I just learned that the original owner built the bike up from a frameset. He was in college at the time and put on what he could afford plus some components that Vittesse cycle shop had in stock at the time.
900 series early Treks were Columbus tubing with Imron pain. Just clean it up and keep the original paint and decals. Clean off rust and clear coat the exposed steel. Patina is better than over restored museum queens. Lube and adjust all components. Then ride it and enjoy the old school experience as it is and not as it was when new. Preservation and not restoration for this bike.
I think I'm going to do a combo. I'm going to clean it up, ride it but probably put SR chainrings and rear der on it. Thanks, I dont see me repainting it or anything that drastic.
That's a great find John. Of course, I like to restore bikes to as original as I can. Sometimes it takes forever to find the parts. Of course, cleaning it up and touching up that spot and using the Mavic MA40s (if I remember correctly they are clinchers) would work. I don't think I've ever seen any Modolo Speedy brake calipers that did not say "Speedy" on them, but..... My dad purchase a Rizzato 10 speed for me when I was about 11/12 years old (wish I would have kept it). When trying to research it, the Atala name kept coming up. I could never find anything about the Rizzato brand though. Jim
Put something different on it like it came as a frameset. Some did. Dig up some Ofmega if you can afford it and can find the parts. I had one in the mid '80s with a mix of Ofmega Crankset, Superbe Pro Derailleurs . . . what I could afford at the time. The thing was beautiful hanging on the bike shop wall. Last of the Columbus tubing Treks. I'm not a crit racer and it was known as a crit bike but I had to have it anyway because it was flashy and beautiful in a bold way that made you ride hard to deserve it. Stiff, lively and a good climbing bike. It really wanted a better motor than me but by god I owned it anyway. Well I sold it when I moved to the West Coast and I always wished I hadn't though the '86 500 Trek fit me better and was a more comfortable bike after a couple hours on it. Now I've bought another with the decals gone and bought some '83 decals and they've been sitting on a shelf laughing at me for too long. So I'm throwing some parts I can afford on it and getting it built, Velo Orange compact Crankset, Dia Comp brakes and Suntour Cyclone Derailleurs . . . I know it's heresy but I've been a Suntour fan since stepping off an Italvega with Nuovo Record onto a Univega with Suntour. It really wants a better motor than me but by god I own it anyway. This one i'm keeping for the compliments.
It seems this reply is being credited to my wife. I am a guy responding. I had the same bike that I purchased new at a bike shop outside Milwaukee in 1983. I bought the 60 cm frame and had them build it with a mix of Super record and Suntour Superbe. I got hit by a car on the rear triangle and TREK repaired it in 1984. TREK completely repainted and replaced damaged tubes in their shop. They clear coated over the paint which was not how the bike was originally made. It was better than new. The 60 cm frames had Columbus SP rather than SL. 58 and smaller frames had the lighter SL. Your bike looks like it might be 60.
It is truly high class problem to decide to restore or preserve. I bought a 79 Trek frame 9xx something, can't decipher which exact model even using the Vintage Trek website. The paint was so bad I had it resprayed a different color and I am very pleased with the result. I would be interested in the sew up wheel set if it is for sale. I recently bought my first sewups but alas the spacing is too wide for my odd collection of steel bikes but it works just fine on my old 'Dale. Thanks for the video, the bike is stunning.
Thank you, Not sure about the wheels. I have to figure out what to put on this bike. I may clean the sew ups up and remount them. Some of those hard treks are hard to figure out. Sometimes you go by Geometry and tubing brand if you know the tubing.
It is a classic with race pedigree, just a cleanup; keep everything as is - maybe new chain and cables (try to keep the outers) period cassette and chain.. Would love to check out your man cave one day, haven’t seen anything like it down under..
That Trek does deserve some love! The graphics and colors are great! It does need some cleaning and maybe touch up some rust. Maybe even get some of the original SR and SL parts on it again?? I have to wonder if some of the parts are on it due to the abusive nature of crit races back in the day. That might explain the steel Record pedals. As for the Atala.. I remember them, but don't know how good they really were. Looking forward to a close review of that one!
Thanks for the video. I love vintage Treks and would like to see an update on what you decided to do with this bike. I don’t think I’ve seen a 900 series, but I recently acquired a 1983 600 model which is a nice addition to my collection. Happy riding.
@@JohnsVintageRoadBikeGarage This bike has Sun Tour blue line derailleurs, a Cyclone crank, 105 brakes ( I don’t think these are original) , Matrix rims, and Malliard hubs.
We all know how much you love shiny minty bikes, so this one is quite off piste for you. In your case, I suggest that you respray it and NOS it back to its catalogue state, your usual MO. You know you want to. My original 1981 road bike, that I had hand built for me, had gold plated forks and gold anodised accessories such as, an Edco headset, Cobra bottle cage, brakes, chainrings and rims. The rest was Super Record. All the gold components wore out over the years apart from the Galli brakes. When I restored it, I sprayed with modern colour-shift and pearl paint. It often gets complimented by other cyclists when I pull up at London traffic lights. I kept the spirit of the original. It was blingy back then, and it is blingy today but in a different way.
I hear what you're saying. However, Im not feeling a complete restoration here. I rarely paint bicycles nor do I usually buy repainted bikes. I usually find the garage queens and clean them up and tune them. Im getting a ton of feedback on this video. More than any other. Im pretty sure Im going to do a deep cleaning, change the chainrings to SR and the Rear Der to SR.. The brakes? IDK.. still thinking about that. That being said I have a Raleigh competition GS that I did a video a while back on. I'm getting it painted by Jeffry bock in Iowa.. We'll see how it goes.
I have two Merckxs and a Daccordi that were repainted and they are absolutely beautiful. Carbon or titanium can't match the beauty of an 80's steel frame built by an Italian or Japanese craftsperson
I think if I were to rehab the bike, I'd probably: 1. Address major rust points - like the brake guide, and the shifter(Or keep the shifter as is - it does tell a story about how hard this bike was ridden) 2. If replacing parts and going back to stock, I don't think going with the nicest examples makes sense. All the little bits of frame wear and tear will distract from the nice shiny parts, and hide this bikes rich history. 3. The thrashed brake lever would drive me mad, as would non-matching levers and calipers. You've got a tough decision. 4. The decals - I don't know what I'd actually do. They make the bike look a lot more worn than it probably is, but replacing them does mean you'd lose a good bit of patina. I'm super excited to see what you do with it.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Yes the levers drive me crazy!!! I think when I shine up the bike the cracked decals will stick out more. So. I may get some.. I have an old SR Rear derailleur and some old SR chainrings. IT wouldnt put me out to swap them.
Honestly the frameset is not my size but its so rare to find one that I wanted it. Im going to keep in natural. Im just going to clean it up well. Change the tape etc.
Hi, Honesty I'm torn. I learned that this was purchased originally as a frameset. I share that in the next video on his bike when i clean it up. Typical college aged racer getting discounts at his store (Vitesse in Bloomington Normal Illinois) trying to build a bike while saving money.
Look forward to seeing where you go with this. I would leave the Trek decals as they are. Give the frame a good clean. Get rid of the rust and touch up accordingly and put the full Super Record on and back to original specs. Is the Trek your size. The Atala is a great next project.
You've probably heard this from others, but I just stumbled on your channel today and have to express my opinion that taking bikes off the street and hoarding them in a private "museum" is completely contrary to the spirit of cycling. Sure, I understand the idea of preservation, and there a few rarities out there that could be lost forever without the help of concerned restorers/collectors, but this Trek, for example, doesn't represent anything particularly important in the history of bike manufacturing. Why turn a fun and highly ridable bike into a lifeless hanger when it would provide a great cycling experience to someone who can't afford a brand new ride? Here in LA, such bikes often get donated to one of several non-profit workshops that specialize in helping working class kids to get on a bike, ride it safely, and restore/service it properly. I suggest something like that for you, John. Turn your passion for bicycles into a project that's more about helping your community.
I appreciate your concern. However these are not the type of bicycles that you give to the homeless, working class kids or a shelter. I give plenty to those causes. I do plenty to help my community as well as teaching kids to work on bicycles etc. Being new to the channel you may not be aware of that. Please dont be so quick to judge.
Hi John! Thank you for another great video! Interesting neighbors you have. I still remember a lime T-bird '57 outside next to your "cave". By the way can I ask you a question? So, I bought a 77 Peugeot last year in a very good condition. But the stem is completely stuck. I've asked many people, including local bike mechanics. I don't know what to do. Do you have an advice?
Listen. I'll be totally honest. Its been years since I had to deal with that. When I was in a shop I would turn the bicycle upside down, spray penetrating oil under the fork crown and do it many times over two days. Assuming the wedge is unwedged I then try to twist it out a day or two later. After that It may be drill time.. But id seek other advice before doing that.
*WALL* *HANGER*, my ass! PLEASE, GIVE IT TO ME TO RIDE!.... I'll put 10,000 miles on it, then give it BACK, so you can keep it! And I will detail, clean, re-hab, and bring it up to Tour de France standards!.... What a SWEET, BEAUTIFUL machine, AS IS! LOL!.... (I want aero-cable routed brake levers, maybe late 1980's vintage....LOL!....)
I see you picked up on that. Yeah. The bike will be hung on my wall, It will also be ridden. Im pretty sure that I'll be just cleaning the bike up and repacking bearings etc. The only thing I'm debating is whether or not to put new decals on it. Thanks for watching
@@JohnsVintageRoadBikeGarage I knew you'd say no, but I wasn't kidding!.... Lemme put 5,ooo miles on it? Please? LOL!.... SWEET MACHINE, all analog!.... New, combination brake/shifters would make it PERFECT....gotta have SOME upgrades!....I hate those cables curving up through the cockpit!....
Hi, I’ve been enjoying your channel for quite some time and love the amazing content you provide about classic bicycles. Your videos are always insightful and entertaining! I manage a channel dedicated to classic bicycles as well, and it would be an honor if you could check it out and perhaps follow. Your feedback would be invaluable as I aim to create content that fellow bike lovers will appreciate.
@@JohnsVintageRoadBikeGarage that would be a reason to keep it as found,cleaned up of course but there is some history there which would be lost otherwise.
@@steelcrazy409 I agree with you. Knowing now that it was built by the original owner that was a college kid working with a budget and a helpful bike shop sponcer makes it more interesting. I do have a couple ideas for it but will keep the spirit of the bicycle.
I hear you! Lol. I will be showing and highlighting a vintage dura Ace equipped bicycle is well as a sun tour. Superb equipped bike soon. However, I won't be able to reach equal time lol thanks for watching
@@JohnsVintageRoadBikeGarage I was trying to understand your living situation. I had never heard of a motor Condo before. Wow! How does the HOA handle people doing some heavy duty wrenching? And what keeps neighbors from doing stupid things or putting other neighbors at risk?
@@chrisharper2658it's a unique property. Google, iron gate motor condos. Primarily they are garages that people who collect cars will purchase. I have a separate residence. Also, if you hit iron gate motor condos and just look at images you'll see a bunch of like garages.
@@chrisharper2658 an answer to your question. Only a few people wrench here. Many car collectors have others work on their cars. They're more like showrooms. I am the poor guy here lol
@@JohnsVintageRoadBikeGarage The little clips you showed on your channel confused me. Part industrial complex, part resort? I see they're showing up in various states. I guess it gives new meaning to keeping up with the Jones's.
