TandemGeek

Interesting article in today's Eugene, OR on-line news:
https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/register...gh+a+low+cycle

zonatandem

Burley Co-Op article in the Register-Guard, from Eugene, OR

Here is our 2 cents worth:
Whether in business or in family, we sometimes face tough times.
One non-profitable year out of 25 is not a bad record!
Our experiences with Burley (since 1989, when we test rode one of their first tandems) has always been positive.
Burley has always been straightforward, honest, and innovative. Their products are American made, not 'outsourced' as many major "American" bicycles.
They back their product with an iron clad warranty and have always supplied excellent value for the dollars spent.
The Burley folks deserve our support now, more than ever!

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/Zonatandem

K&M

Guess that explains why they've dropped prices so low. They must be trying to hold, or increase, market share (or maybe they just need to move inventory?). We're glad to have been beneficiaries of the incredible new prices, but sorry to hear that Burley is suffering. They sure just built us one heck of a nice bike!

Guest

They are an incredibly great company with great bikes. They'll bounce back.

Koffee

Shifty

Right you are, they have made some mis-steps over the last 2 years that are costing them. One mistake was entering the market for single bikes without a enough money to blitz advertise them. The bikes are actually very good bikes, however they didn't advertise, and they were not really special than other bikes. They also when into debt to build a nice new manufacturing facility, this was not a mistake, but adds fixed cost.
If you are looking for a nice commuter bike, take a ride on the Burley, it is a really, really nice design. Buy it if you like it.

LuisB

I just placed an order for one of their aluminum tandems and was told the expected delivery is end of May because of backlog on tandem orders. It looks like they're well on their way to recovery.

LB

K&M

Wow, I guess we ordered at just the right time. We only had to wait a couple of weeks!

LuisB

K&M

Which model did you get, if you don't mind me asking. How long did you have to wait? We ordered the Tosa in Black Amber.

LB

K&M

We got the Rivazza with the "race" package in the same red color as in the catalog/web photos (which turns out to have sparkles that really stand out when the sun is shining). They told us it would take up to two weeks and it actually took a few days longer than that. Still, that's about as short a turn around as you could possibly expect. I guess things were slower in January. We got it up and running during the middle of February and we have been riding it well over 100 miles per week.

So far, we are more than happy with it --- in fact, we are loving the time we're spending together on it. A couple of weeks ago we did our first tandem double century (Solvang) and it was a fantastic experience. I doubt you will ever regret your decision to buy the Burley (especially considering how much you get for your money!). I'm sure the wait will be worth it.

Frank Schaefer

Being a small business person, having a business degree, and being tired of rampant consumerism, Burley is an interesting case study. I really believe they are a honorable company, fighting the good fight. We are all dragged (is "drug" past tense of "drag"?) into making a statement about our life approach by our actions as well as not acting.

When we buy something from 7-11, we don't just buy a candy bar, we buy convenience. We buy their marketing and their real esate and the fact that they have so many stores. When we buy from Wall-Mart, we buy the same things and also pay them to be absolutely cut throat in their business practices.

There are a lot of cool bike companies out there. There's no refuting the quality of a Trek or Cannondale, etc. They do a great job at sourcing derailleurs and stocking their equipment.

I hope people realize what they are buying from Burley. It's not just a bike... I don't know how they market that, or how we, as consumers, help them market that.

IMHO

hope this isn't too much of a rant or too off topic.

EricD

I don't know much about them as a company but I sure enjoy dealing with them. I have called thier customer service twice and both times they have been extremely helpful and knowledgable. I love my new Burley...

Eric

KrisPistofferson

My only problem with Burley is how needlessly complicated ordering from them is, as they don't have any way of ordering directly from them. When I've asked their customer service if there was a way of ordering online, all they could point me to was various LBSs they worked with in different cities. If this has changed in the last year, I'm unaware. I can't exactly bike to Atlanta to get one since I don't have a car. They're shooting themselves in the foot, as far as that goes. Maybe I'm just bitter because they never need any welders, though! They are, otherwise, a great company.

Tandem Newbie

My wife and I also have had positive experiences with Burley. Last August we test rode multiple brands and decided that the Paso Doble was the bike for us. The only thing my stoker didn't like was the big Burley decal on the bottom tube. We asked our dealer to see if Burley would leave that decal off if we special orderd one. Sure enough, that's what they did. Our dealer ordered it the first week of December and we picked it up on the 18th. The best thing is we got a better deal on the 2005 becasue the race package came with the Rolfs, carbon cranks, fork and the disc brake which were all upgrades on the 2004. After several hundred miles I can say Burley provided us with a great product which hopefully will allow us to enjoy cycling together for years to come. I hope the co-op way of operation will continue, as I hate to see big box brands rule the world.

LuisB

Burley has been extremely pleasant to work with. I've asked them questions and got answers where normally bike companies would tell you to talk to your dealers. They have knowledgeable staff who seem interested and happy to anwer any questions. I did not feel rushed at all.

LB

zonatandem

It is great that Burley refers you to their dealers. Buying on-line sounds great, but are you qualified to assemble a tandem? Their dealers are.
Support your LBS . . . or go to Wally World where the assemblers have trouble inflating tires!

wsurfn

We really like our Tosa (had it for a little over a year now). I went with a Burley because: I wanted a 7000 series aluminum frame with solid components at a price point I could live with for our first ride. That left me with a few choices. The fact the Burley was American made, by a company with a good reputation and decent business practices for it employees was a bonus. I bought a Burley Trailer 10 years ago, and used the hell out of it. It was a little expensive at the time, but supremely engineered. A quality product! Three kids and it has held up great. Why would I not give these guys the nod? I also lucked out and found a knowledgeable tandem dealer that made things easy.

I think their products are great. Business is business, but if you are looking for quality gear give them a hard look.

jrisles

So does this mean we are all Baby-Boomers?? I am 39 years of age and i think i fit in between Baby-Boomer & GenX?? I have never really been able to work out which Gen i belong too.

But aside from that .. the quote is certainly an interesting one. And i suspect that if this trend continues it will hit alot of other companies who rely on their clients "being active".

mtbcyclist

Glad to here from all you happy Burley owners. I am not an owner, that is yet. Got my eyes on their tandems though. Going to test ride one this Saturday. They seem to have the best bang for the buck as far as tandems go.

Guest

I love the Burley tag alongs. Burley's all right in my book.

Koffee

rlong

We just started riding our used Burley Rock n Roll and just love it. I tried to find one at a few of the dealers listed for San Diego and Orange Counties and no one was carrying any. When I asked why, the dealer said that because Trek is offering an aluminum frame now they just sell better. Name recognition I suppose, but I've compared them and believe the Burley to be the best buy. We sure love ours and our upgrade will be a Burley as well.

mtbcyclist

Nobody in North Carolina, at least the major dealers, have any Burley Tandems in stock. I had to order mine.

Doggus

That's a classic symptom of a Gen X'er. Based on your age you fall in the birth years that are generally refered to GenerationX ~1960-~1980.

DocF

Did you talk to Neighborhood Transportation in Winston-Salem? When we were looking last year, they had the full Burley line on the floor. Neighborhood Transportation

Doc