shorthanded

well-- i got this frame (a 1987 trek 330- with a 531 main triangle and probably just some stock 4130 fork and rear) in trade for some help with a few musical projects, and all this gear came off of my last project, which was to try and save a masi with terminal toe overlap, oversized steel tubing, and incredibly long chainstays... so i went home to a standard diameter 531 frame. SO feels like home again.. she's nothin' fancy-- but the steeper geometry and rakeyer front end feels REALLY good, i can't wait to get this thing out on the road this weekend.

the wheels aren't staying, and are kinda poop-- but sadly, my masi had 132.5mm dropouts-- and a 135 rear wheel-- so my good wheels don't fit a 126mm spacing! i'll be building up some wheels pretty soon that'll look a little less... well... 80's. silver hubs and rims, and some tan sidewalls, no doubt. this'll be my main ride-- so definitely looking forward to a nicer set!

pretty much all modern componentry save for the headset-- but i kinda like to think she rides about all classic..

nlerner

Looks great! I just sold a Trek 330 Elance in that grey color. It was a solid bike, but I have too many.

Neal

ColonelJLloyd 

I like it a lot. Very nice. Personally, I really like the combo of skinwall tires, black rims, silver spokes and hubs.

shorthanded

thanks colonel and neal..

i've been kinda jokingly thinking of it as the 'rando-phant' or the battleship... but both kinda demean the class of the thing i think she's more like the 'grey ghost'... partially for the rolls royce reference.. but hell.. it's maryland, and i'm also in john mosby territory too..

actually- a friend of mine and i were noodling around with the mercian framebuilder online one day and i think i said something like 'man.. wouldn't it be great to make this GORGEOUS lugged frame with beautiful lugwork and just paint the whole damn thing primer gray?'... got lambasted for that.. ah well. i'm really kinda just liking the simplicity of the thing!

OldsCOOL

A friend of mine has a similar model of Trek. Does yours have the triple chainwheel for touring? I can see the small ring for heavy loaded, long haul touring but cant quite tell if there are two larger ones. Anyway, nice old Trek! I have an '85 Trek 460 that was their entry level road racer. Sweet bikes.

auchencrow

Verrry classy -and classic Shorthanded! You did a fine job with selecting some very elegant appointments BTW. - And the silver hubs and rims will dress it out just right.

triplebutted

Wow! Very nice. Good work!!

bobbycorno

Nice. The gray gives it a classic look - very Herse-esque.

SP
Bend, OR

531phile 

Very Classy build. Goes to show you don't need to spend a fortune to get a bike that looks and most likely would ride like a Rene Herse.

shorthanded

thanks gents! geometry wise-- i'm sure it's not entirely crazy different than a herse.. but the fork probably is. regardless-- the more raked fork sure makes SOME difference in the front bag, and it's been a blast divebombing corners on it.. which a bike with 465mm chainstays (the masi) isn't quite as good at but yeah-- there really is something super cool in a totally anti-flash paint job! i dig it.

i thought seriously about going with a more schwanky custom frame along the way... but y'know.. i did all the fit kit calculations, and this thing works out just right for me the way it is stock off the floor in 1987.. and i think she's pretty good looking, so hell.. i'll just ride the heck out of it. no fancypants lugs or schwanky chroming.. but it reminds me a lot about how my early 80's 531 alpine rode when i was a cat 4 junior.. and i LOVED that bike to bits.

OH-- and meanwhiles OldsCOOL-- it's a 46/30 double. REALLY love it for the crazy terrain around this county. the 30 is fantastic for some of the monster climbs, and 46 is great for spinning around the valleys.

Chris W.

Very nice, I like it a lot! Is that a VO chainset?

Cheers,
Chris

gomango

Count me in as an admirer!

That looks like a super long distance ride.

shorthanded

yep-- the grand cru double.

got 'er out for a ride today to dial in some of the fit. really amazing how 1 degree of shift in your seat tube angle and an extra few mm of drop on the bottom bracket'll wack out pretty much everything . once i got it dialed a bit better after about 15 miles-- it really started feeling like home. if the weather holds tomorrow, i'll try and get mebbe forty miles in and see where it's at. my panaracer ruffy tuffy's rolled in-- and man, i can't get rid of these ice skatey 23's soon enough... gads.. what a silly tire. i've been riding 32's for the last year, and the transition was a little harrowing

so far so good though- and i'm pretty sure a set of wheels less dead than some no name hubs and some ritchey girders is going to bring this bike way into some serious lovely.. hopefully have some open sports on the way next week and start building them up!