sunnycycler

hi everyone,

my brother-in-law wants me to check out this Burley Duet Tandem bike that's listed in town:
Burley duet tandem bike Oak Bay, Victoria

He's out of country right now, so is relying on my inspection! I generally know what to look for in a used bike, but I admittedly don't know anything specific about tandem bikes or their value. Judging from the shifters, I'd say this is an early 90's model? If everything looks mechanically ok, what would people say is a fair price to pay? That's the golden question. It's been up for a month at the lowered price, so that tells me there's probably further room for negotiation, plus I don't see many tandems in town so I'm certain there's little competition as far as buyers go.

Thanks for your time and any advice you may offer!

p.s. sorry for the link,I had a hard time just adding the photo.

JanMM

Can't tell exactly what parts are there - are those thumb shifters? IF the bike is functional as-is, and not in need of major parts replacements, then $500 is reasonable for a Starter Tandem - assuming that's the case. That's one way to look at it, anyway. Judging from Google, these bikes came stock with drop bars front and rear. Looks like they used a threadless adapter to use a threadless stem for the new bars. Buyers ok with flat bars for captain? If not, then add cost of new stem, bars, brake levers and shifters. Maybe owner still has them?
Burley owners may have more specific suggestions.
Note: Not sure about price as you would seem to be North of the Border. I'm thinking in terms of USD.

sunnycycler

thanks for your response, janMM. yes I am in Canada, so $500US is about where they are starting, good to know. if anything, I imagine my sister wanting flat bars on the rear. i'll know more tmrw when I see it, components etc, but i needed a starting point, so thanks. they do look like thumb shifters , so I imagine they were changed early on.
by the way, what is a drag brake, and what does it take to hook it up? seeing that they said it hasn't been hooked up since they owned it?

zonatandem

That is a very early Duet model, the only 'model' and color offered at that time.
The flourishing script decal on the boob tube (bottom bracket connecting tube) and curving chain stay/seat stay connection plus the color (only color available for the first couple years) indicate 1989 to early 90s.
The drum brake needs only a cable (long tandem length) connected between the brake lever and the drum.
Check the right hand brake lever, some had a double cable pull lever that accommodated both rear caiper brake and the drum brake.
These Arai drum rakes fetch at least a hundred bucks on the used market as they are no longer being made.
$550 is a decent price for a bike that looks to be in good condition.
Thel first year the Burley had drop bars up front with mountain thumb shifters.
If needed, front ands rear bars can be swapped.
Hope this helps!
Suggest you offer $450 (Canadian) and if sellers balks, split the difference.
That would be a great price for a great starter tandem!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

JanMM

A drag brake can control speed on long downhills without risk of overheating the rims. The arai is the classic drag brake.

sunnycycler

took it out for a spin today, everything seems mechanically sound, smooth gear transition, decent braking, and true wheels, just a couple rust spots, expected from an older model. it'd probably benefit from a general tuneup, I'm thinking new cables, pads, basic things, to prepare for safe heavier use. I think it might need a different lever to hookup the drag brake, which would explain why its not hooked up.

sugino gp110 crank, suntour xce derailer. I forgot to note the brakes and shifters but they looked stock for 90s.

I'd say it's ready as-is, but for those things I mentioned, what could be expected for cost? would the appropriate lever for the drag brake need to be found used?

thanks for all your input, it's best to acknowledge lack of knowledge and ask the experienced!

SuperA

Given all the modifications to that bike, plus the rust - it looks like it has lived a life or two - I agree with the earlier thread comment that $450 is a good price. The Burley Duet frames were well made and original equipment were all drop bar centric. In fact the same frame was built for both the Duet and Rumba models, with the Rumba getting component upgrades. One question that hasn't been asked, how tall is your brother and his riding partner? If you are the same or similar height as your brother, that is a good start. Good luck. I would definitely have a good mechanic - preferably one that knows tandems, drag brakes and eccentric bottom brackets, give that machine a thorough review.

himespau 

If that fit me and my wife (it wouldn't) I'd swap the order of the bars and be pretty happy at $500.

geronimo2000

One common setup for the drag brake, at least with drop bars on the back, uses a standard bar-end shift lever.

zonatandem

Agree, mounting a thumb derailleur shifter on the stoker's bar can activate the drum brake and as an advantage it would have a shorter cable run. Don't forget to 'unshift' it to release the brake. Also handy as a parking brake.

sunnycycler

cool, sounds like an easy enough thing to get done. we're in the negotiating stage, offered $450cad, he countered at $500cad. now is the point where one doesn't know if one should hold their ground and risk losing it or be happy with the price, ha. I sense that 500$ is ok even if it'll cost a little to hook up the drag brake and basic tuneup.

sunnycycler

and thanks everyone for the replies, even if I didn't reply specifically to some things, know that I read and took it all into consideration!

sunnycycler

$450 it is. thanks, everyone.

SJX426 

@sunnycycler - I have one from 1994 or so. You may want to do a search on this forum for Burley Duet. There are a number of comments that you might find instructional. I know of only one brake lever that can accommodate two brake levers and it is for a drop bar, Diacompe, and used on the right hand to control both rim brakes. The left lever was used for the drum brake. This may be why the drum is not cabled, the levers don't support three brakes. I converted mine by adding a friction thumb shifter to the stem to control the drum brake.

You may want to check the drum brake pads. They do wear if used. Often they last the life of use. Check the rear brake calipers to determine if they are the Suntour SE (self engergized) calipers. They are not common and can be a bit of a challenge to set up.

You can see my pics of my Duet here.

[IMG]1994 Burley Duet in the raw, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]P1010340, on Flickr[/IMG]

sunnycycler

are there any recommendations for front and rear bike racks for a burley tandem? I don't know if there are specifications that are different from other bikes? maybe this requires a new thread.

fietsbob

10mm diameter Chrome Moly steel Tube is Great stuff to make racks out of.. .
I like the Bruce Gordon racks I got 30 years ago , but now Tubus is almost as good an more widely available ..