voyager1

Piff 

Fun! Though I wish they had started with something a bit lower on the hierarchy, like an entry level road bike.

tyrion

I'm watching it.

RiddleOfSteel

I am excitedly watching it. If he wants to stay under $1100 USD (exhanged from 900 pounds) and make a super bike or a massively capable road bike, I think that will be a cinch. A number of us, including myself, have done this before and of course are enjoying the results! He's the right man for the job, and I enjoy his unapologetic enthusiasm. The sped-up montage of him disassembling the bike was really nice to see. We know he does his own work, and has hotrodded a one of his own vintage bikes (mismatching components/groups, so not as aesthetically pleasing, but still, he did it!), but it's always cool to see someone methodically take a bike apart, cleaning and polishing things. I'm thinking about emailing them and linking to our Retro Roadies with STIs and Ergos thread.

sdn40

Love this kind of stuff.
I think it was a perfect choice. You knew it had to be something with a hint of modern to it - the oversize downtube fits the bill. I think it's a sharp looking bike. I'm most anxious to see what they do with paint and decals. I'll be most pissed if they magically find a used set of electronic shifters for $100 or a Zipp wheelset sitting on the curb on garbage day or some other piece that makes you say "whatever dude."

Those particular aluminum Treks don't get much love a far as ride quality around here do they ?

RiddleOfSteel

I think they don't get much love because they are firmly in the "it's just an old bike" time of their existence. The OCLV carbon stablemates still get the glory, and the newer era of Trek naming and frame design was still a little ways off. Perhaps it's also the Armstrong era for Trek, so anything to do with that is eschewed. I personally am not affected by it, and would chose these bikes based on the normal criteria of purpose, looks, size, and color. For the money and how close in weight they are to modern performance aluminum, they are hard to beat.

sdn40

I thought I read where most thought the 1000 series Treks were "fine" but this generation rode horribly ? I never rode one like we are seeing here

sdn40

Hard to make a vintage bike with standard size tubing look like a Superbike. Visually there just isn't anything to work with. I knew it would be something with a hint of modern to it and I think he made a great realistic choice all things considered.

RiddleOfSteel

I haven't either, primarily because of interest/exposure as well as them not being large enough. I'll have to dig into the geometry charts, but from the late '80s through this era, for aluminum, Trek never made anything over a 62cm--at least anything fast. That has since been rectified. I can't speak to this one's ride quality, so I won't parrot anything anyone else has said nor take what others have said as fact until I ride one.

Piff 

Oh I don't mean vintage, just a frame not so high end. Bit more likely for the average person to have or buy secondhand a not so high end road bike.

But, if one is trying to put together a Superbike from scratch they'll likely know the process of finding a good deal...in that way the bike they chose makes sense.

rayooo

I think it's great and am anxiously awaiting the next installment!

RobbieTunes

IMO, the aluminum Fuji models of that era are a good chunk better.

I charged $600 for this a few years ago.
A friend got his citizenship after years of paperwork and gainful employment. This was his reward to himself.

uncle uncle

I think GCN do a lot of great video stuff, and enjoy their stuff on you tube. I'm stoked to watch the transformation, mostly to see how it transforms from it's Clark Kent current status to Superman, I mean superbike, state. How will it become a better performing bike by upgrading it? Im imagining new lighter weight wheels/tires/tubes, possibly carbon, new drivetrain, seat, tape, and... long shot here, blacked out spray bomb with new custom decals.

trailangel

Can't understand half of what they are saying. I usually watch about 5 seconds of those videos and turn it off.

Kuromori

I don't really get what a super bike is. Do they mean a bike that performs 90% as well as a real super bike? Wouldn't that just just be an off the shelf road bike or a used road bike? $1000 can buy a lot of bike on the used market, and in many ways it's more expensive to hodgepodge high end used parts than simply buy a complete high end used bike. There's a reason why used bikes are parted out for profit, and past a certain price range sellers have a hard time finding buyers.

Chombi1 

How appropriate..... Reading this thread on a train going home from work....... and a 5500 OCLV frameset I just bought from a fellow BF member is supposedly waiting for me at my front door. Will be my next, and most modern build, and I'm thinking of doing a sort of "Superbike" build on it!..

RiddleOfSteel

@Kuromori I agree that $1000 gets you one heck of a used bike anywhere. A good used 6800 Ultegra groupset, some nice wheels, and a stem/bar combo change should do it. I think the only thing my fast bikes lack is extremely low weight, with many of them in the 19-21 lb range fully ready to ride. My Prologue is not a superbike by whatever definition ( but it's a super bike), but I've spent less than $1k on it and it weighs 19 lbs ready to go. 19 lbs for a fully capable steel framed bike! Wheelset is mega light, and on a modern Trek Emonda ALR frameset, it makes for a 16.xx lb bike. Snag one of those frames for $200 and you can get a lot for the remaining $800. John Cannings has his reasons, and in the video gave some very clever tips on how to search for things. I hope the videos are longer than just 15 minutes, though.

FlMTNdude

Enthusiastically watching. It works like my budget and can’t wait to see what they end up with!

Bikerider007

Those are pretty close to a Supebike already other than most dont like/understand aluminum due to seeing them as cheaper bikes. TI and Carbon took over so quick after steel. I'd like to see a Varsity turned into a supebike. ��

thinktubes 

microcord

I don't get what either a "super bike" or a "real super bike" is. (A high-priced bike from a company with a big advertising budget?)

2cam16

Love this series. I wish Jon would do it all in one video. lol

madpogue 

But wouldn't that be the idea? Wouldn't it be more of a "sleeper" to start with a frame (including original branding/panels) that looks "old guy" to most modern superbike fanboys, and make something that would compete with them? Or is part of this challenge to match them visually, rather than stand out visually? Maybe that could be a whole 'nother challenge; make a (perceived) beater bike into a superbike-beater.

Those things were da BOMB BITD.

JohnDThompson 

That video made me feel old.

noglider 

I like their videos, but I'm not sure this premise excites me. Well, it does in some ways, but I don't trust them to do it in a way that will be innovative or educational. I think we folks here in C&V are already doing amazing things, and we have greater combined knowledge than those guys do. Maybe I'm jaded. But I will watch the rest.