- 1988-89 Trek 400
- Fork modified with mid-fork and dropout brazeons
- 650b Conversion – Grand Bois Hetre tires, red (42′s)
- Front Wheel is a Sun rim – the rear is a VO rim. The VO rim is FAR nicer of the two. I laced them both.
- Zepplin Fenders (55′s – removed a little material around the chainstays and fork crown with a dremel)
- Frame has been blued with gun bluing solution, and then covered in a 2-part epoxy. What you’re looking at is bare metal.
- Velo Orange Headset (pretty, but easily munged this new headset looks like crap now, thanks VO)
- Extra Long Reach Tektro brakes – outfitted with V-brake pads today (not pictured)
- Ideale Rebour saddle with custom ghetto setback seatpost (another post by itself I think). Now with integrated rear lighting!
- Frame modified – top tube cable guides clipped and replaced with cable stops.
- Nitto light bar up front.
- Front rack I FOUND in a pile of junk bikes destined to get cut up and turned into tall-bikes. Score. No idea who makes it but it’s made of aluminum. Its of similar design to Nittos’ Campee front rack – which is a pull from very old French designs. Nitto’s rack is made of steel and doubtless much more sturdy than mine, but this is quite stable by itself; and it weighs about half a pound, and cost me not a nickle so I think I’m ahead on all fronts.
I have only 2 bikes in my stable now, salvageable or not: One being the aforementioned 1992 Schwinn Paramount; And the other, in a strange turn of events, is my old 1988 Trek 400. After a MAJOR overhaul and review of what I wanted to accomplish – what started out as my budget bike project has pleasantly stayed budget responsible, but has totally morphed into a really classic randonneur. Grumpy has gone through the business.
Started out looking like this when I got it - you know, the night it broke my right arm on it when test riding it:
After I got done with it the first time, it was named the Rooster and it looked like this.
After I was hit by a school bus on it and sold it to Chase he repainted it and rebuilt it and christened it Alice. I can't believe I'd become convinced this bike was too big for me. Jeez.
And now, many years and many iterations later, it’s back! The Trek is back – say hello to Grumpy.
Originally built with Mustache Handlebars, I’ve since taken them back off and put drops back on. Will save the mustache bars for another bike. I have more plans for Grumpy here. I want to re-rake the fork to make it a nicer front loader. I might harangue Alex into teaching me how to replace the rear dropouts with vertical dropouts; the back wheel keeps walking around and I’ve ripped apart 2 good Shimano Close skewers trying to clamp down on it hard enough. I’ve got an older Close skewer on there now, one with a good burly steel nut, and it works much better. But it totally sucks to be pleasantly climbing a hill only to have your rear wheel start rubbing against your rear left chainstay. Ugh. I loathe the thought of a rear flat – reseating that back wheel is a total pain in the ass. Also wouldn’t mind indenting the chainstays there for a little more tire clearance; All I need is a vice and a brace. Should be simple enough to do with the right jig.
Actually, after reading this, Alex has to help me with it all. Hi Alex! Maybe I’ll just find a different frame but this is stuff I want to sorta get into anyhow. If he’s available and willing… I’m going to make a mess.
Onward.
