1984 Trek 660
The project bike arrived late yesterday afternoon.
I've only had enough time to pull it out of the box, slap it together into one piece, and play with it for about 15 minutes. No adjustments. It was a hoot to carve sharp turns and feel the acceleration.
It's pretty much what I wanted...a decent lugged steel bike with standard diameter tubes and geometry slightly more race-like than my current bikes. It fits perfectly, and even though it needs work, it's just what I had in mind for this project.
I know that the saddle, tires, and bars will need to be replaced, but I haven't really had the time yet to do a thorough inventory and make a plan. That'll be the first step, and I'm looking forward to it.
19 comments:
Very nice. I'm waiting to see what direction you're going to take it...
Saddle, brake levers, and tires definitely. Bars? I'll reserve judgement until I see what you have in mind. Keep some cross top levers in mind.
It looks great, what a fun bike! I think having a faster bike in the stable is a great choice. I consider it a luxury ... As you know, I absolutely love riding my faster bike, even though it's not as practical for everyday riding. On a faster machine you might also feel inclined to ride longer distances since the miles melt away faster/easier.
Wow, great looking bike! I'm excited to see your tweaking and hear how it rides. RIght on!
How much bigger can you go on the tires?
I had a feeling that it might be a vintage Trek. The bike looks to be in great shape.
Its sporting the hipster colors. I'm looking forward to its transformation.
That's a sweet ride, man! If it was mine, the mustache bars would definitely be forthcoming (but I am apparently in love with the M-bar)...
Bring on the project dog
Steve and Jon, I plan to stay with drop bars, but the current ones seem a bit too narrow.
Rombsy, I'm not sure how much additional width I'll be able to get, but the current tires are 25mm, and my eye-ball estimate is 28mm at least, and maybe 30mm. The fork is the limitation.
I have some Salsa Woodchippers (black) and an Origin8 Gary II bar, which are both flared, wide bars, if you want one of them. I just can't get comfortable on drops, any more...
Cool!
Drop bars similar to my Tricross might do well. They're reasonably wide and the shallow drops work well for a lot of people. My top bar does get a little crowded with the cross top brakes and two headlights.
Your "new" bike looks like quite the little gem. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
Jon, thanks for the offer on bars. I've been thinking about it. I've actually been thinking of trying a bar like those for my Kogswell P/R. If you send me a note via email with a price, maybe I'll pull the trigger on one of them.
I drooled over that exact bike in 1984. Same color, same model (not same size frame, however). I love every thing about that bike. I waited until 1986 and bought a Trek 500 Tri Series instead. I still think of what could have been...
I have no suggestions about what you could do with the bike, although I am confident you will come up with something awesome. You've got a great base to start from.
Jon, I'd be interested in taking the Woodchippers or the GaryII if Pondero isn't interested.
Hey, Tim, I took him up on the offer for the Gary II bars, but the Woodchippers are still available.
I don't know what you-all are dropping on Woodchippers and Gary IIs, but I flipped over an old steel pair or North Road knock-offs, $4 from the used bin at one of my local bike shops, and I'm happy as a clam with them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26941526@N00/5191031511/in/photostream [etc.]
For an upcoming build, I splashed out ($15) on an alloy pair by Zoom that will have a touch more 'drop.'
(I can't find a photo of them anywhere.)
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