Since cobbling together my Ritchey Road Logic, I’ve taken the next step and undertaken fixing up old bikes. Check out my latest project, a 1982 Trek 412 vintage bike restoration!

1982 Trek 412 vintage bike restoration

I picked this thing up off Craigslist. It had a terrible, oversprayed paint job, nonworking chain, brakes, and derailleurs, and tires that didn’t hold air. To the untrained eye it looked like junk, but with some new parts and elbow grease it could easily become a killer vintage ride.

Whoever did the paint was a total amateur. I mean, I’m an amateur too, but not a total amateur. The paint was thick and runny – no decals – and the “Trek” engravings were hardly visible, as was the serial number on the bottom, which I used to identify the year/model of the bike.

The bar tape, cables, tires, and tubes were completely shot. The handlebars were way too high and the brake levers too low. Just a real mess.

First: Prep and paint

First, I disassembled this bad boy down to the frame, and chucked the unsalvageable consumables (tires, cables, etc). I set the rest of the parts aside for later.

Next, I used an abrasive disc attachment on my old corded drill to take the paint down to the bare frame. It took a while.

Once that was complete, I gave it a once-over with some metal primer from Spray.Bike, who makes bike-specific paint that doesn’t run and gives powder-coat-like results from a conventional spray can. I then hit it with their green “Hercules” color.

Despite it being my first time, it came out well. One can was just enough for two solid coats. Pretty cool!

Once the paint had set, I applied some era-appropriate Trek decals from Velocals. Finally, to protect the paint and decals I covered everything with Spray.Bike’s transparent finish.

Next: Service and reassembly

With the paint and decals done, I slowly began the reassembly process. Each part received a thorough cleaning and regreasing before being reattached to the frame.

The consumables I had junked were replaced with brand new parts: tacky bar tape, brake and shift cables, KMC chain, and Michelin Dynamic Classic gumwall tires. I also threw on an awesome Brooks Cambium C15 carved saddle for good measure.

I trued the aero Vuelta Airline 4 wheels with a spoke wrench and polished the metal parts with a wire brush. The rear derailleur hanger also turned out to be totally askew, so I had to bend it back into shape.

After lots of tinkering and cable adjustment, it was finally ready.

The final product

Not gonna lie: the final product looks and rides awesome and I was totally tempted to keep it. I’m selling it only because it’s a little too small for me and I have to make room for the next project!

Hope you enjoy the photos!

What do you think of my 1982 Trek 412 vintage bike restoration? I’d be happy to hear your feedback. Leave a question or comment below!