Bicycle Refurbishing and Upgrading Tips
This page includes some tips concerning the maintenance,
refurbishing and upgrading of vintage bikes. It includes specifications
on vintage Treks that can be used to select replacement parts. Included
is a list of places where you can get additional information and where
to get vintage repair parts. Click on the menu items below to take you
to that topic.
Before you start wrenching on a bike that is not new,
I strongly suggest you apply a penetrating oil, such as WD-40, Liquid
Wrench or Kroil, to anything you want to unscrew without breaking. That
little screw may look inexpensive, but replacing it may entail buying
a new brake caliper or derailleur. If the part is stuck, applying liberally
and waiting overnight can be the best insurance against a sharp snap,
followed by anguish and despair.
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?
SOURCES OF GENERAL VINTAGE
LIGHTWEIGHT BIKE INFORMATION
Sheldon Brown has placed an extraordinary number of
excellent bike articles on his web site. See them at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/articles.html.
Classic
Rendezvous Lightweight Vintage Bicycles Mailing List
- This list is probably the best source of information on pre 1984 bikes.
These folks are the heavyweights of classic lightweight collecting,
so to speak ;-). Many famous names, people with hundreds of bikes, at
least one with a thousand bikes. Important - Read the rules before posting.
The list was moved to Google Groups in February of 2011. To join the
new group one must obtain a Google Groups account and then apply for
membership into the Classic Rendezvous Lightweight Vintage group. Membership
is required to submit postings and also to even view the postings. Dale
Brown runs a tight ship, making the C/R list wonderfully informative.
Chat about other than vintage lightweights is done elsewhere.
The Classic Rendezvous posts made prior to February
2011 can be searched here:
http://search.bikelist.org/.
The oldroads.com Vintage Lightweights Discussion forum
is an informal source of information. http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1.
Few rules there. You can search past posts.
The iBOB discussion list is another good source of information.
You will have to join first but it is easy, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/internet-bob.
iBOB is Bridgestone Owners Bunch, but they have a kinship with old Treks
and their owners. Their vintage interest overlaps with the dates of
vintage Treks. Many big names in cycling here taking time to help others.
You will get 40 or more emails/day from the list. It is now moderated,
making it a much more pleasant way of interacting.
HOW TO CONTACT TREK
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Trek Technical Support web contact interface:
http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/contact.php
NOTE: This address changes fairly frequently, If the
above does not work, dive into the trekbikes.com site and track it
down.
HOW TO FIND VINTAGE
BIKE PARTS
For most people, before the advent of the Internet,
it was difficult to find parts for old bikes. Most of us were not fortunate
enough to have a nearby shop that specialized in used bikes and parts.
Not everyone had the patience for swap meets or garage sales or knew
how to find collectors (their spouses know them as hoarders) of parts
who were willing to share.
Buying another used bike to get
a needed part is an oft-used technique. However, this usually produces
a number of nonfunctional bikes in one's garage; requiring more parts
to get them running. This downward spiral results in less and
less available garage space.
Now, one can search eBay.com for
both used and new old stock (NOS) parts. One can also search for parts
for sale on various forums or discussion lists (see
the Buy/Sell page for a list of some of these). One also can post
a wanted notice on the forum or list describing what you want. Most
members of these lists get enjoyment out of placing an unneeded part
with a good home; the monetary return is secondary.
There also are online bike component stores that handle
NOS or used parts. Here are a few of these stores:
Harris
Cyclery - http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/
Bicycle
Classics - http://www.bicycleclassics.com/
Rivendell
Bicycle Works - http://www.rivbike.com
Here are some of the leading online bike and bike component
stores selling new modern parts:
Performance
Bicycle - http://www.performancebike.com/
Bike
Nashbar - http://www.nashbar.com/
Colorado
Cyclist - http://www.coloradocyclist.com/
Alfred
E. Bike - http://aebike.com/
BASIC SPECS
FOR VINTAGE TREK STEEL ROAD BIKES
Seatpost Diameter - Nearly all road Treks prior
to the mid 90s have the standard seatpost diameter of 27.2mm. Exceptions
are Models TX200 and TX300, which have a diameter of 26.8mm, and the
Model 170 at 27.4mm. Additionally, a 1985 Model 2000 (aluminum bonded
frame) with a 27.4mm seatpost has been reported. For newer Treks, tandems,
and mountain bikes, see the Trek technical manuals on this page: http://www.vintage-trek.com/trek-fisher-klein-lemond.htm.
The manuals on that page span the period from 1995 through 2005. Additional
information is on Sheldon Brown's Seatpost
Size Database.
Seat Tube Outside Diameter - 28.6mm or 1 1/8
inches. (The front derailleur clamps onto this tubing size.)
Stem Diameter - 22.2mm (7/8"). This is the
current standard size. Vintage Treks came with quill-type stems, rather
than the currently-used threadless stem.
A 1982 730 and a 1983 720 have been reported using a
stem size of 0.833" (21.15mm); a 22.2 stem was too big. The owner
of the 730, Jack Romaine, found that a 22.2 stem would fit into the
bottom end of the steerer tube. (Hmmmmm - the plot thickens.) Upper-level
steerer tubes are butted (thicker wall size, smaller internal diameter)
at the bottom end of the tube. Apparently, Trek fork builders brazed
at least two steerer tubes upside down. Jack sanded the I.D. of the
upper end of his steerer to make it larger, enabling him to use a 22.2mm
stem.
Stem Clamp Diameter (Handlebar Diameter) -
The majority of vintage road Treks (with drop handlebars) have a clamp
diameter of 25.4mm. Two exceptions: 1. the Cinelli bars and stems, used
on upper level bikes, use a 26.4mm clamp diameter. (Since 1998, Cinelli
has used a 26.0mm diameter.) and 2. the French-made Belleri bars, used
on some mid-80s models, have a clamp diameter of 26.0mm (our thanks
to Richard Kaufman). Mountain or hybrid bikes (with straight or or raised
handlebars) take a 25.4mm handlebar.
Headset - 1" dia. (ISO) headset (the most
common standard headset). Vintage Treks take threaded headsets in contrast
to the more modern threadless headsets. When replacing the headset,
remember that stack height (the vertical space taken up by the headset)
is important. You should try to match the old height. If the new height
is too tall, you won't be able to screw on the lock nut (big problem).
If too short, you will need to add a spacer(s) that you can buy at your
LBS (local bike shop).
Bottom Bracket - All are the standard (most common)
English/Japanese spec of 68mm wide with threads of 1.37" x 24 TPI.
Rear Dropout Spacing - 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. Spacing went to
130mm with the advent of 8 speed cassettes, which were phased in on
Trek bikes from 1991 - 95. Modern 9- and 10-speed road hubs still use
the 130mm spacing.
Frame Size - Trek used two measurements for frame
size. As their primary measurement, Trek measured their frames in inches
from the center of the bottom bracket shell to the top of the top tube.
This is called "center to top" or "c to t" or "c-t".
Trek also provided a measurement, in centimeters, from the center of
the bottom bracket shell to the center of the top tube. This is called
"center to center" or "c to c" or "c-c".
It is measurement "A" in this drawing.
Both of these measurements are taken along the center of the seat tube,
not vertically up to the top tube. (Note: The frame geometry drawings
in the 84 catalog incorrectly show measure "A" as to the top
of the top tube instead of to the center of the top tube.)
Trek made early production vintage Treks in these sizes:
19.75" (or occasionally 19" instead), 21" 22.5, 24"
and 25.5". In the late 80s, Trek added 18" and 19" frames
and dropped the 19.75" size for some models. Trek custom frames
and some upper level racing frames, were typically measured in cm, (cc)
although some drawings show frame sizes in cm and mean center to top.
Jeff Paterson noticed in the 1981 catalog that the 25.5" Model
610 and 710 are shown with two different "A" measurements,
62 and 63 cm respectively. Rather than being a typo, this probably shows
actual differences in the geometries and suggests 25.5" frames
are "nominally" that size.
STEEL TUBING SPECS FOR EARLY TREKS
A common question is: "What is are
the differences between the various tubing types used in early Trek
bikes." Related to that question is: "How does this affect
'ride quality'?"
In addition to tubing properties, factors
such as rider weight and strength, frame size and geometry and frame
builder talent affect ride quality. The ride quality experienced by
a 150 pound rider on a bike designed for him/her will be quite different
from the experience of a 250 pound rider on that same bike.
The flexibility of a tube is described
by its Young's modulus (also called the modulus of elasticity). The
steel alloys used in the various tubesets provided by manufacturers
have the same modulus of elasticity. The yield strength and tensile
strength (see Table 2) are important properties of the steel used in
bike tubing, but come into play only when the frame is stressed enough
to be permanently bent or broken.
Tubing diameter affects frame rigidity,
but the vast majority of steel frames, including all vintage Trek frames,
have the same outside diameter. So - the tubing wall thickness is the
tubing characteristic that most strongly affects frame rigidity. Wall
thicknesses are given in the Table 1 below:
Table 1 - TUBING WALL THICKNESSES*
| Tubing Name |
Wall Thickness, mm
|
Tubeset
Weight**, gm
|
|
top
tube
|
down
tube
|
seat
tube
|
fork
blades
|
chain
stays
|
seat
stays
|
|
| Columbus SL |
09/06/0.9
|
09/0.6/0.9
|
0.6/0.9
|
0.9
|
0.7
|
0.7
|
1925
|
| Columbus SP |
1.0/0.7/1.0
|
1.0/0.7/1.0
|
0.7/1.0
|
1.05
|
1
|
1
|
2295
|
| Ishiwata 022 |
0.9/0.6/0.9
|
0.9/0.6/0.9
|
0.9/0.6
|
1
|
0.8
|
0.8
|
2185
|
| Ishiwata Magny-X |
0.9/0.6/0.9 |
0.9/0.6/0.9 |
0.9/0.6 |
1 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
2420 |
| Reynolds 501 |
0.9/0.6/0.9
|
0.9/0.6/0.9
|
0.9/0.6
|
0.9
|
0.9
|
0.9
|
2300
|
| Reynolds 531, 531C |
0.8/0.5/0.8
|
0.9/0.6/0:9
|
0.8/0.5
|
1.0/0.5
|
0.8
|
0.8
|
2050
|
| Reynolds 531CS |
0.8/0.5/0.8
|
0.9/0.6/0:9
|
0.8/0.5
|
0.9?
|
0.9
|
0.9
|
2150 (est.)
|
| Reynolds 531P |
07/05/0.7
|
0.8/0.5/0.8
|
0.7/0.5
|
1.0/0.5
|
0.6
|
0.5
|
1900
|
| Reynolds 531ST |
08/05/0.8
|
1.0/0.7/1.0
|
0.8/0.5
|
1.2/0.8
|
0.8
|
0.9
|
2200
|
| Reynolds 753R |
0.1/0.5/0.7
|
0.8/0.5/0.8
|
0.7/0.5
|
1.0/0.5
|
0.6
|
0.5
|
1800
|
Tange 2001
Mangalloy |
1.0/0.7/1.0
|
1.0/0.7/1.0
|
1.0/0.7/0.85
|
1
|
0.9
|
0.9
|
2415
|
| True Temper RC2 |
0.9/0.6/0.9
|
09/06/0.9
|
0.9/0.6
|
N/A
|
0.8
|
0.76/0.97
|
N/A
|
Table 2 - TUBING TENSILE STRENGTH
AND YIELD STRENGTH*
|
Tubing Name
|
Tensile strength, psi
|
Yield Strength, psi
|
| Columbus SP, SL |
128,000
|
107,000
|
| Ishiwata 022 |
113,790
|
106,675
|
| Ishiwata Magny-X |
106,675 |
99,560 |
| Reynolds 501 |
116,500
|
?
|
| Reynolds 531 |
116,500
|
100,800
|
| Reynolds 753 |
168,000
|
134,000
|
| Tange 2001 Mangalloy |
112,650
|
?
|
| True Temper RC2 |
110,000
|
?
|
* 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.
PAINT
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 wandson1@msn.com.
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
- Longer bottom bracket axle or new bottom bracket
- Wide 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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