Evolution of the Budget Randonneuse

I've been into randonneuring for five years now, and in each of those years I've used a different bike as my main brevet bike. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a commitment-phobic serial monogamist when it comes to bikes. With each new bike, I start off the relationship thinking that this bike is "the one." "This is the bike I'm going to grow old with," I'd think as I gazed lovingly at its slender chainstays and gracefully curving fork. But eventually something better comes along.

In 2009 I started randonneuring on a Gunnar Sport which was a light and sporty bike, but turned out to be a little small for me.

In 2010 I had a Surly Cross Check, the original "budget randonneuse." It was a good sturdy, practical bike, but it sort of rode like a tank.

In 2011 I replaced the Surly with a VO Randonneur which was lighter, livelier and more elegant, though it wasn't without its quirks.

In 2012 I rode my 1982 Trek 311 set up as a single speed. The idea was to complete the SR series on the Trek and then go back to riding my VO on brevets. But after riding that old Trek almost exclusively for the first half of 2012, I found that the VO didn't do it for me anymore. It was that humble old Trek that I wanted to continue spending my time with. The Trek fit me better than any bike I've ever owned before. The handling was exactly what I wanted out of a brevet bike. It could handle fenders and wide tires. I liked the way it looked. The only problem was that it was a single speed and I really wanted to keep it that way, but some brevets call for a bike with gears. The obvious solution was to find myself another bike just like my Trek 311, and then set it up with a multispeed drive train. It would be like having my old Trek with a convertible drive train that could flip from single speed to multispeed depending on my mood.

One of the many great things about these old Trek bikes from the 80s is that on any given day you can't swing a dead cat on Seattle Craig's List without hitting two or three of them. It took a few weeks to find the right model in the right size, but eventually I found exactly what I was looking for: a 1982 Trek 614.

The price was right (I don't remember exactly, but it was something under $300), and the condition was near perfect. It still had the original tires with plenty of rubber left so it was obvious it hadn't been ridden more than a few hundred miles in its life. All of the original parts were there right down to the bottle cage and Trek logo water bottle just like in the 1982 catalog picture.

Other than the chainstays being a centimeter longer, the geometry of the Trek 614 is identical to the that of the 311. But better yet, the 614 is built with higher quality tubing throughout, making it a bit lighter than the 311 and giving it a "livelier" ride. The difference in ride quality is surprisingly noticeable. Jumping hard on the pedals of the 614 is like plucking the low E string of a good acoustic guitar. The energy you get back is greater than what you put into it.

I went for a couple rides with the 614 in its original configuration, but as usual, it wasn't long before I tore it apart down to the bare frame and started rebuilding it with my own mongrel assortment of parts.

Some of the parts came from the VO, others are original to the Trek and a couple are brand new acquisitions.

Now days, the drive train is the same crazy mix of Shimano, Campagnolo, Sram and Suntour that worked so well on my Trek 560. None of the parts are exotic or expensive, but they all work together well and make for a very functional and reliable bike that is still easy to ride after a long day or two in the saddle.

I've ridden the 614 on a full super randonneur series this year as well a Flèche. As I had hoped, it has everything I love about that old single speed Trek 311 and more. I was able to set new personal best times on the 200k, 400k and 600k brevets. I can't say for sure that the bike makes me faster, but clearly it's not holding me back.

Will I remain any more faithful to this bike over time than I have been to the others? That's hard to say, as I'm still deep in the honeymoon phase. But for now this old craigslist Trek is the randonneuse of my dreams.

Here are the build details for you gearheads:

Frame/Fork: 1982 Trek 614 (Reynolds 531 main triangle, Ishiwata Magny 10 Manganese stays and fork blades, Ishiwata CCL semi-sloping fork crown, Nikko lugs, Suntour GS forged dropouts)
Headset: Original Trek Micro-adjust
Rear Wheel: Ultegra hub/Mavic Open Pro rim 32 spokes
Front Wheel: Schmitt Son28 hub/Mavic Open Pro, 32 Wheelsmith XL14 spokes
Stem: Original SR Custom Alloy
Handlebars: Original SR Custom Alloy
Brakes: Tektro "standard reach" dual pivot calipers (brake bridge and fork drilled to allow modern recessed nut attachment)
Shifters/Brake Levers: Campagnolo Veloce ErgoPower 10 speed levers
Crankset: Sugino Alpina compact crankset with 48/34 rings
Bottom Bracket: IRD
Front Derailer: SunTour Cyclone Mk II
Rear Derailer: Shimano 105
Cassette: SRAM 8 speed 11-28 PG-850
Tires: Continental Gran Prix 4 Season 700c x 28
Seatpost: VO Grand Cru
Saddle: Brooks B17
Fenders: VO polished aluminum 45mm
Front Rack: VO Rando rack mounted with P clamps
Lighting: Rear: PB Superflash. Front: B&M IQ Cyo mounted on the front rack
Bar tape: Black cork
Pedals: Shimano SPDs
Handlebar bag: VO Campagne
Computer: VDO MC 1.0