Assessing The Trek 330 For Light Restoration / And I Try Clipless Pedals For The First Time

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Above: The Trek 330 as I found it at one of my favorite bicycle hunting spots. The first thing that impressed me about this bike were the Shimano clip less pedals. This will be my first experience with clip less pedals. I can hardly wait to find out if they can live up to all the hype.

Above: Another thing I could not help but notice are these white brake lever hoods. These are extremely difficult to find and they demand a premium price. If they do not clean up well, it may be cheaper to just replace them.

Above: The Shimano EXAGE brake calipers look to be in fine condition. These will clean up nicely. And look at the tread wear or "lack there of" on these Bontrager Select K road bicycle tires. I have a hunch these are a recent replacement but that will take closer inspection to confirm.

Above: They must have sold a million of these Avocet touring bicycle saddles in the 1980's. This one is badly scraped on the right side. The right side pedal is scraped as well, but the damage appears to be only cosmetic. I noticed the right side cork tape was scraped as well. This bike has obviously been down, but does not appear to have suffered any serious damage. I am happy to see the micro adjust seat post. This one appears to be of decent quality and is in really good shape. That is a big plus.

Above: The rear derailleur is also scratched but the alloy looks good. and I do not see any real damage. I can probably touch up the metallic paint if I can locate a color match. The chain appears to be good quality. If it cleans up well and is not stretched or worn I will probably re use it. I do not see any teeth missing on the free wheel sprockets and they do not look to be excessively worn. But seeing how I missed that on the Teton the first time around I`ll check it very carefully.

Above: That's what I am talking about! My favorite road bike crank set the Shimano Bio Pace, and it spins straight! Sweetness! And the Shimano EXAGE front derailleur looks ok. It appears that the clipless pedal took all the damage in this area when the bike went down. Also it is good to see the entire Shimano EXAGE package in tact. I have a set of pedals in mind for this bike already. Similar the the pedals on the red Centurion Accordo RS I did a few years ago. Just the prettiest little red road racer I ever worked on.

Above: I had to slip this in here, the Centurion Accordo RS. Damn that was a pretty bike. I will keep this bike in mind while I am restoring this red Trek 330.

Above: What are the three words I love to see engraved on a vintage alloy racing wheel? If you said MADE IN BELGIUM your right on the money. And they spin pretty straight as well! This just keeps getting better and better! Am I excited to be restoring this American classic? Is Bradley Wiggins having a good year? LTMS Yes to both of course!

Above: The drop handlebars are in fine shape. I`m not surprised as the scraping on the cork handlebar tape was minimal. The threaded Headset is super smooth and should be an easy service. (clean & lube) And the stem looks fine and should (like the bars) polish-up nicely with a little Mother's.

Above: Did they put these water bottle cages on every bike built in the 1980's? These are going to have to be replaced for sure. The down tube mounted shifters are in fine shape and will just get polished up a little. I ran the bike through all the gears and I am pleased to say, The index shifting is still "dialed in". No chatter in any gear but the shifting is a little sluggish. I am sure cleaning and lube and new Jag Wire shift cables will solve that problem.

Above: I have now had a chance to clean up and closely examine these tires. The tread appears to be all there and I can find no damage or chunks missing. And the side walls are very pliable with absolutely no cracking whatsoever. I will be removing the tires to check the tubes for patches and or creases. I will fine tune the wheels on the truing stand and remount the tires with the valve stems centered on the labels or tags.

Above: I did ride the bike as soon as I was 100% sure it was ride able. The brakes felt very strong and also very quiet. Upon inspection I found the shoes appear to be new. There is no apparent wear and the rubber has not hardened at all. I cleaned the shoes and I have no reservations about reusing them. Please spare me the comments about how you always replace the shoes no matter what. If you saw and felt these shoes (like I have) you would be a fool to replace them... period! I have also found other clues that tell me this bike was recently overhauled before it was parked. I have spotted some paint chip repair and fresh grease as well. And let's not forget the newer tires. Someone took very good care of this bike. And I like the choices they made as far as tires, shoes and pedals go. All good quality but not too pricey.

Above: With all the money I am saving on tires and brake shoes and inner tubes I was able to purchase better quality water bottle cages and better quality cork tape as well. Although they look fine I will be replacing all the cables with new Jag wire. I will also be installing a bicycle head and taillight set. And a new saddle, wedge bag and bicycle tool kit. I was considering a rack, but that is not the look I am after. And the Head Set and Three Piece Crank will be serviced as well. And the front and rear hubs will be serviced as always. And everything dirty will be cleaned and everything dull will be polished. I will also be doing paint chip touch up. The next post will be about the Trek 330 restoration.

Above: After a quick internet search I learned the Shimano clip less pedals are actually for a mountain bike. I thought "perfect" I have just the place for them. Before installing the pedals I took one with me to Cycle Therapy in Waterford. I needed to find out exactly what I was going to need in the way of shoes and cleats. It turns out they had the cleats but the shoes were pricy in my size. But they did explain to me what I needed in the way of shoes. I checked REI on the net because I had a 50.00 gift certificate. After I saw the shoes online I wanted, I called the store to check for size. They had my size plus a couple sizes larger and smaller. So off I went to REI of Troy Mi. The store was nice and well stocked , but a little to "Lah - Dee - Dah" for me. So after convincing the cashier I did not want to "join the club" I paid for my new shoes and headed for home.

Above: To play it safe I watched a short instructional video on You Tube about how to properly install the cleats. During which I pointed out to my wife that the guy was using the exact same wrench that I have. You can only imagine how excited she was to hear that...lol... Afterwards I installed the cleats with no problem. So Here's To You! Mr U-Tube Expert Cleat Installer Guy! (did that remind you of a beer commercial?) never mind

Above: To me it just made sense to get "Shimano cycling Shoes" for my "Shimano Cleats" to fit my "Shimano Pedals." Why go looking for trouble? In all I spent about 110.00 (less a 50.00 gift certificate) for shoes and cleats. Lets Ride!

Above: Ok let's bleed!.. lol... Ok! This had nothing to do with the cleats. This was more of a bad tire selection problem. The ride actually went great. I did feel like I was going farther with less fatigue. I practiced clicking in and out of the pedals several times with no problem. So what happened. When I got home I decided to take a victory lap around the house. I had to front wheel hop over a fallen tree limb that had that shiny half rotten slippery look to it. At when the tire came down I turned right and the tire broke traction on the damp dirt and plowed to a sudden stop. Putting these road type tires on my old Specialized Rock Hopper FS was STUPID. I ride on the pavement 99% of the time. It is that 1% on grass or sand or sandy pavement that keeps getting me into trouble. I have "biffed it" 3 times this summer. Each time loosing traction unexpectedly.

Above: These Kenda K West tires are not bad tires. They are just the wrong tire for me. I will probably switch to a shallow or short knobby tire. Something that will roll smooth but still give me some much needed traction during that 1% of the time I spend off the pavement. Is that a Lucky four leaf clover sticking out of my tread? I guess that only works if your Irish.

Above: A few of the new tools I have picked up this year. Until next time Please RIDE SAFE (not like me) and Remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!! Cheers, Hugh