1992 Trek 5500 OCLV

1992 Trek 5500, the start of a winning streak

1992 was the year that Trek introduced their OCLV carbon fiber bikes to the cycling world. 

OCLV stood for Optimum Compaction, Low Void. 

They were talking about the carbon fiber making up the frameset, and the label was probably more than just marketing hype.  Trek used high-grade carbon material and precise tooling to mold each lug and tube individually.  By using this method instead of trying to create an entire bike frame in a single shot, Trek’s engineers were able to reduce the amount of epoxy and fillers left over in the completed frame.  The carbon molds squeezed the tubes extremely tight, reducing the size and number of “voids”, and leaving them with “optimum compaction” of the material.  This patented “OCLV” method was used by through the ’90’s by Trek and the aerospace companies that license their process. I don’t see the label on their newest stuff anymore, so either the process is now so ubiquitous that calling it out isn’t all that special, or Big Voids Substandard Compaction is the new thing.

This bike probably looks like any other that you would see in the shop today, but remember that carbon fiber pioneers like Trek, Kestrel, Look, and Colnago were flying by the seat of their pants thirty years ago.  Some of the bikes they came up with were radically different at the time, and some have stood the test of time.

Optimum Compaction, Low Void carbon fiber

It’s not one piece, those are tubes and lugs

Campagnolo’s Record group and Look pedals

Delta brakes, Treks emblem from the ’90’s

This wonderful piece of cycling history was originally owned by our friend Michael Powers of Summit, New Jersey.  This baby is not stock.  Michael spared no expense while building this bike, opting for Campagnolo’s swoopy and aerodynamic looking Record component group, Look “Carbon Arc” pedals, and Modolo’s anatomic handlebar.