t_e_r_r_y

hey guys! I've been wanting a gt triple triangle bike for probably 25 years or so, but nothing ever came up. Today, while at savers, I found this China made talera for $25.

I know it's nothing fancy, probably a 90s era cheap hybrid, but it's 4130 and the color's great and I thought it might be a good project for a beater around town kinda ride. I just hope I didn't over pay by much at $25 😬

the whole bike needs gone through, chain, tires and cables replaced, needs a seat and probably some other stuff, but I just couldn't pass it up. did I goof up? here's some pictures. anyone able to tell me a year or any other info based on the bb stamp?



P5AF28924










Thanks for any info!

Velo Mule

My opinion is that you did good for $25. These type of bikes make great commuters and around town bikes. I put smooth tires, fenders, racks and lights on my Trek 800s . They handle good, they don't get flats, and if I hit potholes and debris in the road it is no problem. Wheels are sturdy and don't require truing.

Some people put drop bars on these bikes to get more hand positions, there are other bars that also give you more hand positions too. I just have the original straight bars.

It is a good solid bike. Good luck with it. Keep us updated if you do add or modify it.

t_e_r_r_y

cool, glad I did at least ok with this! back in oregon I have my univega dirt drop bike that I have a thread on here for somewhere, but I'm in santa fe now and I'm not sure when I'll be going back to get everything, so I kinda wanted to build another for around here.

plus one can't have too many bikes, right?

here's my univega, and maybe the direction I'll take this gt

UKFan4Sure

You can never go wrong with a "triple triangle"...

2cam16

Good find. If nothing is frozen i.e. seatpost and stem, then you're good to go!

Bianchigirll 

I'd love a triple triangle too. I had an OK Shogun years ago but despite the sellers instance it was a 33" standover it was just too small.

While GT's setip is slightly different the triple triangle is often referred to "Hellenic Stays" for Frank Hellenic they builder who first used them.

I am currently looking for a Mixtie with Hellenic stays.

jdawginsc 

I am pretty sure at $25, you will get more than your money's worth...

3speedslow

There is so much good times ahead of you with that bike!

t_e_r_r_y

thanks everyone, the gt name is kinda scary because I know the quality went way down after they were bought out, but I don't know the brand well enough to know what's what. I didn't want to accidentally pick up a turd due to not being able to see past all them triangles, haha. being 4130, I knew it couldn't be completely terrible.

seatpost and stem aren't frozen, thankfully. the more I clean this up, the nicer it is! the paint is mostly great, even the cables are in good shape, just overly lubed at some point. they looked rusty at first, but it was mostly just dirt covered grease and grime. it looks like they may have been replaced not all that long ago.

i may just pick up some tires and a seat and try to clean everything else up for now! i'll get more pictures as i work no it, since threads are worthless without pictures.

thumpism 

Seriously? Sounds like a joke coming our way.

And it was Frank Hellens who originated them.

J.Higgins 

That's the type of frame that I would covet and coddle and stroke and groom and love and hold dear until it burst from its cocoon, becoming something quite grande.

thumpism 

Damn, dude.

ryansu

Tough to go wrong when you start at $25 looks like it would make a monster commuter/townie/gravel grinder fwiw I liked the Schwabe city jet tires I put on a Specialized rock hopper I had briefly this summer, they come in either black or skinwall

Bianchigirll 

I don’t know how many times I posted that but you are one of the few people to pick up on it.

oh yes Hellens, just speed typing.

T-Mar

Based on the serial number this should be a 1995 model. and this is would be correct for the Alvio components. At the time, the Talera was 3rd from the bottom of the line had an MSRP of $370 US.

madpogue 

Nice find, about the same generation as the Explorer. That was made in China? Interesting; our '91 (same price at the local thrift) was Taiwan-made. I bet you'll really like how it rides when you swap a street tire in on the rear.

t_e_r_r_y

thanks for the info, everyone! 95 is what I was thinking after trying to decipher the serial number, good to have the verification.

it had a made in china sticker on the headtube that was mostly scratched off. tiawan is technically china 🤔

tires, tubes, and a seat will get me going, i'm going to start shopping around for a used seat!

tricky 

GT didn't really die until the early aughts. I had an entry GT XCR5000 i-drive from '99 that I loved. This frame is a great starting point. The components are very entry level (like on my XCR), but if you can get it riding, shifting and stopping then use them until they wear out and then replace with nicer stuff. Post up your build on this thread!

thook

i'd be surprised if that was actually made in china. it's the same era of my backwoods made in taiwan. nevertheless, if actually made in china, good job 'cause the alivio/acera...while not grail stuff (haha)...they are better than anything found at wally mart...where stuff is really from china. my backwoods came with alivio all around 'cept the rear derailleur being stx. the whole set held up for a good long time from abuse before i even knew or cared about "grail" stuff. the trigger shifters went pretty quick, though. meh

anyway, $25 is a great score in my book. solid bike, man

btw, i picked up tequesta a few months ago that came with the very same stem. great dirt drop piece. haven't done so yet, but the goal is a drop bar conversion and the stem gets the bars right up there on a mock up. you'll likely have to flex the clamp a bit to get drop bars through, if you use it. i had to, and didn't hurt anything. convenient cable routing on it, also!

edit: i see yours has a removable face. mine doesn't...pfth. all the better for ya

t_e_r_r_y

I agree about the stem, while not as sexy as the ld stem on my univega, it would work great for some drops. I'm not sure if I'm going that route yet, but I may.

the front shifter is acting up, won't shift into the big ring (the shifter itself is being weird, not the derailleur), but it may just need a cleaning. I'll open it up and see what I can see.

madpogue 

DON'T open up the shifter. Little molecular-scale parts will immediately go sproinging out and fly into nether regions of your workspace, never to show up again. Those trigger shifters work on little spring-loaded pawls, and the lubricant gets thick over time and the pawls don't engage, or engage too slowly. Just shoot some mild degreaser into whatever opening(s) you can, and work the triggers a gazillion times. Eventually you'll feel the pawls start to hit. Then re-lubricate with a light lube.

Stems on the earlier 3T GTs were cro-mo and color-keyed to the frame. Similar design, but some did not have the removeable face.

BTW, there's a "Triple Triangle GT" thread here in the C&V section. Post your new quarry there as well, for those who might still be subscribed to it.

t_e_r_r_y

good call on not pulling the shifters apart, if I get some time today I'll try your suggestion and just spray stuff in there to get them to free up.

tires and a seat. I just got to santa fe and am still looking for regular work, so I can't drop money on this like I did on the univega, so it may be time for a trip to walmart for tires. ugh

the seat looks like it was a big, padded, box store purchase that someone ripped the padding off of, leaving the uncomfortable plastic base. unfortunately it's unusable.

hopefully I'll be riding it somewhat soon!

t_e_r_r_y

not the best picture, but seat and tires acquired! got the turbo on here and while not the most comfortable thing, it'll do for now.

i think i'm going to convert this one to a single speed since my other is a 10 speed. santa fe is pretty flat too, i think it'll be a fun ride.

some platform pedals, 1 speed conversion, and revamping the brakes and i think this'll be my new favorite ride.

please excuse all the mopeds - we have a club and my garage is the clubhouse haha.

SamSpade1941 

@t e r r y

i just purchased one of these over the weekend as part of a 4 bike lot for , it’s going to a friend who has a loved one that needs a bike after my friend does the overhaul on it as you can see in the photo this one has that kinda funky cool blue splatter kinda rain drop pattern paint on both the stem and frame set. I am guessing it’s from the late 80’s - early 90’s

t_e_r_r_y

it doesn't look like you're picture made it through, but it sounds awesome!