The Clyde

This time it's a relatively modern klunker/cruiser finding its way home -- an early 2000s Trek Clyde

I know I still need to paint and finish the second Monark that's lingering around the workroom, but I haven't done it, and sometimes a new project just jumps out at you.

Which is what Clyde here did. Apparently the Trek Clyde was an early 2000s klunker/cruiser thing Trek did. I'd never heard of one before this week, but it's sort of a 26"-wheeled precursor to the highly sought-after Trek Sawyer.

As found, it had two flat tires, was pretty filthy and was completely unrideable. And there was a cable lock on it that no one knew the combination too.

Well, my Harbor Freight angle grinder made short work of the cable lock. After the world's laziest wash, some quick air in the tires and lowering the seat to something closer to my abbreviated stature, it was ready to ride.

So what have we got here? An aluminum frame and fork that -- at least at first glance -- seems remarkably similar to the mid-40s Monark. But there are also some nice modern-ish upgrades. Aside from the aluminum frame, you've got a modern bottom bracket, a smooth shifting Shimano Nexus internally-geared hub, a modern threadless headset... this is not grandad's cruiser.

It does remind me of the Monark a lot, though. It even has the same unusual seatstay treatment. From a very brief try-out ride, I think it may be more comfortable (for me at least) than the Monark was.

So now I have to figure out how I want to build it. Part of me wants to do another electric cruiser like the Schwinn Speedster. Another part of me wants to build it up as a fat-tire bomber.

I also have a lot of cleaning and polishing to do, and I don't know if I can salvage the matte black paint or not. We'll see.

May 1: Strip down and polish#

It's been a minute since I updated this one, mostly because I was waiting on parts, but work has continued. It's just been mostly disassembly and polishing-type work.

One of the very first quirks I uncovered is the Clyde's mile-long seatpost. I've never seen anything like it.

The second quirk was the Clyde's flat-black paint, which immediately started to shine with even the lightest application of Meguiar's Ultimate Pro Speed Compound. You know that stuff is good because it's ultimate, pro, and speedy. It sure made short work of the flat black paint, though.

Aside from the paint, there were also some mechanical issues. The headset was toast, so I ordered an inexpensive new headset. Honestly, I had intended to buy a nicer one and ordered this one on accident. When it arrived and turned out to be nicer than expected for the price, it was a pleasant surprise.

And once again, my cheap headset press paid for itself. Anyone working on bikes should have one of these, sooner or later.

With the new headset in, I cleaned up the original stem and shims, and I'm leaning toward running some Black Ops Dawg handlebars I have from the Monark project.

And that's about all the progress I made for a bit because I was waiting on a pair of blue Rhyno Lite rims from PeddlePower BMX. They took great care of me when I accidentally ordered 24" instead of 26", but it still took awhile for us to ship rims back and forth to each other. I'd definitely buy from them again, just based on the service I received.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In other words, I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. When you follow a link and buy something, it doesn't cost you anything extra, but I may make buck or two. So thank you! That said, any recommendations I make are my recommendations, based on my experience, and are not paid endorsements. I only point you toward the stuff I use, and if I don't like it, you'll hear about why.