Getting to Work on The Trek 330

Hello and Welcome, There is so much that is good on this Trek 330 I am having trouble calling it a restoration. So I`ll just call it "making it road ready" plus an intense detail job.

Above: As I mentioned on the last post "Assessing the Trek 330 for Restoration" I wanted to clean-up the brake lever hoods right away. If I am going to have to replace these hoods or hoods and levers I want to know that right away. As you can see the hoods cleaned up pretty good and this is after one quick cleaning. This is good news, as I really like the look of the original hoods.

Above: Here I have finished cleaning the multi speed chain. I ran it through the chain cleaner with Park citrus cleaner. Afterwards I rinsed out the cleaner and repeated the process. This is a nice chain and I suspect it was part of the last overhaul as it is in beautiful condition. I had also begun to clean up the 6 speed free wheel (rear sprocket group) and the rear derailleur using White Lightning Clean Streak along with my park brushes and some paper towels.

Above: I originally purchased these Origin 8 road sport pedals with toe clips for the upcoming Fuji Gran Tourer SE. But this style pedal looked so good on the red and white Centurion I have decided to use them on this bike instead. I`ll worry about the Fuji latter. At this point I will have to remove them to work on the crank. I just wanted to see how they looked on the bike.

Above: Now that I know the hoods and levers are good I can clean up the bars and stem for re-taping. The cable housings look fine so I will reuse them after cleaning and lubricating them before installing the new Jag Wire brake cables. To remove the adhesive tape residue I sped up the process by using a fine brass wheel brush (Wear Safety Glasses) on the 18 volt rechargeable drill / driver. It was dusty so I set up a fan to blow the debris out the overhead door while I was doing this. I use the fan quite often when doing the dusty work.

Above: The front wheel (rim) and hub cleaned up really well using only Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. At this point I had not yet removed the tires to inspect the tubes and remount them with the valve stems centered to the tags or labels. I may have used a fine brass detail brush around a few of the spoke nipples. But that was the full extent of any brushing I did on the front wheel. (a nice change of pace)

Above: Just to the left of the T (in Trek) I did a paint scratch touch up. I wish all my paint touch ups were this invisible. And I am using a red enamel nail polish to touch up the paint. Nail polish is great for red as it comes in about 100 different shades. My wife has a really good eye for matching colors. And she nailed it on this one!

Above: The rear wheel, spokes and hub all cleaned up. I noticed "wheel marks" after cleaning, which I do not normally see using a fine brass wheel brush. At least I thought I had used a fine "brass" wheel brush?????. Please be careful when purchasing brass brushes. And here is why. I think what I actually purchased were "brass plated" wire brushes. Not the same thing. After examining the paper part of the package "which is clear by the way" I noticed it does not actually say brass brush. It says wire wheel brush. This way "technically" they are not ripping you off. Although when you look at the package you see what appears "for all intents and purposes" to be a brass brush. Looks like the infamous "they" have just figured a new way to rip us off. So Buyer Beware! The spokes were cleaned with Armor All cleaning wipes. After that many of the spokes were also lightly sanded with fine 420 automotive grade wet sandpaper. And the outer hub was polished with Mothers. The hub flanges were cleaned up with Armor All cleaning wipes and touched up with a "real brass" detail brush.

Above: I did end up removing the rear derailleur for a proper de greasing and cleaning. I also serviced the hub and cleaned up the free wheel a little better. And I lubricated the free wheel mechanism. I do this by spinning the free wheel by hand (free-wheel facing upwards) and adding a few drops of oil into the gap where the sprocket group spins on the axis of the free wheel unit. Then spin until you feel or hear that the oil has worked it`s may to the needle bearings. Then just wipe off the excess and your free wheel unit is good to go. And always lightly grease the threads prior to installing the free-wheel unit.

Above: The front derailleur all de greased, cleaned and polished. I did the front derailleur in place. It is working so perfectly right where it is. And it was not all that dirty to begin with. So why go looking for trouble? If you are having trouble with installing and adjusting your front derailleur, check out the Video Of The Week section in the right side column. I believe "Front Derailleur Adjustment" is right at the top of the list. There is also a video for "Rear Derailleur Adjustment". It takes a bit of practice to become proficient at derailleur adjustment "especially the front derailleur". So do not beat up on yourself if you are having trouble, everyone does at first. As always I did replace the derailleur cables with new Jag Wire shift cables. I lubed both derailleurs with a light spray of Tri Flo.

Above: If this saddle looks familiar, it should. I took it off the red lugged frame fixed gear bike. I went with a "leather like" Charge spoon saddle and some very cool ergo grips on the fixed gear. But we will talk about that latter. I think the saddle looks great on this bike. And it performs well too! As for the original micro adjust seat post, I basically polished it up with Mothers and cleaned up the top black parts with a Armor All cleaning wipe. I also put a very light coat of grease on the lower approximately 1/3 of the post before inserting it into the seat tube.

Above: A shot of the crank from the back side, it cleaned up beautifully. I love the shine of brand new cables. As always I used Mothers on the crank arms and chain rings. I have also started doing paint scratch repair around the bottom bracket shell.

Above: The crank from the drive side. I love it when the Shimano road Crankset Sticker (Bio-Pace) is unmolested because cleaned up the Crankset almost looks right off the shelf. I have not serviced the bottom bracket bearings and spindle yet. Only because they are super smooth. But I will do it eventually if for no other reason than just to prove to myself that they do not need it. How neurotic is that? LTMS

Above: As for the road caliper brakes I did remove them for cleaning. And I also removed the newer shoes for inspection and cleaning. But I did not break the calipers down for cleaning. It just was not necessary. I did however give them a very good cleaning and of course a new set of Jag wire brake cables. And the shoes "are like new" and not hardened in the least. It is refreshing to work on a bike that was so well cared for.

Above: With the money I saved not having to buy new tires I purchased these beautiful Specialized composite water bottle cages. Now most of you know I do not weigh any parts or components. So I will just say they are very light weight in comparison to the originals. And the colors fit in perfectly with my "mental picture" I had of this bike when finished.

Above: The savings also allowed me to spend a little more than usual on the handlebar tape. This Specialized cork handlebar tape is Phat. I am very comfortable now with taping handlebars in the modern way now. I still use a razor blade to finish buy only to score the tape not cutting all the way through the tape. And I just finish the cut with a single edge razor. For me it works better than scissors. (but my scissors are crap)

Above: I was not sure if I would like these pedals for myself as I have sort of wide feet. But it turned out they are very comfortable and I will keep these pedals on the bike if I keep or sell it. They were inexpensive although I do not remember the exact price. I do remember that they are Origin 8 road sport pedals.

Above: At this point I had removed and remounted the tires. I found the inner tubes to be in excellent condition with no patches. When I remounted the tires I centered the valve stems with the tag or label on the tire. Also making sure the tags would be facing the drive side when finished. I used the R in Bontrager as a reference point.

Above: For about eight dollars US I was able to add a smaller size wedge bag and for another five dollars a tube repair kit with levers. You can also see the Ze'Fal three mode tail tight I installed.

Above: A shot of the Ze'Fal three mode headlight. These run about 20.00 for the set and they include 5 AAA batteries. For a bit more you can replace the AAA batteries with rechargeable batteries, that they claim can be recharged hundreds of times. In the long term that is probably the most economical and definitely the most responsible way to go.

Above: Did I hear someone say, Just show the &%$ @!*& bike already! OK, Here it is a classic American road bike for a total cost of about 173.00 price. Finally a bike I could easily double my investment on. Take away the lights, bag and kit and it is crazy cheap! About 140.00 US. Not to shabby!

Above: Here is the 140.00 (total investment) version of this bike! Now remove those two water bottle cages, and you are now looking at a 100.00 bike! now that is Crazy Cheap!

Above: Another view of the 173.00 version. Not as quite as sweet looking as the Centurion. But none the less the TREK 330 is a fine looking road bike.

Above: Here is the latest version of the little red fixed gear bike with the flip flop hub . This thing is fun to ride. But it is way to small for me to be hanging onto it. I really need to put this bike up for sale soon.

Above: Recently I have become a big fan of these Specialized ergo grips. If you are looking for a more comfortable grip for your cruiser or hybrid you might want to consider these.Until next time, Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers, Hugh P.S. Please remember if you are going to shop Amazon dot com, You can Help Support This Blog by using my link to Amazon located in the right hand column near the top.