Headquarters for the Slender Fungus Cycling Association

Headquarters for the Slender Fungus Cycling Association
Brewers of Hardy Rides.

Friday, December 13, 2013

DARK VADER, the Bike

I thought all traces of Dark Vader were gone. But upon cleaning some folder I found an image of my beloved Trek 420. I had adquired this bike from my friend Dan. He had made an attempt at going Skinny but in the end decided to stay fat. Nothing was better than his Cannondale MtB. So the Trek 420 ended up in my house and I coverted to different things every so often. Very few people were riding fixed gear back in the day and I don't believe anybody had a fixed gear bike with flat bars. I rode to work every day and also rode into Chicago to go to UIC and work. I rode this beast so much I wore out the threads on the BB. Some lady had backed up and knocked a parking sign on it and dented the top tube. I rode it offroad, in the snow and in the rain. Nothing could stop Dark Vader. Then one day I decided to killl it. I had to move on. So, I took its parts off, little by little killing it until it just became a cold lifeless frame. I then hurled it in a dumpster and bid it farewell. 
Ari 
Control tec Stem, barends, 42x15 gearing. Look Moab pedals, Phil wood track hub. 700x23 tires, Original Vistalite blinker. No rear brake, Lugged Made in Usa Frame. 




3 comments:

Death Rider said...

Great story, it's hard to get rid of that old stuff when you've had good and bad rides on them, I tend to just hang mine on the wall, I feel like they have a soul.

Eric said...

I recall hearing tales of this bike years ago at NCC. Never thought I'd actually get to see it. It was very much ahead of it's time.

Ari said...

When I started to think about installing an MTB Stem and straight bars I thought I did not know what I was getting into. Back then Bikes did not venture into other territories. A MTB was a mTB and a road bike was a road bike. People made fun at me and criticized this bike all the time. In the meantime I was racking up thousands of miles on this beast and keeping up on the road rides. Dark Vader was also a triathlete slayer!!
Ari