Pompiere

I am another happy 400T owner, although it currently does not have a triple installed. I don't really need a granny gear here in the flatlands, so I installed a Shimano tricolor drivetrain from the parts bin. The Oval Tech crank found a new home on my Cannondale ST400.


1988 Trek 400

ehcoplex 

Nice to see the enthusiasm for Trek 400s- I kinda figured it'd be something I'd pull together over the winter, but now I'm anxious to get it built up and try it out! Putting the cart well in front of the horse, but I'm curious if anyone has ever mounted a front rack for panniers on one of these and how it worked out. Mainly just curious..

ehcoplex 

Finally got the 400T together, at least enough to do a test/shakedown ride. The ride is quite nice- steering is a bit less ‘responsive’ than that of my main-ride ’72 PX-10, which I suppose is to be expected. Dia-Compe bar-ends and Cyclone MKII mechs work very nicely (and that’s with cracked jockey wheels…). I need to find a 45T large chainring for the 1/2-step+ setup I like- for now the original 52t ‘Ovaltech’ ring is on there, and I definitely don’t like oval rings- I guess with a generally fairly high cadence it’s just too noticeable. Tektro brakes are more than adequate and the levers are comfortable. I’m not 100% sure on the stem, so I haven’t taped up the bars yet. The Soma 650bx42c tires are really nice- they feel more plush than the Grand Bois Hetres on my PX-10 (same size, same pressure & on the exact same wheelset). The front rack is from another bike, but I’m curious to see how the 400T works with a front load, so I threw it on for now to do some testing. If it works out, this’ll become my ‘light tourer’ (though with only single eyelets on the front fork I’ll have to sort out rack-attaching that gives better peace-of-mind. Got a set of VO fenders on hand but waiting to know for sure if this is a keeper before I mount them.

pnwgopher

Beautiful! We had similar ideas, though I opted for swept back bars and an upright riding position. I really like mine, but wish it was a size or two bigger. And I should probably swap in a set of shorter cranks, as I do bottom out from time to time.

OldsCOOL

Beautiful. Being a bit biased as a Classic Trek fanatic and owning several…Lenore is lovely.

ehcoplex 

I'm a pretty conservative rider and usually coast through (tight) corners. I'll have to take some measurements and see how the pedal clearance compares between the T400 and my PX-10 650b (never had a strike on that one). Did you dimple your chain stays? Clearance is quite tight with 42c tires and I've got the axle all the way back in the dropouts, so I'm going to do a wee bit of dimpling (have another frame in the queue I want to do too), just haven't had the chance to build up some kind of dimpling apparatus..

pnwgopher

I put a slight dimple in there so that I could clear 38s with fenders (while not having the wheel all the way back in the dropouts). But clearance is really tight, so I'm probably going to go and make the dimples a little deeper. Don't see much harm in it.

ehcoplex 

Swapped the VO stem for a Nitto with a little shorter reach, taped up the bars.

ehcoplex 

Fenders installed...... finally.... For whatever reason, these were the trickiest/finicky-est I've done, and I'm not totally happy with the lines. But they're on, no rubs, no rattles.

The Golden Boy 

I love how you captured the glow in the paint.

Jeff Neese

I have an '87 400T. Very nice bike that rides and handles like a dream.

Maybe I missed it, but why do you want to replace the brakes? Put Kool Stops on there and you'll have plenty of stopping power. I went with DiaCompe aero levers just because they have more of a vintage style, but I like the Tektro aero levers on two other bikes a lot better. If I were doing it again I'd probably swap for wider handlebars, but some people like the narrow bars that were common during that era.

ehcoplex 

The original calipers don’t have the reach for 650b, and the lever swap was for comfort.

TLaurent 

The old Treks are good quality frames that deserve better components than they sometimes came with. Touring bikes in particular are fun to dress up. The fastback seat stays give it a classy look.

52telecaster

That's beautiful! Love the choices you made. I've learned to tour with front panniers and a large carradice style saddle bag. All it takes is expensive light camping gear. You only live once! Anyway, lovely bike!

ehcoplex 

I'm really hoping to get in some light touring trips this season. It's been decades since I did any real touring. I'll probably forego the camping bit this time- I'm not sure my body can handle sleeping in a tent after riding all day anymore.....!

The Golden Boy 

I was about to say "nah- it's no big deal..." and then I started thinking... I haven't done anything like that in... ooh... Yeah, but I used to sleep on the ground, no tent, mat or pad... but the last time I did that was... oooh... I don't think my body would take that kind of **** too kindly these days... and that's without the riding beforehand...

ehcoplex 

Hah, even back in the day when my body could handle it..... I started out a solo cycling tour in Europe with the intention of mostly camping, but after a few wet nights tenting I got hip to the youth hostels. A warm(-ish, usually) bed for cheap, and many of them had a bar/cafe with really cheap and good Belgian beer! The tent and camping gear ended up mostly being dead weight on that trip... until my bike got stolen, but that's another tale.

zookster 

I posted a Trek Elance (listed as a "Flance") earlier this morning in the Are You looking For One Of These thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/22822832-post74938.html

After looking at the listing several times I decided to go have a look myself as it appeared to be my size. A bit crusty/neglected but in good shape overall so it came home with me. From what I have read on vintage-trek it is a 1987 400T. Only things that appear to be non-original so far are the Technomic stem and Sella Italia Anatomic seat. Things that will need to be checked straight away - The stem appears to be way too high, conversely the seat post is way too low, inserted past the flutes. Hopefully it is not stuck.

Pompiere

The Technomic stem has about 150 mm from the Min. insertion line to the top. It is about 220 mm total. With such a short steerer, the stem may not go in much more.

52telecaster

Right now I'm just going to pawn shops and restaurants.
but every year I camp on the ground, sort of. A big Agnes air mattress and 1 person tent with a quality sleeping bag and inflatable pillow makes all the difference. Trust me at 66 I'm old, slow and weak but I do enjoy a 60 mile day punctuated by a diner or two. You can too!

zookster 

You were correct. It did not go back in very much. Thankfully the seat post was not stuck though. Not sure what I will do about the stem. I will ride it as is and see how it works initially.

Pompiere

It looks like that frame is on the small side, so the Technomic might work out for you. If you want a stem that is not quite as tall, the Soma Sutro splits the difference between the Technomic and a normal stem. I have them on a bunch of my bikes, including the T400 in post #26.
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...tro-quill-stem

52telecaster

Good looking bike for sure. Technomics are great when needed but it looks like you might not need it.

ehcoplex 

Have to say I'm very pleasantly surprised how much this bike is growing on me. First bit of test riding I kind of thought, 'eh, I don't know if this is a keeper.....' But I'm digging it more now. Did a short, overnight 'tour' around Cayuga lake a couple weeks ago- most everything loaded in the rando bag (& some tools and spare tire, etc, in a small seat bag), and the weight in the front made the ride very stable feeling. Still need to get some panniers and see how it fares with those, too, and need a different large chainring to get the 1/2-step+ gearing I prefer. But lately, if I'm going on a ride that'll be more than about 20mi, this is the bike I've been taking. I'm pretty sure some of it is that recently I've been having some neck and hand issues, and I can get the bars higher up on the Trek than my other bikes- and the Tektro levers are a lot more comfortable than 'vintage' levers... But it's a good feeling bike.

52telecaster

Amazing how good the old treks can be.