onesojourner

I just picked this bike up. I found it on CL. Does anyone know much about it. It seems to be in pretty good shape. There is 1 dent in the top bar but everything else seems good. The tires don't look like they have even been used. The gears shift but they do need some adjustment.

mountaindave 

Welcome and nice score! Look on the cranks or derailleurs for date codes to determine age. Google vintage trek date codes and you'll find that info.

I have an earlier Sirrus and it's been on of my favorites since I bout it as a teenager. This one is later, guessing early 90's. Can't quite see from this side (drive side photos are best), but I'm guessing either RSX or 105 components. This was after the peak of steel and it was marketed more as a entry level road bike rather than the somewhat mid level racer the Sirrus used to be. A fine steel bike nonetheless. The Sirrus eventually morphed into a flat bar road bike, a "hybrid" if you will.

Lascauxcaveman 

I would guess around 1990, myself. Should be a great all-arounder if it fits you. Lube and adjust the shifting bits, they're pretty bulletproof if nothing is bent.

Be careful of old tires, even if they haven't been worn out, they can get cracked and brittle and possibly unsafe to ride at any speed higher than the one where you wouldn't mind a blowout. If you see any cracks when you pump them up to pressure, toss 'em.

thinktubes 

Nice pickup. Those sirruses are great riders.

BradH

Looks like a '91. My '90 Sirrus Tripe is hands down one of my favorite bikes. The triple model retained the lugged fork longer than the Allez or Sirrus equipped with a double crankset.

T-Mar

This looks like it is SunTour equipped, as those are AccuShift levers. The crankset has the chainring mounting bolts on the back of the spider, which was typical of SunTour Edge and Blaze, which came out in 1990. The 1991 Sirrus Sport was spec'd with SunTour Blaze, so that gets my vote for best candidate, pending a drive side photo.

mountaindave 

Dang. Impressed.

nesteel 

The man does not needlessly post, does he?

mountaindave 

@T-Mar, your handle should simple be "The Oracle."

T-Mar

Buy me an Oracle (turntable), and I could justify changing my handle. It's one of those near perfect weddings of form and function. The newer models don't quite approach state-of-the art, like the older models did in their day, but who cares, I could just sit and look at one all day. It's the audio equivalent of a Mariposa. They are both the ultimate expression of Canadian design, engineering, craftsmanship in their fields. Sorry for the sidetracking, but when anybody mentions Oracle I'm off in audio heaven.

There, that's my ONE needless post for the year, out of the way. Now, back to work....

Onrsojourne

Can you tell me what you mean by after the peak of steel? I will get a few more pics of the drive side next time I get it out on the road. It is suntour equiped. I spent a couple hours cleaning it all up and getting it to run through all the gears smoothly.

Also is there an advantage to a lugged fork?

T-Mar

There is no technical advantage to a fork with a traditional fork crown (lugged). The Unicrown fork design that started gaining popularity in the late 1980s was lighter, stiffer, stronger and less expensive. However, most C&V members prefer the aesthetics of a traditional fork crown, as it has an ornate appearance while the Unicrown is very clean and streamlined in appearance.

The near monopolist hold of steel over the bicycle frame industry started to come under threat from developments in aluminum, titanium and carbon fibre in the mid to late 1980s. By the 1990s alternate frame materials had captured a significant portion of the market and steel tubing manufacturers had to start thinking outside of their traditional box in order to compete. Oversized, non-round tubing of increasingly exotic alloys were being constructed into frames using non-traditional joining techniques such as TIG welding and epoxies.

onesojourner

I can't get the bar tape to not be sticky so I ordered some. The brakes seem to work ok but they are super squeaky. They run on the painted surface of the wheel. I am wandering if they have just dried out over the years. I will probably need to order some new pads. Other than that I think I am done spending money on this for the summer. I recovered the seat shaped it a bit more to my liking. I am just going to put some miles on it and see how I like it.

With the bar tape I have $42 invested. This fall if I decide that I do really like this frame, and so far I do. I am considering swapping the groupset for something like the shimano 5800. Is this bike in any way collectible that dong that would be "wrong"?

T-Mar

The rims should be anodized, as opposed to paint, so try cleaning them off with some solvent. Pads can sometimes be revitalized by sanding the surface to remove any glazing. If they still squeak, you may be able to eliminate it by toeing them in slightly, so that the front of the pads contacts the rim first.

I don't think this going to become a classic and would not hesitate on swapping out the Blaze(?) for modern Shimano 105. You'll lose the triple option but that wouldn't seem to be much of a problem given that crank will handle as low as 34T and the long cage rear derailleur will handle up a 32T cog and has 37T chain wrap capacity.

Lazyass

Yeah, I would get rid of the quarter-century old pads. These are actually some of the best pads I've ever used, really grabby, better than more expensive name brand ones I've had and they physically look like stock Shimano pads:

Diamondback Road Bike Caliper Brake Pads | DICK'S Sporting Goods

mountaindave 

Other than keeping with an entire group, there's no real reason you would have to swap the crank. You can get 5700 stuff for potentially cheaper. Just get the derailleurs, STIs and you're good to go. Oh, prolly a new wheel and cassette and chain. Shimano 10s won't play at all with Blaze hubs.