SgtDave

I am an amateur and would appreciate some feedback in the NEXT 24hrs to make a final decision on purchasing a 90's (unsure of exact year) Buley Duet Tandem. 18 speed, standard brakes and rear drum brake, drop handlebars on front, quick release seat posts, quick release front rim, 27" x 1 1/4" tires in good condition, thumb shifters on handlebars, blue frame, white handlebar tape. Dia-comp brakes, Suntour derailleurs, Sakae bars and cranks, hardware for four water bottle mounts. Bike is in very good condition, no rust.

Posted for $810 but it turns out to be a nearby neighbor who will probably go with $675 to $700. Other than replacement parts being an issue from what I have read could I have some feedback on the asking price? Please feel free to post directly to my email at davemcdowell@bendbroadband.com. Thanks in advance!!

zonatandem

With thumb shifters on the drop bars on a Duet, 27" tires and 18 speeds, it indicates one of the very early Burley tandems.
If it is in good condition, $700 or less would be a decent price. They very early ones sold for about $1300, brand new and were an excellent value.
If it fits, I'd go for it.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

SgtDave

I think we might settle on $675 and no more than $700. A few nicks in the blue paint but overall it is in excellent condition. It fits fine but I want the disc drum brake a little tighter. We are not sure where it falls in the "90's." Is there a way to find out the year with a serial number to nail down the year? I am amazed that these bikes can hold up for so long. Thanks again for your help. We are going to do some additional seat and handle adjustments tomorrow afternoon and ride it for a longer distance before making our decision.

zonatandem

As you know, Burley is out of the tandem business.
However they made a great tandem at a very decent price. The serial number will likely be on one of the rear dropouts. Perhaps Burley can give you an estimate as to when it was built.
Quality was very good, even the early ones.
You are much better off with an old Burley in decent shape than one of those brand-new under a 1,000 bucks tandems that keep popping up on the internet and at W-Mart.
Enjoy the ride TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

cornucopia72

We own a Burley duet from the mid 90's. We keep it as a rainy day tandem and to lend to friends and such. The original wheels were unreliable. I cold re-set the rear spacing to 145 mm and changed it into a 27 speed tandem. It is a heavy rig but it rides very smoothly once you get her going. I would not offer more than $500 for the tandem that you describe.

merlinextraligh

We had that bike. Plus one on the rear hub being a problem, plus its not quick release. When we broke an axle, we replaced it with a better hub.

Overall, the Bike was a very nice value. Unless it's in excellent condition, I would not say its worth $700.

However, given what you could buy new, and what else you may able to find used, if it fits and and is in good condition, $700 could be worth it to get you into a very useable tandem.

zzzwillzzz

i got a really good deal on my burley duet which is a 2001 or 2002 model, i think. it has all the modern stuff, 145mm spacing, 105 sti levers, 1 1/8 steerer tube, etc. plus it came with a drum brake, rear rack, flight deck computer and rock shox suspension seatpost. all for $900 on ebay plus $200 for boxing it up + shipping. i think i got a good deal because the seller only listed one small photo of the bike with the front wheel off leaning on a pile of junk in the garage and didn't list the size (but i could tell from the photo what size it was). so the deals are out there and someone else's bad ebay listing is your bargain

i had the same thoughts when looking for a tandem, do i buy and older less expensive tandem like the burley that you are interested in, and if so, do i spend the time and money to try to upgrade it to 700c and more gears and indexed/sti shifting or just move from the first tandem to a whole new one when we were ready. i'm glad i didn't have to make that decision because i probably would have tried to upgrade/modernize it a bit and would end up spending more money than if i had bout the right one in the first place. that said the price isn't great for the old technology. i've seen plenty of old ones (burleys, santanas) on ebay for that price range or less, so if you pass you aren't missing out on some great deal

SgtDave

Thanks to all of you for your great input!! The owner just did a nice job wrapping both handle bars with new white cushioned tape and we will make payment tomorrow evening. It was great having it turn out to be nearby neighbors who will also be a wealth of information. They just bought a new Canondale that they love but Lawren admited his back was going to have to adjust to the different ride. We have some great bike shops and pros here in Bend Oregon so it is way over due for my wife and I to get out and take advantage of our surroundings this summer.

cornucopia72

How much did you pay for it?

phoran

Mine is that vintage, i think i paid 600 2 yrs ago, and have had no problem with numerous long range trips.