1987 Trek 1000

Facts about the old classic aluminum frame trek bicycles link here.

Parts list:

Bontrager handlebar gel tape.
Cateye Enduro 8 cycling computer.
Suntour Cyclone 7000 front and real derailleurs.
Suntour 6 speed freewheel.
Decals: Trek (white with gold streamers.)
Down Tube Shifters: Suntour Cyclone 7000 (black/gray.)
Side Pull Breaks: Dia-Comp Alpha-Tau 400 (black with white lettering.) Date Stamp B86.
SR Sakae "250" Oval Tech chain wheel rings: 52-42.
Matrix Titan S Wheels. Made by Tru America, Waterloo, Wisconsin. (black rims)
Trek TX Aluminum Alloy Tubing.
Paint: metallic gray/gloss black.
Pedals: Shimano 105.

Here are some updated photographs of my 1987 Trek 1000 Aluminum Tube Bicycle. The bicycle has one drawback, poor acceleration off the line, and the SR Oval Tech chain wheels are difficult to adjust to, but they were in vogue once. Compare to Shimano Biopace. At a certain point in the stroke, the oval wheels were supposed to increase power from a 52 to 53, or a 42 to a 43. I doubt whether an increase in power is helpful on a difficult mountain climb, and there have been suggestions of knee damage with oval chain wheels.

This bike is in excellent condition and has received many flattering complements from people. Yes, the bicycle and the Matrix wheel set are original and were built in the United States of America at Waterloo, Wisconsin. Nowadays, Trek is a huge behemoth and the lower end Trek bicycles are built in China.  Bikezilla thinks the imported 1000's are junk.

Aluminum frames have a very short lifespan, about five years. Every time I rebuild an old bike it is like rolling the dice, you never know when the frame will break, you never know what people did to the bike before you found it, and believe me, I have had steel frames break at the most unexpected moments. But as Tommy Simpson says, get off the pavement, dust yourself off, and "put me back on my bloody bike."













Notice the Shimano 105 pedals and the beautiful, exceptional paint job.



Notice the unique front derailleur mount.  Two hex screws inserted into the seat tube.  Suntour Cyclone 7000 derailluer.  Matrix Titan S Wheels.



Trek TX Aluminum Alloy Tubing




SR "250" Oval Tech Chain rings 52-42 and Suntour Cyclone 7000 Front derailleur.






The classic steering tube Trek logo.




White decals with gold streamers. Down tube shifters. Suntour Cyclone 7000.



Suntour cyclone 7000 real derailleur and Suntour 6 speed freewheel.



The cockpit.  Bontranger gel tape.  Cateye Enduro 8 Cycling computer.

Aluminum spelled out across the top tube, 1000 on the chain stay.

The side pull breaks are Dia-Comp Alpha-II, black with white lettering.

Thanks for looking at my steed!  Have a nice bicycle ride today!

Tour of Utah: Stage 4 Photographs

Yes, the Tour of Utah is over and yes, defending champion Levi Leipheimer won again. The results of Stage 4 link here.

Stage 4 of the Tour of Utah consisted of a loop throughout the downtown area with climbs and descents with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of these photographs were taken at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Virgina Street and others were taken at President's Circle on the University of Utah campus, they will be marked accordingly. The photographs show the lead group followed by the chase group for a few of the laps, stragglers are not shown. Although the quality of the photographs are limited due to an archaic digital camera shutter speed, they are shown as a part of the historical record, and serve to document the changing composition of the pack during a criterium style race.

The Stage 4 temperature was around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The pavement was dissolving in some places on the Virgina Street descent with an oily, slick, shiny sheen. I can verify this fact from personal race time experimentation, because after watching a couple of laps on 11th Avenue, I told a race marshal that I was going to ride down to President's Circle via Virgina Street. Happily, I hopped on my trusty steed and loosened the reigns, zoom! On the descent I felt just like Joseba Beloki moments before a momentous crash. Very lightly feathering the breaks, my cycling computer instantly hit 34.5 miles per hour, vortices's and eddies of air streamed off my body into space. Exhilarating! No time for riding in the drops, no time for an aerodynamic tuck. Suddenly, I spied a policeman frantically waving an orange flag and blowing a whistle, at me! The police ordered me instantly to exit the course at 5th Avenue thus ending the experiment, but unimpeded, I could have rode down Virginia Street, up University Street, and in triumph around President's Circle like one of my heroes without interfering with the race in any way, shape, or form.

Imagine the riders drafting in the sweet spot down that hill on 53x11 carbon fiber steeds. Whee!

For general information: Ski Utah had some of the men's team riding the course handing out long red plastic horns. I shook my head "no." I didn't want to be any part of the girl who kicked the hornets' nest.

Steve Miller would do every radio race fan a favor and fire 1320 KFNZ. It is obvious to every professional bicycle racing fan that the local KFNZ sport jocks know nothing of bicycle racing and it seems too much of an effort for the Tour of Utah to either hire or provide a professional racer to explain stage racing tactics to them. KFNZ has an idiot who can croon out refrains of Queen, [Bi-screech-cycle!] and then giggle uncontrollably for fifteen minutes, but KFNZ does not have five minutes to spare during a local show to include an exclusive Tour of Utah segment that contains an intelligent discussion of the daily stage, the general overall classification, the teams, and other rudimentary points of the race. Unfortunately, in addition, the Tour of Utah real time race updates were so rare that it did not seem worth the time to listen to the third rate rants and obscene shouting arguments over every trivial point of the local Brigham Young University versus University of Utah rivalry that seems to obsess these people.

All in all, the Tour of Utah seemed to pass like a thief in the night, but one stage was better than nothing at all, since unlike years past, the prologue and most of the stages no longer funnel into Salt Lake City. Maybe the expanded stages to include more of the state was an improvement, it is probably a matter of perspective.

Lap 1. 11th Avenue and Virgina Street. Here comes the pack!




The team cars. Lap 1. 11th Avenue and Virgina Street. At the turn pandemonium ensued with screaming breaks and several near collisions as riders and team cars fought for position.



President's circle. University of Utah Campus. The lead group riding hard, the gap board read 2:20.



Team Radio Shack setting the chase tempo.



The breakaway group: "Paco" Mancebo attacks out of the saddle!



The pack descends from President's circle, across University Street, and down 200 South.



Stage 4 had 7.4 laps around the loop, I think this is the end of the chase group.



Team Radioshack on the front. Yes, that is Levi Leipheimer in yellow, and yes alumni, that is the Park Building.



Thanks to all the teams and riders who participated in the 2011 Tour of Utah. See you all next year!

2011 Tour of Utah Preview

The 2011 Tour of Utah touted as America's Toughest Stage Race, with thirty thousand feet of climbing, begins with a prologue time trial at Park City, Utah, on August 9, 2011. The race has been updated to from a USA Cycling sanctioned race, to UCI 2.1, which has increased the stature of the race, and the quality and number of participating teams. The course has been altered significantly, the Ogden, Morgan, Big Mountain, Emigration Canyon, Research Park stage has been changed to a loop starting and ending in Ogden, Utah. And the downtown criterium that circled in a flat loop around the Salt Lake City Public Library has been expanded to include a very large area downtown, with a steep uphill wall past the Utah State Capitol Building on Bonneville Boulevard, a loop and descent to flat riding past the Salt Lake City Cemetery on 11th Avenue, then a quick hair raising descent down Virgina Street, to a turnaround point on President's Circle on the University of Utah Campus, then a short and quick descent to South Temple and flat riding with a slight downhill slope back to Bonneville Boulevard and back up the wall. Virgina street seems to have a very rough pavement surface with numerous exposed sewer lids, beware! but the University of Utah seems to be engaged in a resurfacing project of President's Circle, for aesthetic purposes? the condition of South Temple looks bad in some spots too.

The time trial at Miller Sports Park has not changed and the queen stage up Little Cottonwood Canyon has not changed.

Who will win the 2011 Tour of Utah? The best team, if everyone stays healthy, would be BMC, with Jeff Louder, Winner of the 2008 Tour of Utah. Brent Bookwalter, and George Hincapie. In 2010, George Hincapie had an unexpected crash and withdrawal from the Tour Of Utah after a freak accident on the Mount Nebo climb which injured his knee. Nevertheless, BMC has the most experienced team and should be dangerous contenders.

Team Radioshack has fielded a team with defending Tour of Utah champion Levi Leipheimer and rock hard teammate Jason McCartny. Even though Levi Leipheimer did not have an over successful 2011 Tour de France, suffering from multiple crashes, and finishing the race twenty minutes behind race leader Cadel Evans, he should still be regarded as the favorite to win the 2011 Tour of Utah.

Then there is realcyclist.com pure climber Mancebo Francisco "Paco" Perez the winner of the 2009 Tour of Utah and runner up in the 2010 Tour of Utah. If there is not a major accident or illness the race may come down to a duel up Little Cottonwood Canyon in queen stage 5 between Levi Leipheimer and "Paco."

However, there are other competent contenders who could throw a wrench in the mix. Garmin-Cervelo sports Christian Vande Velde cannot be ignored, a very consistent, tough UCI pro tour rider. United Health Care features Rory Suterland a exceptional professional with a very extensive history of success. And HTC Highroad features Danny Pate who was under twenty three time trial champion, who should not be considered a threat on general classification, but who could win the time trial stages and provide a great deal of entertainment for raced starved fans. Then there is the wild card team Gobernacion De Antioquia-Indeportes Antio with a group of Coumbian riders born to climb and an unknown factor...

The Final Podium

1) Francisco "Paco" Mancebo Perez
2) Levi Leipheimer
3) Christian Vande Velde

See you there!