Well, another bike comes off the wish list. I just took delivery of a 1979, 24 inch Trek 510 frame. For those on the right side of the Atlantic, Trek started out making nice lugged steel silver brazed machines before decaying into bonded aluminum, molded carbon fibre and other manifestations of the dark side. So what if they've won a bunch of Tour's De France? They sold out!
My thanks go out to the list for helping me avoid some prior, inferior versions of Ishwata Treks and holding out for the 022 frame, forks & stays "real thing". Components selection is progressing as we speak, and fortunately I've got almost everything I'll need, except for the basic spokes, cables, housing and whatnot to get her running. This bike fits well with the Cirque theme of American Iron, so look for her in NC this spring.
The condition is very excellent, a testament to the care of her prior owner, T. Scott Frick. Anyone know him? I didn't recognize him as a listee. He was the original owner, buying the frame new in the winter of '79-'80. He rides a smaller frame now, and didn't want to see this bike gathering dust. BTW, if you see him out on his gold aluminum Alan of the same vintage, thank him for me. He also bought the frame for 1 cent back in '79: that cent being an ultra rare US 1909 SVDB penny. Who says coin collecting doesn't benefit a wide swath of the public?
Two questions for the list on this frame. One, what are the specs/characteristics of the tubing? The frame seems very light to my calibrated right index finger, noticably lighter than my contemporary 531 Reynolds model 630 Trek. The 510 came with a circa 1980 Dura Ace headset installed, so that helps keep the weight down, but it shouldn't make that much difference.
Two, how many of the Ishwata Treks were made/sold? My recollection is that a lot of persons prefered to shell out a few more bucks for the Reynolds or Columbus tubed Trek's, and the Ishwata's tended to languish on the bike store floor. I really wanted one when I was looking for my second good bike (just to be different) back in 81-82, but settled for a lesser Trek with a 531 main frame due to economics.
Here are some pictures:
I apologize for the poor photo quality, and miss my OM-1 like the dickens. It's hard to manipulate exposure with a cheap digital camera, making it problematic to take detail shots on a shiny black object without getting glare or losing focus. You'll just have to see it on one of it's public appearances on the east coast.The bike's color is called slate, which is real dark, dark, grey, black for all practical purposes. The legible pics in the album are the sellers from the auction.
Now the only question is Dura Ace or Cyclone/Superbe. Please vote for your preference with a 1 paragraph essay explaining the zen/karma/ethical considerations supporting your choice. You can also vote on spreading the rear or leaving it at 120mm, but that choice is already 90% made. Votes will be tallied, considered and a final decision rendered in the next few weeks.
See you on the road!
Tom Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
------------------------------------------
The new
------------------------------------------
MSN 8:
------------------------------------------
smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*