Am I a tease if I actually follow up on something I hinted at?
I ask because a few days ago, loyal reader Coline accused me (in the lightest of spirit, of course) of teasing when I mentioned, briefly, a possible upcoming project.
Well, I think I am going ahead with it, at least during Christmas recess. (I won't have much time during the next couple of weeks, what with my students' final papers and exams!) I made a mental commitment, more or less, today, when I took another look at this estate sale pick-up:
"Retrogrouch" has praised the lugged-frame Treks with Ishiwata tubing. I'm guessing this one is from 1981 because it's the last year this model came without brazed-on cable guides or water bottle mounts. Also, that was the year some Treks began to sport contrasting panels on their seat tubes. When I get a chance, I'll check the serial number against databases.
Anyway, aside from some scratches and chips in the paint, the frame looks to be in good shape. I could find no misalignment or rust, and no signs of crashes or abuse. In fact, I think that this bikes owner didn't ride it much after making some changes to it.
One of those changes is the stem: No Trek (or for that matter, any other bike) with a 56 cm (22") center-to-center seat tube ever came with a stem that had such a short extension! To be fair, the bike has a longish top tube (also 56cm), but even I, with my short arms and torso, would ride a longer stem than that.
Another is the seat, I think. Most Treks of that period came with Avocet saddles. This seat, whatever it is, doesn't look like one. Whatever it is, I have to wonder whether this bike's owner actually rode with the seat post mounted backward. Hmm...Maybe that person is even more of a "no arms" than I am, or simply wanted to sit as if he or she were on a Laz-e-Boy.
Then there is this freewheel. It's s SunTour Pro Compe, of very good quality, but the 34 tooth large cog much more than I'll ever need unless I take another loaded tour of the Alps (or some other mountain range). I might hold on to it, which would mean holding on to the chain. Which leads me to this question: How much life does either have left? Perhaps, if I could find some cogs, I could rebuild the freewheel: those old SunTour freewheel bodies are practically indestructible.
And I am surmising that the SunTour VGT rear derailleur is a replacement. This bike probably came with a VXs, as the shift levers and front derailleurs are from the Vx series. Also, the bike's original freewheel was more than likely had 14-28 or 13-28 freewheel, which the VxS could handle, but the VGT's extra capacity is necessary for the larger freewheel.
Even if I don't use the 34 tooth cog, the VGT is a keeper, whether for this bike or some other. So, I am glad for that change and for another I didn't notice until I got the bike home:
The original headset was probably a Tange that was commonly used on mid- to upper-mid-level bikes of that time. It looked like the company's Levin model--which looked like a Campagnolo Record from about five feet away--without the logos. At least, I know that this Stronglight headset wasn't original equipment. I'm pretty sure this is their early roller-bearing headset, which tried--like just about all quality headsets made until 1985 or thereabouts--to look like Campy's products. (Later Stronglights had a sharper, more "aero", shape.) Even if it's a regular ball-bearing headset, I won't mind: I've always had good luck with Stronglight stuff.
But I found the biggest surprise of all on the rear wheel:
Can you believe it? A Phil Wood hub! This is one of the earlier version, with a three-piece steel shell. The bearings are as smooth as the more modern Phil Woods on my Mercians. This hub is definitely a "keeper", except...
It's a 48 hole model. I would love to keep and "as is", as it probably won't die. A Super Champion 58 rim is laced to it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my very first pair of hand-built wheels included a pair of SC 58s. They totally deserved the reputation as the best non-racing rims of that time. Again, it's something I'd prefer not to change, except...
It's a 27". The tire, as good as it is (a Specialized Turbo) won't last forever, and there aren't many quality tires available today in that size. The wheel seems true and round.
The front wheel, however, is not. And there is not much tension in the spokes: I think whoever built it didn't re-tension it. It's the one that would have come with the bike: a Rigida 13-20 rim laced to a Sansin hub. Not bad stuff, but I think the rim and spokes won't survive a re-tensioning and re-truing. And, really, I don't want to buy another 27" tire, rim or wheel. I suppose I could ride a 700C front with the 27" rear.
So I'll probably build a 700 rear wheel, too. The question is whether I want to use the Phil Wood hub, which would mean taking the current rear wheel apart and buying a 48 hole rim. Or I could build a 36 spoke rear wheel on another hub I have.
I am leaning toward building the 700C rear wheel on whichever rear hub, not only because it's easier to find 700C tires, but also because the bike would fit that much better. As it is, the frame, with 27" wheels, is exactly at the upper limit, size-wise, of what I can ride. The 700s, which are about 5cm smaller, would give me a bit more breathing room. Also, they would add to the already-ample fender clearance the frame and fork offer.
Yes, I am thinking about fenders. And, possibly, a Velo Orange Porteur handlebar with bar-end levers (like I have on my Mercian mixtes) and a nice, tasteful wrapping.
Whatever I do, I'll try not to do anything gross. I'm not looking to do a period restoration or anything pedantically "retro", but I will try to keep in the spirit of the bike, if you will: a good sport-touring machine from the era before mountain bikes. I promise not to use neon-colored "V" shaped rims or cranks that look like starfish designed by Salvador Dali. And I'll try to resist the temptation to turn this into a single-speed or "fixie". At least, I won't let it become a "hipster fixie".
P.S. Yes, that rack came with the bike. It's an original Jim Blackburn, made in the USA.
I ask because a few days ago, loyal reader Coline accused me (in the lightest of spirit, of course) of teasing when I mentioned, briefly, a possible upcoming project.
Well, I think I am going ahead with it, at least during Christmas recess. (I won't have much time during the next couple of weeks, what with my students' final papers and exams!) I made a mental commitment, more or less, today, when I took another look at this estate sale pick-up:
"Retrogrouch" has praised the lugged-frame Treks with Ishiwata tubing. I'm guessing this one is from 1981 because it's the last year this model came without brazed-on cable guides or water bottle mounts. Also, that was the year some Treks began to sport contrasting panels on their seat tubes. When I get a chance, I'll check the serial number against databases.
Anyway, aside from some scratches and chips in the paint, the frame looks to be in good shape. I could find no misalignment or rust, and no signs of crashes or abuse. In fact, I think that this bikes owner didn't ride it much after making some changes to it.
One of those changes is the stem: No Trek (or for that matter, any other bike) with a 56 cm (22") center-to-center seat tube ever came with a stem that had such a short extension! To be fair, the bike has a longish top tube (also 56cm), but even I, with my short arms and torso, would ride a longer stem than that.
Another is the seat, I think. Most Treks of that period came with Avocet saddles. This seat, whatever it is, doesn't look like one. Whatever it is, I have to wonder whether this bike's owner actually rode with the seat post mounted backward. Hmm...Maybe that person is even more of a "no arms" than I am, or simply wanted to sit as if he or she were on a Laz-e-Boy.
Then there is this freewheel. It's s SunTour Pro Compe, of very good quality, but the 34 tooth large cog much more than I'll ever need unless I take another loaded tour of the Alps (or some other mountain range). I might hold on to it, which would mean holding on to the chain. Which leads me to this question: How much life does either have left? Perhaps, if I could find some cogs, I could rebuild the freewheel: those old SunTour freewheel bodies are practically indestructible.
And I am surmising that the SunTour VGT rear derailleur is a replacement. This bike probably came with a VXs, as the shift levers and front derailleurs are from the Vx series. Also, the bike's original freewheel was more than likely had 14-28 or 13-28 freewheel, which the VxS could handle, but the VGT's extra capacity is necessary for the larger freewheel.
Even if I don't use the 34 tooth cog, the VGT is a keeper, whether for this bike or some other. So, I am glad for that change and for another I didn't notice until I got the bike home:
The original headset was probably a Tange that was commonly used on mid- to upper-mid-level bikes of that time. It looked like the company's Levin model--which looked like a Campagnolo Record from about five feet away--without the logos. At least, I know that this Stronglight headset wasn't original equipment. I'm pretty sure this is their early roller-bearing headset, which tried--like just about all quality headsets made until 1985 or thereabouts--to look like Campy's products. (Later Stronglights had a sharper, more "aero", shape.) Even if it's a regular ball-bearing headset, I won't mind: I've always had good luck with Stronglight stuff.
But I found the biggest surprise of all on the rear wheel:
Can you believe it? A Phil Wood hub! This is one of the earlier version, with a three-piece steel shell. The bearings are as smooth as the more modern Phil Woods on my Mercians. This hub is definitely a "keeper", except...
It's a 48 hole model. I would love to keep and "as is", as it probably won't die. A Super Champion 58 rim is laced to it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my very first pair of hand-built wheels included a pair of SC 58s. They totally deserved the reputation as the best non-racing rims of that time. Again, it's something I'd prefer not to change, except...
It's a 27". The tire, as good as it is (a Specialized Turbo) won't last forever, and there aren't many quality tires available today in that size. The wheel seems true and round.
The front wheel, however, is not. And there is not much tension in the spokes: I think whoever built it didn't re-tension it. It's the one that would have come with the bike: a Rigida 13-20 rim laced to a Sansin hub. Not bad stuff, but I think the rim and spokes won't survive a re-tensioning and re-truing. And, really, I don't want to buy another 27" tire, rim or wheel. I suppose I could ride a 700C front with the 27" rear.
So I'll probably build a 700 rear wheel, too. The question is whether I want to use the Phil Wood hub, which would mean taking the current rear wheel apart and buying a 48 hole rim. Or I could build a 36 spoke rear wheel on another hub I have.
I am leaning toward building the 700C rear wheel on whichever rear hub, not only because it's easier to find 700C tires, but also because the bike would fit that much better. As it is, the frame, with 27" wheels, is exactly at the upper limit, size-wise, of what I can ride. The 700s, which are about 5cm smaller, would give me a bit more breathing room. Also, they would add to the already-ample fender clearance the frame and fork offer.
Yes, I am thinking about fenders. And, possibly, a Velo Orange Porteur handlebar with bar-end levers (like I have on my Mercian mixtes) and a nice, tasteful wrapping.
Whatever I do, I'll try not to do anything gross. I'm not looking to do a period restoration or anything pedantically "retro", but I will try to keep in the spirit of the bike, if you will: a good sport-touring machine from the era before mountain bikes. I promise not to use neon-colored "V" shaped rims or cranks that look like starfish designed by Salvador Dali. And I'll try to resist the temptation to turn this into a single-speed or "fixie". At least, I won't let it become a "hipster fixie".
P.S. Yes, that rack came with the bike. It's an original Jim Blackburn, made in the USA.
