Classic & Vintage - I promised you I'd let you know....

...when it got here.

A couple of weeks back, I came here to ask you about a bike (1985 Trek 460) that another BFer (Michigander) was going to send me as a Christmas gift. Since I'm more an mtb person, I knew absolutely nothing and found the people here on C and V to be of tremendous knowledge and friendliness. The offers to help me build up the bike or with parts overwhelmed me. Thank you so much for that. :)

The bike was "lost" but after almost going back to Michigan, it finally made it here to California. Here are the first pics of it as I opened the box. Mods please excuse me, I posted the thread first on Foo where everyone knows me and the story. If need be, please delete. :o Thank you.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=255900

Siu,

Cool!
ok now welcome to the vintage steel side of the dark side.
Before you throw a modern gruppo on it, give it a go with the
orginal components on it. I'm not saying keep it the way it is,
just get out and ride it.

Marty

Sounds like you're going to do a first class, rebuild on that Trek. It should turn out nice because it was a real nice bike to begin with. I think it's great when an older bike falls into the hands of someone who appreciates it. Good Luck with your project.

Great bike. I have 2 vintage Treks and LOVE them both. Not only is the ride fantastic but they worthy of upgrades IMHO. Keep us posted.! Also if you find the drop bars a bit odd after coming from straight bar mountain bikes, try a set of Nitto moustache bars. I have a set on my Trek and the are a great all round bar. You can also use all of your existing brake set. I run mine with bar end shifters.

Fender, someone suggested Mary bars. Those look kind of comfy. :) What do you think?

http://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/PlexusBars.JPG

I'm trying to keep the original parts if I can but it seems they got a lot of use already. The LBS says that we will go over everything after New Years and from there we can see what to replace and what to keep.

+1 for moustache bars. They would work great. They look like this Siu, if you never saw them before.
http://cyclofiend.com/cc/images/cc033-2DSC00099.jpg

I have heard good things about the Mary bars but I have never used them. The Moustache bars look like they would give a few more hand positions than the Mary's. Mine give 4 that are very comfortable. One thing to keep in mind when riding a road bike vs. a mountain bike is that with the mountain you are out of the saddle more often than a road bike, shifting your weight around, changing body positions and postures dependant upon terrain. This happens with much lees frequency on a road bike, so having some additonal hand positions to switch back and forth through helps relieve soreness and fatigue in your hands and wrists on longer rides.

The moustache are nice and wide if you need to climb hills and they also allow you to get "areo" by placing your hands at the top of the bend in the bar. That said, they can take a bit of getting used to and you would be advised to use a stem that is about 2 cm shorter than your current road stem. So if say a 100mm road stem worked for you with drops, you would probably use an 80mm with moustache bars.

Fender, someone suggested Mary bars. Those look kind of comfy. :) What do you think?

I'm not Fender, and I don't play one on the internet, but....... :D

Depends on how much riding you're gonna be doing, and where. Upright will be good for urban zipping around, because with your head up you can see traffic and stuff more easily. You can probably get away with shorter rides in the 20-50 mile range, but if you're going to go longer distances drop bars are the way to go. You get more possible hand positions to move around in, and your weight is distributed better between your rump/lower body and your hands/upper body. Sitting upright for long stretches leads to discomfort and is literally a pain in the ass. :D

IMO..........

Ooooh..... I never thought about the differing hand positions of road vs mtb. Wow. So much to learn on the road here. Hmmmmmmm. Thanks everyone. Any other newbie tips? The LBS said that while the bike is taken apart, I should take home the frame now and paint it.

Not sure if I want to do that. It has a lot of scratches and nicks but to me that is the history of the bike. My MTB friends accuse me of being OCD or (P?) with my mtbs, but this bike came with a history and stories.

I'm not Fender, and I don't play one on the internet, but....... :D

Depends on how much riding you're gonna be doing, and where. Upright will be good for urban zipping around, because with your head up you can see traffic and stuff more easily. You can probably get away with shorter rides in the 20-50 mile range, but if you're going to go longer distances drop bars are the way to go. You get more possible hand positions to move around in, and your weight is distributed better between your rump/lower body and your hands/upper body. Sitting upright for long stretches leads to discomfort and is literally a pain in the ass. :D

IMO..........


Thank you bigboss....I was a little concerned about my bulging disk in my back, which is why I never went road. Bending over bulges the disk more, risking the possiblity of a rupture..........:eek:

Being upright on an MTB (even through the bumpity bumps) is not painful for me.

If you want to get it powercoated, that would be nice. The paint looks nice, and I would keep it. I wouldnt rattlecan it.

Ooooh..... I never thought about the differing hand positions of road vs mtb. Wow. So much to learn on the road here.
FWIW, I suggest staying with the drop bars, at least to start. Bigbossman has given all the reasons; having the variety of hand positions really does make a difference. (Personally, I prefer drops even in an urban/suburban environment for that reason.) The key, if you have back problems, is to make sure the stem gets the bars high enough (bar tops at least as high as the saddle). Nitto makes several types of stems that will allow you to do that, and Rivendell carries 'em if your LBS can't get 'em (but I bet they can).

Glad it finally arrived Siu. That shipping box sure took a beating. I'd vote for keeping the original paint at least for now unless you plan on doing a full restoration with a new decal set. Hopefully your LBS can help you keep the costs down and if you have the time try to get them to let you help rebuild it. Thats where all the fun is at with the C&V bikes!

+1 for moustache bars. They would work great. They look like this Siu, if you never saw them before.
http://cyclofiend.com/cc/images/cc033-2DSC00099.jpg

is that your bike roughrider? looks good. nice touch with the hemp/twine on the bars and brake levers. and what is that ball thing a bell? looks cool.

cheers
:beer:

You mean people actually take their bikes to shops to have them worked on? Dear God, NOOOOOO. DIY, I say, much more fun.

Good thing the bike survived. Last bike I had shipped to me-- a chrome Jeunet-- looked like UPS drove a forklift thru the box. Frame was dented, urgh. Got most of my $$$ back and got to keep the frame.

I'd leave the original components, unless shot... they're better than they think on the road forum.

I'd just touch it up. The Trek red from that period is pretty close to standard Testor's red for touch up. I've done it; you can't see the touch up from a couple of feet off.

Keep the bars; raise them if needed. Get a Nitto Technomic if you need a longer stem.

Also since you have it broken down a coat of frame saver to keep the inside of the frame corrosion free would be a good idea. The bossman is correct if longer 50 mile+ ride are in your future a nice set of drops or the orignal bars if they are comfortable are fine and make sure the bars are high enough. Remeber that with mountain biking youa re standing onth epedals are you decend so lower bars are preferable. No t generaly the case with road bikes. Most of my riding is sub 50+ miles at a time and the moustache bars work fine. It is always good to try different set ups. Rarely have I been right the first time out.

Siu, knowing your back and respitory concerns, I recommend not riding in the drops at first, and getting upright, North Road style bars, which will give you a comfortable, yet fast city cruiser position.

Moustache bars would be cool as well, and either will give you the option of running bar-end shifters.

Siu,

you are in such deep schittt. . . hehehe.

Not sure if I want to do that. It has a lot of scratches and nicks but to me that is the history of the bike. My MTB friends accuse me of being OCD or (P?) with my mtbs, but this bike came with a history and stories.
You've got the "patina" thing down pat. cool beans.
The paint on your trek is Imron, pretty durable stuff, as stated Testors is pretty close and you can
mix it to match your bike.
I'd start with the drop bars same height as the seat and adjust to your flexibility. Just because
they're drop bars doesn't mean you have to stay in the drops atmo.

marty

I'd like to keep it stock as much as possible but the original owner feels it would be better off built up with replacements. I will more than likely keep the drops until proven I need otherwise.

I am learning so much from you CandV guys! Thanks again so much for the wonder offers of assistance, parts and knowledge!! :)

There's a lounge?
Well this is my lounge anyways.