Trek 830 Mountain bike drop bar conversion


My guess is that this Trek 830 Antelope is from the late 80's or early 90's. Quite a few parts have been replaced to land on the configuration as pictured. Designed for 26" tyres but it works pretty well with the 650b's (27.5").


Some keys specs of the current build are:

  • Trek Antelope 830 frame (OX True Temper)
  • Grand Bois "Papillon" rims (shimano hubs, LX rear and LX dynamo up front)
  • Sugino XD 48x34 crank set
  • Schwalbe Marathon tyres
  • Tektro RL520 v-brake drop levers
  • Generic long arm v-brakes (found on eBay)  
  • Shimano Ultegra 6480 8sp Bar End Shifter Set
  • Deore m591 long cage rear derailleur 
  • Deore front derailleur
  • Ritchey Logic 1 1/8 threaded headset 
  • A very tall 1 1/8 quill stem with only 40mm extension
  • Bars are Fairweather/Nitto  M174AA all road
  • Saddle is a San Marco Ponza




8 speed bar end shifters work much better than expected. There is a very tactile clunk as the chain falls into gear. Shifting is more deliberate and requires more thought than with brifters.

Having a longish frame and short stem has resulted in a layed back riding position. Not racey, perhaps not optimised for power - but comfortable

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