oh man, help us make a decision.
 

so. my friend wants to go fixed. he has two options.

a) convert the trek he has (apparently something pretty nice for its time? there is no model name on the bike, just "avocet" on the seat), which is reynolds 531, forged dropouts, nice (i think, i'm no expert) vintage parts - campy headset, suntour derailers, sugino maxy cranks. There are no braze ons on the top tube.

b) sell said bike (we are unsure of how much it's worth/we could get) and pick up a cheap entry level track frame and cheapo parts.

anyway, i say convert. my roommate votes sell and get cheap track, my friend who's bike it is is unsure.

anyway. we'd appreciate any input. thanks guys

I'd say convert unless you can spend at least 1000 on new bike. The trek sounds nice!

edit: one thought: why not buy some bomb-proof, long lasting and excellent wheels (phil, campy et al). they will last forever, and they can transfer to the nice track frame that above friend will someday be able to afford.

what do the suntour deraillers say on the side of them?

a.

suntour cyclone

cyclone is a nice group, like 70s ultegra

What up gnat? Belated happy new year. I've heard that old Treks make nice conversion but it also sounds like it makes a nice road bike. I personally would go with option two though if you can scrounge enough cash to go with an IRO. I had a nice conversion but ran in to way too many problems with it. At least with an off the shelf (in most cases... easy does it) you know you've got a bike that's not gonna have to deal with chainline and spacing issues every other day.

Convert

I had an early 80s Trek that I converted over. Definately cool. Lugs rule.

Save up and get a cheapo tenspeed to convert. That trek deserves its gears. Also if it has shifter bosses, it'll make a sorta ugly conversion.

I'd just get a nice rear wheel and some short stackbolts. Put the old rear wheel, and shifters aside, and ride the thing.

Next one of 3 things is bound to happen.
He loves it! Bully for him
or
He loves it s much he wants a "trackier" bike. SO he'll keep the wheel, sell the bike, and buy whatever he wants most.
or
He hates riding fixed (difficult to imagine, but) he puts it back to geared, sells the wheel, and is out maybe $20 for the experiment

Convert, unless the friend wants different geometry.

But one of the beauties of doing a conversion is that financially you come out poor but you learn a ton about what fixies. ImOnCrank is a bully to his bikes, its well known. He treats 'em mean so now wonder he has problems with 'em :D

I'd say convert if you've never done it before, esp as it sounds like a decent frame and if it fits your friend well.

Take your licks now. Save all the old parts so it can be put back together (or near together). Maybe even go budget singlespeed first. Then buy a decent rear hub/wheel that it can be used on another frame or has some sell on value. And take it from there. Doing it yourself is much more rewarding (though not always fun) but at least your friend will understand whats up.

View at as his rite of passage into the world of fixed/ss.

pics. i'd say sell, for the reasons ImOnCrank suggested, but say keep for reasons, others are saying (the experience, cost, transferring parts, etc).

but pics will help, i think. a good looking conversion is nice itself, and unless your friend plans on racing or really needs a track frame, a nice conversion may work, too.

Meh, ida know, what can you really get for a bike that's pretty nice, but not amazing and all decked out in record? Probably not as much as the hassle is worth.

Track or no track, the point is that it's fixed, and you can do that for as little as the cost of a cheapo hub and a cog and lockring if you know how to lace up a wheel. If you don't, a hundred or so bucks gets you a wheel, and you can decide whether or not fixed is the thing, and if it ain't, and you really need the money or the space and don't have a friend who needs to convert, sell the wheel. Who need a full on track bike just to try it out?

Either way you can't really go wrong though.

I only beat em cause I love em. And the ding on the tube is from when it fell down a flight of stairs and landed on a doorknob. Yeah, that's it... a doorknob.

True that to the rite of passage. Alright I toss in for conversion. Everyone should have one so they can get familiar with the experience of maintaining a bike.

Spot on. Odds are, in this day and age, if you were to sell it, somebody else would buy it for steal and then post on here about how to convert this great Trek frame he got from some guy who was just getting rid of it.

I've got an 80's trek. Nice lugs, pretty dropouts. It's a hot ride, why deny yourself that?

Sounds like a nice frame. Old Treks were handmade in Wisconsin, for what that's worth. I have an '82 Trek that I converted to a singlespeed. It was relatively cheap and very easy to do. The following website is a good source for researching what year and model of old Trek you actually have: http://www.vintage-trek.com/index.htm