# Trek 330 all fixed up.



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Well, at least in ride-able shape. My first bike with drop handles ever! I salvaged this for free. Wheels' seams were separating so I ordered a new set for around $70 shipped and added new tires for $40. The tires looked original to the bike. Inner tubes looked fine so I reused those.




























Learning a little bit at a time about riding on the road.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Looks good.

If you can get a little help from an experienced friend getting it dialed in for you, it should be a great introduction to road riding. sheldonbrown.com is a great resource for understanding and maintaining a little older bikes.

How's it riding?


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Just got back from my first ride. About two miles in, it was getting harder and harder to pedal. I was thinking to myself, man, this is going to be a beast to up this one hill I usually ride. After stopping and determining the wheel was not turning as opposed to my legs being weak, I must have not tightened the rear skewer enough. I guess because of the horizontal dropouts, more attention needs to be paid to how it's installed? I dunno. 

Got it back to rolling and finished my ride. Hard to get going from a dead stop but once it gets going, it's really smooth. I only have 12 speeds so that's different from my other rides but I'm impressed. Just checked strava and I beat my best time on the one hill by 3 seconds! Not bad for a 20+ year old steelie.

EDIT: sheldonbrown.com (RIP) is how I learned the rear is a 126mm freewheel.  I have to change these pedals out though. They feel terrible on my feet. Even plastic ones with a cage would be an upgrade.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Looks like those pedals have a top and a bottom. You'd probably like them a little better right-side-up, if they were upside down when they were bothering you. I hate riding road bikes with a flat pedal and no toe clips, so I'd probably start by throwing some of those on, if there's nothing wrong with the pedals themselves. Which is a big if...

Otherwise, over on rivbike.com, they have some pedals that are supposed to be friendlier to ride with non-cycling shoes. Or just get some freeride MTB or BMX pedals.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Nice bike! Not bad for a total of about $110. 

Why is it hard to start from a dead stop. All the gears not functional?

BTW, whether they be horizontal or vertical dropouts, one still needs to adequately tighten the skewers. :wink5:


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Haha, yeah, I thought they were tight enough but I guess when I got my weight on it, it shifted. Live and learn. :thumbsup: 

All gears are functional. I think it's hard to start from a stop because of 1) the weight or 2) the pedals. Do you usually preemptively shift to a smaller front ring when stopping? I mean, I've been riding a hybrid on the road for the last few months and I've never really felt I've had to do that, I just stand up and spin for a bit and I'm all good.

I'll figure it out as I get more miles on this thing.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

What's your cadence?

I'm a relatively high-cadence rider, so if I come to a stop without shifting down first, it's no big deal to get started again, I'm never in a very high gear anyway. But getting into a lower gear before stopping can certainly make it easier.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

I don't know how fast I usually spin but I probably wouldn't categorize myself as a high cadence rider. I did just buy a used single speed (rigid) mountain bike this week to try and force myself to get into the higher cadence pedaling. I'm going to take it out to the trail this weekend for the first time to see how it goes. I hope I don't die.  I'll try to focus on shifting before I stop to make things easier. 

The pedals definitely have a top and bottom, and both sides feel weird on my feet.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

joshhan said:


> All gears are functional. I think it's hard to start from a stop because of 1) the weight or 2) the pedals. *Do you usually preemptively shift to a smaller front ring when stopping?* I mean, I've been riding a hybrid on the road for the last few months and I've never really felt I've had to do that, I just stand up and spin for a bit and I'm all good.
> 
> I'll figure it out as I get more miles on this thing.


I basically shift a bike the same as I shift my car, anticipating the gear I'll need beforehand, cadence staying fairly constant. Ex: coming to a gradual stop, I shift down till stopped. 

I'm not sure what you mean by weight being an issue, but hybrids are generally geared lower than drop bar bikes, so you may be more accustomed to starting out in a lower gear. Also, this bike is a 6 speed, so the spacing between cogs is greater than the newer 8,9,10+ speeds. 

Since you've made a couple of negative comments re: your pedals, it's likely they're a contributing factor - if not THE main factor. As you exert more pressure on the down stroke, I'd imagine your level of discomfort proportionally rises.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Great point about the 6 gears. I will definitely plan on shifting while coming to a stop to make take off easier. Also, I will switch out the pedals. This is fun, it's definitely different riding with drop bars. 

Actually, funny story, after I put the new wheels on, I took it for a spin to the mailbox. Coming back with some mail I didn't think to remember the brakes were not where my hands were and ended up crashing into the garage door while dropping all the mail. Knocked the right hood loose but everything else was ok. I kind of panicked and thought I should have stopped the bike with my foot or something. Like when we used to brake with our sneakers on the front wheel when we were kids. I guess I have to retape everything to get it firmed up again.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

joshhan said:


> Actually, funny story...


Uh, if you don't already own one, get a helmet, k?


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

PJ352 said:


> Uh, if you don't already own one, get a helmet, k?


LOL!!! No worries, I mountain bike and have cracked helmets before so I know the value of a good helmet.


----------



## MikeWMass (Oct 15, 2011)

My wife's bike is exactly like yours. I bought it new for her in 1990 (as a wedding present). It is a little heavy, but otherwise there is nothing wrong with it. The only (related) issue is that it has pre-compact gearing, so climbing steep hills is a challenge.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

@MikeWMass, glad to see you still have it. I have a mile climb on my usual fitness route that I take on my hybrid. First time out with the 330, strava said I set a new personal record beating my previous time by 3 seconds! I usually ride a 2011 Trek 7.5FX so it's not a shabby ride to compare it against. The hybrid does have 32 tires vs the 28 I put on the 330 but I'm not sure that would make that much of a difference...does it?


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Update, figured out to tighten the right brake hood (loosened up after crashing into the garage). Adjusted the hoods up a little higher while I was at it. Original location was a bit low for my comfort while riding on the top part of the bar. Stripped the old dirty white tape off, switching it to black. I hope I don't screw up the taping. LOL.

Swapped out the (uncomfortable) pedals with some old plastic ones with toeclips to hold me over. Just doing that makes my feet feel much better! Added a couple of bottle cages cannibalized from a couple of my other bikes. If the weather holds on Saturday, I'm hoping to do a half century on a relatively flat trail. I'm going to shoot for a moving average speed of 17 to 20 mph.


----------



## mountainbiker407 (Jun 3, 2012)

Nice ride man!


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Does that bike have a bent downtube and toptube? The front wheel looks very close to the downtube as though the fork has been bent backwards. Maybe it's an optical illusion.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Mike T. said:


> Does that bike have a bent downtube and toptube? The front wheel looks very close to the downtube as though the fork has been bent backwards. Maybe it's an optical illusion.


I dunno, here's an updated pic: 










Do you think I can swap out the crank arms on the cheap?


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

The top tube's bent. Is the paint wrinkled & cracked underneath between the head lug and the cable guide?


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

You, sir, have the keenest of keen eyes. It is bent! I always thought the wheel was really close to the downtube but thought it never touched the cables that ran down there so I thought it was on purpose.

How does something like that happen on a steel frame? I've been riding it a lot lately and it hasn't given me any problems. I think I have a few hundred miles on it already. The only thing that bothered me was the toe overlap but I don't think that would have been caused by the bent top tube.

Think it's safe to continue riding? I'm at 150 (give or take a pound or two) right now.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Plow into something hard enough, and all sorts of things will bend.

Funny enough, now that I know, I can see it in the first pic. too.

I'd be looking for a new frameset. You can stick with your current wheels and drivetrain if you don't want to re-buy everything. Do you have 27" or 700C wheels?


----------



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

joshhan said:


> You, sir, have the keenest of keen eyes.


They don't call me ol' Eagle Eye for nothing.



> It is bent! How does something like that happen on a steel frame?


Someone rides it into an immovable object. The downtube will be bent too.



> I've been riding it a lot lately and it hasn't given me any problems. I think I have a few hundred miles on it already. The only thing that bothered me was the toe overlap but I don't think that would have been caused by the bent top tube. Think it's safe to continue riding? I'm at 150 (give or take a pound or two) right now.


It will probably be ok to ride as steel doesn't fail catastrophically. The bend steepens the frame's head angle and this shortens the Trail and quickens the handling. I'd keep riding it and having fun.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

+1 rep to you sir.

I was afraid my crash into the garage door made the bend but I found a pic of the bike the day I brought her home and I think the bend was already there.










Edit: They are 700c wheels.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

700C and (I think) recessed nuts on the brake mounting bolts make a future frame swap a lot easier.

I'd still take a good look at the connection between the fork crown and the steer tube. For me, the unlikeliness of a catastrophic failure would be what gave me time to find a new frame, as opposed to having to stop riding until getting one. I'd probably do a new fork too, both on general principles and because getting a headset to mate that fork with a new frame would be somewhat expensive, and you have a decent chance to at getting a frameset, headset included, for less than a bare frame and an adapter headset.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Yeah, I'll probably ride on it for another year or maybe until the end of the year and keep it as a second bike and keep my eyes peeled for a newer/modern used ride on CL or my LBS. 

I think I'm liking riding on the road enough to upgrade.  How do those Trek Madone's ride?


----------



## MikeWMass (Oct 15, 2011)

[QUOTE How do those Trek Madone's ride? [/QUOTE]

Great until they explode (excuse me, "asplode").


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Hehe, is it really that bad?

I saw a used one at my LBS and it was unbelievably light.

Look what I just saw in CL today, just in time for the 4th of July!

Men's Trek 1500 - 54CM


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Re: the bent tubing, if Trek used thin walled steel tubing (like TT S3, for example), I'd worry more about it. But given that the main tubes are probably Reynolds 531, I think the change in trail Mike T. pointed out will affect your riding more than the bend. And since you've been logging miles on the bike apparently unaware, except for toe overlap, even the difference in trail isn't noteworthy. 

I do think it (and the fork) are worth having someone check over, but if there are no signs of damage, I'd bet you could ride that bike for (literally) years without issue. The previous seller may have already done so.

It might be a good rational for n+1, but you don't really _need_ to get a new bike.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

PJ352 said:


> It might be a good rational for n+1, but you don't really _need_ to get a new bike.


Weeeeeell, after hemming and hawing over it in my head and after almost pulling the trigger on a used Madone, I decided to go big and new and ordered a Ti bike from an online retailer. 

I'm probably going to convert the Trek to a single speed for riding around with the kids and social rides with friends. 

The wife is going to expect a super nice birthday present this year, that's for sure!


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

joshhan said:


> Weeeeeell, after hemming and hawing over it in my head and after almost pulling the trigger on a used Madone,* I decided to go big and new and ordered a Ti bike* from an online retailer.
> 
> I'm probably going to convert the Trek to a single speed for riding around with the kids and social rides with friends.
> 
> The wife is going to expect a super nice birthday present this year, that's for sure!


Yeah, I'd say that constitutes 'going big'.  

Brand? Model? Pics?


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Hehe, just got back from a quick ride on the Trek. It still goes beautifully smooth even with the dents.  This weather is a nice break from the heat wave we've been having. I wanted to catch the opportunity to ride in between rain storms. Between work and the family, it's been crazy!

The Ti bike should arrive on Monday. I'll post up pics after I get it put together. Don't want to post too soon in case just in case I get labeled as a "shill."


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

Teaser pic:










Just got here and got it put together. Had to lube the chain (duh?), adjust the stem, install and adjust the front brake, adjust the rear brake. That's pretty much it. I'll take it for a ride tonight to see how the drivetrain is but it seemed pretty well sorted out right out of the box. I noticed that the dork disk is the biggest one I've eve seen. 

It feels amazinginly light but what do I know? I'm coming from mountain bikes and a 22 year old bike.  I thought my single speed was light but this is taking it to another level.

Please, no comments about the pedals, I haven't committed to clipless yet.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Clipless pedals are actually easier to use than clips and straps. You did bring it up.


----------



## joshhan (Jan 9, 2012)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Clipless pedals are actually easier to use than clips and straps. You did bring it up.


Indeed. I know, it's on the list of things to research next.


----------

