Classic & Vintage - Just Got My Baby!!--->>

Just got my first bike since I was a teen... time to start riding!!

A classic 1985 steel framed Trek 520!! :D

Just got my first bike since I was a teen... time to start riding!!

A classic 1985 steel framed Trek 520!! :D

Looks great! Enjoy!

One of our forum members would call that "spanky."

I love the bar end plugs.

Does the rear derailleur cable actually thread through the chainstay, or am I looking at that wrong?

Cool bike.

Yep it threads through the chainstay.

Nice work! Looks like a little beauty...

Enjoy getting back on the bike! I'm sure you'll love having that feeling again...

The bar end plugs rock!!! :D

Huh,
that looks a great deal like my Fuji. It's also grey, just a year or two older than yours. I like the saddle. I did some updating on mine. I went for wider bars with NOS Durace brake levers and bar end shifters. It still needs fenders and a rack.
Hard to tell from the photo, but the pedals look like eggbeaters. I put shimano double sided pedals on the Fuji. The are spd on one side, and old fashioned pedal on the other. I have been having problems getting comfy with these handlebars; I might have to spring for another salsa poco.

Money VERY WELL SPENT looks a lot like mine sometimes wish I had fenders though!! Have you been on it yet? Again I will say, I would have snatched that baby up at that price!! ENJOY, and keep us posted on what you think after a ride or two!!

The pedals look more like speedplay frogs to me. Until you get comfortable riding again, you might want to put some cheap platform pedals on it instead. Frogs are great pedals though, and if you have any knee problems (like I do), they are a pretty safe and foolproof choice.

I love old Treks. I've got two in my garage serving as winter projects. (Actually, one is out getting painted.)

I have a 1985 670, it is a great riding bike. I think
that the 80's steel treks rivaled some of the italian bikes
in terms of ride etc. I agree the pedals look like Frogs

The pedals weren't included in the deal... I am shopping for some pedals right now... any suggestions? I am pretty sure I want to use toe clips(I haven't been on a bike since I was a teen and I used toe clips back then and loved them so I thought I would start there...ah, I wonder whatever happened to my old, beloved Bridgestone Kabuki Super Light anyway??!!).

I bit the bullet and went clipless. They are eggbeaters. Like 'em a lot.

The pedal of choice for toe clips has to be MKS Sylvian, touring model. You can get them from Rivendell. Christophe chrome clips and leather straps should give you that authentic '80s look.

You can also find lots of quill type pedals on e-bay.

Marty

I wanted to update this thread now that I've had the bike for awhile.

I LOVE the frame and the ride... very responsive and smooth especially under my girth!

However I do have some issues I'd like opinions on.

My brother swapped out the drop bars and brake levers for flatbars with some chewed up, old Avid levers... he's crafty, he kept the bars and levers ;) :(

However the more I ride it the more I've been thinking I'd like to get some drops again BUT... that aren't as deep so I'm thinking about the Nitto Noodle bars that Riv sells along with Dia Compe brake levers-also from Riv..

will the brakes be an easy swap for me, limited exp. with such things mechanically speaking.

Here Are The Brakes (http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/brakes/15101.html)

Here Are The Handlebars (http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16111.html)

Will I need to replace the brake cables-they are new from when my brother did the swap-or can I pretty much just switch them from the MTB-style levers over to the drop-style levers?

Next question... I want my handlebars to have more rise (especially when I go back to having drops) and as you can see from the pics of my Trek the stem has no rise to it so what does anyone think of getting this??

Nitto Raised Stem (http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16007.html)

Would that be appropriate with drop bars to get more rise?? If not, suggestions please?

Last question...

I think I could use a smaller ring or a 3rd ring... I'm hauling a lot of weight-ME!!!-and have noticed when I ride bikes with triples that lower gearing is awfully nice.

Looking at the photos of my Trek, would it be hard to add a ring or put a different crankset on, or perhaps a different cassette?? Any suggestions?

Below I've linked all the pics of my Trek so you see all the different areas of the bike I am refering to...

Thanks!! :)

Here's My Bike (http://www.twistcomm.com/Bikes/SilverTrek/index.html)

alright, heres what I would do. I would personally not go for the non-aero brake levers. I find, that for some reason, the aero levers (the cable goes under the tape) have more braking power from the hoods. The dura-ace brake levers (just the levers, not the STIs), in particular are very good, and are the same shape as the STIs w/ a nice fat hood and pronounced "horn" on top of the lever.

The bars you suggested would probably be fine, but personally, I like the ergo drops, like on the ritchey bars. Salsa also makes a cyclo-cross bar that looks similarly comfortable, with nicely flared drops.

As for the stem, I would keep the one that you have there. It looks like you can get the bars level with the stem, and I don't think that you will want the bars any higher, as that will make it uncomfortable to climb with, and you will be really upright and wind-blocking. I know people will poo-poo me, but aerodynamics are important in any type of riding, and unless you are going less then 10 mph or so, you WILL notice a difference. Don't put the bars higher then your seat. rivendell, the classic "highseaters" even caution about putting the bars too high.

also, another reason why I wouldn't change the stem is that it could effect handling, as most stock stems are on there to balance handling between reponsiveness and stability.

for your gearing, I'm curious what your current low gear is. I built up a bianchi touring bike from the 80s with a 52-42-30 triple and an 11-32 cassette, and I noticed that unloaded, I had a hard time staying upright in the 30-32 combo if i was spinning less then about 80. I was going too slow! I think I was going like 5.5 when I decided to try it. thats slower then a 10 minute mile, and in runners terms, is VERY slow. have you ever seen women powerwalking? they are probaly doing about a 10 or 11 minute mile. IMHO, there is no point to an overly low gear. besides, you wont be carrying a huge amount of gear on this, right? you have your thorn to do that. keep this one as a commuter.

The stem will work just fine with drop bars. In fact I used a similar set-up myself for awhile before switching to a Nitto Technomic.

The brake levers are a straightforward installation. I do recommend going ahead and purchasing a "3rd hand" brake tool. You can do without but they're cheap and make life much easier. The Bicycle Mechanic board has the Barnett manuals in PDF. Download and reead the appropriate sections. Pretty straightforward.

alright, heres what I would do. I would personally not go for the non-aero brake levers. I find, that for some reason, the aero levers (the cable goes under the tape) have more braking power from the hoods. The dura-ace brake levers (just the levers, not the STIs), in particular are very good, and are the same shape as the STIs w/ a nice fat hood and pronounced "horn" on top of the lever.

The bars you suggested would probably be fine, but personally, I like the ergo drops, like on the ritchey bars. Salsa also makes a cyclo-cross bar that looks similarly comfortable, with nicely flared drops.

As for the stem, I would keep the one that you have there. It looks like you can get the bars level with the stem, and I don't think that you will want the bars any higher, as that will make it uncomfortable to climb with, and you will be really upright and wind-blocking. I know people will poo-poo me, but aerodynamics are important in any type of riding, and unless you are going less then 10 mph or so, you WILL notice a difference. Don't put the bars higher then your seat. rivendell, the classic "highseaters" even caution about putting the bars too high.

also, another reason why I wouldn't change the stem is that it could effect handling, as most stock stems are on there to balance handling between reponsiveness and stability.

for your gearing, I'm curious what your current low gear is. I built up a bianchi touring bike from the 80s with a 52-42-30 triple and an 11-32 cassette, and I noticed that unloaded, I had a hard time staying upright in the 30-32 combo if i was spinning less then about 80. I was going too slow! I think I was going like 5.5 when I decided to try it. thats slower then a 10 minute mile, and in runners terms, is VERY slow. have you ever seen women powerwalking? they are probaly doing about a 10 or 11 minute mile. IMHO, there is no point to an overly low gear. besides, you wont be carrying a huge amount of gear on this, right? you have your thorn to do that. keep this one as a commuter.

Would THESE (http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/brakes/15013.html) work instead of the dura ace levers?

Also, I want wide 46 drops and it looks like Ritchey and Salsa offer up to 44... any other companies make drops that are 46 wide??

Thanks

Hey Istanbul,

Posted something in the related mechanics thread (sorry for crossthread folks). You should measure the stem that's in there. A lot of the older Nittos are 25.4 diameter, which is going to limit what you can use with it. Most modern bars are 25.8 or 26.0. ITM, Deda Elementi, Salsa and Ritchey all make 46 wide bars (all of these are either 25.8 or 26.0), but you may have to special order them. Stay away from the ultralite ones.

Someone else mentioned the handlebar-level-with-saddle rule. Good suggestion. I put in a riser stem that puts it just above the saddle, and often it is just a little too high/short, but the quill is so long I can't slam it down any more. For now it's just a shopper/commuter bike, so no big deal, but I built it for touring, so at some point in the future it will probably have to go.

If you do decide on higher stem, you might want more reach as well. Generic riser stems like the one I have usually are limited in reach selection. The Nitto non-deluxe has the most rise of the two Technomics.

Here's my thought,
either the Diacompe levers (second set) or check
e-bay for some Modolo Levers(equipe, speedy or Pro),
they are always available and relatively cheap.
I'd keep the stem thats on the bike although the Nitto
will work fine. The bars are more of a personal choice imho, there are some shallow drop bars being made
currently that are more ergo than the nitto's from rivendell (although I really like those).
Marty

A couple points not covered, or things to add:

1) Switching to a triple will likely require switching bottom bracket spindles as well, in order to keep the chainline right. Probably more pain than it's worth.

2) Walter mentions the third hand tool, and they can be handy. However, I mistakenly bought the more expensive Park tool one, which is the worst tool I have by far. Frankly, a nylon pedal strap works fine as a third hand (certainly better than the park) and is much cheaper. Strap it around the calipers and tighten it down and there you go-- same end effect as a third hand.

I just switched my Bridgestone 450 from a double to a triple. You will probably need to swap out most of the drivetrain components.

You will need to switch the BB not just for chain line but to give clearance between the small ring and the chain stay.
You will need to swap the front derailleur because the cages are a different shape for doubles and triples.
You will need to swap the rear derailleur because a short cage will not take up enough slack.
The longer cage derailleur will also allow you to run a freewheel with a bigger low gear but that will most likely mean you will need to swap the chain because you current chain will most likely be a link or three too short.

I also put a pair of DiaCompe aero brake levers that look like the same as the Riv link you posted. They work fine but I needed to swap out the brake cables and housings, old ones were too short for the new routing. Your brake calipers have the releases on them so you can get away with using those DiaCompe aeros that do not have a cable slacker/release.

You can get drop bars in 25.4 as well as the more common 26. A lot of older drop bar type bikes used 25.4mm bars so you need to know what you're working with before you buy.

It's easy to get carried away. My $50 garage sale Bridgestone is up to about $450 now. It was fun to do and it is a nice bike though, so no regrets here.