daywood 

Welcome and congratulations on your find! Maybe do a bunch of “nice bike” posts and “Welcome” posts to new subscribers to get your post count past 10 so you can show us some pictures of your progress.

hokiefyd 

I think the lugged frames borrowed geometry from Trek's 500-series touring bikes, and the TIG frames got away from that. Vintage-Trek.com is a great resource for all the technical specs to dive deep into.

jpbiking

Yeah hokiefyd that matches my rough understanding.

I've looked at, owned and ridden a few tig 730/750s but never side by side, same sized and with an equivalent build of an on-hand lugged version. My tig frames have been smaller builds for other folks or larger bikes that I didn't keep long as I prefer the lugged variants. My general sense is that the bottom bracket seems a touch lower on the later tig variants and that the tig steering is quicker/lighter and less in the groove than the earlier MTs. I also seem to recall these changes being more pronounced in the later MTs but I may have been projecting that. Setup factors like bar width, stem length, tire size/pressure and crank length etc. can all change feel in those areas a lot so the comparisons can be pretty tricky. I also think that the frames feel different as they move through the size ranges, even for same years/models. For instance, I've got a smaller late/lugged 520 built up just like a larger 790 (same wheels, tire size, stems, bars, etc.) and they feel more different than I would have predicted.

In spite of how hard it can be to accurately compare bikes I like hearing about the opinions/experiences of others, particularly with lugged, high-number MultiTracks which have become my all time favorite bikes. A case where someone has an early and late 750 seems like a good chance to learn more about their differences, should they get built up the same way at least.

wstephenson

My observations agree with your general sense. The TIGs have 38mm more BB drop and 10mm more fork rake => 10mm less trail. The lugged frames have 5mm longer effective chainstays due to the higher BB (the actual C-C is 430mm for the frames I have and the years I've looked at). It goes without saying that more trail and longer chainstays give the lugged frames their more stable ride.

I entered the 1996 750 numbers from the Trek catalogs into bikeinsights.com. Here is a comparison between a lugged 91 750 and the TIGged 96 750. The 96 numbers do have to be taken with a pinch of salt because the 96 tech manual has the wrong fork offset, while the 96 consumer catalog has the wrong BB height, so I combined them, verifying on my frame.

The 96 750 is built up, the 91 750 needs paint work. When I get that done, I could build it up the same as the 96 - I have enough 172.5 cranks and 100mm stems knocking about, but the comparison would be entirely subjective.

On the numbers, the frames only differ on tube length except at the smallest sizes - I think the BB shell is the same for all sizes. My hunch is that the difference you observe on the like for like builds is due to weight distribution. I can also compare to a 19" 1991 520, but don't expect to see a massive difference to a 21" 750.


1996 Trek 750 lighting up the basement

Leebob69

Installed new tires today on the MultiTrack. 700x35 Michelin ProTek's
The tires that were on it since I bought it looked great. Until you looked close at the sidewalls.
The reflective stripe on the ProTek's are a silver. Doesn't look bad. Just different


Not sure if I posted since mounting the rear rack. The rack came to me on a Specialized Alibi I acquired. Oddly I found that on a gear change I could hear the clunk resonate through the rack's tube frame. I added some neoprene washers between the rack and frame. Had to add blue Loctite to the mounting bolts just in case they wanted to back out. The washers help but not 100%. Crazy huh?

wstephenson

I love this colourway, it's so much fun. There are so many black 750s on this thread, and the purple one shakes things up nicely.

Be careful adding spacers/washers to rack mounts - this changes the load exerted by the rack and whatever's on it from a shear load on the eyelet to a bending load on the bolt, which isn't anywhwere as strong. Since the aim is to damp out the clunk, it might worth trying a heavy bungee between the rack and the seatpost or between the tubes on the top of the rack.

daywood 

Looks good! You may already know this, but those reflective stripes are just a heat-affixed tape. You can locate where one end overlaps the other and start there to just peel it off. It will leave some gray residue behind that makes the stripe still show faintly, but not as much as the reflective tape did. On the other hand, if you’re going to be riding it in traffic and can live with the look, the stripes are a nice safety feature.

Leebob69

Thank you for the warning about the sear factor. I doubt I'll have much weight on the rack but you never know. I did install longer bolts when I added the washers. The one's that came with the frame did not even reach the backside of the frame eyelets. Now they protruded a 1/16". Stainless bolts were purchased at ACE Hardware so who knows their grade.
If I rap the rack's tubing with my knuckles it has a hollow vibration. I bet after awhile I'll not hear the noise but after that first shift I sure did. Curious if the noise lessens with my bag strapped to it. The bungie idea just might do the trick also.

I like the purple also! I wonder if I could find some matching touch-up paint. After 30 years it was a few scratches. I don't really mind them but if I had the paint I'd touch them up.

Leebob69

I did not know that. Thank you. As of now they don't bug me. I do like the safety factor. I removed he reflector in the front spokes the other day and the twist thing fell apart so it won't be going back on. I might have one in my spares box though. Haven't looked yet.

On my test ride after mounting the tires I was thinking this ol' bike flys. I filled with 60psi to start.

RJfos

A bit surprised by the amount of difference in the BB height between the lugged & TIG models. Based on the photo of your bike in comparison with my 1990 750 it's pretty evident that mine in higher. I do find it relatively harder to swing my leg over the saddle when compared to my road bike and I'm always looking for a curb to plant my foot when clipping out at intersections. I thought the higher BB might impact the stability of the bike when I load it down for touring. But I found that not to be the case. As long as I balance the load the bike rides stable and sure footed. I'm liking my old 750. I'm on it nearly as much as my road bike. I even use it for (slower) group rides.

RJfos

The new tires and rack look great. I put new 700x35 Schwalbe Marathons on my bike a few months ago. I wasn't a big fan of the reflective strip but I often find myself on the road at dawn or dusk and the added visibility is a big plus. I've been running the tires at 60 to 65 psi and all I know is they've been a lot more comfortable then my road bike. Also, I wanted to compliment your bike rack in the bed of your pickup truck.

Leebob69

Thank you for the compliments. Much apricated. 1st off I added 2 neoprene washers to the front stay bolts on the rack today. Fortunately I had bought 4. Before the washer I was rapping the rack with my knuckle and listening to the vibration. If I touched the stays with my other hand the vibration mostly stopped. So I took a cutoff of 1/8x1 inch aluminum flat stock and clamped it across the stays. That helped too but not pretty. Next test was with my bag on(with the washers) and the noise is pretty much gone. I'll keep an eye open for a solid aluminum rod rack like on my Sirrus.

The bike hauling rack in my truck is very functional and dirt cheap. I think 2x4's are under $2.50 now. 2x6 was under $5. I had plenty of screws and aluminum angles on hand. I have a diy router table so I rounded everything over. The section that holds the bike is the second build. I didn't like the first. I now have built a second rail to carry another bike. Have considered a third. In the picture I have just slid in the second rail. Yup the 2x4's are very warped. They were leftovers that had been in the garage for several years. Feel free to use my design. You could easily put together one with just a circular saw and a screw gun.

I was thinking I should give it a coat of paint because it pretty much stays in the back of the truck. OK here's a pic from today

wstephenson

The bolt length doesn't matter as long as there are enough threads to tighten to torque safely.

The shear load is transmitted to the frame by contact between the two flat faces of the inside of the rack leg and the outside of the eyelet respectively. These are robust bits of hardware.

If you have washers, particularly flexible ones, that goes away and instead you have the rack load acting as a lever on the head end of the bolt trying to bend the bolt or the eyelet. A bolt is designed to work in tension along its axis, not in torsion at 90 degrees to it! In your case the lever isn't very long but time and fatigue will add up. People jacking racks 1/4" or more outboard to fit past a disc brake and then going bikepacking will find out much sooner.

Stainless fasteners are more brittle than regular hardened steel, I'm sure you know.

Vibration absorbing washers are great for fenders, though, where vibrations contribute to their eventual death by cracking!

​​​​​​Auto touch ups will be available in your colour. I got some Toyota deep violet paint for my trek 520.
​

wstephenson

​​​​​Good info! It's a fair difference.
Here's a shot of my 750 next to a 1992 790 in need of some love earlier today,:

rickpaulos

I just discovered this thread so I'll be posting all the Multitrack's I've had/photo'd.

IMO, tig welded cromo frames ride very nice. A bit more give in the frame than the lugged versions. The 700 is on the heavy/cheap side so I prefer the 730 & 750 models. I have 3 multitracks in the active stable and about 10 more in reserve. Just can't pass up a deal on one. The MultiTracks are my favorite Trek bikes. My only nits are grip shifts and the cheap bottom brackets Trek supplied in many models. Most of my Treks get the better Shimano cartridge bbs installed.

My first was a red 720. Got it at moving sale in Madison Wi from a former Trek employee. One brake mount was broken off the fork. Just the round bit. I took the fork to a Trek dealer in Iowa City to look for a replacement and the head wrench gave me a fixit kit for this common problem. He said they had a bad batch of those forks and this was the "warranty". The kit consisted of a longer bolt, a bit of tube and a washer and instructions. It worked well. I upgraded the bike with rapid fire, a road stem and straight flat bars. A bit too small for me but. I let my wife test ride it upon her return home her only comment was "Mine". Okay. What makes her happy is good. Added the Planet Bike yellow fenders and racks. Yuck, Yellow! Okay, I ordered black but by the time the black fenders arrived she had ridden Ragbrai and got lots of positive comments so they stayed on. I will say yellow fenders are far more visible on the road and that's what I put on my own bikes. Despite being a little too big for her, she rode it for many years until I got a 730 in her size as an upgrade. I set that 730 up size wise to match and sold the 720. Gotta like the mens frames were sold in 5 frame sizes and 2 womens sizes. No reason to get stuck with one the wrong size. I have a couple of ladies frame versions in reserve. I expect she will want one at some age.

The red 720 when I got it: missing seat post & seat, broken brake stud, flat tire.


The red 720 On the GAP/C&O at the Mason & Dixon line:


The blue fade to light blue 730 replacement after a tune up when purchased from a local bike coop. Since set up for the wife. Fenders (black this time), racks, bars,stem, rapid fire, straight seat post, seat as per her request:


My second is a electric blue 750. eBay purchase in rough shape and complete rebuild by me. Has a Wheat Ridge Cyclery store decal. Denver suburb. This is my hybrid touring bike (also have a Trek 520 road touring and a 1993 Gary Fisher mtb that I've set up for gravel touring). Upgraded to rapid fire, pasella tires, new rims & spokes, racks, fenders, etc.
On a week long tour to Lake Itasca:


My third is a blue to green 730. Purchased at a local pawn shop for $25. Grips too sticky to touch, 2 flat tires, rodent chewed seat. This pawn shop rolls all their bikes out front every day and back in at night. Yuck, they wanted it out of the store asap. I did a complete overhaul and some upgrades (seat, grips, rapid fire, cnc pedals) and it was my lunch time bike at work for many years. One of my all time favorite riding bikes.

730 green to blue fade on campus:


I got this one from a friend. Early lugged frame 750 Metro Track from 1993. The MetroTrack was the accessorized version with rack, fenders, lights, etc for commuters. He told me he kept getting flats so he bought a new bike. Passed away a few years ago. This has been in my shed since 2010.
Trek.750M.Metro.Track.1993.

judeen_buck

Here is my latest project. I picked this 730 up a couple of weeks ago. I've been looking around for a bike that I can build up into something that looks like a randonneur bike, while also being something I can take around during winter. So, fenders, lights, front bag etc etc are all part of the plan.

Here is a pic that day. After I swapped out the saddle.




First task was to put on a leather saddle I had on a Miyata touring bike some years ago, and swap out the bottle cage.
Next up was to manhandle a front rack onto the cantilever studs, after drilling out the hole on the crown.
After that, I put on some metal fenders.
Yesterday I got a different stem. I'm not crazy about how shortness of it but I couldn't live with the ugliness of the riser stem.



First round of changes

Next steps will be will be to figure out what to do about handlebars. Either something swept way back for a townie bike, or drop bars to continue wit the rando theme and probably with bar end shifters etc.

When all is figured out, I think I'll start making it pretty.

daywood 

That looks like a great project and I look forward to your updates. I know that beauty/ugliness are subjective, but there are some more elegant riser/mountain bars out there if you find that road stem is going to be too short. I agree that those adjustable stems are usually not great to look at. I do find them to be helpful tools, though, for dialing in the height and reach that are comfortable for whichever bar I want to use. Then I like to replace the adjustable stem with a quill adapter and stem that approximates what I had the adjustable one set for. The quill adapter opens up a wide spectrum of possibilities for stem sizes and finishes.

RJfos

The new classic style quill stem looks nice, as does the seat and fenders. The problem with those road style quill stems is that they're usually a bit short and angled down. If I put that on my 1990 750 I'd be too bent over at the bars. Your seat and handlebars appear to be about level so it might work fine for you. You could always put on more pronounced riser bars to improve the comfort on the bike. If you go the drop bar route you might have to swap that new quill stem out. I'm guessing the clamp is 25.4mm to accommodate the original handle bar. If so, the your choice of drop bars will be limited; mostly traditional reach & deep drops.

07morrison

handsome green silver and brown rig

RJfos

Finally got my 10 posts. Attached are a couple pictures of my 1990 750 taken during my recent ride along the Erie Canal Trail from Buffalo to Albany. Originally from central NY, my siblings and I did this ride a couple months back. Absolutely wonderful experience. I give a lot credit to all the local communities, clubs and the State of NY in establishing this truly gem of a trail. We started our journey by taking the train from Albany to Buffalo with our bikes and gear. We rode our bikes back to Albany over the next 7 days clocking about 400 miles including side excursions.

wstephenson

I just built up this 1996 750 as a commuter/tourer, and couldn't wait to stretch its legs so I took it up the left bank of the Rhine from Mainz to Remagen on Saturday, which was quite a stretch with a lot of wintry wind and rain towards the end. The bike performed admirably, just needs a lighter rack and less heavy rain gear on it next time.. I was very glad of my Exposure lights. I got through most of 2 pairs of salmon Kool Stops as well!

Photo in Boppard

​​​​​



Somewhere on the Rhine after Bingen


At the Loreley rocks

One of many castles

07morrison

On my to-do list!

RJfos

Great pictures and ride along the Rhine. The bike looks good fitted out for touring. Was the ride primarily on dedicated bike trails?

wstephenson

The fit is a bit ad hoc as the trip wasn't planned so much as bragged about over lunch on Friday. I threw various racks at the Trek trying to find one that would fit over guards and the only one that was tall enough is apparently made of solid steel, 1.2 kg in weight. I only discovered that my panniers didn't clip snugly to the rack on Saturday morning, so my first stop was a hardware store for some fabric tape to bulk them out and end the clattering.

Yes, dedicated bike trails. I was on Eurovelo 15 which runs the entire length of the Rhine from source to sea. I mostly rode the 5th stage of EV15 except I started at Mainz, before Bingen, and came off it at Remagen, where I have family nearby, instead of through to Cologne.

Between the ubiquitous Cobble-Lock paving, cracked asphalt, wet leaves, the headwind and my load it was hard work to go over 15mph. It was fun keeping up with the barge traffic which doesn't go much faster - I paced the container barge you can see threading the dangerous Loreley bends in the second photo for about an hour.

After Koblenz it was getting dark and starting to rain and blow in my face even harder. Due to high water levels, flooded spots and darkness I didn't want to ride within 2 feet of a very large and fast flowing river with no barrier so I rode a different bike trail alongside the state road from about Bad Breisig (km 126) onwards, got horribly lost in various dark rainy suburbs trying to find the Linz ferry to the other side of the river, my Garmin was driving me crazy trying to route me back to a premeditated watery grave, and I broke an arm off my glasses trying to wipe them to see where I was going! It took 1 1/2 hours to cover the last 10km which turned into 25. I was very glad to eventually make it to my destination!

daywood 

I guess we’re in danger of turning this thread into a travelogue, but I just wanted to quickly add that I was lucky enough to ride a portion of this route last summer between Bonn and Koblenz as part of a bike and barge tour. What a fantastic bike route to have available to you, and how cool that you could ride it on your Multitrack! I was very impressed with how well used the bike path is. We were rarely not meeting other riders or being passed by them. Also impressive to me was the number of bike tourers we encountered. I also found those interlocking pavers/cobbles to be my least favorite riding surface, but I found the path to be very well maintained relative to some I’ve ridden in my area. Thanks for sharing the photos of your ride. Makes me want to return.