Classic & Vintage - Trek 710 rust blisters?

Thanks to nlerner, I landed an "ebay local pickup special" 1980 Trek 710 with full Reynolds 531 for $58. Overall, bike is in really good shape with all original parts, and it looks like it was hardly used.

I have a question about the paint, however. Much of the top tube and bottom bracket, and some of the fork and other tubes are covered in blisters. I know Trek used Imron paint on these frames, which has some type of plastic polymer in it, making it very durable. Looking at the pics, are these blisters a deformation of the plastic, a bad paint job, or is this rust? There is very little rust on the bike or components, so it doesn't seem to have ever been left in wet conditions, or if so, not for very long. None of the blisters seem to have "ruptured." The only surface rust I can find is on the very few nicks and scratches on the frame.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_710_drive_before.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_blisters_1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_blisters_2.jpg

I would chip off a couple of those blisters to see what's underneath. I suppose water could have gotten inside the tubes and eaten through, making those blisters. The only way to tell is by taking a peek yourself.

Trek was using Imron back then a pretty durable paint.
I'd be highly suspicious of the blisters, looks like something
is going on under the paint.
On a slightly different note, that is an amazing price on that bike,
belongs in the catch of the day thread, if not catch of the month.

MChaz how's the 670 ?

marty

Nice catch. I hope that bike was not underwater during the Floyd flood of 1999, concidering where it came from. Most of that area was underwater then.

I was watching this as I live close but not close enough. I am glad that a BF member was able to grab it. I recently picked up off a ebay a 1981 60cm 710 w/ Shimano 600 gruppo for $26. It had a set of flat bars on it and was lited as a hybrid/cruiser! I have it disassmebeled and it is going to Tom Kellog for paint and decals. He still uses Imron and is relatively close to my house. I got the decals from Dan Sniff and a scan of the seat tube decals from a BF member. Good Luck!

Nice catch. I hope that bike was not underwater during the Floyd flood of 1999, concidering where it came from. Most of that area was underwater then.

Whoo boy, that Trek has problems there!

I'll bet anything it's rust - and that Floyd had something to do with it. No other way this thing could develop paint blemishes like this!

-Kurt

Whoo boy, that Trek has problems there!

I'll bet anything it's rust - and that Floyd had something to do with it. No other way this thing could develop paint blemishes like this!

-Kurt

Could be. The bike was sold in Bound Brook, which was underwater as thunderjj mentioned, but it was sold at a warehouse by a guy that apparently runs an eBay business, so it could have come from anywhere. But it had a handlebar bag that didn't appear to have any water damage, so who knows.

At any rate, it is rust. My worry is that it is rusting from the inside out, but I was able to scrape a few of those blisters down to bare metal, without poking through the tube. How would rust have migrated under the paint like that? Or were there pinholes in the paint, allowing water in? Really, it does make sense that the frame would have been submerged for an extended period, but the rest of it looks good. Only rusty components were the chain and FD cage. Additionally, the stem and seat tube were well lubricated and slid out easily.

I guess I'll open the BB and see what I find, if it isn't completely frozen by rust. Maybe $58 wasn't such a great deal, especially given that it's equipped with the lowest component group.

If the inside of the tubes are relatively rust free, what's the best remeditation for the frame? Is a repaint necessary to keep it from further degrading? Or will dry storage effectively arrest the rust for the time being?

I was watching this as I live close but not close enough. I am glad that a BF member was able to grab it. I recently picked up off a ebay a 1981 60cm 710 w/ Shimano 600 gruppo for $26. It had a set of flat bars on it and was lited as a hybrid/cruiser! I have it disassmebeled and it is going to Tom Kellog for paint and decals. He still uses Imron and is relatively close to my house. I got the decals from Dan Sniff and a scan of the seat tube decals from a BF member. Good Luck!

Now that's a deal! I could have had it for $25, but another bidder ran it up to $58! (Probably a poster on this thread - glad you didn't get it? :)) If you don't mind, what is Tom Kellog charging for the work?

$400 total for preping painting clear coat etc. It ain't cheap!

$400 total for preping painting clear coat etc. It ain't cheap!

No it isn't. I'd suggest that the OP strip & sell it. Some fool on eBay will go nuts for the frameset - despite its condition - and pay far too much for it (as always), and the OP will have himself a spare wheelset, brakeset and drivetrain to use however he wishes.

-Kurt

No it isn't. I'd suggest that the OP strip & sell it. Some fool on eBay will go nuts for the frameset - despite its condition - and pay far too much for it (as always), and the OP will have himself a spare wheelset, brakeset and drivetrain to use however he wishes.

-Kurt

That was my original intent! I have a 1977 TX 300 56cm Trek Frame built up that I ride and like very much and is a very unusual metallic green color. Problem is it is a bit to small for me. I have a set of moustache bars on it and the nitto technomic stem is at the min. insertion line. I would like to get the bars a bit higher to be level w/ the seat. I was going to swap all of the componets I needed from the two bikes and sell off what I don't need. That said I only like to keep two bikes for myself and at the monent have three. The extra $ from the sale of extra stuff would go for the paint. Trek prices (as many others) do seem to be a bit crazy on ebay but as I am a seller more often than a buyer, it is a good trend!:p

No it isn't. I'd suggest that the OP strip & sell it. Some fool on eBay will go nuts for the frameset - despite its condition - and pay far too much for it (as always), and the OP will have himself a spare wheelset, brakeset and drivetrain to use however he wishes.

-Kurt

That's out of my ballpark, and since I don't have any Campy NR (top OEM component group for Trek that year), it would seem silly. I was thinking, however, that maybe a $200 strip and powercoat could at least stabilize the frame, if it isn't badly rusted inside. I was planning on building up an '88 Bridgestone RB-2 (also with terrible paint, but no rust) with some new 105 parts to make it my main ride, but I could sell that frame to raise some funds, as the BOB cult often goes nuts for these frames. Also, my current roadbike is a '93 Cannondale 3.0, which people on eBay seem to be bidding up around $250-$300 (again, nuts). And I have the '66 Schwinn Breeze I just reconditioned, but have little use for. It would be hard to let that go, but being in the NYC Metro area, I might be able to earn a small profit on it.

Is it worth it to save this frame and ride it (BTW, I'm 180 lbs...perhaps a bit on the heavy side for a 531 frame)? Is it valuable enough for a full Imron restoration?

It's really a shame about the rust. The paint would have been in excellent condition had it not been for the rusting underneath - hardly a nick or scratch to speak of.

Oh, and another thing. The BB, headset and wheel hubs all spin very smoothly, so I have serious doubts this bike was ever submerged in water.

(BTW, I'm 180 lbs...perhaps a bit on the heavy side for a 531 frame)?

Probably. That said, I'm 225 and ride 531 single and double butted framesets regularly.

-Kurt

Probably. That said, I'm 225 and ride 531 single and double butted framesets regularly.

-Kurt

Okay, enough said!

Just opened the BB. Not a hint of rust! Nothing. Not even a light orange patina.

Strip it, inspect it, paint it & ride it! I have the seat tube scans you can make decals from. Send me a message if you want a copy. Don't forget the frame saver!

everyone always toots framesaver... i still don't know where you can get it.

everyone always toots framesaver... i still don't know where you can get it.


http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/index.php?category=1790

$12.99 or coat the inside w/ a silicone based lube that drys if your going on the cheap.

Strip it, inspect it, paint it & ride it! I have the seat tube scans you can make decals from. Send me a message if you want a copy. Don't forget the frame saver!

How do you make decals from a scan? The paint on my 1985 Trek is in remarkably good shape but the decals are faded.

1985 is tough as the seat tube decal was multi colored. The old style like on the OP's bike is just black and white. The decal set was scanned and saved before it was applied. It can be reprinted on decal style paper from a laser printer. I think kinko's can do it as well. Not sure of the quality though. Also Dan Sniff from the vintage Trek has then ready to go for $28. I am not sure of the multi colored seat tube decal though.

1985 is tough as the seat tube decal was multi colored. The old style like on the OP's bike is just black and white. The decal set was scanned and saved before it was applied. It can be reprinted on decal style paper from a laser printer. I think kinko's can do it as well. Not sure of the quality though. Also Dan Sniff from the vintage Trek has then ready to go for $28. I am not sure of the multi colored seat tube decal though.

Thanks for the tip. I'll contact Dan Sniff and see what he says. I actually prefer the older style decals to the one on the 1985.

My 1983 Trek had similiar markings on the back of the head tube---turned out to be rust. I filed them off and primed it (still need to get around to painting it there, though)

rk


Thanks to nlerner, I landed an "ebay local pickup special" 1980 Trek 710 with full Reynolds 531 for $58. Overall, bike is in really good shape with all original parts, and it looks like it was hardly used.

I have a question about the paint, however. Much of the top tube and bottom bracket, and some of the fork and other tubes are covered in blisters. I know Trek used Imron paint on these frames, which has some type of plastic polymer in it, making it very durable. Looking at the pics, are these blisters a deformation of the plastic, a bad paint job, or is this rust? There is very little rust on the bike or components, so it doesn't seem to have ever been left in wet conditions, or if so, not for very long. None of the blisters seem to have "ruptured." The only surface rust I can find is on the very few nicks and scratches on the frame.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_710_drive_before.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_blisters_1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/dissident75/Trek%20710/trek_blisters_2.jpg

1985 is tough as the seat tube decal was multi colored. The old style like on the OP's bike is just black and white. The decal set was scanned and saved before it was applied. It can be reprinted on decal style paper from a laser printer. I think kinko's can do it as well. Not sure of the quality though. Also Dan Sniff from the vintage Trek has then ready to go for $28. I am not sure of the multi colored seat tube decal though.

Actually, the letters are outlined in gold on this bike.

1985 is tough as the seat tube decal was multi colored. The old style like on the OP's bike is just black and white.

The outer edge on the old style is black and gold around the white lettering.

The outer edge on the old style is black and gold around the white lettering.

For the record, these decals are white lettering with a black drop shadow outlined in gold!

I've stripped most components off the frame, but it is still wearing its wheels, saddle, post, stem and bars. Now I can see the fuss about Reynolds 531...this bike is light! Well, lighter than anything I've ever owned. Even with the components, it was light.

She looks damned good stripped down!

For the record, these decals are white lettering with a black drop shadow outlined in gold!

I've stripped most components off the frame, but it is still wearing its wheels, saddle, post, stem and bars. Now I can see the fuss about Reynolds 531...this bike is light! Well, lighter than anything I've ever owned. Even with the components, it was light.

She looks damned good stripped down!

So are you going to strip the paint? I've wondered how hard Imron would be to remove. They use this product to paint aircraft and it's an epoxy so it's made to be hard and durable.

So are you going to strip the paint? I've wondered how hard Imron would be to remove. They use this product to paint aircraft and it's an epoxy so it's made to be hard and durable.

The fact that none of the blisters had ruptured is a testament to the durability, I think. When I used an awl to poke at a few of the blisters, it didn't just flake off. It took some scraping. The good paint surrounding these areas is tough, as you say. It took some forceful scraping to get it off. I would imagine sanding would be a PIA.

If I do decide to powercoat it, I'll have it media blasted.

Please show some pictures if you have it powdercoated. I'm curious because some folks in BF feel that powdercoating is so thick it will take away the crisp look of the lug work. Have fun! I'm considering having my Trek painted as well.

Please show some pictures if you have it powdercoated. I'm curious because some folks in BF feel that powdercoating is so thick it will take away the crisp look of the lug work. Have fun! I'm considering having my Trek painted as well.

It may be a while if I do. The Trek doesn't have very fancy lugwork, so I don't think it would be all that damaging to the overall aesthetics. However, I am concerned that it would obscure the "Trek" imprint on the upper seatstays, the SN on the bottom bracket, and the Campy imprints on the dropouts and cable guides.

Anyway, I wouldn't be painting it for a cosmetic upgrade. If I had the money for that, I'd want two-tone, lug accents, and maybe even chrome on the dropouts front and rear. If I powdercoat, it will be an inexpensive solid color only. All I really want to do is preserve the frame for now - if I don't decide to sell it instead!

Here is a gallery (http://www.loomispowdercoating.com/files/bicyclegallery.html) of some powder coated frames.

Lots and lots of threads on painting and powder coating on BF. Here's one (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=21293), which explores the possibility that powder coating has an expiration date on its durability, but also some personal stories of long-lasting powder coat applications.

Yesterday I picked up a frame that I had powdercoated. I'm generally pleased with the result. The lug outlines are no different than what they looked like in the previous painted version, and the engraved serial # on the bottom bracket is still completely visible, so fears of powdercoating as a too thick coating weren't warranted in this case. What isn't so great is that while I had the frame beadblasted, it was still left with rough spots that show up now. In other words, the whole finish is not smooth as glass. If I do it again, I think I'd strip and sand myself first.

Neal

I would first have the frame bead blasted (around $30), then you can inspect it to see if its structurally sound. If its ok, rustrproof it, and paint it. Rattlecan is the cheapest and provides a good, but fragile, finish. Bead blasting is cheap and very durable, restoration painting and decals, $200+

MChaz how's the 670 ?

marty

Smooth and fast. An eye-catcher too. Though I'm thinking about throwing on some Koolstop pads for a little boost to the old school brakes. Though I might miss the asbestos smell of the Modolos under a hard stop. ;)