loudbay

Denver for sale ads and my ADD are on fire this week! Trek 520 Cirrus with newish unbranded fixed gear wheels et, brand new Continental Ultra tires, Origin 8 chainring, 600 front/rear calipers, and cranks. $125. Well worth IMO. This frame is too nice to leave it a fixie, so I bought a donor bike. My requirements were: 1. Cheap and 2. A worthy group set.

I found a Nishiki Triathalon / Modulus that’s been hanging in a basement for a decade. Only $75! Complete, original 105 Groupset. I’m torn because this frame is super cool too! It’s a cm smaller but maybe this will be the Fixie I don’t need. It’s an hour away so I haven’t driven for it yet, but secured via PayPal and heading that way after the holiday probably. Pics of both are below.

I’m just getting back into building, but how do you guys avoid hoarding? Do I just have to run out of room? I hope that works.

Merry Wrenching!
Matt

Wildwood 

Yes, good concept with quality frame mated to garage queen components.

Ya know, I'm thinking that Nishiki is lookin pretty hipster - city fixie with more upright cockpit.

loudbay

I was thinking the same, but I don't know if I can pull off the neon orange... We'll see when it gets here! If I can't then this one is sure to sell in the spring. Denver is full of that sort of thing as soon as the weather turns.

Cheers!

Wildwood 

You just need the right stickers.
And a YBS chainstay guard - for starters

loudbay

Nice Bike!!! And what is that bottle holder?! I just did a 30 second blackburn wine bottle search and didn't see anything.

Wildwood 

Sorry, not my bike. My loss.

edit: i don't have the cornelos to ride that bike. but i know who did.

eom 

Got my 520C in October 2017. Did a 650b conversion. The combination has been the best money I have spent on a bike.

ramzilla

Trek 520 I converted to upright handlebar hybrid style. After ten years, my older brother still using it to get groceries & go all around town.

loudbay

I’m not lucky enough to have the Canti version, but that just means I don’t have to turn down the next one I find...

loudbay

Satan is that you? Are these just long reach calipers? What tires are you running here? Is this what I need now?

loudbay

I am both tremendously thankful and tremendously disappointed that 650b rim brake wheels are so rarely available on the second hand market...

due ruote 

You could always keep the Nishiki as is and look for a deal on an old mtb with Deore group for the Trek.

polymorphself 

My friends '87 520. Awesome bike.

eom 

Mine came from Craigslist. Original owner who rode it a lot. I was looking for a canti 520 but have no complaints with calipers. Easy conversion.

Panaracer Gravel King slicks. 38 x 584 on Velocity A23s, 36 hole front & rear, Shimano 5600 hubs.
Brakes are Tektro 559, they work fine for me.

loudbay

Maybe I'm just not as good at hunting as I thought I was... Any other search terms beyone 27.5 and 650b that may help me find a good donor?

Cheers,
Matt

loudbay

38s?!?!?! Dang, I may have to do this, just cause something that wide fits... I just put new cantis on a Miyata build, so I'm ok not splurging for another set. I think calipers are sexy, lol.

due ruote 

I meant an older mtb that would most likely have 26” wheels. Like an old Stumpjumper (which might be pricey). Some of the higher level Rockhopper had good groups though, as did lots of others. Try searching “mountain” or “mtb”. Of course there’s always the danger of finding something cool...and then you’ll want a drop bar mountain bike, and so on.

Btw I had an 87 520 Cirrus for a while. A wonderfully plush ride. If that’s what you’re going for I think you’ll be happy once you get it sorted.

loudbay

I went down this rabbit hole very recently and am passing on a very nice Trek 930 at the moment.

What width in 700s have all of you guys fit?

due ruote 

I had 32mm on mine with fenders very easily.

Another search you could try is “touring”. Maybe you can find a deal on a wrong sized frame and harvest the parts.

justcynn

bought a '87 Trek 520 Cirrus this year, paid near retail for it as it was in really good condition other than bar tape and hoods. Very happy with the purchase, ride, etc but eyeing the 700x wider tire ideas in this thread now

loudbay

The tire lust is real. All my junk is pretty similar vintage and (mostly) Japanese lugged steel. I'm a sucker for value:cost ratios... I'm still learning, so I'm trying to enjoy the hunt, the build and learn from doing. Figuring out what I like geometry wise, component setup and tire width is enough for me to justify building something and then deciding if I should keep it afterwards. I won't be missing that many tire widths when the Miyata/Trek concurrent builds finish up. I've got a mostly stock Schwinn Paramount PDG3 with 23s and RX100 groupset, this Trek 520 I'm thinking 25s w the 105 donor set, Motobecane Grand Touring on 27x1.25 (hodgepodge parts, but rides tight), Miyata Triplecross 105 groupset (porteur build w barcons) on 38s, and waiting to pickup a Surly Cross Treck that's on Big Apple 50s, but knowing myself as well as I do, I'll likely dial those tires back a bit, so I can justify a 26 drop bar conversion or a 700 > 650b conversion. My wish list is really only a (84/85) black/gold Miyata 912 with the 600 Abaresque groupset (drool worthy for me) and something with brifters. The Surly is getting drops so I could go brifters there, but it's SRAM so $$$$ compared to most of my junk. We'll see...