19. Check out taxi777 trying on sweetnsourbkr bike on post 74.

Marco, are you going to post your ride here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=391947)?
I'm on post 19. Check out taxi777 trying on sweetnsourbkr bike on post 74.

Someone's gotta get a shot of the two of us riding first!

Someone's gotta get a shot of the two of us riding first!

Congratulations on the purchase and 1st ride. From what I could see you should tighten your timing chain a little. There is a great group of tandem teams and info on the tandem forums.

Hope to ride with you guys sometime.

Enjoy :D

Yeah, maybe check for chain stretch, too, before playing with the eccentric.

Haha... funny you bumped this thread with a post about the timing chain. Yes it is too loose. I was just going to wait on messing with it until my new drivetrain stuff, all came in and do it all at once.

I actually threw the timing chain on the Palomares ride, on our way back to Fremont.

I was able to get it back on, and then realized I put us like 30 degrees out of phase. whoops ;) So we tried that out the rest of the way. Seems like OOP can help, but seemed like 30 deg was not enough to be beneficial.

Haha... funny you bumped this thread with a post about the timing chain. Yes it is too loose. I was just going to wait on messing with it until my new drivetrain stuff, all came in and do it all at once.

I actually threw the timing chain on the Palomares ride, on our way back to Fremont.

I was able to get it back on, and then realized I put us like 30 degrees out of phase. whoops ;) So we tried that out the rest of the way. Seems like OOP can help, but seemed like 30 deg was not enough to be beneficial.

I have the stoker 90 degrees ahead OOP. We really like the way that works. We can both stand and pedal, just takes a little practice. I put my inside pedal back and parallel to the ground when cornering. This puts her inside pedal up.

Have fun :D

Two things:

1. Let me know if you're doing a tandem rally.

2. I have a used large Cannondale tandem for sale, if anyone's interested. We just upgraded.

Two things:

1. Let me know if you're doing a tandem rally.

2. I have a used large Cannondale tandem for sale, if anyone's interested. We just upgraded.

Pics?

Two things:

1. Let me know if you're doing a tandem rally.

2. I have a used large Cannondale tandem for sale, if anyone's interested. We just upgraded.

Size? cost?

I hope (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=412856) we don't do the tandem wheelsucker ride anytime soon. :(

Ah... yeah. We should wait for you guys.

I read that thread. That really sucks.

B.O. won't provide you with any loaners (I know it's not their fault, but out of courtesy for your big purchase...)

There is no reason they should not have your wheels ready in a week.

I ordered the DaVinci wheelset, despite having to oder a 140mm spaced hub fron White Ind, they still were done in a week. They shipped Wednesday, and should be here on Monday.

I bought them from a relatively new high performance tandem oriented bike shop in Pleasanton called crank-2 (a DaVinci dealer).