For sale is this stylish, circa mid 1990’s vintage road racing bike. It is a fantastic opportunity to own a real modern classic racing bike and one of the first in Trek’s OCLV range. Despite being wonderful just to sit and look at it would be fantastic to get out on during warm summer evenings. The handling is smooth, precise and being full carbon the bike is so light that with just a few quick turns of the pedals, you’ll be swifly moving along flat roads, descending faster than those around you and climbing steep hills like a pro!
The frame is 60cm which most manufacturers of modern bikes classify as XL. This makes this bike particularly suitable for riders of 6ft and above. The standover height (from the ground to the horizontal bar that connects the seat tube to the head tube is 850mm which means that unless you are at least around 5ft 10 inches tall, you would be unlikely to be able to ride the bike safely and in full control. I am 6ft 2inches tall (with long legs) and I ride with the seat as in the photos so this gives a rough guide as to the sizing.
The Trek is almost original except for two modifications that I am aware of and when manufactured it featured the world’s lightest production road bike frame, coming in at a super light 1.1kg! This bike is a real pleasure to ride – Don’t be put off thinking that because it is a vintage bike, that it is a heavy bike. This big bike weighs in around a tiny 8.2 kg and having spoken with a local (and reputable) cycle shop owner, I was informed that if I were to replace it with a new bike with similar frame size, components and at a similar light weight, I could expect to spend upwards of £2,000!
If you’re after a vintage racing bike, built to very high standards and using high quality components from manufacturers such as Cinelli, Shimano, Trek, Selle Italia & Mavic that will provide an exhilarating and spirited ride – this could be just what you’re after!
Some technical specification from Bikepedia can be viewed below. I have made some changes to reflect the upgrades mentioned earlier;
Bicycle Type
Road race & triathlon
MSRP (new)
$3,299.99
Sizes
50 cm, 52 cm, 54 cm, 56 cm, 58 cm, 60 cm, 62 cm
Colors
Light blue, natural carbon fiber, orange, silver
Item ID
55750
Frame & Fork
Frame Construction
Bonded carbon fiber
Frame Tubing Material
OCLV carbon fiber
Fork Brand & Model
System 3 OCLV
Fork Material
OCLV carbon fiber, unicrown crown
Components
Component Group
Shimano 600
Brakeset
Shimano 600 Dual Pivot brakes, Shimano Dura-Ace levers
Shift Levers
Shimano 600 STI Dual Control
Front Derailleur
Shimano 600, bottom-pull/braze-on
Rear Derailleur
Shimano 600
Crankset
Shimano 600, 39/53 teeth
Pedals
Shimano with Toe Straps
Bottom Bracket
Shimano BB-7410, 103 mm spindle
BB Shell Width
68mm English
Rear Cogs
8-speed, 12 - 23 teeth
Chain
Shimano CN-7401, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost
Uno, 27.2 mm diameter
Saddle
Selle Italia Turbo
Handlebar
Cinelli Alloy Maes Bends
Handlebar Stem
Cinelli Alloy
Headset
1" Shimano 600
Wheels
Hubs
Shimano
Rims
Mavic Open 4 CD
Tyres
700 x 23c CST
If you’d like a bit of history on the Trek 5500 OCLV, below is some information from Wikipedia;
1992-1996 OCLV and acquisitions
In the early 1990s, Trek’s director of technology, Bob Read, attended an aerospace industry trade show in Salt Lake City, Utah, eventually meeting up with a closed mold tooling company called Radius Engineering. That visit convinced Read that Trek’s future success depended on building frames from carbon fiber, a material he envisioned could be used to make light, strong frames. Having lived through the troubled introduction of the 5000, Trek invested heavily in in-house carbon fiber manufacturing capabilities.
In 1992 Trek unveiled its first home-grown, full-carbon framed bicycles, the 5500 and 5200, featuring OCLV Carbon frames. OCLV stands for “Optimum Compaction, Low Void” and refers to Trek’s proprietary process for creating carbon structures that exceed aerospace standards. Weighing only 2.44 lb (1.11 kg), the 5500 frame was the world’s lightest production road frame. To make room for its new OCLV manufacturing facility, Trek expanded its Waterloo headquarters again to a total of 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2).
Trek also signed a long-term licensing agreement with Greg LeMond, the 3-time Tour de France champion and the first American to win the Tour—to design, build, and distribute LeMond Racing Cycles. 1995 was also the year Trek opened a state-of-the-art assembly facility in Whitewater, Wisconsin, leaving the Waterloo location free to focus solely on frame production.
In terms of the modification from the original, they are as follows;
The seat post I had with the bike was originally a lightweight Control Tech (black). I didn't feel that this looked as nice as unpainted alloy so I changed it. I do still have the Control Tech though so if the buyer would rather this be refitted, I can do this for you
The tyres on the bike were Hutchinson P20. These are a light 700c x 20mm tyre which I thought may be a little uncomfortable for riding on ordinary roads. they have been replaced with CST 23mm. As with the original seat post, I do still have the Hutchinson P20 tyres which are still in great condition and can include them in the sale if the buyer wishes
Please feel free to ask any questions.
Thank you for looking.
I'm assuming that it's ok to add a link to ebay (as I can't work out how to upload any images http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271849710195? ... 1555.l2649
The frame is 60cm which most manufacturers of modern bikes classify as XL. This makes this bike particularly suitable for riders of 6ft and above. The standover height (from the ground to the horizontal bar that connects the seat tube to the head tube is 850mm which means that unless you are at least around 5ft 10 inches tall, you would be unlikely to be able to ride the bike safely and in full control. I am 6ft 2inches tall (with long legs) and I ride with the seat as in the photos so this gives a rough guide as to the sizing.
The Trek is almost original except for two modifications that I am aware of and when manufactured it featured the world’s lightest production road bike frame, coming in at a super light 1.1kg! This bike is a real pleasure to ride – Don’t be put off thinking that because it is a vintage bike, that it is a heavy bike. This big bike weighs in around a tiny 8.2 kg and having spoken with a local (and reputable) cycle shop owner, I was informed that if I were to replace it with a new bike with similar frame size, components and at a similar light weight, I could expect to spend upwards of £2,000!
If you’re after a vintage racing bike, built to very high standards and using high quality components from manufacturers such as Cinelli, Shimano, Trek, Selle Italia & Mavic that will provide an exhilarating and spirited ride – this could be just what you’re after!
Some technical specification from Bikepedia can be viewed below. I have made some changes to reflect the upgrades mentioned earlier;
Bicycle Type
Road race & triathlon
MSRP (new)
$3,299.99
Sizes
50 cm, 52 cm, 54 cm, 56 cm, 58 cm, 60 cm, 62 cm
Colors
Light blue, natural carbon fiber, orange, silver
Item ID
55750
Frame & Fork
Frame Construction
Bonded carbon fiber
Frame Tubing Material
OCLV carbon fiber
Fork Brand & Model
System 3 OCLV
Fork Material
OCLV carbon fiber, unicrown crown
Components
Component Group
Shimano 600
Brakeset
Shimano 600 Dual Pivot brakes, Shimano Dura-Ace levers
Shift Levers
Shimano 600 STI Dual Control
Front Derailleur
Shimano 600, bottom-pull/braze-on
Rear Derailleur
Shimano 600
Crankset
Shimano 600, 39/53 teeth
Pedals
Shimano with Toe Straps
Bottom Bracket
Shimano BB-7410, 103 mm spindle
BB Shell Width
68mm English
Rear Cogs
8-speed, 12 - 23 teeth
Chain
Shimano CN-7401, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost
Uno, 27.2 mm diameter
Saddle
Selle Italia Turbo
Handlebar
Cinelli Alloy Maes Bends
Handlebar Stem
Cinelli Alloy
Headset
1" Shimano 600
Wheels
Hubs
Shimano
Rims
Mavic Open 4 CD
Tyres
700 x 23c CST
If you’d like a bit of history on the Trek 5500 OCLV, below is some information from Wikipedia;
1992-1996 OCLV and acquisitions
In the early 1990s, Trek’s director of technology, Bob Read, attended an aerospace industry trade show in Salt Lake City, Utah, eventually meeting up with a closed mold tooling company called Radius Engineering. That visit convinced Read that Trek’s future success depended on building frames from carbon fiber, a material he envisioned could be used to make light, strong frames. Having lived through the troubled introduction of the 5000, Trek invested heavily in in-house carbon fiber manufacturing capabilities.
In 1992 Trek unveiled its first home-grown, full-carbon framed bicycles, the 5500 and 5200, featuring OCLV Carbon frames. OCLV stands for “Optimum Compaction, Low Void” and refers to Trek’s proprietary process for creating carbon structures that exceed aerospace standards. Weighing only 2.44 lb (1.11 kg), the 5500 frame was the world’s lightest production road frame. To make room for its new OCLV manufacturing facility, Trek expanded its Waterloo headquarters again to a total of 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2).
Trek also signed a long-term licensing agreement with Greg LeMond, the 3-time Tour de France champion and the first American to win the Tour—to design, build, and distribute LeMond Racing Cycles. 1995 was also the year Trek opened a state-of-the-art assembly facility in Whitewater, Wisconsin, leaving the Waterloo location free to focus solely on frame production.
In terms of the modification from the original, they are as follows;
The seat post I had with the bike was originally a lightweight Control Tech (black). I didn't feel that this looked as nice as unpainted alloy so I changed it. I do still have the Control Tech though so if the buyer would rather this be refitted, I can do this for you
The tyres on the bike were Hutchinson P20. These are a light 700c x 20mm tyre which I thought may be a little uncomfortable for riding on ordinary roads. they have been replaced with CST 23mm. As with the original seat post, I do still have the Hutchinson P20 tyres which are still in great condition and can include them in the sale if the buyer wishes
Please feel free to ask any questions.
Thank you for looking.
I'm assuming that it's ok to add a link to ebay (as I can't work out how to upload any images http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271849710195? ... 1555.l2649
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