RE: [CR]Trek

(Example: Framebuilding)

From: "Bingham, Wayne" <WBINGHAM@imf.org>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: RE: [CR]Trek
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 12:35:29 -0500


I tend to agree with David here, although Mark's points about paint and consistency are well founded and seem to track with David's impressions of where Trek was in the late '80s. The '85 770 that I have was bought in Milwaukee, WI by my wife when she worked at a shop called Rainbow Jersey. When the paint began to bubble around the BB shell in about '89, we sent it (through the shop) back to Trek for a repaint. When it came back, the paint was worst than the original. So thin as to be transparent in some places and thick with runs in others. Trek eventually gave us money ($150 maybe) toward having it painted on our own. I gave the frame to a friend who was painting racing motorcycles at the time. His instructions were that he could do whatever he wanted as long as he accentuated the lugs, which I thought were nice but lost under the heavy original paint. What I got back can be seen here:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1304152&a=9678456

What was interesting though, was seeing the frame stripped. The workmanship was actually quite good. Nice clean welds and finishing. Nothing too fancy, but good solid work. Remember, we're talking about a production-run frame, not a boutique builder. There were some pretty rough production frames being pumped out during this era.

Just adding fuel to the fire.

Wayne Bingham

-----Original Message----- From: Diane Feldman [mailto:feldmanbike@home.com] Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 11:46 AM To: WBINGHAM@imf.org; Mark A. Perkins Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Trek serial numbers

My experience with Trek started ca. 1978; there was a very large improvement in quality from that time to around 1982. The prime years were, in my book, from 1982 to 1987 when they started abandoning steel. The first years of aluminum Treks were terrible--steerers that bulged with a stem tightened in them, and that had a big sleeve on the outside so you couldn't get a crown race seat mill down them to make the headset work right, rear dropouts so soft you could spread them on bread--the aluminum bikes didn't have the bugs fully worked out until about 1992! Steel from '82 to '87, I'll call those the underrated classics. David Feldman


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark A. Perkins"
To: WBINGHAM@imf.org
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: [CR]Trek serial numbers



> I remember seeing a few of the first Trek road bikes come into the shop
> around 1980 I think. They left me with a bad impression, which hasn't
> gone away much since then. They had paint that was peeling off, and you
> could see that there was no primer underneath. One (or was it two?) in
> particular had a bad crack through the seat lug, and their owners were
> having trouble getting Trek to fix it. There was nothing about these
> bikes for me to be impressed with. In fact, I think I would rather have
> a Viscount with the aluminum fork, even today. My impression back then
> was that Trek was following a long standing BMA-6 tradition of cutting
> back on quality in favor of lower prices. Sure they were lugged frames,
> and made from quality materials, and they had decent components, but
> quality materials, by themselves, don't make quality bikes. It takes
> skilled workers, and from what I saw, Trek didn't have any of those. If
> my words seem too harsh, I'm sorry, but that's what I saw. I will say
> that Trek seems to have improved over the years, but I still don't want
> one yet.
>
> "Bicycle Mark" Perkins
> Visalia, CA
>
> On Thu, 25 Jan 2001 08:56:15 -0500 "Bingham, Wayne" <WBINGHAM@imf.org>
> writes:
> > Jeff -
> >
> > Please keep us (I know there are several Trek fans lurking here besides
> me)
> > informed on any serial number, dating or model information you're able
> to
> > come up with. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get anything out of Trek.
> They
> > only seemed interested in being recognized for their industry "firsts"
> that
> > had everything to do with aluminum and carbon frame construction and
> nothing
> > to do with their lugged steel frame origins. As the owner of an '81,
> two
> > '84s and an '85, I'd really like to gather as much information as I can
> on
> > the early frames. What is the "Trek historical book" anyway, and if
> it's
> > historical, why does it only go back to the early '90s when Trek was
> > building frames for 15 years prior to that? Anybody know what year was
> the
> > first for Trek? '76/'77?
> >
> > Wayne Bingham
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jeff Archer [mailto:firstflight@abts.net]
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 9:36 PM
> > To: Classic Rendezvous
> > Subject: Re: [CR]Trek serial numbers
> >
> >
> > I have been talking to the guy who put together the Trek historical
> book.
> > The book only goes back to the early 1990's but has complete info down
> to
> > spoke lengths, bb lengths..... He is supposed to be trying to round up
> some
> > catalog copies for me. I have emailed him and asked him about the
> serial
> > number system. If I hear anything positive from him, I will let you
> know.
> > Jeff Archer
> > First Flight Bicycles
> > 216 S. Center St.
> > Statesville, NC 28677
> > 704.878.9683
> > firstflight@abts.net
> > http://www.firstflightbikes.com
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "KCTOMMY" <KCTOMMY@email.msn.com>
> > To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 7:41 PM
> > Subject: [CR]Trek serial numbers
> >
> >
> > >
> > > This may have been asked before, but does anyone know how to date
> Treks
> > >from their serial numbers? Is it possible to deduce any further info
> such as
> > >model or style from the numbers? Anyone have a contact at Trek that
> could
> > >elucidate the Trek system?
> > >
> > > Tom Adams, waiting for snow in Kansas City
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > _______________________________________________
>
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