Finally, the bike I've been hunting . . .

Okay, I know the above statement is stretching it a bit, but there is a story to this idea.

I've been hunting, for a while, for a frame I could convert to full 650b rando/road bike status.  That means it has to have a few prerequisite qualities before I'll even consider it.
1.  It needs to be steel.  Good steel. Like Reynolds 531.
2.  Braze-ons for racks/fenders, water bottles
3.  Capacity for long-armed sidepulls or canti brakes
4.  Fairly long chain stays
5.  Lots of clearance, Clarence.

So - What I found -

Ta-Daah - a 1983 Trek 630.

              Now, mine doesn't look like this - yet.  I borrowed this from the fine folks at the bike forums. Mine has black bar tape, new gumwall tires, no fenders, a triple crank, 6 speed freewheel on the back, sun tour shifters on the down tube, and a nice old- chool handlebar bag.  

My goal with this bike is to add long-reach brakes - or cantis, a 650b wheels set with a dynamo hub and an appropriate light, front and rear racks - lightweight ones, not necessarily super heavy ones for touring. Of course it needs fenders. I would also like to have more water bottle graze-ones added, perhaps have the chainstays dimpled for more clearance, and perhaps mid-fork braze-ons too.  I am heavily considering a total repaint into some other colorway and then adding a nice Brooks saddle and leather bar tape.

            This would basically be my version of a poor man's Herse.  I have been enamored of the French constructeur style of bike since learning about them, but there's no way I can afford the money for a custom build.  The good thing is this is a fully operational bicycle and I am getting it for less than a comparable frame-only start from Soma or Velo Orange - these two fine companies were my first two choices when I started looking at this type of bike.  This also means I can work on this a bit at a time, save money for the things I want to do with it.

           Mine is a 54 cm frame.  I'm hoping it fits as well as the other ones I 've had.  It also has a Reynolds 531 main triangle and Mangalloy rear triangle and fork blades.  These frames have a great reputation as far as ride quality and versatility. 

I'll report back once I see how things go.