We have a 2006 Burley Paso Doble tandem.

It’s a mid-price range Burley with a True Temper steel frame and Ultegra drivetrain. We bought it at Tandems East during their ’06 spring Tandem Expo. We went to “just look.” That Mel is a clever guy holding his open house at just about the time of year people are expecting their tax refunds!

We ride mostly near home in New Jersey. We routinely ride brevets in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania with occasional forays to surrounding east coast regions for variety.

Our Burley has adapted very nicely to what we’ve asked of it. When we bought it we had never heard the word “randonneuring.” After more than a few changes (ditched the STI levers for bar ends, new wheels with sturdier rims and wider tires, etc., etc.) it serves as a very comfortable, reliable, competent ride over the longer distances.

Yes FENDERS! In fact I think I may be a little obsessed with fenders. I’ve gone through several different variations, made every mistake you can make, and spent more money than I care to admit trying to fit a set of fenders “just so” on a bike that wasn’t really made to fit them.

I am very proud of my custom installation of a set of SKS/Esge plastic fenders mounted with a pair of Berthoud aluminum stays and topped off with a PDW Fenderbot light. Or I should say, I WAS very proud of my custom installation until 5 miles into the Boston 300k last Saturday we hit a bump and the rear fender cracked completely in two at the stay. We had to stop and manually rip the remaining fender off so it wouldn’t get caught in the wheel and cause an accident. I’m presently pondering whether to try (again) to mount some metal fenders or give it another go with the SKS’s slightly modified to avoid breaking.

We never felt the need to name our Burley. Not even quite sure if it’s male or female (or how to tell for that matter…). I suppose a Paso Doble should have a Latin name. Maria…? Esmeralda…? Salvador…?

I’m really fond of our Berthoud handlebar bag, or as I like to call it our designer French luggage. It rests on a Nitto rack that was custom fit to the fork by Stephen Bilenky of Philadelphia.

Barbara wanted me to say that her favorite feature of the bike is her captain, but I won’t let her. It’s way too mushy! She also likes the little $10 piece of stainless steel that holds her waterbottles upright and within easy reach.

I’ve always been really fond of this photo taken by Maile in the early morning hours of the 2010 New Jersey 400k. It makes us look fast!

This is a pretty good shot of the bike just leaning on our garage:

I also like these two that Felkerino and you took of us at last year’s Civil War Tour:

Did I mention it’s PURPLE? In photos or in low light it often looks black, but get it in the sunlight and it’s a beautiful deep metallic flecked purple. If you catch it at the right angle it can sometimes look green.

Thanks to Ron and Barb, for sharing all the great details about your fine randonneuring tandem! Also, who knew that fenders could be such a complicated issue?!