The first Tests

So i had it out driving.
The ride is nice. The gears arent as good as i would like.
After some testing, i got a used SLX Shadow rear derailur.
That didn't quite do the trick. So i decided to upgrade to a nine speed rear chainwheel set.
I got home, put it on, and tried to place the new chain on the chain rings.... Nope the chain was too narrow.
OK OK i thougt.. Ill just get myself a new set of chain rings then. Why not. most other has been changed...

But NO.
THIS specific set of crank arms(STX-RC 1996), you cannot get a new set of rings to.
Thx goes out to shimano for that.
SO more new gear for the bike.
I thought.. then give me new arms..
Nope. Nothing above Acera would fit.. and that would frankly be criminal.
so instead i got a double chainring SLX set, with one of these hollow cranks.
The SLX M675 double.
NOW it works.

So now all thats left, is to perhaps lower the handlebars a little, and adjust the fork.

Coming together

Now all we need, is mounting calipers, adjusting gear, front deralliur, and off we go

Salvaged components

Crank bearings from the old ZX 8000

Pedals and arms (STX RX, if anyone remembers that ) , Pedals are eggbeaters. If you dont know them, ride them before you die. I have them on the road bike as well. Only without pads

96' deore xt rear shifter.

The package from germany

Just wrote Jan this morning, if he would check where the package had gone.
This afternoon it arrived.
I waited almost 15 minutes ( was alone with the kids) before ripping it appart.
Inside i found.
1 front wheel. Almost as new finish, cleaned as if for a show room. A really nice feel to it. The hub was an SLX, with center lock, with conversion to 6 hole disc, and i sported a 180 mm dics. Beautiful if at first glance a bit heavy. The bearings spun as could be expected, of something that had been in the forrest once or twice. From the looks straight & true The spokes said all the right noises. there was no quick release.
1 Back wheel. Same finish & condition as the front wheel. With these exceptions. The bearings sounded like if they contained sand, and made a lot of unpleasant noises. Now Jan had warned me, that the rear needed work, so this i NOT a complaint. Even if i have to replace the hub, it will have been worth it. There was a 180 mm dics, mounted as above, and it was sporting a smart 10 speed cassette.
1 Set of RX Brakes. A set of front and rear levers, and calipers . Cleaned as above, really nice. Cant wait to get these going. There was a lot of mounting things and ill have to see if all i need is there.

Now that was what i payed for. The rest is christmas presents.
1. Saddle, in black and white. I think it will look nice on the trek
1. bell, Nice black bell
1. Trek cataloger in German. Always nice with some evening reading
1. 2014 product highlight in German. Again, always nice to get something to read.

So now i just have to put it together... Cant wait

Solving the problems

So i found out what to do about my shifting problems.
The HORRIDLY expensive 8 speed shifter pods, are out.
IN are instead, the VERY much cheaper 9 speed shifter pods.
This guy
Has a picture & explanation, showing a way to make a 9 shifter work with an 8 speed cassette. Not only that.
My neighbor had a set of the adapter discs needed to make my 8 speed work on the wheel.
The rear derailleur can be the same, for both 8 and 9 speed bikes.
That means, that changing the fronts, will make my bike function as a 3x8 speed bike, that is until i have to change the cassette.
Then i will purchase a 9 speed one, move the cable to its right position, and have a blast, with my new 3x9 bike :-)

So now im driving a couple of sellers on dba.dk nuts, trying to push down price

Edit: I have now experimented a bit with the shifters. It seems to be allright, as long as im using the right sequence of gears. Meaning 9 on the handlebar, will be 8 in the back

What im aiming for

The Trek 8500

Or for something more current

perhaps the trek superfly 6
I know mine will be a little worse specked, but look at the price 13500 kr . For the same frame and same basic quality equipment.

NICE

The local bikeshop

I live in Bramming Denmark.
As i was out shopping for the last dinner of the year, i saw that the lokal bike shop was open.
Being a STRONG believer in lokal trade, i went in, asking him how long he would be open today.
I told him i was restoring a 2009 Trek 8500 shx.
His responce... Thats really a nice bike.

Good. He knows his Trek's i thought.


I brought it in later in the day, and i had my new rear wheel with me.

We looked at the crown bearing, deciding that he would do a swap.
We also agreed that he would pull apart the rear wheel.
He again assured me, that this will be a nice bike, and that also the rear wheel will be just right for it.

This was on the 31/12/2013.

Moving the components

So i now have to really dig into my old bike.. This is a painfull process, but has to be done.

The first thing to move is my Fork.
its a 2004 or 05 Marzocchi Bomber MX comp, A real nice steel/air thing, that has an option that makes it possible to climb, with a reduced front height.

After ripping of the old Brift  (Brake/Shift) units, i unmounted the headset, and removed the fork and handlebars/upright.
I left the old bearing in the old bike, if i should ever want to use it again.
After having adjusted the length of the fork tube with a saw, if joined it together and had nasty sounds.

Not good.
I think im out of my depth here.
Need help
Date 30/12/2013

This is all thats left of my old love

The Seat post/clamp

I found out what to do for a seat post.
and i got it too. THANKS mom. The best Christmas present this year.
I got a bbb seat post. (dont know if it was from the link site
Now then i just needed a clamp.
I got that at Esbjerg Cykel lager ( they were the ONLY shop open). Normaly i would go to Dansk racing sport in Esbjerg. But it was the hollydays.
The clamp i got, was from a bianci, Ø35mm. I had to open it a bit but it seemed ok.

trouble in paradice..(2)

Arggg things just dont fit.
Damn damn damn.. i should have done more home work
The seat post wont fit ( this i knew)
The brake levers, wont come apart from the shift levers, meaning i CANNOT keep my old deore shifter. The ONLY 8 speed shifter pods, available are either Alivio or worse, or an OLD set of XTR's on ebay, costing an arm and a leg. The original Deore 8 speed shifter pods are just as expensive. AAAAARHH.

The Crown fittings/head set of the trek 8500 are shot.
And i dont have any seat post clamp that fits either.

AAAAARG

The brake Deal

So now i have won the auction.
Now were talking price on the wheels.
They DO seem nice, and as they have been running together i wont have to worry about them not fitting.
So we agreed, an Jan said he would add something extra, just because he likes the idea of recreating the bike.
The price seems like a steal, but he told me to be ware about the rear hub.

The brakes

So i had done the danish sites. Nothing.
Time to do Ebay.de
There i found disc brakes a plenty.
So i started researching and i settled on 3-4 sets that were interesting.
Started mailing them, to see if they would ship to DK. One of them would, as luck would have it it was the nicest set of brakes as well It wasnt just the rears it was fronts as well. Oh well the fork can handle dics brakes. so why not. Had i bit of a chat with the guy, and he said he perhaps had some wheels to go with the brakes :-). Well lucky me.
Here they are
The brakes on ebay

Trouble in paradise

Arrrg, what has happened here ??.
Where do i put the rear cantiliever brakes.
There just isnt any studs.
A closer inspection reveals, that i need disc brakes for the rear...
Oh no, that means that the rear wheel has to go as well.

Oh well onto qxl / dba to see whats there.
The plan now, get a 160 mm rear disc, and replace the rear hub.. No biggi

The new Frame Again

So having let my frame fill my cousins house for a while, my uncle picked it up and brought it to me. THANKS uncle Walther. He gave it to me, as if it was weighing a ton. Turns out i could lift it with my little finger. It was a bit bruised, but not more than my own bikes would have been. It was dirty though. So into the shop to clean it

The NEW Frame

So after looking through QXL (danish Ebay), and DBA.dk (Danish Craiglist) i found a couple of candidates. I finaly settled on a Trek 8500 SHX frame. It should have some scratches but othervise be ok. I had a cousin pick it up. THANKS SOOOO MUCH Trine. One of the reasons for me choosing this frame, is the reviews it has gotten. It should be in the same class of bike as the old 8000, and the "feel" you get from it, should be something of the same nature... Fast into corners, fast out, FUN, but demanding. If youre NOT on the max, it will feel like a dog. But once youre up to speed..... heaven.

The beginning

So i decided on an upgrade path from my 1996 Trek 8000 SHX /ZX  ( the yellow one).
I Made the mistake of putting on too long a fork, destroying the handling
SO after deciding NOT to do it a new fork... again, I decided to upgrade the frame, keeping the components.