Re: [CR]eBay Trek ID

> Hello Tom -
>
> Yours is a good question. I have not quite sorted out the early 412
> bikes. The first mention in the brochures (that I have) is 1980 but I have
> one other report of a 412 with a Feb 78 build date, SN M4B8C67. I may be
> missing a brochure, or Trek added them to the line-up without including
> them in their brochures. I will make a revision to the vintage-trek timeline.
>
> I am 95% confident this is a three-tube double butted chrome-moly Ishiwata,
> probably with high tensile Ishiwata fork and stays. I can't read the 022
> frame sticker, but the color of the sticker seems different from the all
> chrome-moly Ishiwata stickers I have seen.
>
> Dale mentioned the head tube thingie in a later post:
>
> "I can't remember which year, etc., even though I was probably working as the
> rep for trek in the Southeast at about that time frame.....but that one is a
> second tier frame as it has the one piece NIKKO head lug (note I didn't says
> lugs, plural.) Those were a hydra formed one piece thingie.... but there is
> no head tube at all, just top & down tubes plugged into this big pseudo-lug
> thing, kinda amazing actually! Some inexpensive Euro bikes have used similar
> fake lugs but not as nicely executed as these..."
>
> I have a Model 1981 MOdel 613 that has such a head tube/lug thing. Looking
> into the head tube, one can see two HUGE holes where the top and down tubes
> attach. They seem to be the size of the ID of the connecting tubes. It is
> cleanly done; very smooth in the inside and I can't tell the difference
> from the outside. However, as was mentioned in a post on another forum,
> one has to wonder about the strength of this thingie in a big frame.
>
> QUESTION: Does anyone know if the 412 and 612-613-614 bikes/frames were
> subcontracted out? Or were they made in the main Wisconsin plant? Or -
> for that matter - were any of the 1976 - 88 road frames contracted
> out? One visitor to the site was told his 1979 Trek 930 was made in
> Carlsbad CA.
>
> cheers,
>
> Skip Echert
> Renton, WA (rain)
> Vintage-Trek.com
>
>
>
> At 09:27 PM 7/28/02 +0000, you wrote:
>
> >Need to borrow some brains from the CR list. What is the following Trek?
> >
> >http://ebay.com/<blah>
> >
> >
> >According to the seller, who doesn't claim to be an expert, he was told
> >the bike is a '78 model 412. However, according to Skip Echert's Trek
> >site (the catalog sections), the 412 didn't debut until about 1980 or
> >'81. The difference is fairly important, as all the old Trek bikes were
> >double butted quality tubing throughout, either Reynolds or Ishwata, while
> >the later entry level models like the 412 had double butted main triangles
> >and hi tensile forks and stays.
> >
> >The only distinguishing marks I can see that might help are the central
> >front points on the head tube lugs, that I don't recall seeing on the
> >later Trek frames. Were these points only seen on the very early Treks?
> >If so, then this bike is probably not a 412, but likely a '78 and high
> >quality tubing throughout. There doesn't appear to be any tubing stickers
> >on the fork. Did all early, full tube set Treks have fork stickers? Any
> >other cues that might reveal the actual lineage of this bike? Time on the
> >auction is running out, and I don't know if I have time to get the seller
> >to answer any other questions. Thanks
> >
> >Tom Adams, Kansas City