soni_guin

If the girl still has it on Sunday, it's coming home with me... (she's 100 miles away, and I'll be in her area Sunday)

It's a 52cm, needs new tires and tubes, $100

52cm is the size that fits me perfectly on 2005 Trek bikes

luker

we're all noobs at something or other, soni quin. A Trek 400 for $100 is about right if it is in reasonable shape. Beat would be about 1/2 that. You can get 'em considerably cheaper if you troll the junque shops, but it is a nice bike and worth the asking price. Send pictures when you get it.

soni_guin

I'm going to look at it tomorrow.

is there any weak spots i should look for- welds, lugs, etc?

luker

look for rust. look for signs that the bike has lived outside in the elements (faded paint, cracked tape and/or seat, and rust). In a humid climate, if the bike is kept out of doors, it can rust from the inside out. Bad internal rust will sound like sand in the chainstays and downtube if you rattle it.

but if you see no signs of external storage, it'll probably be okay, even with a little surface rust on the steel. I redid an '82 Trek 640 from Fla last year. The guy trashed the rear rim and permanently parked it on his beachfront patio thereafter, until he died and it went in the estate auction. It was the worst I've seen for rust and corrosion, but it came back okay (I did a partial repaint to get the rust on the frame under control. It lives in dry Idaho now, and hasn't had any reoccuring problems.

clipped

i was given one of these with most of it's parts and all i had to do was put it together. found it to be a very pleasant do anything kind of bike. perfect for commuting or exploring or just riding.

soni_guin

I ended up buying it. There isn't any rust, the frame is in excellent shape, and all it needs is new tires.

luker

The frame is silver-soldered ishiwata 022, and the paint is imron. Top-drawer stuff, really. It'll be an excellent rider too. Post some pics for us trekkies.

Poguemahone

Agreed with Lurker. I have a slightly earlier Trek 410, same frame materials, an excellent ride. One of my favorites, really. Under-rated and under-priced, you got a steal. These bikes are way better than their position in Trek's line-up might suggest.

OldsCOOL

Gotta love those old treks! My 460 rides like new.




Olds

poopncow

I think i have the bicycle buyers guide for 83 and 84 somewhere.... they listed all the specs. but i just moved, so it'll eventually get unpacked

lotek 

you can view the original catalogues at www.vintage-trek.com

Marty

jacksbike

Hi soni quinn
$100 sounds like a fair price for an 83 Trke 400. If you post pictures I would be able to give more info or comments on it. I believe the bike does not have index shifting, or if so it was very early index shifting. Put some new tires , tubes , and cables on it and you should have a fine running cycle for many years to come. !!

soni_guin

no indexed shifting- it's levers on the down tubs (this will be updated, eventually)

The first ride on it was great... for the first 11 miles.... Then a kink in the tubr reared it's ugly head, and the back tire went flat. I had to hike 3 miles to the nearest gas station to call out the rescue squad... Took the bike back to the lbs, and they replaced the back tube... When I got home and put the back tire on the bike, I noticed that the front tire had gone flat... ugh! One of the spokes had a small spike that poked through the tube... a quick grind and some better protecting tape (hey.. get that GD duct tape away from my bike, i'm not a redneck!), and yet another tube, and the old Trek is ready to ride again!
So, for those keeping score at home, the lbs got to see me three times today... lol


Bike Barn is sponsoring a ride next Sunday morning at 7:30.... I think I'll go do it... they're having a 30, 45, and 60 mile ride... I'm going to try for the 60, I'll probably do the 45.

soni_guin

ok... so I took the front wheel in to be fixed again... they put tape inside the rim covering the spokes, then put a new tube on it...


When I got home, the farking rear tire was flat again! Maybe the fourth time is the charm....

If it goes flat again, I'm selling the GD bike and buying a hybrid!

bigbossman 

You might want to check that tire closely - sounds like you might have something embedded in it.

John D.

intron

ishiwata 022, nice...japanese steel can hang with the big guys.

jacksbike

Hi sonia again
Glad that you got the bike. Since you have had so many flats , I think that it is time to take a good look at the inside of the rims and the tires. I would suggest that you remove both tires and tubes and rim strips or rim tape. Starting at the tube hole in the rim, check the entire inside of the rim for burrs and check that all of the tops of the spokes are not protruding out too far. Take your time doing this and check thoroughly. Also check both tires to see , like another observer suggested, that there are no burrs, tacks, etc. still stuck in the tires. As I had previously suggested, perhaps you should install new tires and tubes. Once you take the time to check all of this you should be in business. Depending where you live, there is also an option of a flat-proof or self-sealing tube that you could substitute. Have fun cycling !

soni_guin

both rims needed new rim tape... I ran the back rim through my fingers afer they replaced the tape, just to make sure there was no more burrs or sharp edges or spikes.

You would think that the lbs would know to check rim tape when they remove tires that are so old they crack when you touch them...

It's about to rain, so no ride today

lotek 

Soni,

old trick. Run some cotton along the inside of the tire, if there are any
items sticking through (think wire like brake cable strand) the cotton
will catch on it, pull it out!

Marty

soni_guin

11 miles, tires went flat. I was 7 miles from home- I went ahead and rode it on flat tires... LOL

I pulled the tires off myself this time, and checked the insides. I had 2 small air holes in the front tire, and they were spaced the same as the spokes.... hmmm....

So, I checked the spokes with a magnifying glass. Someone redid them, and a couple of them had burrs on the ends. The rim tape, 2 layers worth, didn't protect the tube from the burrs on the ends of the spokes.

I filed them down and ran a cotton ball across them, and if cotton got caught on them, I filed em again.(that's an EXCELLENT tip, lotek!!!)
Then, I took the extra material from my new handlebar wrap, and put that over the spoke ends, and I shouldn't have any problems again.

If I do have problems again, it's new rims for me.

bigbossman 

A couple of new nipples would be a lot cheaper and easier. And couldn't we all use a new pair of nipples to play with now and again?

John D.

soni_guin

nah.. a new wheelset would be easier... I'm not the type to do patch repairs here and there, if i do something, I want to do it right, which means replace them all...

bigbossman 

Well, if you're gonna junk 'em, send them my way!

spider-man

Speaking of doing things right, I wonder what kind of rim tape you are using. Doesn't sound like it is serving its purpose very well.

Nice bike, at any rate. I'd like to see pics.

And at least your problem, though vexing, is only a minor one.

soni_guin

the tape says 'fond de jante', with a Velox logo next to it. It's a cloth tape. A friend of mine says to use plastic. I wonder if the LBS has any plastic...