Trek 1400 racer/triathlon for cross training

Cycling to and from work (6km each way) for the last 15 months has lead me to appreciate the value of this form of cross training: working different muscles and maintaining aerobic fitness have been a good supplement to my running training.

Up til now I have been using my dependable tourer from Aldi, and it has proved to be a superbly reliable and comfortable bike in spite of its cheap components.

I decided to up the ante with respect to cycling and invested in a virtually unused 1997 Trek 1400 racer/triathlon for cross training. It probably hasn't been ridden for more than 1500km, so it is essentially a new bike. I picked it up locally for half the price a new low-end racer would cost today, and the quality of the components (compared to the low-end SunTour kit on the Aldi tourer) is impressive, to say the least.

Kitted out with dependable Shimano RX100 components, this was medium-range equipment at the time and is of comparable quality to contemporary Tiagra components today. These components have something of a reputation for extremely smooth shifting and legendary dependability. My last memories of racing bikes dates back to the 70's and downtube-mounted shifters, so the integrated brake-shifting mechanism was something of a revelation for me, and I find myself constantly shifting gears to suit conditions.





















As you can seen, this bike is essentially unused and pretty much a new bike. The frame is from the legendary Easton-Trek collaboration, aluminium alloy and impressively stiff and light. The joining of the tubes is a delight to behold!













The rims are Matrix Aurora aluminium 700c with stainless steel spokes, and have been kitted with 700C/25 tires (of which the Continental may even be the original fitted tire), which will be replaced with 700C/23 or 700C/25 Kevlar puncture-free tires.

I set it up yesterday (instep length * 1.09 gave a saddle height from peddle of 94cm, forearm length plus 6cm gave me the distance from saddle nose to handlebar) and went for my first longer (41km) ride today.

I easily maintained 30km/h for most of the route (compared to 20-22km/h I usually maintain on the Tourer) and peaked at 51km/h coming down the hill at Hyggum Bakke.

I have always enjoyed biking - almost flying along under my own power, with the heady feel of the world opening up before you should you have a mind to cycle around it - but this was different, even exhilarating! The almost liquid burble of the chain and gears, the fluid motion of the shifting mechanism, the hum of the pencil-thin tires: it WAS flying!

Duathlon/Triathlon, anyone?

Technical Details 1997 Trek 1400

Type: Road race & triathlon

MSRP (new): $949.99
Weight: 21.5
Sizes: 47 cm, 50 cm, 52 cm, 54 cm, 56 cm, 58 cm, 60 cm, 62 cm
Colors: Yellow
Item ID: 66984

Frame & Fork

Frame Construction: TIG-welded
Frame Tubing Material: Easton ProGram tapered aluminum
Fork Brand & Model: System 2
Fork Material: Aluminum, bonded, aero crown

Components

Component Group: Shimano RSX/RX-100
Brakeset: Shimano RSX Dual Pivot brakes, Shimano RSX levers
Shift Levers: Shimano RSX STI Dual Control
Front Derailleur: Shimano RX-100 top-swing, bottom-pull/clamp-on 35.0 mm
Rear Derailleur: Shimano RX-100 GS
Crankset: Shimano RX-100, 39/53 teeth
Pedals: System 2 w/clips & straps
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-LP26, 110 mm spindle
BB Shell Width: 68mm English
Rear Cogs: 7-speed, 11 - 24 teeth
Chain: Shimano CN-HG50, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost: System 1, 27.2 mm diameter
Saddle: Selle San Marco Tecno Dynamica
Handlebar: System 2
Handlebar Stem: System 2
Headset: 1" Tange-Seiki Passage

Wheels 

Hubs: Shimano RSX
Rims: Matrix Aurora, 32-hole
Tires: 700 x 23c Continental Super Sport
Spoke Brand: DT Competition stainless steel, 2.0mm double butted
Spoke Nipples:Brass nipples