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vintage trek 520

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vintage trek 520

1990 Trek 520 Touring Bike

  • Posted by Brian S on June 15, 2012 at 7:56pm in Marketplace
  • View Discussions

Hi everyone,

Thought I'd post this here, first.

I'm letting go of my favorite bike. It's been wall art since I got it a couple years ago, a pleasure to look at, but never ridden. It needs to go to a good home where it will be ridden, TOURED, like it was designed to. I have another identical frame, yet much worse for the wear, and have been too apprehensive to ride this one. My intention was to hold on to it until the other frame died, but I try to be a good minimalist, and can't justify sitting on a bike I may never need.

If you're thinking about buying a new touring bike, please consider this one. In my opinion, echoed by many others, this is the best era for the Trek 520. Between 1990 through 1993, these True Temper 4130 double butted lugged frames were built in Wisconsin USA.  Tire clearance is ample; at the seat stay bridge, and where the widest part of a tire would sit in the chainstays closest to the bottom bracket, it measures 55mm. The fork also mirrors these numbers. The TIG welded versions, starting in 1994, reduced this clearance.

For winter riding, I've run Nokian w240's, at 40mm wide, with full SKS P50 fenders!

No toe clip overlap.

Trek calls this a 19” frame, and indeed the bottom bracket to top tube, c-t, measures that. However, the top tube measures 55.4cm c-c. I normally ride a 54cm, and this bike is a great fit. Standover 30in. I would consider this a 54cm frame with a lowered top tube for standover clearence, much easier to get into when fully loaded.

The bike is in immaculate condition. It appears as if it were ridden for a month and put in storage. The only blemishes the frame shows is one incident of chain suck, aside from a couple really tiny nicks to the paint, and a small scrape on one of the brake hoods. I can't really get a good picture of them with my cell camera. Barely any wear to the components.

All original, with the following exceptions:

Tires/tubes replaced before I got it, I replaced all cables (stainless), bar tape (brand new), and chain(brand new). I have the original chain, which shows no signs whatsoever of stretching. I repacked the bottom bracket (with Phil's grease) and put on a new Sram PC58 which I had laying around, for the convenience of the quick link.

Everything else is original and in perfect working order.

Parts rundown, briefly:

Shimano Deore DX 7 speed front and rear derailleurs. Half step with granny gearing, (50,45,28). Hyperglide 12-28 cassette. Indexed bar end shifters. Deore DX 170mm cranks. Deore DX 36 hole hubs, 135mm. Rear frame spacing measures 132.5mm, for either road or mountain hubs. Shimano BR-MT62 cantilever brakes. Blackburn rack. MKS AR8 pedals (similar to GR9's). Bottom bracket is 68mm wide, English thread.

Link to 1990 Trek catalog, for detailed specs and geometry:

http://vintage-trek.com/images/trek/90Trek/90Trek.pdf

More pictures here:

http://s1137.photobucket.com/albums/n503/soundbiker/1990%20Trek%205...

[email protected]

vintage trek 520

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vintage trek 520

That's really a great bike in time capsule-like condition.  Stand your ground on that price.

I have a 19" Trek 790 from 1993-- exact same frame.

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vintage trek 520

MMMEEEEE!!!! 

you must have read my old post!  http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/suggestions-for-a-touring-...  

BAM! Ill shoot you an e-mail!

vintage trek 520

If I hadn't just bought last year's Trek 520 for touring, I would be all over this. The lugs are so beautiful, and sadly missing from my 2011. Hope it goes to a good home and sees the world.

vintage trek 520

gorgeous condition .. looks like a nice setup

vintage trek 520

A highly-desirable and increasingly-rare & collectible vintage touring bike with lugged frame in immaculate condition, the right model year for the more-desirable long-chainstay (so that heel-strike issues are avoided,) and finally located in a great bicycle market area at the peak time to sell.  I would love to be in your position!

The price point of $750 is actually a little low for such a bike in that condition IMHO.  A veritable bargain.  I am so very glad it is too small for me!

A few more words from Vintage-trek.com :

The 520 touring bike  first appeared in 1983 and probably has made more trans-America crossings than any other bike model. It still is offered by Trek in steel (although not lugged), which has helped maintain significant model recognition among bicyclists. This longevity and popularity has raised the value of this bike over similarly-priced vintage Treks of the period.   Interestingly, the chainstay length of the 520 was highly variable over time (as pointed out by Robert Cooke). When the 520 debuted in 1983, the chainstays were 43cm long, and the bike was billed as "a comfortable and stable touring bike". They were extended to 45.5cm in 1984, and was still a touring bike. In 1985 and 1986, the 520 was equipped with shorter, 42.5cm, chainstays, and was billed as as a "sport touring" bike. These 85 and 86 520s were equipped with side-pull brakes rather than cantilevers. During the years 1987 through 91, the chainstays were back to the longer 45.5cm dimension. In 1992 and 93 they became 43cm again, but it stayed a "touring bike". In 1994 the length became 45cm and has stayed that way through 2005. The reason for the changes? - chainstay fashion? micro marketing? turf wars?

vintage trek 520

Me too! Beautiful specimen! James BlackHeron said:

... I am so very glad it is too small for me!

Um . . . I'd think it a hair too large for Laura, and probably not too small for James (?)

My current ride is a 58cm square,   My CX bike is a 54" (compact frame -virtual  top tube is more like a 56)  and I've got over 6" of seatpost showing.  I'd need a massively-long seatpost to ride this 520 and it'd be cramped without a ridiculously long and high stem.  

19" I just can't/won't do.  So it does save me from myself.  If it were a few more cm taller I'd really be temped.

Man, you guys are making ME want to buy it!

uh oh! There's that 2 wheeled devil on my shoulder again!

"It is your size!"  "There's always room for one_more_bike!" "mmm, lugs"  

Must    resist  :)

James, I think that article is incorrect about the chainstays.  I have 3 of these frames, 2 1990's and a 1991, and they all have 43mm chainstays.  Maybe h' can confirm that on his as well.  With that said, I've never had a heel strike problem with 43mm chainstays, on this or other frames I've used with panniers, and I'm a size 10 shoe.  I think if I were using extremely large panniers, like the Jandd expeditions, it may be more of an issue, but with a long rear rack and Ortlieb bags, it's never been an issue.

As for the price, I think it's fair.  It's about what I have in it, minus the labor.  I bought it on Ebay a few years ago from a kid that just bought it from the original owner.  I think it was too small for him, and he had his LBS put a bunch of crap parts on it, like a cheap adjustable stem, plastic pedals, etc.  Luckily, the LBS didn't chuck the original parts, and I was able to recover them!  I probably could catch a bit more for it on Ebay, as a few in this condition I've seen sell higher, but I'd like to offer it to the local community first. 

In keeping with good bike Karma, I really just want to pass it on to someone that will love it while it's rolling them down some long winding road to who knows where, and not just have it hanging on a wall!

The article could very well be  incorrect -or the data set incomplete.  But this is a website that specializes in vintage Trek bikes.  As always, it's a good idea to measure anything before buying it and see for yourself.  I've looked at many bikes and bike components that were not exactly as documented -or advertised.  TANSTAAFL.

It's a beautiful bike though.  I was looking for a 520/720 for a long time as I had despaired of ever finding a Raleigh Competition/International frame and had pretty much giving up on that.  Then a Competition frame in my size fell in my lap.  When it comes back from powder coating I can't wait to swap it out with the frame i have now. 

Oh, and James, to be that two wheeled devil on your shoulder, I'm also selling an identical frameset, in much, much more used condition, though.  It's a 23", probably just your size ;)

That one's on the CL.

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A Humble Beginning

When I was twelve years old, my father came home from work one night and proclaimed that we were going to buy bicycles. He and I were going on a bicycle trip. “Okay, Dad,” I told him. As we drove down to pick out bicycles, my dad told me that he had met a guy named Bevil Hogg, a South African who owned a bicycle store in Madison, Wisconsin. Bevil was looking for someone to invest in his store. I had my mind on a new bicycle and didn’t really pay any attention. We bought two bicycles, some bicycle packs and a few maps, and my dad announced that the following week we would be riding from Beaver Lake, our home, up to Fond du Lac and back. It is a beautiful ride through the hills and valleys of the Kettle Moraine region. I don’t think that I had ever ridden my bike more than ten miles in one crack, and now we were going to ride seventy miles in a single day. I don’t remember much about this trip, with the exception that I crashed going over some railroad tracks, and that we were on a really busy road for the last few miles of Day 1 when a semi came past me and almost blew me off the road. On the second day of our two-day journey, we stopped at a bar outside of Monches. I drank root beer, and my dad had a couple of beers before we got back on the bikes and headed home. We had a great time.

Not long after the bike ride, my dad told me that he had bought a bike store in Madison with Bevil named Stella Bicycle Shop. My dad loved business and was always looking for great opportunities. When serendipity led to him meeting Bevil Hogg on a plane, my dad decided to pursue his interest in bicycles. After beginning with one store in Madison, they opened a second Stella Bicycle Shop in Champaign, Illinois. My dad always thought big, and his idea was to set up a nationwide chain of bicycle stores in college towns. One problem, though. It didn’t work. The stores lost money, and my dad and Bevil closed them in the fall of 1975. My father and Bevil learned that in order to succeed, they could not just sell any brand; they needed something special. None of the good brands were available to purchase, so their solution was to create their own brand of bicycles. No one was building really good bikes in the United States. Bevil thought that instead of being a retailer, they should manufacture high-end bikes built in the United States. Schwinn sold a lot of low-end bikes and kids’ bikes and there were some high-end European brands, but nothing from the middle price points all the way to the top that was made in America. It was a unique idea, something completely different. - John Burke President, Trek Bicycle (Pictured: Dick Burke)

The Driving Park

Eighty years before Trek's founders would make Waterloo, Wisconsin, the home of their new venture, the Waterloo Driving Park Association was formed in the town’s southwest corner. Preceding Henry Ford’s introduction of his first automobile by two years, “driving” held a different meaning— namely, racing horses and bicycles. Here, Waterloo residents gathered around a dirt track to commune, cheer, and test themselves against one another in competition. Humans race for fun, for excitement, for the challenge. Competition is intrinsic to our nature. As long as there have been bicycles there has been bicycle racing. 84 years after the first intrepid cyclists battled on that oval of dirt, Trek broke ground on a new headquarters across the street. Today, Trek overlooks that storied land. The track is no longer there, but human nature remains. Racing has always been what we do.

Over a Few Beers

Fast forward to the winter of 1975, two gentlemen met at a dimly lit bar in a classic Wisconsin supper club called The Pine Knoll. As far as Trek's founders, Dick Burke and Bevil Hogg, were concerned, they were simply performing a time-honored ritual of business in Wisconsin where friends and partners met over drinks to hash out the day’s events, plan the future, and debate ideas good and bad. Over a few beers, the men engaged in a deep debate over what to call their fledgling bicycle company. Hogg favored Kestrel, after the bird of prey. Burke preferred Trek because it called forth images of travel and adventure. He must have known there was something remarkable about the word, something that held the promise of longevity and freedom and exploration and quality. Trek was never just a name. From the beginning, it was a summation of values.

Born in a Barn

Trek was never just a name. From the beginning, it was a summation of values. Months later, spring of 1976, in a southern Wisconsin barn located halfway between their homes in Madison and Milwaukee, this pair of visionaries set out to make a business of building bikes of extraordinary artistry. Here, in the geographically convenient town of Waterloo, their dream sparked to life. There were five employees on the payroll when the barn doors opened in 1976. In its first year, Trek produced 904 touring frames. Steel tubing, lugged and silver-brazed, handcrafted and hand-painted with care. A culture of craftsmanship and rebellion was fostered in the young American upstart. Every bend and every weld was charged with purpose, as each meticulously constructed frame broke the convention that all great bikes must come from Europe. Trek was out to change minds. Today, Trek's headquarters is a mile up the road from the original barn, in a much larger facility. Although Trek has outgrown the barn, every bike we make is a testament to Trek's founding principles.

Relentless Progression

The four decades following our inception have witnessed greater innovation than the previous four hundred. Bicycles have not been immune to this explosion in technological advancement, and Trek has been at the forefront of the movement, continually challenging the limits of the bicycle's capability. Our commitment to relentless innovation while honoring our founding principles to build bikes people love that we are proud to stand behind has led us to where we are today. But we know that there is so much more that we can do. This world needs the bicycle more today than ever before. And Trek is building a better world through this simple, elegant machine. Come ride with us.

Raised on rocket science

Racing to make bikes better, warrantied for life, loved the world over.

Vintage Santa Clara

Photo of Vintage Santa Clara - Santa Clara, CA, US. Santa Clara University alumni comp tickets to Vintage Santa Clara, sweet!

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All you can eat and drink wine festival? Yes, please! There is nothing like a spending a sunny afternoon under palm trees at the picturesque Mission Garden surrounded by Spanish Mission architecture at Santa Clara University. For $50, you get a special commemorative wine glass and a wristband that allows you four hours of unlimited access to food, drink and eye candy. While you are there, brush up on little bit of California history at Mission Santa Clara, next to Mission Garden. Tickets generally go on sale early August and the event is scheduled annually for early September. 2012 was Vintage's 29th year. Great job, SCU! It was pretty warm hanging out under the sun all afternoon. There were plenty of shade tents and stand alone water coolers plus a water bottle refill station near the live band, to provide relief from dehydration. Beer options were available for non-wine drinkers, such as Red Hook Pilsner, Red Hook seasonal summer beer Wit and a Shock Top beer. Last year, a guy arranged with the band to play his girlfriend's favorite song...and then he got down on one knee and proposed to her (with the microphone)! Very romantic! Red Hook Wit was delicious, but I'm all about the food. The Mmoon offered three kinds of empanadas - chicken, beef and mushroom, plus a zesty dipping sauce. They were full size empanadas, cut in half and we just helped ourselves. All very delicious. Took us to the Mmoon and back. ;) Kirk's Steakhouse was serving up plates of perfectly cooked filet mignon and fried calamari with cocktail sauce. Decadent! I got in this line only twice, due to the mega long line. Mio Vicino - plates stacked high with several kinds of pasta salads . Yum! Little Sky - Lavender chocolate brownies and sugar cookies. Actually very good! Kyoto Palace - California rolls. They had soy sauce but I didn't see any wasabi. Maybe they can premix some soy sauce with wasabi for those who like it hot. Forgot to check out Adobe Lodge. I think they were handing out lamb chops! I'm so sad I missed this one. :'( Rumba Desserts - delicious ice cream (Lucuma) and sorbet (Mango) all made without eggs or preservatives. I kept coming back for more, it was sooo yummy. Park Place Cupertino - deeeelicious gazpacho. A little heat, plus micro greens on top so that even their samples are beautifully presented. A Catered Affair - mini take out boxes filled with Chinese chicken salad. Marianis Inn and Restaurant - doughy bread sticks and seasoned cream cheese spread...really good, but who wants fill up on bread when there are so many options! 2012 Wineries, Restaurants, and Specialty Vendors A Catered Affair Adobe Lodge Allure Winery Bargetto Winery Battaglini Estate Winery Bell Wine Cellars Birk's Restaurant Bivio Italia Wines Bon Apetit Mission Catering Brady Vineyard Britannia Arms Downtown San Jose Cardella Winery Carmenet Reserve Vintners Collection Champignon Classic Wines of California Curtis Winery Dare2Wine Emergency BBQ En Garde Winery Falcone Family Vineyards Fat Cat Cellars Forest Glen Winery Fortino Winery GiaDomella Wines Guglielmo Winery Haraszthy Family Cellars J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Jarhead Wine Company Kari's Desserts King of Mushrooms Kyoto Palace Lewis Port Little Sky and Lavender Farms M.E. Fox Mais Fica Winery Malvasia Del Fiore Marianis Inn and Restaurant Mio Vicino Santa Clara MJA Vineyards Nicholson Vineyards Pacific Cheese Co. Park Place Cupertino Patianna Organic Vineyards Pear Valley Vineyard and Winery Perrucci Family Vineyard Picket Fence Vineyards Poetic Cellars Portalupi Wine Punch Vineyards Ranchita Canyon Vineyard Rancho Del Rio-Reedy Vineyards Rancho Sisquoc Winery Red Truck Wines Rios Wine Company, LLC Robert Hall Winery Rock Hollow Winery Rumba Desserts San Joaquin Wine Company, Inc. Schwab Cellars Strike Brewing Co. Sun Fed Organic Beef Testarossa Winery The Mmoon Empanadas The Other Guys The Pasta Market Thomas Kruse Winery Ventana Vineyards Villa del Monte

vintage trek 520

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Trek Touring Bike Steel Bikes

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56.5cm Trek 520 Lugged Steel Touring Bike, Shimano Ultegra, Dura Ace 30 Speed

1986 trek 420 touring road bike 58cm large lugged chromoly steel us made/shipper, 1986 trek 450 vintage touring road bike 61cm x-large chromoly steel usa shipper, 1984 trek touring road bike 58cm large deore/rsx lugged chromoly steel ships usa, vintage trek 620 touring bike- reynolds 531c, 2014 crystal white trek 520 touring bike 57cm great condition low miles , 21-inch trek 520 touring road bike, 9x3 w/ bar ends, medium 53cm 54cm just built, rare vintage trek touring, all terrain, commuter 890 bicycle bike excellent rtr, trek 520 vintage lugged steel road bike 500 series, 1991 trek 520 touring road bike 52cm small lugged butted steel usa made shipper, trek 520 bike, very good condition, classic root beer, 2010, 57 cm, 27 speeds, custom extra small 42cm trek steel 9x3 touring bike w/ 26-inch wheels, gravel xs, trek 720 multitrack hy-brid frame parts lot- 17" cro-molly -- 1990s era, trek 400 vintage touring road bike 53cm frame 3x6 shimano deore sakae sx 700c.

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What San Jose looked like in the 1950s Through Vintage Photos

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The San Jose population increased rapidly after World War II as a result of diversification efforts and aggressive annexation. City Hall moved from downtown in 1958 due to the burgeoning population. The opening of Valley Fair, the area’s first shopping center, signaled the decline of downtown. The downtown was revitalized during the last quarter of the 20th century.

Over the years, efforts were made to bring the capital back to San Jose. Still, for the most part, the town settled into being a farming community that supported the agriculture industry that was booming in the Santa Clara Valley. When World War II ended, the valley was the last vast undeveloped land surrounding San Francisco Bay; San Jose had a population of less than 100,000 in 1950.

Here are some stunning vintage photos that show San Jose, California in the 1950s.

#1 San Jose City Hall and Police Department on Hedding St, 1950s

San Jose City Hall and Police Department on Hedding St, 1950s

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What San Jose looked like in the 1950s Through Vintage Photos

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#2 Sears Roebuck, First Street, San Jose, California, 1950

Sears Roebuck, First Street, San Jose, California, 1950

The Sears store in downtown San Jose at 350 South 1st Street, San Jose, California. Sears was located almost directly across from the Fox Theatre.

#3 Hospital in San Jose, 1959

Hospital in San Jose, 1959

#4 San Jose State College campus, 1955

San Jose State College campus, 1955

#5 Moffet Field Planes, 1950s

Moffet Field Planes, 1950s

#6 Corner view of San Jose City Hall 1953, with two automobiles parked in front.

Corner view of San Jose City Hall 1953, with two automobiles parked in front.

#7 San Jose State College campus scene, 1955

San Jose State College campus scene, 1955

#8 San Fernando Street at First Street, 1959

San Fernando Street at First Street, 1959

#9 Picnic tables at Alum Rock Park, 1959

Picnic tables at Alum Rock Park, 1959

#10 Beautiful interior of the Fox California Theatre, San Jose, 1957

Beautiful interior of the Fox California Theatre, San Jose, 1957

#11 IBM Plant Dedication, Cottle Road/Monterey Highway, 1958

IBM Plant Dedication, Cottle Road/Monterey Highway, 1958

#12 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952

#13 Hales Dept store, San Jose, California, 1955

Hales Dept store, San Jose, California, 1955

#14 Fire Station, Engine Company No. 5. 1959

Fire Station, Engine Company No. 5. 1959

#15 Kirk Elementary School, 1959

Kirk Elementary School, 1959

#16 Rose Garden Fountain, San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, 1950s

Rose Garden Fountain, San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, 1950s

The fountain in San Jose's Municipal Rose Garden was created and paid for by the Rotary Club of San Jose in the 1930's.

#17 Alum Rock Park, San Jose, 1950s

Alum Rock Park, San Jose, 1950s

#18 Looking north on Second Street from San Carlos Street, 1959

Looking north on Second Street from San Carlos Street, 1959

#19 The old San Jose City Hall, 1950s

The old San Jose City Hall, 1950s

#20 Campbell Bros. Sunland service station, 1959

Campbell Bros. Sunland service station, 1959

Campbell Bros. Sunland service station at the corner of East Taylor Street and North Seventh Street, San Jose. Signs advertise Sunland Quality Ethyl Gasoline and HO Gasoline.

#21 San Jose City Exhibit, 1951 Santa Clara County Fair, 1951

San Jose City Exhibit, 1951 Santa Clara County Fair, 1951

#22 View of Post Street, San Jose, California, 1951

View of Post Street, San Jose, California, 1951

#23 The corner of Santa Clara and River Streets, San Jose, California during the 1958 flood.

The corner of Santa Clara and River Streets, San Jose, California during the 1958 flood.

#24 First and Santa Clara Streets, 1955

First and Santa Clara Streets, 1955

#25 San Jose City Hall, 1958

San Jose City Hall, 1958

#26 First Street, San Jose, 1955

First Street, San Jose, 1955

#27 Model of San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1951

Model of San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1951

#28 Looking north on The Alameda from the intersection with Race Street, August 9, 1957

Looking north on The Alameda from the intersection with Race Street, August 9, 1957

#29 Sorting Prunes, U. S. Products Corp, 1951

Sorting Prunes, U. S. Products Corp, 1951

#30 Corner of Santa Clara and Market Streets, 1959

Corner of Santa Clara and Market Streets, 1959

#31 South First Street at Christmas, 1958

South First Street at Christmas, 1958

South First Street at Christmas taken from above at night, showing Christmas decorations strung above the street and cars parked below. National $ Stores (National Dollar Stores), Padre, Kress stores are visible.

#32 Agnews State Hospital, 1952

Agnews State Hospital, 1952

#33 Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

#34 Typical Apartment Development, Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, 1959

Typical Apartment Development, Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, 1959

#35 Downtown San Jose Empty Lot, 1950

Downtown San Jose Empty Lot, 1950

#36 Parade with Marching Band, San Jose, 1950

Parade with Marching Band, San Jose, 1950

#37 San Jose City Exhibit, 1951

San Jose City Exhibit, 1951

Display of San Jose Police Department equipment, car, motorcycle and various instruments.

#38 Stanley Smock at Airport Village, San Jose, 1959

Stanley Smock at Airport Village, San Jose, 1959

Stanley Smock, city emergency housing director, stands in deserted street at Airport Village which once teemed with playing youngsters and was crowded with cars. The wartime development at one time was home to 360 families.

#39 Corner of Market at Park, 1955

Corner of Market at Park, 1955

#40 American-La France pumper, 1955

American-La France pumper, 1955

#41 The Alum Rock Sanitarium in east hills of San Jose catered to tuberculosis patients, 1958

The Alum Rock Sanitarium in east hills of San Jose catered to tuberculosis patients, 1958

#42 Western States Professional Photographers Awards Banquet, 1954

Western States Professional Photographers Awards Banquet, 1954

#43 Normal School San Jose, 1950s

Normal School San Jose, 1950s

#44 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

#45 Fountain Alley businesses,1959

Fountain Alley businesses,1959

#46 Looking northeast form the insection of Santa Clara and Market Streets, 1950s

Looking northeast form the insection of Santa Clara and Market Streets, 1950s

#47 BIll Emerson posing with his jaguar sportscar on a country road, 1954

BIll Emerson posing with his jaguar sportscar on a country road, 1954

#48 Beyda’s Import Discount Store, 1957

Beyda's Import Discount Store, 1957

#49 Casa Grande, 1953

Casa Grande, 1953

#50 Mission San Jose De Guadalupe, 1950

Mission San Jose De Guadalupe, 1950

Exterior view of the California Mission San Jose De Guadalupe in San Jose.

#51 San Jose’s Old City Hall Before Demolition, 1955

San Jose's Old City Hall Before Demolition, 1955

#52 Car in front of Holy City buildings, 1950

Car in front of Holy City buildings, 1950

#53 Henry Dyer Residence, 1950

Henry Dyer Residence, 1950

Exterior view of the home of Henry Dyer, which stood on Hostetter Road in the Berryessa area. Mr. Dyer had an orchard on the property. He was the son of Ephraim Dyer, who came west from Maine in 1850.

#54 Businesses along South First Street. Blum’s was famous for its specialty ice creams, 1950

Businesses along South First Street. Blum's was famous for its specialty ice creams, 1950

#55 Lou Thesz behind the bar at the Ringside, 1958

Lou Thesz behind the bar at the Ringside, 1958

#56 Nuns attending Mass at O’Connor Hospital Chapel, San Jose, 1957

Nuns attending Mass at O'Connor Hospital Chapel, San Jose, 1957

Daughters of Charity attending Mass at O'Connor Hospital Chapel, located at 2105 Forest Avenue, San Jose.

#57 World Heavyweight Champion boxer Joe Louis keeps the peace, 1953

World Heavyweight Champion boxer Joe Louis keeps the peace, 1953

#58 First and San Antonio Streets, San Jose, 1950

First and San Antonio Streets, San Jose, 1950

#59 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

#60 Chase Lumber Company, San Jose, 1955

Chase Lumber Company, San Jose, 1955

#61 Chase Candy Company, San Jose, 1952

Chase Candy Company, San Jose, 1952

#62 Administration Building, San Jose State College, 1959

Administration Building, San Jose State College, 1959

#63 Parade float along Saint James Park, with lettering on the side, San Jose, 1950s

Parade float along Saint James Park, with lettering on the side, San Jose, 1950s

#64 Typical Apartment Developmentt, San Jose, 1959

Typical Apartment Developmentt, San Jose, 1959

#65 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

#66 Agricultural Park bicycle track, in disrepair, with the San Jose & Santa Clara Railroad Company buildings and Fredericksburg Brewery in the background, 1951

Agricultural Park bicycle track, in disrepair, with the San Jose & Santa Clara Railroad Company buildings and Fredericksburg Brewery in the background, 1951

#67 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

#68 San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

San Jose City Exhibit, 1952 Santa Clara County Fair, 1952

#69 San Jose City Exhibit, 1951

San Jose City Exhibit, 1951

#70 South First Street, Looking North, 1959

South First Street, Looking North, 1959

#71 C. Sepeda at 464 South Market Street, San Jose, 1957

C. Sepeda at 464 South Market Street, San Jose, 1957

#72 Housing development under construction, 1959

Housing development under construction, 1959

#73 Exterior view of San Jose City Hall with cars and a motorcycle parked alongside it, 1957

Exterior view of San Jose City Hall with cars and a motorcycle parked alongside it, 1957

#74 Market Street North of Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California, 1957

Market Street North of Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California, 1957

#75 Girl Scouts Santa Clara Valley Day camping trailer, 1955

Girl Scouts Santa Clara Valley Day camping trailer, 1955

#76 Walls, building construction, 1950

Walls, building construction, 1950

#77 Mayfair Bus Line No. 53, 1953

Mayfair Bus Line No. 53, 1953

#78 Market Street, north of Santa Clara Street, 1957

Market Street, north of Santa Clara Street, 1957

#79 Cement Mixer, 1951

Cement Mixer, 1951

#80 Brake & Bearing, 540 South First Street, 1955

Brake & Bearing, 540 South First Street, 1955

#81 Men on work site, 1951

Men on work site, 1951

#82 Dole Pineapple Company, 1950s

Dole Pineapple Company, 1950s

#83 Parade in front of American Trust Company Bank Building, 1959

Parade in front of American Trust Company Bank Building, 1959

Parade showing a marching band in front of the American Trust Company Bank Building, Blooms, Harris & Frank, Dundee, Master Cobbler.

#84 Church of St John the Baptist, 1953

Church of St John the Baptist, 1953

#85 Construction of interior with crew, 1951

Construction of interior with crew, 1951

#86 State House from the Grandstand, 1950s

State House from the Grandstand, 1950s

#87 Mayfair Department Store, 1955

Mayfair Department Store, 1955

#88 San Jose City Hall, 1958.

San Jose City Hall, 1958.

#89 Cheim Lumber Company Fire, 1955

Cheim Lumber Company Fire, 1955

Cheim Lumber Company was located at Lenzen Avenue and The Alameda, San Jose. The fire was started on the afternoon of April 14th by three children playing with matches. It quickly spread to the Pacific Hardware & Steel Company and the Prime Rib Dining Room, located at the back of the Cheim Lumber property.

#90 South Second Street, 1959

South Second Street, 1959

#91 Native Daughters of the Golden West Parlor No. 81., 1951

Native Daughters of the Golden West Parlor No. 81., 1951

Native Daughters of the Golden West in a parade down North First Street in San Jose, California. They are dressed in dark long skirts, white long-sleeved blouses and wearing broad brimmed hats with white decoration.

#92 North Market Street parking lot, 1957

North Market Street parking lot, 1957

North Market Street in downtown San Jose, California near intersection of West St. John Street. View overlooking street and City of San Jose Public Parking Lot No. 1. Greyhound bus and cars driving past on street in foreground. North San Pedro Street businesses and residences are visible on the other side of the parking lot, as well as the intersection of San Pedro and St. John Street. Stores visible behind the parking lot are American Welding Supply (75 North San Pedro) and C & D Automotive Service (85 North San Pedro).

#93 Julian Street and Thirteenth Street, 1955

Julian Street and Thirteenth Street, 1955

#94 Public Works Street Cleaner at Santa Clara County Fair, 1951

Public Works Street Cleaner at Santa Clara County Fair, 1951

#95 First and Post Streets, looking west, 1955

First and Post Streets, looking west, 1955

#96 Montgomery Hotel Wide Angle Exteriors, 1956

Montgomery Hotel Wide Angle Exteriors, 1956

#97 Sir Francis Drake Pharmacy, 1952

Sir Francis Drake Pharmacy, 1952

#98 Bona Sera Ford Edsel Dealership, 1957

Bona Sera Ford Edsel Dealership, 1957

#99 Entertainment at the IBM Plant Dedication, 1958

Entertainment at the IBM Plant Dedication, 1958

#100 Storefronts at 964-972 Main, Santa Clara, 1955

Storefronts at 964-972 Main, Santa Clara, 1955

#101 Bill Eitel and Jack Mccullough in front of their new San Carlos plant, 1959

Bill Eitel and Jack Mccullough in front of their new San Carlos plant, 1959

#102 Northwest View from City Hall, 1950

Northwest View from City Hall, 1950

Northwest view from City Hall, at Market Street and San Antonio Street. Some businesses along Market Street are visible: Gonzalez Bail Bonds and W. O. Standring Co. The Hotel de Anza is visible in the distance.

#103 Palo Alto High School, 1950

Palo Alto High School, 1950

#104 Native Sons of the Golden West Drum Corps, 1950

Native Sons of the Golden West Drum Corps, 1950

#105 T & D Garage, 1950

T & D Garage, 1950

#106 Group of men looking at large plans at construction site, 1959

Group of men looking at large plans at construction site, 1959

#107 Elephants parading south on First Street at the corner of St. John, 1950

Elephants parading south on First Street at the corner of St. John, 1950

#108 South First at San Fernando, 1955

South First at San Fernando, 1955

South First at San Fernando looking north. Most of the downtown stores were open late for shoppers on Thursday evenings.

#109 Six-foot five-inch Mike Sharpe lifts lovely ladies Shirlie Montgomery, 1958

Six-foot five-inch Mike Sharpe lifts lovely ladies Shirlie Montgomery, 1958

#110 Carried in style by Ben and Mike Sharpe, 1953

Carried in style by Ben and Mike Sharpe, 1953

#111 Corner of Market at Park, 1955

Corner of Market at Park, 1955

#112 Shirlie Montgomery with camera, 1950

Shirlie Montgomery with camera, 1950

#113 Cheim Lumber Company fire, Lenzen Avenue and The Alameda, San Jose, 1955

Cheim Lumber Company fire, Lenzen Avenue and The Alameda, San Jose, 1955

The fire began at 1400 The Alameda at Lenzen Avenue on the afternoon of April 14th when three children were playing with matches. It quickly spread to the Pacific Hardware & Steel Company and the Prime Rib Dining Room, located at the back of the Cheim Lumber property. The heat from the fire was so intense that it damaged several hoses and put one engine out of commission. Seventy-seven firemen worked to control the fire.

#114 The Torres brothers with friends at the Ringside, 1953

The Torres brothers with friends at the Ringside, 1953

#115 Flood at Santa Clara and River Streets, San Jose, 1958

Flood at Santa Clara and River Streets, San Jose, 1958

The corner of Santa Clara and River Streets, San Jose, during the 1958 Guadalupe River flood.

#116 Wrestler weight training with local fans, 1953

Wrestler weight training with local fans, 1953

#117 Mayor Robert Welsh at Community Bank Building ground-breaking, San Jose, 1950s

Mayor Robert Welsh at Community Bank Building ground-breaking, San Jose, 1950s

San Jose Mayor Robert Welsh at the ground-breaking for the Community Bank Building at San Pedro and San Augustine Streets, San Jose.

#118 Tiny Mills versus Ray Eckert at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1953

Tiny Mills versus Ray Eckert at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1953

#119 IBM Cottle Road plant dedication, San Jose, 1958

IBM Cottle Road plant dedication, San Jose, 1958

Crowd reflected at dedication of IBM plant at Cottle Road and Monterey Highway. The new plant incorporated four IBM sites previously located in downtown San Jose.

#120 Sandwich board displaying Montgomery’s photographs, 1955

Sandwich board displaying Montgomery's photographs, 1955

Sandwich board advertising wrestling matches at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, featuring photographs by Shirlie Montgomery

#121 Nurses in training at O’Connor Hospital, San Jose, 1957

Nurses in training at O'Connor Hospital, San Jose, 1957

Nurses were trained at O'Connor Hospital under the supervision of the Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur.

#122 Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

Candid view of the crowd at the San Jose Civic Auditorium as they react to the wrestling match in progress.

#123 Chinese New Year parade, Valley Fair Shopping Mall, Santa Clara, 1950s

Chinese New Year parade, Valley Fair Shopping Mall, Santa Clara, 1950s

#124 South First Street, 1955

South First Street, 1955

#125 Shirlie Montgomery, Enrique Torres and Angelo Cistoldi at the Ringside Bar, 1950s

Shirlie Montgomery, Enrique Torres and Angelo Cistoldi at the Ringside Bar, 1950s

#126 St. Patrick’s Day at the Ringside Bar, 1953

St. Patrick's Day at the Ringside Bar, 1953

#127 San Jose City Hall, 1955

San Jose City Hall, 1955

City Hall as it looked in the 1950s. Designed by the architect Theodore Lenzen, and constructed in 1887, it originally housed the jail on the ground floor, council chambers on the main floor, and public library on the third floor. This City Hall continued in use until it was demolished in 1958.

#128 Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

Crowd watching a wrestling match at San Jose Civic Auditorium, 1955

#129 South Market at the Plaza, 1955

South Market at the Plaza, 1955

#130 Ben Sharpe poses with his brother Mike, seated, 1953

Ben Sharpe poses with his brother Mike, seated, 1953

#131 Car Show in San Jose, 1957

Car Show in San Jose, 1957

#132 Lyle Hunt, a police officer in San Jose, California, restrains a member of the public with a fellow officer, 1954.

Lyle Hunt, a police officer in San Jose, California, restrains a member of the public with a fellow officer, 1954.

#133 Lyle Hunt, a police officer in San Jose, California, makes an arrest, 1954.

Lyle Hunt, a police officer in San Jose, California, makes an arrest, 1954.

#134 San Jose Cop, 1954

San Jose Cop, 1954

#135 Mission Santa Clara, located just three miles from San Jose, at Santa Clara, California, 1955. (

Mission Santa Clara, located just three miles from San Jose, at Santa Clara, California, 1955. (

#136 Riding The Rails On A Train

Riding The Rails On A Train

A railroad man demonstrates how hobos would 'ride the rails' on a freight train in the old days, San Jose, California, 1950. Most cars now have steel beams with no place to ride.

#137 Assembly Line at IBM, San Jose, 1950s

Assembly Line at IBM, San Jose, 1950s

#138 San Jose Civic Center, San Carlos Street, 1958

San Jose Civic Center, San Carlos Street, 1958

#139 West Santa Clara Street near Market Street, San Jose, 1959

West Santa Clara Street near Market Street, San Jose, 1959

#140 IBM Dedication, 1d – 12d, 1958

IBM Dedication, 1d - 12d, 1958

Exterior shot of the new IBM facility at Monterey and Cottle Roads in San Jose, and speakers at the podium during the dedication. Several shots of the crowd in 1950s fashions, and visitors riding on movable transport around the facility.

Avatar of Aung Budhh

Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

vintage trek 520

Man that city hall was absolutely peak.

All those apartments…talk about bleak. I love San Jose r. it looked like the designers were saying, ‘F it. The Commies are going to drop the A-bomb any day, anyway.’

© 2024 Bygonely

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Table 2 - TUBING TENSILE STRENGTH AND YIELD STRENGTH*

* Most of the information in Tables 1 and 2 was extracted from Jalon Hawk's DesperadoCycles.com web site. Included at his site is Jalon's excellent write up of the geometry and physical properties of the various tubings and what it all means.

** Tubeset weight is not consistent among tubing manufacturers. The length of some of the tubes in a set is different between makers as is the length of butted sections. As a result, the total tubeset weights are not indicative of the relative weight of the resulting bike.

HELICOMATIC HUBS

Trek used Maillard Helicomatic rear hubs on some road bike Models in the mid 80s. They were a clever French innovation using a special cassette (of cogs) that mounts onto a special hub. Great idea, but poorly engineered and tested; they proved to be unreliable. For more information, see Sheldon Brown's comments at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ha-i.html#helicomatic and at The Yellow Jersey http://www.yellowjersey.org/helico.html .

What to do if you have one on your Trek and it no longer works, or you want a more reliable setup? People often replace the Helicomatic hub/wheel with a freewheel wheel or freehub wheel. If they are concerned about originality, they keep their original wheel and work to find a replacement for the hub or cassette. They show up occasionally on Ebay.com.

Vintage Trek bikes were originally painted with DuPont Imron paint. Imron is a two part paint that is difficult to use by other than professional painters. Imron is still available from DuPont. Some frame painters still use it today. However, some localities have clean air regulations that prohibit its use.

Classic Rendezvous provides a list of expert bike frame painters and refinishers. Desperado Cycles uses Imron as do Joe Bell Bicycle Refinishing , Rad Finishes and Spectrum Cycles . If you know of other painters who do, please let me know .

Many of the Imron colors used by Trek are still available. Trek generally used the same Imron color name as did DuPont, so it often is possible to match the original color. The Joe Bell Bicycle Refinishing web site has a PDF copy of the Imron color chart on its site.

For many years, Trek had a service to repaint an old Trek for an owner or bike shop. It would not reproduce the original colors and graphics, but used the then current year graphics and colors. This way, a bike might have been made in one year but have paint and graphics from a later year. The repaint service was discontinued around 2010.

TREK DECALS

One source of reproduction Trek decals is VeloCals.com . Here are examples of reproduction Trek graphics made by VeloCals . You can contact JR Anderson of VeloCals at [email protected] .

PAINT TOUCH UP

Because the paint used on Vintage Treks, Imron, is a two-part paint, it is difficult to use for touchup. Many serious bike collectors use Testor's paint. It comes in little bottles and spray cans. It is used for car and airplane models and can be found at hobby shops in lots of colors. If you can't find a match, mix a couple of colors together.

Richard Kaufman writes: "Testor's "Model Master" Enamel Paint in FRENCH BLUE is a virtual match for the Dupont Imron "Race Blue" on my '85 Trek 600. No mixing with other colors required, in my opinion."

Car paint touch up paint also works fine. Get it at a car parts store or car dealer. The bottle comes with its own paintbrush. Color matching can take a bit of work, you may need to mix two or more bottles.

Others have had good luck with fingernail polish, red bikes are especially good for this but, depending on the latest fashion, other colors work as well.

Another option is take the bike to a specialty shop that sells auto paints (not just an auto body shop). They will scan the paint on the bike and mix a perfect match. They can give you the paint in a jar or can put it in a spray bottle. It is a bit pricey; on the order of $60.

THREADING THE DERAILLEUR CABLE THROUGH THE CHAINSTAY

Trek ran the rear derailleur cable through the right chainstay for most of their steel road bikes beginning in 1985 and ending in 1989. A clever idea - that has its supporters and detractors. However, cleverness is also required when replacing the cable. Rich Tong's "Tong Family Blog" lists some helpful methods.

INTERNAL RUSTPROOFING OF A FRAME

Unlike some other frame materials, a steel frame does not degrade through normal use or simply through age. However, if a steel bike is ridden in the rain or is kept outdoors, rust on the inside surfaces of the frame tubing can be a problem. A way to check if your frame has been damaged by rust is to remove the bottom bracket and look at the bottom bracket shell and the tubes. Some rust is normal, but lots of rust or significant pitting can be a problem.

To prevent, or significantly reduce, internal rusting, people spray the inside of the tubes with a rust preventative. Two excellent products are "Frame Saver" by J. Peter Weigle and "Boeshield T-9" developed by Boeing. Frame Saver dries to a wax-like coating. It is available at most pro bike shops and over the web. Boeshield T-9 is a protectant and lubricant; it stays oily. Which to use? Peter Weigle is a custom frame maker (support a fellow bike guy). Boeing makes lots of great things that fly, but I believe bikes are not included . . .

People also use LPS 3, a heavy-duty rust inhibitor, which leaves a transparent waxy film. It is commonly available at hardware stores in spray cans.

A simple solution is to spray the insides with WD-40 penetrating oil. It dries to a thin, varnish-like coating that protects the metal. Not quite as good as the three products above, but much better than nothing at all. (BTW - because of this drying characteristic, WD-40 should not be used as a long-term lubricant.)

The rustproofing products above generally do not require removing the rust inside the frame tubes before applying. However, cleaning the inside of the bottom bracket and the headtube of loose rust is a good idea. To treat, remove the bottom bracket, headset and seat post. Spray into every opening in the frame, including the vent holes in the stays. Then, I like to tape over the openings and rotate the frame slowly a few times in various directions, to be sure that all internal surfaces are soaked. Remove the tape and let the excess run out. For the waxy coating types, and WD-40, it it best to allow a day or two drying time before reassembling.

CONVERTING FROM A QUILL STEM TO A MODERN THREADLESS STEM

Your vintage bike came with a quill stem. Can it be converted to a more modern threadless stem? NO, YES, and YES.

NO - The steerer tube on the original fork is almost certainly not long enough to use a full threadless system.

YES - A new fork which has a sufficiently long steerer tube is required. New forks typically are made for threadless stems, and have no threads on the steerer tube. One can employ a used fork from a (much) larger bike that has a sufficiently long steer tube. However, any threaded upper portion of the used fork must be cut off. In this conversion, a threadless headset will be required.

CAUTION - You should NOT attach the threadless stem to the threaded portion of a fork's steerer tube. The steerer tube may (will) break at the threads. This can result in a dramatic alteration of the rider's appearance.

YES - There is an adapter one can buy that has a quill at one end and a cylinder at the other. The quill is inserted into the steerer tube and tightened. The threadless stem is clamped onto the cylindrical end. These threadless stem adapters are available at most bike shops or on the Internet at places like performancebike.com or nashbar.com. Cost is about $20.

UPGRADING FROM A DOUBLE TO TRIPLE CRANK

This is a common upgrade for people living in hilly areas. It can be done by replacing a double crank with a triple crank or by attaching a triple chainring adapter, a triplizer, to the existing double crank. Information on tripleizers (triple chainring adapters) , has been provided here by Don Gillies.

What new/used parts do you need to replace a double crank with a triple?

  • Triple right crank
  • L onger bottom bracket axle or new bottom bracket
  • W ide range rear derailleur (either a road triple or mountain bike triple)
  • Longer chain
  • STI or Ergo triple front shifter or a friction shifter capable of handling a triple (most can).
  • A new front derailleur may be needed if: 1. the existing one doesn't have enough range to shift to the inner and outer rings, or 2. if the chain drags on the tail of the derailleur when in the small ring.

If you want to use a small inner ring, less than 30 teeth or so, (touring over the Rockies, stump pulling or just peace of mind) and a large ring of 50 teeth or more, a new front derailleur with a long tail will probably be required. Here are some suggestions for long-tailed front derailleurs (all no longer made): Huret Duo Par, Huret Pilot, SunTour Cyclone MK II, Simplex SJA 522, Simplex SJA 102, Shimano N-600, SunTour Mountech. A Campagnolo Super Record front will work with inner rings down to about 28 teeth.

Drew Saunders has detailed information on making a double to triple conversion. http://www.stanford.edu/~dru/tripleize.html . This page also describes the use of the " tripleizer " chain ring.

A Campagnolo Nuovo or Super Record double crank arm can be converted to a triple by drilling and tapping the crank arm to accept a 74mm BCD inner chainring. It requires some precision, so don't try it with a hand drill. Various shops can do it for you, including Elliott Bay Bicycles in Seattle.

An alternative to a new bottom bracket is to add a longer axle to the existing cup and cone bottom bracket. It may not be easy to determining the length needed. See Sheldon Brown's Bottom Bracket Size Database for a discussion of this problem: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html . Vintage Trek road bike bottom bracket shells are the English/Japanese standard 68mm wide. Used parts can be found at bicycle swap meets, used bike shops, or on eBay.com

If you are able to find a vintage used road triple crank, you may have a challenge finding a bottom bracket or crank axle of the right length. See Sheldon Brown's site, http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html , for guidance.

For a vintage Trek, a common setup is to find a used Sugino AT crankset (triple) and use a Shimano UN52 or UN72 or UN73 sealed bottom bracket with 127.5mm axle. This may require a 2mm spacer on the right bottom bracket end to provide sufficient spacing between the small ring and the chainstay. The spacer is typically available at your local bike shop.

One possible solution to the crank axle length problem is to take the crank and bike to your local bike shop. Ask them to sell you a new bottom bracket and install it for you. It is likely the will have only Shimano sealed bottom brackets to choose from. They may have to do some trial an error fitting, trying a few bottom brackets until they come up with one that works. Let them know that using a 1mm or 2mm spacer on the right side is OK.

ADDING MORE REAR COGS OR CONVERTING TO INDEX SHIFTING

Vintage Treks typically came with 5 or 6 or 7 rear cogs. More modern rear hubs have 8, 9 or 10 cogs. Can an old Trek be modified to have more cogs? Yes, but it does take some money and work.

First, you must decide on the number of rear gears you want. If you want more than 8 gears in the rear, it is likely you will need a new crank. A 9 speed chain will likely fall between the chainwheels. A 10 speed chain is more of a problem.

A modern Shimano road hub with 130mm spacing can take a 8, 9 or 10 speed cassette. With a commercially-available spacer, the hub can be used with a 7 speed cassette. This road hub requires 130mm rear dropout spacing (see the Spreading Rear Dropouts section below).

Campagnolo and Shimano components are generally not compatible with each other if index shifting (click shifting) is your goal. Campy or Shimano rear shifters will not work with the other's rear derailleurs or cassettes. (An exception is that 9 speed hubs/wheels can be used, imperfectly, with the other's equipment.) Cassettes of one manufacturer will not fit on the other's rear hubs. However, Campy and Shimano front shifters and derailleurs are usually compatible.

If you are going to buy new road components of a single manufacturer, the components will be compatible, if a common speed (8, 9 or 10) for the parts is specified. If you are going to use components of different years and models, there are some incompatibilities of which you should be aware. The book "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" by Leonard Zinn contains details of these problems.

What is needed to convert from a freewheel hub (5, 6, or 7 speeds) to a cassette hub system with index shifting?

  • A rear hub capable of carrying a cassette with the targeted number of gears. (This usually entails buying a new wheel.)
  • A cassette with the desired number of cogs, that matches the new rear hub.
  • New shifters that are made for the number of cogs on the cassette.
  • Cable stops to replace the downtube shifters (if you are using integrated brake lever/shifters [AKA brifters] or barcon [bar end] shifters).
  • New rear derailleur designed for index shifting. A caution - a rear derailleur designed for a lower number of cogs (e.g. 7) will shift cogs with more gears, BUT - there may not be clearance between the derailleur and the spokes.
  • Front derailleur designed for index shifting. If you want to friction shift, almost any front derailleur will work.
  • New chain designed for the targeted number of cogs in the cassette. A modern 8 speed chain will also work with 5, 6, or 7 speed cogs. Nine cogs require 9 speed chains; ten cogs require 10 speed chains.

If your bike has brazed-on bosses for downtube shifters, to convert from 5 or 6 speed shifters you probably can find 7 (or rarely, 8) speed Shimano indexed downtube shifters that will fit.

Many conversions use Shimano bar end (also called barcon) indexed shifters. They were available in 7 and 8 speeds (find used or NOS on eBay.com). Nine-speed barcons are still available new. Bar-end shifters avoid the expense of STI integrated brake levers/shifters and allows you to keep your current brake levers. They require replacing your downtube shifters with downtube cable stops.

A caution - some downtube clamp-on shifter bosses made for friction shifting, that may be on your lower to mid-level Trek bike, are not compatible with standard shifters that fit on brazed-on bosses. Downtube cable stops also will not fit on these nonstandard types of clamp-on bosses. Types that do not work are various Shimano ones, including Shimano 600, and many by SunTour. Old Campagnolo Nuovo/Super Record clamp-on bosses work fine as do Shimano clamp-on bosses made for index shifting.

A shifter alternative is to use a brifter for shifting the rear derailleur, but a downtube shifter for the front. A regular brake lever can be used for the front brake. This weight-saving setup was often used by Lance on his climbing bike. Also, with this method you can use your existing non-indexing front derailleur and non-indexing downtube shifter.

Here are three innovative shifter alternatives that can facilitate upgrading or modernizing an old bike:

The Kelly Takeoff is: "A simple, low cost alternative to integrated shifting. Lightweight chromoly. Mounts simply. Uses your conventional shifters & aero/non-aero brake levers. Great for retrofits." Paul Component Engineering Thumbies thumb shifter mounts: "These are designed to be used with indexed Shimano bar-end (aka barcon) shifters. Both 9-speed and 8-speed indexed shifters are readily available, and these shifters also still have a friction option for everything else." Bar-end Shifter Mounts from Rivendell Bicycle Works . "If you have regular downtube shifters that you want to convert to bar-enders, you need these. Most shifters work on them. Not all, but most." CONVERTING FROM 27" DIAMETER WHEELS TO 700C WHEELS Many older Treks came with 27" diameter wheels/tires. More modern bikes use 700C wheels/tires. A common question is: "Can I simply replace my 27" wheels with 700C"? The answer is yes, if your brake pads can be lowered in their slots by 4mm or more. This is usually the case. A practical test is to borrow a set of 700C wheels and try them. If the pads cannot be lowered that much, the brakes calipers will have to be replaced with others that allow this much reach. There are plenty of good 27" tires available at road bike shops or on the Internet. Touring, commuting, and training tire availability is not a problem; lots of choices. Why change from 27" to 700C? Three reasons: 1. You want to use racing clincher tires. The selection and availability of lightweight skinny tires in 700C is huge. 2. You want to use tubular tires (which are not available in 27" diameter). 3. If you think 27" wheels/tires are old fashioned or your riding buddies give you grief.

SPREADING REAR DROPOUTS

Early Vintage Treks, 1976 to 1982 (or so), have a rear dropout spacing of 120mm. After 82, spacing increased to 126mm to accommodate 6 or 7 speed hubs. With a bit of effort (or $) you can bend the stays on your steel Trek to increase the spacing to work with modern hubs. Modern spacing is 130mm for 8, 9 or 10 speed (road hubs). One can even spread to 135mm to employ the extra strength of mountain bike rear hubs. This is common for touring bikes.

CAUTION: Only steel frames can be safely spread. Aluminum and carbon frames should not be spread as they tend to break or be damaged, not bend. Additionally, frames of Reynolds 753 steel tubing (such as the Trek Model 170) should not be spread. The forces required are so high that damage to the frame (or the person bending) is likely.

Unfortunately, there is some (but minor) risk involved in permanently bending a frame; the brake bridge or chainstay bridge can pop, leaving you with junk or an expensive repair job. An experienced bike shop can do the spreading, but usually with the proviso that is is at your risk.

One do-it-yourself method employs an 8" or longer piece of allthread, two nuts, and two washers. Allthread is a continuously-threaded rod available in most hardware stores. Use either 5/16" or 3/8" diameter. The allthread is placed in the dropouts and the nuts are turned outward to spread the dropouts. The washers go between the nuts and the dropouts. Lubricate the allthread to make the process easier.

You must spread well beyond the target width to get the stays to bend. It is an iterative process. Screw the dropouts out a bit, measure the spread, unscrew the allthread, and measure the result. If no permanent spreading is accomplished, spread again, going a bit farther. Repeat this process until the target is reached. Use care, there is little distance between spreading with no permanent bending and spreading with permanent bending. If you do go beyond the target width, use the allthread in reverse to bend the dropouts back together. Columbus tubing is commonly thought to be the most difficult to bend, followed by Ishiwata and then Reynolds 531.

I wrap the bridges with many turns of string and/or strapping tape to help assure they do not pop. However, realize that the tape or string can damage the paint. One can use the string method described by Sheldon Brown (see below) to check alignment after the spreading. Most Trek frames do not have dimpled chainstays, so spreading using the allthread method tends to spread the stays uniformly, and does not significantly affect alignment.

A final test of alignment is whether you can ride the bike with no hands and have the bike go straight with both bike and rider vertical.

More frame spreading information is available at Sheldon Brown's site http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html . He suggests an alternative method for spreading, employing a wooden 2 x 4. However, the 2 x 4 method can misalign the entire rear triangle. If this happens, one can use the allthread in reverse to keep the dropouts from spreading apart while using the 2 x 4 to twist the rear triangle back into alignment.

After spreading the dropouts, a good frame shop will align the dropout faces to make them parallel. They will have a tool just for this purpose. For the do-it-yourselfer, this is not normally necessary. Non parallel dropouts are often cited as a cause of axle breakage, at least for freewheel-type hubs. However, with the wide bearing location of modern cassette hubs, the problem is not encountered.

A shortcut, useful for going from 126mm to 130mm, is not to permanently spread the frame. When you install the 130mm hub, just pull apart the dropouts to make it fit. Not very elegant, but works just fine.

IS IT COLUMBUS TUBING?

Is the tubing on your frame Columbus? If so, the steerer tube outer surface would probably have a little Columbus dove stamped on it. Also, if Columbus, the lower portion of inside of the steerer tube will typically have "ridges" or "rifling". (The inner surface of the top of the tube will be smooth to accept the stem.) If either is the case, the fork tubing is almost certainly Columbus. If the fork is original, the rest of the frame is almost certainly Columbus. However, if either the dove or the rifling are missing, it is not proof it is not Columbus, but it likely is not.

On vintage Treks, the Cinelli bottom bracket (with cast in "Cinelli") was more commonly used with Columbus tubing. However, it is not a reliable indicator as it also was used with Reynolds 531 tubing.

SOURCES OF GENERAL VINTAGE LIGHTWEIGHT INFORMATION HOW TO CONTACT TREK TECHNICAL SUPPORT HOW TO FIND VINTAGE BIKE PARTS BASIC SPECS FOR VINTAGE TREK STEEL ROAD BIKES STEEL TUBING SPECS FOR EARLY TREKS HELICOMATIC HUBS PAINT TREK DECALS PAINT TOUCH UP INTERNAL RUSTPROOFING OF A FRAME THREADING THE DERAILLEUR CABLE THROUGH THE CHAINSTAY CONVERTING FROM A QUILL STEM TO A MODERN THREADLESS STEM ADDING MORE REAR COGS OR CONVERTING TO INDEX SHIFTING UPGRADING FROM A DOUBLE TO TRIPLE CRANK CONVERTING FROM 27" DIAMETER WHEELS TO 700C WHEELS SPREADING REAR DROPOUTS IS IT COLUMBUS TUBING?

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