Oldie Trek 830 rides on!

As small as it can get. 

I will admit readily that I am an "Garang Guni" (odds and end collector) of sorts. Actually I have a sort of affinity/soft spot with steel bikes. Especially around the time of early 90s, late eighties. Thinking about it, I guess it must be not being able to afford one then. I was just a student and there wasn't quite enough money to buy a bicycle. Sometimes, I would see some really nice flashy KHS montana or the very cool Trek or Bridgestone (read here by one of my local hero who sadly passed on)  some times around my neighbourhood. They were really really out of my reach then.....  In a different league. 

The super cool KHS Montana with disc... John Tomac! - Photo Credit retrobike.com

This was the ride I had. It was a Shimano branded racing bicycle which I rode everywhere.  Amazing thinking about it how little stuff we need to ride. :) 
Anyway... fast forward to the present times, I happened to see an old trek 830 while hunting for parts to do my art installation in Feb.   This is what I did eventually. 
The initial plan was to make it a single speed, reduce/ remove all items unnecessary. Just a nice simple bike to ride along the PCN, eat roti prata.  Stripping down the bike to frame was the easy part. The tough part that made me sweat was the Bottom Bracket. The years spend sitting in the rain, muck and all did the job. It was stuck like the magical excalibur embedded in a big rock. I tried and failed. 
Gave up and got the magical hands of Dr Sulaiman and John Chan to help get that fixed. They also helped to install a new headset as the old one were quite bad shape.  The rest of the parts was simply salvaging stuff I had from previous bikes. Over the period of several months, I just worked on the bike slowly.  It's still missing some parts like the bolt binder for the seat post. And many parts could do with abit of autosol, fine sandpapering to make it nicer. Here's a comparison of how acbit of time, love and effort that can make the bike run a hell lot better. 

This is how it looked then

This is how it looks now. 

Today, I finally took it for a roll downstairs. It was really nice. The raised nitto stem and swept back bars made it super comfy. 
Shod with the Swalbe big apples, the ride was a plusy cushy feel. This bike is not a race MTB but rather a crusing bike specially for that PCN and roti prata run.  Check out the photos! 

Salvaged from an old bicycle shop. It was 6 speed but if u use friction mode... they can still work 

Abit... ok alot of elbow grease to make it shiny once more 

cleaned up Shimano STX rear D! Period correct :)  I think can still polish it out more

Yeap... need more fine sanding and autosol. Behind is a total new BB which Rebound centre helped install

This baby has a nice sweep that makes u smile and smell the roses 

They are not fast but extremely plush and comfy. 

Nice wooden handle bar plug from brooks that was left over from previous project

Now, why would anyone go through all this trouble? 
I guess, its just the magic of making the old even better then new.  And sure, its alot more trouble but the old bicycles have a unique patina that cannot be replicated. Like folks driving that old mini. Its a special feeling. They don't build bike like that any more. 
Now, are there some kindred spirits that like these kind of things?  Love to hear your stories and comments. 
And yes, u will see him at the LCSG sunday rides!

Trek 930 upgraded and ready to roll

This bicycle happened really by fluke. I rescued one old Trek 830 which was dumped outside a house during one of the sunday ride. 

True Temper frame by Trek 

You can see more of it from this Facebook link. 
After cleaning it up and test riding the way too big frame. I was amazed by the way True temper chromoly steel rode. Straight as an arrow but super comfy. The way I like it. A bit sad it was too big but still glad I rescued a bike from the Dump. I passed the big frame to Desmond, hopefully it gets converted to a Xcycle to bring joy to her daughter and friends. And join my Surly dummy when we do family rides. Hint hint haha. There's some magic in long bikes but thats another story. 

Then I stumbled on a Trek 930 frame from Vintage Bike Swap Facebook. It was a small cherry red Trek 930 True Temper frame. My Size and super good price. What to do? It was meant to be :) 
According to the Trek bible, its a Trek SHX(front suspension) made 1994. That means I got a 20 year old bike! 
Took me some time to get the bike running as I originally wanted it to be single speed and I screwed up on the tensioner... 
I took my time to think about what kind of riding and things took another turn.... So this is what I did to make the bike suit me and using what I already had left lying around. 

Here are the parts I bought for renewing Trek 930



1) Velo Orange Grand Cru Seine Bars  
This is a simple Chromoly Sweep back handle bar that is not too wide and great for just riding along.  It's made from straight gauge chromoly and dampens road vibration well. The form and geometry is similar to Jones H Bar but simpler. If you want multiple hand holds, you can try the Velo Orange Crazy Bar 


2) Velo Orange Thumb Shifter mounts  This is not for everyone, esp so in the hi tech times of trigger shifters. This is for a person who wants a simple, quality thumb shifters. Sadly the bike industries usually sell on Carbon and newest tech.  There are only 3 options if you want to do thumb shifters. 
- New old stock/ old stock of Deore XT Thumbshifters 
- Paul Thumbshifter mounts , Very nice but a bit more expensive then Velo Orange
- Velo Orange Thumbshifter mounts which looks good and cheapest 

3) Surly LHT fork. I got this from TR bikes. Lynten was nice and kind enough to help sell me and install on the bike to get it running. The gentle curve of the forks visually fits the bike and helps give it a nice damping feel.  

4) Shimano Ultegra 8 Speed bar end shifters. The bike came in 8 speed and this would do nicely... I think. I googled on thumbies and seems like just what I need.  I can toggle between Friction and SIS mode(tick tick tick, indexed) 
5) KMC 8 speed chain - I got from Changi Village aunty shop.Yes, that famous pitstop we all have to visit when we go Changi village. It cost $13.50 and comes with a quick link too.
6) Stainless steel brake cables and housing - Also from Changi Village aunty shop
7) Ergon GP1 grip - These are not retro but my hands are eternally grateful for this superbly ergonomic design. I got this from Chain reaction cycles when I bought the Shimano bar end shifters.
Yesterday I got a few hours free time and started to install the parts. 
It was quite nice and easy to install. Very therapeutic The bar end shifters worked a treat. Especially on the friction mode where I could tweak the lever to have the gears spinning very nicely. 

After 2-3 hours, I took the bike downstairs to try out. It felt like a nice old lorry. Every thing works and rolled nicely. It was raining quite a fair bit so I couldn't try riding for extended time... but I know it fits my kind of riding. Slowly and relaxed.

Many probably wonder why even bother to do this to a old bicycle frame. Wouldn't it be easier to get a nice new bike, get it all installed by your bikeshop. So leychey (troublesome) and cost so much....  
Well, perhaps I am just a retro grouch and one who likes to ride slowly and relaxed. The old steel frames just feels like a pair of nicely worn jeans. Old, faded and comfy. Maybe be its the chromoly tube or True temper material or perhaps the long wheel base which makes the bike very stable and relax. I like it a lot. 
Steel is real. If you have a chance to try an old steel frame, do try it and tell me what you think.