My Trek 5200 Bare Carbon Build

Great post!

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Eric
Great post!

Thanks! I have more bikes now (they do tend to accumulate) but it's still a fantastic bike to ride.

Great documentary! I have the same bike and have fantasies of doing the same type of work but going with that flat military green I see newer bikes sporting.

I happened upon this looking to see if 28cc tires would fit so I could do some gravel riding as my 23’s just seem a bit too narrow. Your experience certainly told me. I appreciated that you came back and updated.

I like the ‘04 5200 and have ridden several Century rides here in Alabama US. I’ve never tried any newer bike as this one seems to fit me well. It does seem to roll a lot slower than others. I sometimes have to pedal going down hill to keep up with others who simply coast.

I do understand that you wouldn’t do it again however you may have inspired me to take the leap.

Hi George glad you liked it. It's a TdF winning frame after all...

Rolling resistance doesn't have much to do with the frame though, aero effects of frame are negligible compared to aero effects of your body + rolling resistance of your tires and tubes. Wheel bearings last a long long time.

Get some GP4000 tires (sII are on cheap now that GP5000 are out) and latex tubes and work on your tuck and you won't be pedaling downhill!

Skye

I just stumbled upon your thread. I have been riding a 2006 Trek 5200 and have always had terrible wheel clearance front and rear with both 23 and 25 mm tires. I just changed out my wheels to Fulcrum 3's, along with Continental 4000's, and it looks worse than ever. I need to find a new set of wheels to use. I wonder which ones?

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stratos
I just stumbled upon your thread. I have been riding a 2006 Trek 5200 and have always had terrible wheel clearance front and rear with both 23 and 25 mm tires. I just changed out my wheels to Fulcrum 3's, along with Continental 4000's, and it looks worse than ever. I need to find a new set of wheels to use. I wonder which ones?

Strange, as I posted earlier in the thread I have fit 28mm tires on wide rims and there is only about 1-2mm clearance but they definitely fit, so 25mm tires should be no problem at all. Where is it rubbing?

Skye

Its right by the breaks by the frame; the photo you have of wear is identical to the wear my frame has, though I think my bike might have a bit more. My bike mechanic noted a few weeks ago that the 25 mm Continental 4000's I had on left only about 1mm of clearance. I have always only used either 23 or 25mm, so somewhere along the line it has been bad sets of 25 mm tires that have caused the problems. I have used many (over a dozen) types of tires over the years, so I can't say which tire brands caused the problem. I replaced my 25mm Continental with 23 mm Bontrager's last night; I now have decent clearance of about 3-4 mm, so I guess I just stick with 23 mm from here on out. Its kind of funny it has taken me 13 years to figure this out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2019 03:29PM by stratos.

Is the tire clearance the same on both sides (i.e. is your wheel dished properly)? What pressure do you use?
I'm surprised there was that little clearance with 25mm tires, I don't think I could ever go back to 23mm

So I am in the same boat here!!! Glad I came back to check the post on this sweet build... Still looks awesome!!!
Anyway, I have a 2006 5200 and my Racelite rims have bitten the dust... Rims are cracked because of that double spoken design. Looks sweet, but apparently not the most durable design.

I got some Vision Team 30 wheels and put the same size continental tire on them, 25c gp 4000sii and they rub the chainstays and at the top of the wheel right by the brake like yours!

So frustrating... I might try some 23c tires or am I going to have to buy narrower rims? These are 622x19, my old ones were 622x16...

Are those numbers what's causing the problems?

Also, it appears my wheel is closer to the left chainstay than the right by a couple precious mm... I'll attach pics if I need... But what would cause that?

Help, and thanks !

Sounds like your wheel "dish" is off center, some bikes require an offset for various reasons, but most should be centered.

if you're experienced or feeling brave you can change the spoke tension to get the wheel centered in the seat stays. If you have bladed spokes you'll need a plastic spoke holder in addition to the correct sized spoke wrench.

Edit: forgot to say the procedure would be to slacken the spoke nuts on the side you want to pull away from, and tighten the spoke nuts on the side you want to pull towards in equal measure as you go around the wheel, a little bit at a time. Remember it's righty-tighty lefty-loosy looking *down* from the top of the rim/tire towards the hub. I'm sure there are many tutorials on Youtube.

Otherwise any bike shop can center the wheel easily.

Thank you for your Trek build post. Very helpful. All the information I needed for my old trek purchase.