Classtime 

Can’t we have at least one picture? I overhauled and tuned up a red and yellow 560 for my son which had indexed Shimano 600 throughout. Clipless pedals went on right away. Brake lever hoods are impossible to find so I replaced the levers with DiaCompe and would have replaced the shift levers eventually (the only weak link in the group) but he destroyed the frame and fork in a crash before I had a chance.

smd4

An enjoyable part of the hobby for me is spending time tracking down newer/better condition replacement parts. All the aluminum parts on my bike are anodized, so polishing really isn't a good option. I do enjoy scouring eBay looking for parts to replace ones I deem too worn or damaged. I have purchased new rear derailleurs, pedal cleat plates, a stem and seat post as I found them. Upgraded the saddle as as well. Currently I'm looking for a better-condition right brake lever. The one I have is fine and works beautifully, but has a nick or two I could do without, if the right deal came along.

I think doing the same with your Trek would be fun. As long as the frame is in good condition. I'm no Trek expert, but the color schemes back in the day were solid colors would shouldn't be too difficult to match, so if there are minor scratches or dings, this is how I'd approach it. Ride the bike and enjoy it but always keep on eye out on improvements you can make, as the parts and funds become available.

wrk101

First difference is $$. A full on restoration can cost thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, a resourceful person can refurbish a bike for $100 to $200, sometimes less. Refurbish usually addresses wear and tear, and long term maintenance needs.

Back in the day, bike owners often upgraded and updated their bikes. And some components were nothing special. My chrome Katakura Silk originally came with Suntour LePree components, not bad but nothing great either. It now is full Suntour Superbe Pro, several steps higher. Had to be very resourceful on that build to manage cost.

bamboobike4

This cacophony is met with the plethora of plaintive possibilities, plus predictive plausible outcomes.
I think it runs in cycles.

bamboobike4

Generally, from the right side.
There is more to work on over there.

Dominae

It's the 1984 model year.

genejockey 

Lots of good advice on this thread. You don't need mine. Here it is, anyway:

• If you already have more modern bikes, you don't need to make this one another one of them. If you want a particular bike for nostalgic reasons, build it up the way you remember it. There are lots of old parts available.
• Whenever I get an old bike, I always expect to replace tires, cables and housing, bar tape, probably the saddle, and probably brake pads. That's the cost of an old bike.
• I strip the bike down completely, polish the frame with Meguiar's Scratch-X, then dab Kurust on any rust spots, then touch up the paint. I know this can be controversial, but I'm not really into "patina". Then I wax the frame with a quality car wax
• All the parts get cleaned with Simple Green and rinsed with A LOT of hot water before being laid out to dry. Generally I take apart the derailleur knuckles, clean them and add new grease. Same for the pulleys. Hubs, BB, and headset also get completely cleaned and new grease. Hubs also get new ball bearings.
• Once everything's ready, I lay it all out on a table, put the frame in my workstand, and spend a happy - and sometimes LONG - evening putting it all back together into a bike. The only problem with doing it at night is that I can't ride it as soon as it's done.

Hobbiano 

In the '84 trek catalog, it says it came with 25's. So it should fit 25's.

SurferRosa

.

Dominae

I cannot remember whether bikes in 1984 used the same cable housing for brakes and shifter cables or whether there was separate housing for shifter cables? I suppose it would hurt to use modern shifter cable housing even though the system is friction shifting, correct?

curbtender

It's all good. You can buy a packaged set that comes with everything you need. Go stainless on the cables.

SurferRosa

If it's friction, I use brake housing for all of it. Unless you have the very specific ferrules for shift housing, shift housing tends to fray quickly. Brake housing almost never frays inside the ferrule.

Dominae

I have not received shipment of my Trek 560 but while waiting to take delivery I keep thinking about all the potential issues the bike might have and how to resolve them. I suppose I should wait until I actually get the bike to see what the real problems are before imagining them. However….

I don’t know the condition of the wheels. From the photos they look to be in decent shape but after 35 years I’m sure some of the nipples have fused to the spokes. Should I just put a few drops of some type of penetrant on each nipple and wait for it to work it’s magic before trying to true the wheels? Maybe lube them as well? Is it likely that the nipples will be fused to the rims and I will need to use penetrant on the spoke holes in the rims as well? I do not want to end up with a number of rounded-off nipples.

As far as cleaning spokes, what do you use to take off the layer of oxidation?

Hobbiano 

First thing, assess the condition of the hubs. Check for pitted races & cones. Then you'll know weather to shop for wheels or not. If the races are in decent shape, definitely clean and re-grease, with new bearings. The rear Helicomatic the usual culprit. Removing corrosion from galvanized spokes often removes galvanizing as well, so don't get too abrasive with it. I don't know the best way to clean galvanized spokes. Maybe just scrub with soap & water. If the hubs check out ok, penetrating oil will help with trueing the wheels, applied at the threaded portion of the spokes and all around the nipple. Let it soak in for a day or more if necessary, and re-apply if needed.

Classtime 

Yes. I’ve had good luck with this. Remove the tire and rim strip and put a drop of Liquid Wrench at both ends of the nipple. While you’re at it, put some on every fastener, adjuster, ferule, seatpost, stem, …

Einzelherz

I have a little more of a general restoration question - what would you suggest for cleaning a quite old bike which only seems to be a little bit caked with dirt-grease on the sprockets and swively bits? Mine, too, is an old Trek, but I'm honestly scared to disassemble it too far.

merziac

So you're a little late to the party here, which is ok but plenty of the info you seek is contained in earlier posts. I would strongly encourage you to start at the very beginning and realize that it is different for everybody based on experience, patience, ability, resources, etc. ad nauseum.

No one size fits all but one of the biggest components IMO is elbow grease and at the same time a light, careful hand while figuring how much you can dig in without damaging the finish, part, paint or yourself.

Caution can win the day but can also be very time consuming, often a very moving target so you have to figure out how hard to go at it in the beginning.

Einzelherz

Ah I didn't see many specifics on what to use to clean and grease. I'll reread the thread.

merziac

No worries, also keep in mind that nasty metal parts are best dealt with off the bike so you can use strong cleaners away from the frame that could get messed up from cast off.

Anodized parts can also take strong cleaners but they can sometimes turn cloudy or mottled when old or scuffed over time. I often try to even the finish out with a sanding sponge and scotchbrite when bad but it can be a slippery slope.

Again, kind of a hunt and peck, lots of methods and products that work differently for each of us in different situations.

smd4

I guess it depends on how dirty your bike is. If it's encrusted in dried mud, you might have to start with hosing it off (be careful not to squirt high-pressure water into the hubs, bottom bracket, etc.). There are going to be a million opinions, but I treat and clean my bike like I would my car. If it's super-dirty, I might wash it with some gentle dishwashing detergent in a bucket of water. Maybe even a special car-cleaning detergent. After rinsing, I'd dry it and then apply a good car wax. I've been using a ceramic wax recently. I agree with the above, it's much easier to clean the individual components, like the cranks or the brakes or derailleurs, off the bike. I've spent some enjoyable time in front of the TV cleaning out all the nooks and crannies on my crankset and rear derailleurs. I try to keep my bike as clean as possible, so when I get road grime, I usually only need to wipe it off with a rag after the ride.

As for grease and/or oil, again, you'll get a million opinions. For grease, I prefer Phil's or Shimano Special Grease; for oil I have used nothing but Tri-flow for the past 35 years with fine results. Others won't touch bike-specific grease or Tri-flow with a 10-foot pole (the reasoning often being that bike-specific lubes are "too expensive"). Suffice to say, almost any grease or any oil you choose is preferable to none.

Einzelherz

Excellent! This is kind of what I was looking for. I've done the sitting on the couch cleaning thing with other types of machines, but not with a bike. The idea of pulling apart a hub or gear cassette kind of terrifies me. My only "deep" experience thus far has been assembling my other bike when I bought it new. But that was mostly just tightening bolts and feeding and adjusting cables on a spotless frame. The rear wheel and handlebar neck were already assembled :|

merziac

I should have listed some basic things I use but as was said, there are a million opinions and it can spin up pretty fast.

You can usually pull parts off as assemblies and then dig in to them and the frame with less in the way.

Dish soap and brushes, popsicle sticks and plastic scrapers for less damage, Simple green with caution, it can be hard on some paint.

Turtle was rust remover and chrome polish works great for me, brush off the loose rust, slather the rusty part, let dry, slather again and scrub, repeat as necessary.

Evaporust is fantastic for smaller parts that are hard to get into the nooks and crannys, same as the Turtle wax, brush off the loose stuff and degrease then soak.

Cleaner wax after wash and grime removal of the frame, I use Meguiars, proceed with caution until you gauge the durability of the paint.

Lastly, being an oldschool, 35 year pro mech/tech car guy I use nasty stuff on caked on grease on drivetrain parts, crank, deraileurs, etc. foamy, soapy old fashion carb and intake cleaner, Berrymans, Gunk, Gumout, etc. like they don't sell in Calif. anymore, then brakeclean, chlorinated works better but again nasty stuff and I do try to limit using it but if I think its going to put up a fight I don't hesitate, getting too old to fight with it anymore, again proceed with caution you never know when some of this stuff will take out a plastic bushing, retainer, jockey wheel, etc.

smd4

The sprockets you can certainly clean on the bike. You can also just remove the wheel. Like merziac said, use popsicle sticks or anything else that's stiff to dig out the gunk between the cogs. I'm old-school like him, and would have brushed everything with solvent. But if you can get most of the caked stuff out, you might be able to clean a little more by using something like a rag soaked in WD40, and, using the rag like floss, stretched between the cogs and pulled back and forth to really clean (if your cogs bleed, see a dentist). Don't be too afraid to try and disassemble anything--people here can guide you back through re-assembly.

You can use old t-shirts for rags, but I bought a bag of red shop rags for doing the actual dirty work.

Einzelherz

Thanks for all the tips! I should have a lot of this stuff on hand. Honestly the bike seems to function pretty well in its as-found state, so I'm mostly worried about making things worse. I've found in other areas that a nice coating of dirty grease is actually keeping unfinished metal from corroding and as soon as you throw some solvent on them (granted I gave up on chlorinated brake cleaner after it permanently damaged the skin on my right index finger) they start rusting like there's no tomorow.

Once I can post photos I'll toss it into the saved from the dump thread for people to pick over and give me some specific disassembly pointers.