I'll play. Here's my Trek 660 as I first built it up.



The paint was a little ragged, and I never cared for the gray, so I had it powdercoated. This is close to the Trek "race blue" that earlier versions of the 660 had. And I got some nice SKS full fenders.

Very nice conversion. I just did about the same thing with a Centurion Accordo, mudguards and all.

By the way, to those not conversant on Trek's of this vintage, the model number is something of a code to the frame geometry. The first digit is the model level (higher is better), the remaining two have a lot to do with frame geometry and purpose of design.

x20's are touring bikes (the Trek 520 is an absolute classic of this genre). x60's are racing, the 460 was the amateur level (I've got one - geared - and absolutely adore it), 560's 660's, 760's keep getting better in tubing as you go up the ladder, all frames are made with a fast handling geometry. The 460's have the added advantage of not having come with shift lever braze-ons, keeping the clean lines without unnecessary hacking.

"Every time someone hacks a vintage frame to make a fixie, God kills a kitten."

Didn't know this. So, what about the x00 models? I have a 1988 400. It feels like a pretty generic "sport recreation" frame. Not too relaxed but not really twitchy/racer either.

That sounds about right. At one time, someone mentioned to me the full gamut of frame design intentions/fame number combinations, but as my geared interests are almost totally in either fully bagged tourers or high speed fast handling racing bikes, the x20 and x60 series are the only ones I remember. x00 were either generic, or (more likely) marketed as a somewhat comfort oriented sport tourer.

I'll probably figure out more as I dig up more frames. I've got a GREAT deal of respect for those 80's Trek's.

For what it's worth, I set up my '89 660 and my '00 5200 (CF race bike) as identically as I could with reach to the bars, saddle to BB, etc. They handle almost identically. The 660 is slightly heavier but it still winds up fast and rails the corners.

this is good actually, it gives me fixer upper ideas for my new setup. thanks a lot guys. any other suggestions on parts or conversion techniques, let me know!

here's my 1985 trek 400 conversion, killed by a toyota on sept 22, 2008:

It's not the second digits that determine class, it's usually the first. 5xx, 6xx and 7xx are all touring bikes. The 520 needs no introduction, the 720 is even more epic, and almost impossible to find. I have a 610 that has chainstays longer than even the Long Haul Trucker, and the 600 I posted earlier is still rather touring in geometry.

4xx are usually of lower quality, although I would kill for a 420L for my girlfriend (do you know how few mixtes were made with nice tubing?), although they were still quite nice. They had a more generic 'sport touring geometry, even the 420's

I think X00's were framesets that were sold without being built up. Eh, it's hard to find a pattern in the madness, just bookmark
https://www.vintage-trek.com/

man, i love how i just started a new vintage trek lovers forum. it is making me feel apart of a new generation of bike enthusiasts. anyway, i have another question about my conversion. i am thinking about purchasing a new rear wheel or wheel set because the stuff on there now is pretty rusty. what do you guys think about that? what do you suggest i get (new hubs, new rear wheel, entire set? what brands etc.). also, can anyone suggest a design gear ratio for me, being a newb and never owning or riding a fixed gear? again, the bike i am converting is a trek 560.

If you live in a relatively flat area, I would recommend 46/17 (or any combo that gives you aprox. 73 GI), but that really is a personal thing. Wheels really depend on how much you want to spend. How much do you want to spend. They also depend on the aesthetics you're going for. What aesthetics are you going for (brightly colored rims? something subtle? a more classic look?)? Velocity Deep Vs laced to Formula Hubs are a favorite for those looking for bright colors (they're also quality wheels...deeps more than DPs). I run Velocity Aeroheads (lighter than Deep Vs and a little cheaper that still have a somewhat deep profile) laced to Soma Somax hubs (probably a little overpriced, but what I wanted) for a slightly more subtle looks. I guess we need to know more about your needs, preferences and situation to be able to better answer your question.

i guess you could say i am trying to keep this project fairly cheap but at the same time i would like for it to look anywhere from decent to nice. im not really trying to make it completely scream, "please steal me" when i lock it up at my local bike rack but i would like for it to have some solid and straight looking wheels, hence id say classy yet subtle in a cheaper priced wheel is what i am going for. also, i am new to this so any setup that is easier to install and work with than another would also be good. as far gear ratios go, i live in a fairly flat terrain, or at least ill be riding around in one. there are a few minor hills here and there and with time i hope to be able to tackle SOME of them, so i would need a solid flat land commute ratio along with a tad bit of versatility. also, itd be cool to try and learn some tricks too!? muhhahaha, kidding. does that somewhat help? one other thing, is there any special tools i may need? i have some tools such as a chainwhip from my last project but ive never done a fixed gear.

If I lived in a flatter area than Seattle, I'd personally go with something that gives me more gear inches than 73. I run 46/17 and it's perfect for climbing most Seattle hills, but when I'm in flatter areas I find myself wishing I was still running 48/16 so I could go faster without spinning out.

i'll play. here's my '89 trek 660.



the gearing is 42x17, but i live in seattle. i think you should get a new wheelset if the stock ones are pretty beat. i bought my bike geared off craigslist. all i did was rebuild the rear wheel with a fixed/free hub, take off all the deraillers, shifters, and extra chainrings and buy new brake levers.

It looks older than 1985 to me. That decal scheme was phased out by 1983, and it looks like it has forged dropouts rather than the investment cast ones used in 1985.

Not that there's anything wrong with that -- it's a nice bike!

No, Skyrocker had it right. The first digit indicates the frame material "5xx" used Ishiwata 022 tubing, 6xx used Reynolds 531 main tubes and pre-fab Ishiwata or Tange forks and rear triangle, 7xx was all Reynolds 531 brazed in Waterloo, 9xx was all Columbus (SL or SP depending on frame size) brazed in Waterloo, and 1xx was Reynolds 753 brazed in Waterloo.

The second digit indicated the frame geometry: 0 or 1 was a "sports touring" geometry, 2 was touring geometry, 3, 6 or 7 was racing geometry. The last digit was just a model designation.

The "n00" frames were bare framesets, but IIRC this designation was dropped in the early 80s so that a single, terminal 0 indicated a bare frame. E.g. a "977" was a Columbus tubed, racing geometry frame built with a Campy Super Record group, while a "970" was just the bare Columbus frame and fork.

Your right, it's a 1980 trek 600, my other trek touring bike is an '85 620. It's actually set up for touring though. See how it's easy to get them confused, they're even the same color.

Just ride the Trek and get a BD fixie

what is a bd fixie?

Formula hubs with lo-profile box rims,preferably all silver like these....

https://www.bicyclewheels.com/merchan...egory_Code=FGS

ok, so i can probably figure this out on my own but i wanted to ask just for the sake of doing it right. how would i remove these bosses without completely damaging them? ive been told to keep it all intact even if i convert it, so i want to make sure i do these bosses justice.

you can't remove them without doing damage.

really? ah man, well i wasnt going to grind down the boss holes but i thought you could take them off? oh well.

just took off the bosses without any damage. the key is using a set of vice grips and pull real softly.

ok, so thus far i have the trek 560 pretty much stripped, however i am having trouble getting the bottom bracket out. i removed the crank with the crank removing tool, now im not sure how to take the lock ring off of the bottom bracket. again, im completely a newb so if someone can explain to me how that works and possible what tool ill have to purchase, that would be great.

JohnDThompson said it, but you're wrong and the other person is right.

touring (X20s):
https://www.vintage-trek.com/TrekBrochure1984Touring.htm

racing (x60s):
https://www.vintage-trek.com/TrekBrochure1984Racing.htm