PSA: Sweet Trek 650B conversion in Portland, OR

[Daniel]

This looks well done and the price is great for what it is. No relation to the seller.

restored Trek 650b conversion - $800 (se)

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/5500647003.html

For your consideration is this classy situation.
I restored this bike and built it up with retro- nuovo bits aka stuff that looks old but works like new.
Super comfy all the way around. 650b Compass tires on Velocity 650b A23 built with $3 a piece Sapim CX Ray spokes. This wheelset is perhaps the nicest silver, rim brake, touring wheel set you could build. It was super spend to build. Paul Racer Brakes. Dura Ace 7900 STI shifters and Dura Ace derailleurs. Brooks saddle. SP dynamo front hub. B&M Lumotech front dynamo light (runs off of front hub).
I spent over 3k building this bike. It was a labor of love.

[Chris Cullum]

All that work and no size listed, looks like a 56cm?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Daniel]

I'd guess so, too. Should be good for Ryan in Seattle ;-)

[Nick Bull]

Nor does it say what Trek they converted and the photo does not have enough detail for me to tell.  Some are good, some would be a waste of time & money.

[Justin Hughes]

CL ad indicates model 400. 

Justin

Louisville KY

[Steve Frey]

If indeed it is a 400 as the ad claims, I'd guess it's a 1986 or later based on the investment cast fastback seat lug, the presence of brazed-on downtube shifter bosses, and the rear derailleur cable routed through the chainstay. That would make it Reynolds 531 main triangle with cro-mo stays and fork. Not a bad frame...

[Mark Anderson]

Price seems to have gone up $400.

Mark
Liberty, MO

[Rick Johnson]

The seller was probably watching this list...

Rick Johnson
Bend, Oregon

[Chris Cullum]

Or getting a bunch of low ball offers which is par for the course on CL...

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Chris Cullum
Vancouver, BC

[David Cummings]

That's still not a bad price, all things considered.

[Nick Bull]

Didn't notice that little tag showing model #, most people put it in the description.  It sure looks like a 400.  As you mention, '86 would have 531 main tubes, as would '87, but '88 to '93 you'd get True Temper tubes, which I am guessing are still pretty-nice tubes, though I've never ridden one of those later Treks.

I converted my wife's '86 400 Elance to 650B and she couldn't be happier.  Prior to the conversion, the biggest tires I could fit with fenders were 700x25's, and she felt decidedly skittish on those narrow tires in the rain.  Now it has 650Bx38's with fenders and she likes it a lot better.

At $800 the listed bike was a bargain, at $1200 it's still not a bad price given all its parts.  I already have too many bikes!

[Nick Bull]

Oops, '88 to '92 has True Temper.  The '93 has Nonexistium tubes since it appears they discontinued the 400 then.

[mitch....@gmail.com]

On Friday, March 25, 2016 at 8:11:52 AM UTC-6, Nick Bull wrote:

Didn't notice that little tag showing model #, most people put it in the description.  It sure looks like a 400.  As you mention, '86 would have 531 main tubes, as would '87, but '88 to '93 you'd get True Temper tubes, which I am guessing are still pretty-nice tubes, though I've never ridden one of those later Treks.

I bought a 400 Trek in 1986 for someone and remember all the new 400 series were True Temper--you had to go to the 500 series to get 531. This was the year, or close to it I think, that this level of Trek went to the investment cast socket seat lug and socket rear drops--to get better mechanization in production as it was explained at the time. Those socket True Temper 400s rode ok but it was clearly a lower build quality than the non-socketed Treks with multiple visible compromises. Still a good bike for low end Trek. 

It was not clear at the time that the True Temper tubes used were seamed or seamless and that was an issue back then; Tange Infinity was fairly new and the idea of quality seamed tubing was a new concept and we were skeptical. If anyone could do quality seamed tubing it would be True Temper, and maybe the 400s were not seamed, but it was interesting that Trek dealers back then wouldn't confirm seamless for the 400 series. 

Lots of 400 series Treks still going strong but I would not consider it a desirable Trek in the same way as the 500 and up series that a lot of you have converted.

Nick, you and Steve probably know more about Trek history and specifications than I so maybe you are confident about the 531 spec in 1986 and maybe there were variations in the 400 series. I just have a very clear memory of comparing Trek 400s and 500s in the shops in 1986 and 1987 and paid special attention to tube spec since True Temper's branding was fairly new in the market then. 

I didn't pay much attention to Trek after that because of the middling build quality of the Trek 400 I bought then, and because by then Trek was all about their new glued Aluminum bikes (2200 I think). 

One advantage of this CL offering then is that, even if it is over-priced now, it's a good smart build and if you hammer it on gravel trails you not beating up a nice old Trek, just a 400. 

--Mitch

[Nick Bull]

http://www.vintage-trek.com/

catalogs on that website show '86 and '87 Trek 400 to be 531 main tubes; '88 and thereafter True Temper.