jlaw

Before:

Grimy, original ? tires cracked, crispy foam grips...




Currently:

Actually, the photo doesn't make it look much better! However, all components were removed down to the frame, cleaned, new bearings/grease, etc. - I did re-use the roller bearings with plastic cage in the headset.

I took the RD completely apart and cleaned, not sure if my re-assembly was 100% - will know the answer once cables, shifter, and freewheel are installed - going with ratcheting bar ends that I have - installed an Origin8 clamp-on double cable stop.on the downtube.

I rebuilt the rear wheel with original spokes, nipples, rim, and a Maillard hub I had in order to eliminate the Helicomatic hub that came with the bike - my 3rd wheel build and I'm happy with the result.

I like the 27" wheels with the Panaracer tires - should be comfortable and roll well - but the front wheel only has about 6 to 7 mm of clearance under the fork crown so fenders will be tricky. The rear wheel has better clearance.

The Shimano mountain clipless are what I normally use - might try using the original pedals without the cages so that I can wear regular shoes. This is a casual ride.

Yes, that is an evil threadless stem adapter - going to use this with a Ritchey adjustable stem to dial-in the ride - and then purchase a threaded stem with the correct reach/rise.

From what I have read setting-up the canti brakes may be painful due to limited fine adjustment capability - and I should have used the Kool Stop road pads for this instead of the mountain pads that you see. The road pads won't interfere with the front fork the way the mtn. pads do.

So far so good - will have it done by spring - excited to see how it rides. When I first found it and took the first ride I immediately felt that it was for me - even with two half-flat tires and one broken brake lever!

seedsbelize 

I don't think you can go wrong with an 80s Trek. Enjoy.

The Golden Boy 

Sweet Project!

It's really great to feel that light tubing/long wheelbase thing that these bikes have going on! Add in the whole utility of them and it's just fantastic- they make such good bikes for leisurely rides as well as long rides as well as grocery runs and, of course, touring.

What brakes do you have on there? The 960s? I think as long as you're staying with 27" wheels you should be fine- They're not the prettiest or the fanciest brake out there- but they're about on par with MAFACs.

As far as the Duopar- the Duopar on my 620 was garbage- but the one on my 720 shifted fantastic with the stock square tooth Maillard 700 cassette. Like- "I didn't realize it changed gears until it was harder to pedal" kind of smooth. But I did have trouble with it eventually- based on my bad experience with the one on my 620- I swapped it out. If'n it were me on your bike, I'd replace it with about any Suntour non-Tech long cage derailleur.

If that's the Sachs/Huret FD- that's a really good front derailleur. It's never given me any trouble and it works as smooth between the granny and middle as it does between the middle and big ring.

Another 27" tire to try is the Swift Tire Sand Canyon- it comes in the nominal 27 x 1 3/8" size and comes as a tan wall.

Enjoy!!!


BTW- just out of curiosity... if you're used to clipless pedals, but wanted to use platform or stock pedals, why would you not use the clips and straps?

jlaw

Thanks!

Re:the items highlighted in red above:

1) I think the brakes are 960's - 960's were the original spec. and these appear to be them. The brakes on this bike are in good condition so no reason to change them unless performance or set-up is not good. I have looked at many different possible replacements, but with a post spacing of only 60mm, I don't know if any brakes other than the 960's will work with this spacing. Do you have any ideas?

2) The Duo Par RD shifted well before I 'fixed' it (disassembled and cleaned). It is an interesting design and - as you probably know - even has bearings in one of the cage wheels. But, it has many moving parts that even when assembled correctly allows for a concerning amount of lateral 'play'. I want to install a new 7 speed freewheel with a 32T large cog - supposedly it should work with the Duo Par.

When you suggest a Suntour RD you mean vintage/used, correct? Is ebay the best source? I only know a little about vintage Suntour stuff, but I think I remember you writing that you are a fan of the Suntour "Mountech'.

3) Yes, it has a Sachs/Huret FD. I am going to leave the 47/42/30 half-step crank as-is for now - might switch the middle ring to a 39T if the 42 is too tall. Or, perhaps change the crank to a square taper double - 39/26 which I have on my Trek 410 and like very much.

4) I might leave the cages on - I've ridden many miles with cages and shoes with the slotted clip on the bottom (an excellent system invented to cause the rider to fall over when stopping!) - but i like the clean look of flat pedals. Maybe I'll shine-up the clips and replace the straps - TBD.

Overall, I am hoping that this is the 'Goldilocks bike' that it felt like when I first rode it at my LBS. However, the euphoria of finding this bike for $50 may have influenced my initial assessment - will know more after the first 30 mile ride.

jjhabbs 

Very nice frame!! Worth every second and dollar you put into it . They have an excellent ride

JJ

Chr0m0ly 

jlaw

Thanks for the encouragement!

I've told this story once before on BF, but since you asked...

I stopped at my LBS on impulse one Friday night this fall - on my way to Home Depot. The shop was switching over from bikes to ski equipment and they had a 50% off bike/parts sale. They had a full bike rack of trade-ins outside in front of the store that they needed to move in order to free-up space inside. The shop display floor is actually very large but the owner buys 'distressed' inventories so there is usually a substantial amount of merchandise in the store.

I walked the length of the trade-in rack just to see what they had. Most of the trade bikes were in good, sale-able condition with the exception of an old, grimy Trek with two cracked, half-flat tires and a broken brake lever. I saw the 'Trek 620' and the 'Reynolds 531cs' decals. Being a recent BF member I had always been attracted to the C&V page - especially Trek conversations. My first C&V bike is a 1985 Trek 410 that I purchased just last March and totally modernized - love it. So, I knew what the 620 was.

I pulled it off the rack and took it for a spin in the parking lot - even in a condition of decrepitude it felt great. The tag on the bike showed '$150', but there are very few potential buyers for a bike like this that just looks like an old beater. I like the owner of the LBS and we always chat - he is a real wheeler-dealer and I wouldn't be surprised if he gave some guy $25 for this thing as a trade or an estate sale find. I traded a nice Cannondale racing bike to him a few years ago for a song.

I took the bike inside and found that he wasn't there - only some of his young guys behind the counter and turning wrenches. I asked them if they knew the story on this bike. Nobody knew where it came from but they did know that it was to be marketed as a 'project bike' to any potential buyers. I told them that I liked mid-80's Trek projects and that this one was a very nice example of a lugged steel touring frame. They were pleasant and professional, but not particularly impressed with my lecture on old steel bikes! (Steel? Downtube shifters? Funky triple crank? Why would anybody want that? )

So, I asked if the 50% sale applied to trade-in bikes and the head guy said yes. I asked if he would take $50 to get it off the floor - he said yes again!

And there you have it. Serendipity.

dgodave

Awesome. By sheer coincidence I pair $50 for my Trek 620 too (including a Blackburn rack, old panniers, a neat handlebar bag, and even the original owners manual). Its an '83. Very excellent bike. Did a 700c conversion because the '83 has caliper brakes.

Looking forward to seeing your build.

jlaw

Great find for you!

Many of the C&V Trek enthusiasts prefer the canti-equipped mid-80's Trek touring bikes (520, 620, 720) to the caliper-equipped versions. However, I think your bike has more possibilities because you can substitute 650b wheels and fit fenders more easily. That's what I did with my 410. But I'm not complaining - my '84 620 is going to be a great bike.

dgodave

Yeah its a trade off. There's things I really prefer about canti brakes.

Another funny thing is my acquisition was a size too big for me. So I traded it straight across for the right size version with another guy here. Same year & model. That was lucky for me.

jlaw

Very nice - BF is a great resource.

Aubergine 

Duo

excellent. my 620 was a bit more, but the LBS isn't into giving them away. picked my Mint Condition 620 for 160.....and worth much more.

mine had Bar End shifters, which i like and Original everything including tires. i don't see a need to update components if they work ok, it is part of the Vintage Experience in my mind. if i need to ride something a little newer then i grab my newer bikes off the rack.

in the flat land mid west there is no need for 100 speeds, just a few to get going and up some small hills. so my Vintage stuff just stays stock for that. the 27 inch tires are fine too, comfy instead of using racing tires.

The Golden Boy 

First things first- Anything I'm saying is my doofy opinion- the bike is swell as it is, just what I'd do based on my experience and whatever I think is cool- for whatever reason, real or imagined.

I'm also assuming you're sticking with a friction shifting setup.

*note* in looking at the Sheldon Brown cantilever page- what I refer to as "wide profile" brakes are actually "medium" profile-

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html


1- The DC 960s are fine brakes for their time- I think GranCompe had a line of 960s with nicer finishing and had them out as GC960s. But I think for the time- the DiaCompe 981s are better brakes. I personally like the wide profile cantis- I don't know if it's true- but I think the wider profile offers more leverage... and if for any other reason than I think they look cool. As far as brakes that are from *around* that time- the Shimano BR MC70 brakes from the Deore XT group are really cool (I think the wide profile triangle looks better- plus they have a toe-in feature) and the slightly later M732 (or MT-62) brakes have a set screw that allows you to even out spring tension- but they also look beefier...

I'm planning on redoing my 1985 Trek 620 and I'm either going to be using MT-62 or M732 brakes. I haven't decided yet.


MC70M732MT62 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

2- The Duopar was the top of the line, obscenely expensive, most highly regarded rear derailleur for touring and wide gearing. There are lots of people that have used them for 30-40 years without issue. There are those here who's opinions I *truly* value that recommend using a Duopar. I have had less than stellar luck with the Duopars I've used.

Prior to the indexing era- Suntour made the best, and best performing rear derailleurs because of their slant parallelogram design. Part of the downfall of Suntour was their management attempting to improve the design of the Duopar- leading to their "Tech" derailleurs. I would *stay away* from the Mountech, the LeTech and the Superbe Tech derailleurs. They're overly complicated and often fragile because of their overcomplicated design. There's really no need for a triple pivot derailleur- and they honestly don't seem to shift any better than a good double pivot derailleur.

Suntour did have several outstanding derailleurs that were designed for touring and ATB/MTB use with large freewheels- and were good at taking up lots of chain slack.

If I were to do a heavy-duty touring bike with friction shifting, using the stuff I have on hand- I would use my Suntour XC triple pulley rear derailleur. It shifts really well- the triple pulley thing is way overkill, but it looks cool in it's own dorky way. If I were to not use that, and instead go for a less heavy duty derailleur- a Suntour Cyclone GT derailleur would probably be my choice. The original 1970s style Cyclone GT derailleur is REALLY good- really lightweight and performs amazing... but it would have been just discontinued around the time of your bike. The Cyclone MII GT is also a really great derailleur that excels for touring applications. I'm in the (very slow) process of building a 1978 Trek TX700- I'm using a Cyclone GT on it.




Suntour XC by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

If you were less concerned about being period correct- the late 80s/early 90s ATB/MTB parts are EXCELLENT. You can use index compatible derailleurs in a friction setup. The Suntour XC Pro and XC Comp are fantastic and the Shimano Deore XT and Deore are also fantastic. My 1985 Trek 620 is currently using an XC Comp rear derailleur. I just happen to think the Suntour XC Pro and XC Comp look a little nicer and more distinctive than the Shimano ones.


1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

3- The Sachs/Huret front derailleur is a great derailleur- I'm still using it on my 620.


1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


1985 Trek 620 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


4- I can't tell if you know that you don't need shoes with slotted soles or cleats to ride pedals with clips and straps. You don't need to tighten the straps either- you're getting a decent benefit just from the basic foot retention- in both pedaling and moving the pedals into position. I just use regular athletic shoes.


In any case- its a great bike- a great platform for a wonderful all-rounder.

Duo

clips and straps are all i need. in fact the plastic clips from Nashbar work fine for me on all my bikes, they don't break.

i like clips/straps only because my shoes don't slip off. other than that i doubt any efficiency accrues from using them. so not even interested in clipless and special shoes. why bother.


Edit...
one thing i do appreciate about this Vintage forum, is for riders who don't have a lot of money to spend being directed to quality Old bikes that are about at good as the New ones or better.

when i bought my 620, i didn't know what i had and that it was considered very collectable. for me at the time it was a quality Trek bicycle with a low price tag. .....and that is what i look for: all the Classics that are affordable. perhaps one day, people may value these old bikes and the prices sky rocket from the Wealthy crowd who don't care about price.

for now we have a Fabulous world that is over looked mostly by the more Sophisticated road bike crowd, that needs latest/greatest. sooner or later they will find out the latest greatest doesn't matter all that much. i like both worlds the new/old.

dgodave

How evil are those?
And why?

jlaw

Thanks for all of the knowledgeable advice.

Re: brakes - The BR-MC70's and Dia Compe 981's are fairly easy to find, but are they enough of an upgrade to bother purchasing/installing. The BR-MT62's have toe-in and spring tension adj. - significant improvement - but not too easy to find. I also saw a couple pairs of M730's.

Also, are there any problems substituting a brake with a spiral spring for the existing brakes that have the U spring and only only one spring insertion hole instead of the 3 holes found on more modern designs?

Lastly, since you are recommending these brakes I am assuming that there should be no problem mounting them on canti posts that are only 60mm apart and still fitting the rim in between.

Re: the RD - I'm going to run the Duo Par. If it doesn't work well I will substitute an LBS parts bin Deore long cage that I have. The Cyclone GT would be a fun substitute - and can be found pretty easily.

Thanks again.

jlaw

Not at all actually. It's just that some folks on BF prefer original-looking equipment. I am not a purist and I like to use modern components when they work better than vintage.

I do think that the adaptor and a threadless stem are pretty clunky-looking when compared to a more graceful threaded stem, but they serve a purpose.