Hey all! My brother and I (both 20s) have been really getting into touring, and we were starting to cruise on FB for tandems to do some trips with as a joke…. and then I found this. It's a Burley Duet listed for $250. He said it's all in good working condition, and I'm assuming it's late 90's. Is this worth it? Is tandem touring preferred over separate? Is this bike even capable? How is tandem insanely different than separate? Any help or discussion is great.
by Hairygrass55
5 Comments
The biggest question is how similar/different are your cycling styles? The tandem is a great equalizer, since your two will arrive everywhere at the same time, but the stoker needs to be ok with not having any control or much of a view. Captain also needs to call out bumps, lest the stoker get a surprise to the taint.
All that said, you won’t know if you like it until you try it.
This is a question for r/xbiking
In some circles they call it a “divorce bike” – how well do you two want to get along during and after your first trip?
I once met a couple that toured on a tandem. They have been touring on one for decades. Steep slopes were no problems, no more than on single bikes. Using bus, train, plane with a tandem is obviously is more difficult than with regular bikes, but the couple said they have been to Asia and South America, so it’s not impossible. It requires the couple to really understand eachother, you cannot ignore eachother as you are always together. It’s couple therapy on wheels.
Obviously, a tandem has to fit 2 people but has one main geometry. The frame size has to fit you both. There is only so much you can do by adjusting the saddle or handlebar stem.
This bike seems to be focussed on racing, the handlebars are too low for comfortable touring so you’ll probably want to adjust that. Being a racing focussed bike, the frame could be a bit too flexible (with luggage you normally want a stiff frame), but you can only tell that by testing the bike. There are no fenders, no lights, no mounting points for racks, so be aware you’ll have some additional costs to make it ready for touring. The bike has to carry stuff for 2 persons so make sure the frame is sturdy enough to hold it all. The fact that there are no rack mounts is an indication the bike was not built for that purpose so you really need to give that thought.
Mind you, a fully packed tandem with 2 persons is heavy, but you still only have 2 wheels to brake with. So braking is a very important part of riding a tandem. The bike on your picture has caliper brakes which is quite a lot better than cantilever brakes that you find on many road bikes, but not as good as V-brakes or disc brakes. It’s probably suitable on mainly flat roads but if you are touring in the mountains, consider upgrading the brakes.
This could be really cool for your brother and you. You could switch off being captain. I think the 250 is a decent deal for this as Burley is a quality brand. It looks like the frame can support front and rear racks. If you’re doing short trips front and rear panniers are probably enough but for weeks long trips you might investigate a trailer. If the routes you take involve long downhills you might investigate getting a drag brake to keep from overheating your rim brakes.
Oh I almost forgot, many stoker positions have some sort of suspension seatposts.