markjenn

Sorry I missed your request earlier....



The stem was in my spares. I think it came off a mid-90's Litespeed when I replaced the threaded fork with a threadless. Does Campy make stems? The rest of the Litespeed was low-end Campy and the headset was Campy, so maybe it is Campy. It does look sleek, but it is mushroom style rather than a split-sleeve and is somewhat balky to tighten and/or remove. I mainly put it on to get the reach I needed - these Trek 400's came stock with components that were a little too small in the big frame sizes - stem, crank length, seatpost, etc.

For the record and in case anyone wants the gory details, the handlebar is a Nitto Classic 45cm, 25.4mm Silver Road Bar, Model 115. Very classic lines, I wanted something that looked like the original but more robust and wider. The brake levers are also bigger and more robust than the dainty ones that came stock - they're black Tektro RL340's, and they have the offset to the outside which makes them much more ergo friendly. Bar tape is my favorite I use on most of my bikes - black Stella Azurra Eleganza. The computer is a very old Sigma I had lying around. Bar-end shifters are mid-90's 7-speed Shimano (switchable between index and friction for the rear) - don't know the group.

Thanks for all the compliments.

- Mark

markjenn

Yes, this is somewhat tricky stuff.

My red Trek had the stock triple with the old loose-balls BB and my original plan was simply to swap it out onto my green Trek which had a double. But the BB ended up being pretty worn so I went up on Sheldon Brown and Barnetts and did a bunch of research. The old triple spindle was a 3N which is a bit asymmetric.... SB said it needed a 124mm symmetric equivalent; Barnetts listed a UN 5x 122.5 as the closest match to a 3N. (The Shimano 5x BB's come in something like 118, 122.5, and 127.5, all symmetric). So I decided on a Shimano UN55 122.5 cartridge model (which now has the alum rather than plastic cup). These BB's are ridiculously cheap BTW - I think I paid $22 or something like this. The specifics on the box were: BB-UN55 122 BC137 68 and EBBUN55822. If I really wanted to make it perfect, I probably should use a spacer but the chainline looks really good to me and I have very little cross-chaining in even the big-small and small-big combos. Both crankarms clear the chainstays by about the same amount, perhaps a mm or two more on one side. Compared to the double I took off the pedals are outboard a bit (this is Q, right?) but I think this is normal for a triple. So I guess the Q is wider, but I don't have a specific number for you. For completeness, I should mention that the cluster in the back is not completely stock - at some point I converted the six- to a seven-speed just by the common trick of adding a washer or two to the back hub to get room for the extra gear. The rear hub spacing is now 128mm which I simply shoehorn into the stock 126mm spacing of the frame.

Somehow it all works nicely.

- Mark

The Golden Boy 

I was just on the Googles, checking out some touring bikes and stuff- and I ran across this Green Trek- it looked so striking- I pulled up the page and found this. I totally forgot all about this thread.

Mark- you did a wonderful job with the bike- and you did a great job of detailing the switch to the triple.

Is it still pretty much the same?

smurfy

My Trek 420 frame is coming along nicely. As soon as I get the rest of the decals I will apply them and finish with the clear coating. Pics coming soon, stay tuned!

The Golden Boy 

I've been waiting for your thread since you mentioned the project a few months ago.

I also remember you did that nice Schwinn Passage build!

smurfy

I've been out of commission for a month due to surgery on a ruptured tendon. I got my cast off about a week ago so at least I can do stuff now.

The Golden Boy 

Is everything healing well?

When I was a kid, I could bounce back right away- now it takes a long time.

This 'getting old' stuff sucks- but it beats the alternative.

smurfy

It's healing fine, thanks!

I'm in my early fifties but due to being athletic I got my cast off in half the normal time.

Sorry, I don't want to derail this thread. Carry on with the Trek 400!

markjenn

Thanks, the bike gets ridden a couple times a week and is doing well. No changes since the rebuild. These old Treks are very nice bikes.

- Mark