Ploafmaster General - In a resto-mood

1990 Trek Antelope 800 bike in front of my shed

So here it is! I purchased my first old bike to modify. This one doesn’t technically need much of anything because the seller pretty much cleaned it and gave it a tune up. I didn’t even get any dirt on my fingers during my detailed inspection once I got it home. Everything seems to be original except for the consumable parts and the grips/shifters, and the rack is obviously an addition (but it is Bontrager, which feels at least consistent).

I want this to slowly morph into my “second ride of the day” bike - for comfortable cruising when I’m going out to dinner.

What Do We Have Here?

According to the seller (and consistent with what I found in Trek’s 1990 catalog), this is a 1990 Trek Antelope 800. It’s the bottom version of the Antelope series, but the frame is still Tange Cro-Mo (even if the fork is hi-ten) and the complete bike feels lighter than I expected. Here’s what I’m starting with:

Shimano 200GS drivetrain (I think this became Altus?). 7-speed freewheel on the back, 3 chainrings up front, but they’re the kinda crappy pinned chain rings on 175mm arms. Crappy pedals.
The original thumb shifters and grips have been replaced by grip shifters.
I think the cantilevers aren’t the original 200GS brakes. Looks like nearly brand new set of Altus brakes (but an older version?).
I don’t think the brake levers are original either, but they’re some really nice Dia Compe control levers that feel great. They look like they were designed to nestle up against grip shifters, but as long as they don’t look goofy I could see keeping these on the future form of this bike.
Steel seat pin with guts seat clamp and a replacement cushy saddle. I think I’ll keep the saddle for now because it’s comfy and wide enough for the riding position I want on this bike.
Araya rims with 36 spokes and some Shimano low-end hubs that none-the-less spin for-eh-vurrr. Wrapped in some generic 44mm tires that have loads of tread and enough grip to ride the chunky gravel in my alleyway.

In general, everything is working great. The wheels are true enough, rust is surface level, and there are no dents or cracks. Plenty of chips (especially where there used to be a kickstand), but nothing terrible. Graphics and paint are mostly in terrific shape for its age, and I love how it looks. I can seriously ride this bike as it is. For how clean, tuned up, and immediately usable it is, I feel happy with the $75 I paid, even if it is the 800 Antelope.

Short Term Plans

I want to replace the crappy pedals. Thankfully, I happen to have some decent composite platform pedals with pins, and they’re a neon green that should go well with the bike’s graphics.
I want to replace the cranks and chainrings. These 175s are a bit longer than I’m comfortable with, and I have the 170s that came with my Space Horse. They’re some FSA thingies with a weird 120/90 BCD, but I can just put the 42T ring back on there and run it 1X for a while. Some of the teeth on the cheapo chainrings are busted, but I don’t notice it while pedaling.
I already have some Uncle Ron’s Ortho bars that I want on this bike, but if I use them I need a longer stem. Something like a Technomic that can give me both the length I need and plenty of height adjustment.
If I switch the current stem, I’ll also need a cable stop for the front canti brake since the current stem has one built in. I’ve already ordered a thin, cheap-o stem spacer cable stop, and I seem to have a regular spacer on the headset already that I can swap out.

Eventually…

I would like to try converting this puppy to 650b. I’ve seen success stories on Reddit from folks that did as much with Antelopes of this vintage, even squeezing in some 48mm tires! So that would mean building up some wheels.
Building new wheels or not, I think I’d like a bigger cassette—and an actual cassette—in the rear. It’s a 7-speed freewheel at the moment, and I just don’t want to mess with that.
All of this also probably means spreading the rear dropouts a little. They’re currently around 126-ish millimeters, but if I want a QR hub that’ll fit a modern HG freehub, I think I need something closer to 130 at least?

Wrapping Up

I’m thrilled to have a new project, even more so that it’s a bike I can start enjoying as I improve it. I’m not rushing it since I have rideable bikes already, and I’m not planning to go nuts on any particular parts. It’s the perfect bike to spend time collecting/hunting for parts where I can find good deals on well-loved bits that clean up well.

I leave you now with a tighter shot of those tight graphics!