When I found this bike, it was in a sad state, but the frame looked promising. After stripping it and giving it a preliminary cleaning, I realized that there were a number of things that I liked about it.
First is the weight--not light! Some solid and hard-hitting chromoly over here, ladies and gentlemen. No signs of any double-butting. For its size, this frame is heavy, which I'm going to consider a good thing.
Second is the total absence of any structural issues. Apart from a bit of light surface oxidation and a few scratches, the frame is good to go. The brake mounts, the chain stay fender bridge, and the seat post clamp are in great shape, as are all of the cable housing stops.
Third, the frame and fork dropouts and the derailleur hanger are good and solid. Zero issues. These things were made to last.
Fourth, all the threads--and that includes double bottle cage mounts, double rear eyelets, fender mounts and rack mounts on the wishbone seat stay, the derailleur hanger threads, the brake post threads, the bottom bracket threads, and the bottom bracket cable guide mount threads--are all clean and good to go. I thoroughly cleaned them all with steel wool, and threaded in new bolts. Perfect!
Fifth, the bottom bracket. The old one came out without a fight (yay!), and the threads are fine. A bit of steel wool got them totally clean. I'll be using a new Shimano XT Hollowtech bottom bracket, which threaded in perfectly during the trial fitting.
Sixth, the forks are flawless. Like the frame, the forks are not for weight weenies. Steer tube threads, brake posts (and threads), and fender mount eyelets are all in perfect shape.
In a nutshell, this frameset is crying out for a quality rebuild. The old components that were on it when I found it were at the low end of the feeding chain, which is understandable considering the weight of this frame: Trek's entry level bike--probably under $200?
The rebuild will include a combination of brand new components (Deore Hollowtech triple crankset with XT bottom bracket, SRAM chain, Deore hubs mated with Alex DH19 rims via Wheelsmith DB14 spokes, Shimano 9-speed cassette, Avid V-brakes and levers, Deore shifter levers, Origin8 quill stem adapter, Ritchey foam grips, Jagwire cables and housing) and used items that I already have in my parts bin (LX derailleurs, SR seatpost, WTB seat, BlackWidow pedals, modern stem and flatbars of unknown origin). Will also be adding racks and cages to the final draft.
Stay tuned!
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