trdsupragt

#2 is a 58cm according to the seller. But it looks like it might be smaller than that. Can anyone else tell from the photos?

trdsupragt

Bah. Bike was sold...

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv...443192003.html

Seems a bit much.. but is it worth the asking price?

Or perhaps this one?
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...444740123.html

Grim

Both crap.
That bottom was is a $60 bike and the only reason its a $60 bike is the 600 Brakes are worth $30 on Ebay.
The Raleigh is a low model or it is cobbled together low end parts.

trdsupragt

LOL i had a feeling it was overpriced. Good thing I decided not to follow up on it.

I ran across this one. While I've read many bad things about the Denalis, the Denali Pro seems to carry Shimano components. It also appears to have brifters. Though I don't know how crappy/good they are.
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo/2445213172.html

While the seller is saying it's worth much more than the asking price, I think they only really retailed for like $250. I haven't really seen anything here on the Denali Pro though. Do you think it'll probably be the same POS as the standard Denali, even for a basic use bike?


-edit-
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...445469621.html

trdsupragt

Well for my 50th post, I'm pleased (hopefully pleased) to say that I picked up an 89/90 Trek 1000. I did some research and learned that it was their entry level aluminum bicycle. As long as my spine doesn't go shooting out my skull, I think I'll be okay with the ride hardness.

I got it for $150 at a yardsale this morning and tried to haggle down as much as I could. It came with a pair of new tubes as well.

While a bit dirty from sitting in the garage, the owner seemed to take somewhat good care of it. Components are all stock, based on what I've researched. There doesn't seem to be much that I need to change out (yet) either.

For a more comfortable ride, would it be better to switch out to 28's?

Overall though, did I get ripped off or did I get a decent deal on this? Though bikes overall in this area aren't cheap...

monsterpile

I think you should feel pretty good about your purchase since it sounds like its in good shape and works good. Overall for the stuff I saw in your area I think you might have got a pretty good deal and its a good base to work from. Yeah you could switch the tires out to 28's but just ride it as is for a bit to see what you think. Its time to celebrate you got a bike!!!! Post more pics!

igknighted

Nice! That's a lot better than most of the bikes you've posted, and a great price too! Good find!

tjspiel

A couple of years ago I sold an '87 Peugeot for $270. It was well taken care of and I'm sure the steel lovers would prefer it, but I think the Trek is a better bike. You did well. Enjoy it.

Grim

You did good!! Thats a bike you can build on.
https://www.vintage-trek.com/ you can run the SN and see the catalogs there.

28's will smooth the ride. Later on you might consider a carbon fork. you will spend as much as you did for the bike but it will take a lot of the harshness out of the ride that bike will be prone too. Performance bike and Nashbar house brand fork is often on sale and you can do the upgrade for about $150 with headset.

trdsupragt

Thanks guys. I have to say, I'm quite relieved this whole craigslist ordeal is over (for now). Thanks a million for the help! Now to start personalizing the bike here and there....

I've also been reading that the components won't be compatible with anything else but the originals. Is that indeed true? And for the 28s, will I also need new wheels? I don't know the dimensions of the wheels right now, but I'll post on them later. I do remember that they were pretty thin though.

I thought about getting Deep V's (are they even compatible with road bikes?) but they are super hipster and well, I'm not a hipster lol. I liked the look until I realized they were a hipster thing to have. I also read that they can really kick you around once you get caught in crosswinds. But then again, here in SoCal, winds were never really that strong to begin with. I don't know, maybe in the future if the bike is worth putting more money into, I'll about it. I just need to know if they will work or not.

I'll definitely look into the fork upgrade in the future if I see fit. Photos will be coming soon after I get the bike cleaned up.

monsterpile

You can upgrade it to 8 speed I believe if you want buy doing some trickery outlined by sheldon brown.

For the wheels I would just roll with what you have especially since the new wheels would cost almost as much as the bike. you won't need new wheels for the 28mm tires which might be the first thing to upgrade depending on how you feel about the tires that are on the bike now.

You could add a carbon fork, but I don't know if its really needed. Its a steel fork not aluminum so I don't see how it would be more harsh, but maybe I missed something.

If you are not keen on the downtube shifters the first thing you can do is pick up a set of bar end shifters install them and just ride the bike. I don't really see the need to do a bunch of upgrading. If you do too much you might as well bought a different bike or even a new one.

trdsupragt

It's actually a Chro Moly fork. Though I don't know how much of a different it'll be between that and a carbon fork. But yeah. I don't really intend on doing that for a good while, or at least till I know what I'm looking for once I ride longer.

As for the shifters though, I'll ride with the DTs first and like previously stated, I'll see what works best for me as I ride more. But are there any index bar shifters that you might suggest (shifters I have now are index also, if that makes a difference)?

Grim

The Suntour parts you have is good stuff. Run it till it is wore out. I honestly dont know if the Suntour derailleurs will work with a Shimano indexed shifter. the big issue is finding 7 speed indexed shifter. It took me 2 years to find a second set. I had to part a bike to get them.
What you may be able to do is convert your shifters to bar end with these. https://www.rivbike.com/products/show...ts-pair/17-068

You could also go with friction bar ends like the old Suntour 3090 Powershift bar-cons that work excellent. They pop up on ebay all the time. https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.as...m=104&AbsPos=1

monsterpile

These are 8 speed, but I have read many people that use them for 7-speed systems and they work just fine with an extra click.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-SL-BS6.../dp/B000F5EFOC

trdsupragt

The shimano shifters and the shifter converters both look very promising.

I took the bike out for a spin this afternoon and I think I want to try to get used to the DT shifters first. It definitely felt safer to use than stem shifters though. As for the tires, the ride didn't seem that bad at all to me. I guess I won't be needing to change out to 28s just yet.

And now comes the clean up of the bike. Are there any particular degreasers and cleaners that I should use? I know I'l have to pick up a few brushes as well (any good ones in particular?). Should I drop by a few LBS before making purchases online?

I will definitely want to be changing out the bar tape to new ones as well.

Also, maybe I'm a bit compulsive, but the bike has a few chips on the paint, probably from rocks and pebbles and such. I'd like to try to fill those in and paint over those as well. The fork has some rust on it also. I suppose a little bondo or even steel epoxy with some sandpaper and paint will do the trick?

monsterpile

I like downtube shifters now they aren't too bad I have them on 2 of my bikes now.

Any dishwashing soap will work pretty well to degrease, but Dawn seems to be a bit better. I just use whatever my wife happened to buy at the store. I also use a powdered cleaner liek ajax or barkeepe's friend to take any scuffs out of the piant. Softsoap is great and even more mild. I don't use anything that most people don't have laying around and I clean up my bikes pretty well. I just use rags.

Fingernail polish makes great touchup paint. White is pretty easy to match up. If you are really picky ask if you can roll the bike into the local drugstore or wherever and see what is the closest match.

I can't tell what kind of shape the bar tape is, but you might be able to clean it and re-wrap it to get some more use out of it. Of course getting new bar tape sure looks nice. =)

When you get the bike all cleaned up you can give the paint a nice coat of wax I use the old standby turtle wax and it will give you a nice shine to the paint and make it easier to clean later and protects the paint too.

Hve fun Cleaning and touching up bikes is one fo my favorite parts of working on them.

trdsupragt

Yeah I was reading that nail polish might be a good way to fill in the chips. I was also thinking of using automotive touch up paint but it might cost a bit more to go that route. Though just a few dollars more. The thing with the paint on this one is that the white has a bit of a blue hue to it. So that might but a bit difficult to match right away.

I guess I don't really need to shell out so much on cleaning products just yet. Though I think I do need some kind of brush set to get into the wheels and the cassette, and all the other hard to reach places.

I was also thinking of replacing the brake housings as well but seeing as how the housing/cables go into the frame and back out the other side, it might be a bit difficult especially for a first timer.

As for the tape though, I'll probably keep it till I find something nice and worth picking up. Don't need to spend too much on it just yet.

Grim

Go over to the Classic and vintage section and search "oxalic acid". It is a way to remove rust without damaging the paint. Service the bearings on the wheels and BB (if it is not sealed) right away. Old grease dries up and stops lubricating. the bearings will eat themselves if this is happening.

See if you can find a bicycle Co Op in your area. They can help you as well as lend you the tools needed to do the job for a small donation.

sharrn

I have a Kinesis Aero carbon fork I'm willing to part with if your interested. It's been used for maybe 4 miles. I bought the bike for its parts. I'm in north San Diego county. pm me.

trdsupragt

I don't think I'll quite be needing the fork just yet. Though I will consider it. Thanks for the offer.

Well, I just finished cleaning it up a bit and took it for another spin. The brakes were squeaking and for the longest time I was trying to figure out how to fix it. It's not particularly easy with side pull brakes either, since I read that I need to adjust toe. I tried everything from sandpaper, to wiping the rim down with alcohol, and I even considered twisting the arm a bit, but that was a scary thought. In the end, it came down to just lowering the pads a little further. Bike was totally quiet in braking. While trying to figure out how to get rid of the squeak, I learned how to adjust brake tension too, after watching oh... about 1 million videos. I'll probably need to play with it a little more of course.

I'll definitely need to adjust the height of the brake levers as well. I've found that riding and braking from the hoods feels more natural to me right now, but I'll probably play with the drop bar angle a little more to see if riding from the drops feels any better.

I've learned quite a bit this morning already just cleaning and adjusting brakes too, especially in seeing how everything works.