Re: [CR]Trek Cycle Inc - the passing of Richard Burke.

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:30:16 -0700
From: "Jeremy Robillard" <robillj@gmail.com>
To: "Donald Gillies" <gillies@cs.ubc.ca>
Subject: Re: [CR]Trek Cycle Inc - the passing of Richard Burke.
In-Reply-To: <200803272308.m2RN89nM010069@cascade.cs.ubc.ca>
References: <200803272308.m2RN89nM010069@cascade.cs.ubc.ca>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

As a generally younger CR member, I was reluctant to buy a TREK because when I was growing up everyone had a TREK mountain bike of some sort. Something about it just put me off. However, I rescued a nicely repainted TREK 400 from a life of (I dare say it) fixie riding and cheep carbon parts. The frame will soon be be dressed in Shimano 600 arabesque. I was quite surprised by the quality of the frame. It is on the lower end of the TREK ranking system, but I had three mechanics in one day (it seemed like nobody had the tool to remove the new plastic bottom bracket) who ranged in age from mid 20s to mid 60s say it was a beautifully well made frame. It will be a more than suitable grocery getter in my stable for many years to come. I was surprised to see mitered (not perfectly) tubes, and also the seat pillar cutout (a topic a few weeks ago) was not cut through the seat pillar lug. Little things like this tell me that TREK put some care even in their end bikes from the 70s and 80s.

Kudos to Burke and his work.

Best, Jeremy Robillard Portland, Oregon USA (Where I was surprised to experience close to freezing temperatures this morning on my ride into work).

On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 4:08 PM, Donald Gillies <gillies@cs.ubc.ca> wrote:
> I like to think of TREK in the early days (and Waterford / Gunnar, to
> some extent, even today) as the ultimate expression of midwestern
> values.
>
> On an early TREK cycle, about all the differentiation you could find
> between a model 400 and a model 770 was in the colors of paint. In
> some cases, if you were lucky, you would get panels on the head tube
> and seat tube. But, other than that, all bicycles looked the same.
> There were no chromed lugs or cheesy stamped fork crowns on TREKs,
> ever. There were no fancy transfers, no fancy model names, just
> numbers on the bike, which reflect (I think) roughly the selling price!!
> TREK consciously went against the grouppo idea, about the only thing
> they wouldn't mix were the front and rear derailleur brands.
>
> Some people may think this is bland, but I think its cool.
>
> All early TREKs basically wear the same tuxedos, period.
>
> The Colnago, on the other hand, is the ultimate expression of self
> adornment. With a colnago, it's all about, "Hey Look at me, I'm a
> Colnago!! Someone must have dropped a bundle on me !! I'm a kept
> bike !! Look at all this jewelry all over me, check out my Tatoos !!"
>
> If a TREK was a male bike,
> Then a Colnago is a female bike !!
>
> Ok, I'm getting into my flame suit now !!!
>
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA, USA
> _______________________________________________
>

--
Jeremy L. Robillard
Portland, Oregon USA
via Bellingham, WA