dedhed

Retro roadies- old frames with STI's or Ergos

52telecaster

Treks with 27s are usually very easy to put 700cs on. 650b not so much. Now if it came with 700c, 650b is usually pretty straightforward. I only know this because I enjoy banging my head against a wall.

icemilkcoffee 

People always forget that there are 7 speed brifters. All you need to do is change the freewheel from 6 speed to 7 speed. No need to change wheels. No need to spread frame.

ehcoplex

Just as an additional 'data point'- I picked up an '87 Trek 400T (main tubes Reynolds 531) for $60 last summer, and since then have seen several pop up with asking prices usually between $100-$200. $250 seems a tad high to me, particularly if the intent is to 'upgrade', but proximity and convenience can be worth a lot, so YMMV...

daverup 

I will agree with squirtdad , just ride it.
There will be plenty of little things to do, and you can take your time deciding on mods.
For recreational riding, there is nothing wrong with 27" wheels. No rush to 700c.

AdventureManCO 

@nlerner wow thanks for that fascinating bit of history with your sales receipt. That would have been $1000 in ‘todays’ money.

OP, for what it is worth, the Trek 400 series came up several times in the ‘best bike you’ve ever had’ research project. It is obvious that some people adore them.

I haven’t seen the link yet, but $250 for that bike when the owner says it needs new wheels, sounds on the higher end. However, it could be your ‘gateway’ bike and therefore worth the price of entry. And whom among us hasn’t overpaid for a bike we really want and love? So I’m going to say that if you are comfortable with the price, go for it! I do think similar options will come along that are cheaper if you are patient, but if you’ve fallen for that one I won’t try to talk you out of it. I have a Trek 560, 600, and 957. Treks budget offerings were everyone else’s mid-tier offerings. I also like the suggestion of picking up an Ironman as well, as those are sleepers (price wise) in the bike world for what you get.

Make sure any bike you get will fit you well, good luck, and do please share pictures when you get it home

Hondo6

Minor quibble: if it's from prior to about 1986 and has the original RD, it might also need a new RD as well as possibly new shift cable housing (new shift cables should come with the brifters, but new housing might not). If I recall correctly, STI didn't show up until the 1985 model year with DA7400. Earlier RDs and cable housing - even from Shimano - may or may not "play nice" with indexed shifting.

jdawginsc 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4-35435b93fa95
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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4-35435b93fa95

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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...3-afa0f9177e15
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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...8-e6311ba09dc8

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sfazio 

If the bike speaks to you don't get too hung up on what others think it might be worth, where it is in the line, etc. In reality the time, effort and money we all spend on these vintage bikes isn't a great business model , we do it because we love it. My two cents is that's a great looking bike, cool color with good looking paint. If it really needs new wheels I agree that $250 might be a little steep, I would probably mention that it's going to cost you at least $100 to put new wheels on the bike and see if he will come down a bit.

machinist42

Raleigh competition - $250 (Downtown)

Posted 2023-01-24 13:10







https://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/d...582056265.html

sfazio 

Wow, do you think it's possible that frame is a little small for its current rider??

Jeff Neese

That's a decent bike, but the frame is NOT full chromoly and it's got lower-end components. If you have $250 to spend on a vintage bike, you can do much better as a starting point for upgrades. No matter what kind of upgrades you do, it will always be a lower-end frameset. Since you're just getting started with vintage, start with something worthwhile. Be patient.

machinist42

Yes, it is "full 531." (Technically not "chromoly" but rather Manganese-Moly,)



"Lower-end component."
<sarcasm glyph>

retroshifter

I love vintage Treks and while $250 is not an unreasonable price for a nice 412, I agree with others that suggest that you pass on this one. Trek sold a lot of bikes in the 1980s, so they come up for sale pretty often if you are patient (if you are lucky you can get a deal) The 500 and 600 series are full cromoly, and I would look for one of those for your first vintage trek. That said I have a 412 frame that I bought for $50 that I built into sort of a version of a Raleigh Sports for commuting. Good luck

brewerkz 

You can pick up clean treks well below $250, if your patient, at least in my market a 412 wouldnt sell at $250.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...0-ef823ea8bc94

Murray Missile 

Nice thing about Shimano SIS is that decent RD's both new and used are cheap and plentiful. He's also not limited to road derailleurs on the rear, lots of decent used Deore LX RD's around at very reasonable prices. NOS Shimano brifters can be quite pricey but I have a couple bikes with MicroSHIFT brifters and I'm quite happy with them. One is a 3 X 8 drop bar MTB running Shimano 105 derailleurs and the other is a 3 X 9 road bike running full MicroSHIFT. The brifters are a little "klunky" at first but quickly smooth out. I think the brifters are only available in all black now, they did have 2/3 X 7 sets at one time.

Jeff Neese

We are apparently talking about two different bicycles. The references I see for the 412 show Ishiwata 022 main tubes, and hi-ten rear triangle and fork. If it's a full 531 frame, that changes things but I don't think it's a 412.

Hondo6

Nice bikes.

Just pointed out the possible RD replacement requirement so the OP would know it might be required.

No argument re: Shimano RDs. Shimano 6-9 speed indexed RDs - and road 10-speed - all share the same actuation ratio (Dura Ace 6-8 speed excepted), so they should generally be interchangeable. (Dura Ace 6-8 speed will also reportedly work with non-Dura Ace shifters using alternate cable routing.) And as you note, they're readily available and anywhere from inexpensive to whoo boy! expensive.

Only possible issue I can see would be trying to use a very early SIS RD to shift 8-10 speed. Some of the earliest Shimano indexed RDs might not have enough lateral travel capability to shift the wider 8-10 speed cassettes. If I recall correctly, I've read accounts indicating that some do and some don't.

Existing FD might be a bit touchy as well. Brifters are indexed for front shifting also. I've read accounts of people making them work with older FDs. Haven't tried that yet personally, so I can't say how difficult that might be.

FWIW: new MicroShift 2x7 and 3x7 brifter sets are apparently still available. Unfortunately, they're also now about the same price as Shimano's Tourney brifters (between about $80 and $97 per set, plus tax and possibly shipping, Amazon or eBay).

There are also a similar line of brifters sold under the "MicroNew" brand that are generally significantly cheaper. However, with these caveat emptor may well be in order.

Elsewhere on Bike Forums, it's been posted that MicroShift says the MicroNew versions are unauthorized counterfeits of theirs. (Comparing the products' physical appearance and markings lend credence to this claim IMO.) The quality control also may not be as good. I personally would be hesitant to buy MicroNew for those reasons.

Murray Missile 

All valid points,, no arguments here. I installed a set of MicroNew 3 X 7's for someone else. Felt and looked a bit rougher than microSHIFT. Skeptical of their longevity, may try a set for myself just to see but I have a good set of RSX 3 X 7 AND 105 3 X 8 so may mot have an opportunity anytime soon.

ehcoplex

If you haven't ridden with DT friction shifters in a long time (if ever), I'd council giving them a try. My 'serious cycling 1.0' era ended just as brifters were coming on the scene, and I never rode a bike with them back then. When I got back into cycling a couple years ago the first bike I got had Shimano 7-speed STIs. I was skeptical, not least out of retro-grouchie aesthetic bias, but I quickly got used to them and thought, 'sure, they're fine..' Then I restored an old PX-10 and wondered if I'd find DT friction shifting a PITA after using a brifter bike- but I have to say, I find friction shifting more fun and satisfying in a tactile way. I don't know exactly what it is, but now I have little interest in STI/indexing now. Got bar-ends on 2 bikes, DT shifters on 2, and the STI-equipped bike gets almost no use at all. Anyway, point is, give the DT friction shifters a try before you ditch 'em- you may actually like them!

InternetUser23

Hey everyone, thanks for all the input! Unfortunately, I couldn't respond for 24 hours. I actually didn't end up going with the Trek, but I might still do so in the near future. I did go with a locally listed '87 Bianchi Sport SX that is in good riding shape and I'll be using it as a project bike.
That being said, I've kept in touch with the seller of the Trek and am keeping my eye on it! I've definitely got the itch to work on a bike; I ride plenty, but feel like I could know a lot more than I do! I'll be on here quite a bit, I think

squirtdad

congrats.

Pic required, asap

jdawginsc 

Is it the blue one I listed above?

InternetUser23

It sure is, thanks for the link!

I ended up purchasing for $200, which I was happy with, considering it was in good shape and I was able to ride it.

I took it by my favorite local bike shop today and we put the project together. Very little of the bike is original, so we're going to modify it with a longer stem, a flat bar, and some friction micro shifters on the bars. It should make for a fun bike to ride around. I'll update once those parts come in and I'm able to get them on the bike.

jdawginsc 

Sounds like a fine plan. Not sure what brakes were on there, but some dual pivots will give you some strong all weather confidence.