kaliayev

1990 750.

Smokinapankake

Man I’d love to find a lugged 750 in my size....

c0rbin9

What size frames do you guys have, and how are you finding the fit?

I would like to use a Trek 750 or 790 Multitrack (love the company history and US-made lugged steel) for my gravel bike/all-rounder, but I have a suspicion that I fall right between the medium (19") and large (21") hybrid sizes Trek offered then. I'm 5'11" with short legs, 32.5" standover inseam.

katsup

Look up the old Trek catalogs for the standover height, I've looked at the 1990 one before. I have a longer torso, shorter legs, and the stand over was touching my pants if I stood straight on the 23". You always dismount and stop a little titled, so I could ride it, but I didn't take it on any technical terrain due to that. My other bikes that size have plenty of room, but lower BB.

c0rbin9

Thanks, I didn't see it in the catalog but I managed to find standover heights for the 19" and 21" inch frames and they appear to be 30.6" and 32", respectively. So I'm thinking the 30.6" will be better - 2 inches of clearance is too much for a hybrid IMO but better than .5".

hokiefyd 

I, too, am sort of in between sizes on these. I'm 6'0" and wear 30-32" inseam pants (31" would be perfect), but my true inseam measurement is about 33". I have a 21" 750 and it fits well. There's plenty of standover clearance, and the reach feels good (which is obviously adjustable with different stems). A 23" would be cutting it close regarding standover. I could probably do it, but it'd probably be close. In a traditional road bike frame, 58cm is about as large as I like (which is equivalent to about 22.8").

Nmuchmore

I have a 92 multitrack. It's a 21" frame I'm 6'3" pretty even torso to legs. Its probably a tad small but I like having a little more seat post for comfort on gravel. It set it up as a gravel bike and it works great. I swapped the flat bars for drop bars. Kept the stem similar to the original. I tried uploading a picture but won't let me. 😕

katsup

Page 9
https://www.vintage-trek.com/images/t...rek/90Trek.pdf

I put this together from that catalog when I was confirming if the 520 and 790 of that year were the same geometry. I only checked the 23", but they were (one is in centameters, other in is in inches).

c0rbin9

Update: I found a 21" locally (1990 750) and it fits perfectly. 19" would have been too small for my dimensions.

Love the bike, it's such a smooth machine and it has been fun exploring the local trails. I may have to do something about the handlebars, my neck hurts from craning up, dunno how people do drop bars.

katsup

Shame for not including a photo.

c0rbin9

^ You're right. Without further ado, here are the pics:





Love this logo


Something I learned when searching is that 750 Multitracks are not easy to find, it was only after finally posting a WTB ad on Facebook that someone finally reached out. Then again, what 30 year old bike is easy to find? The seller said it had belonged to his wife's mother, who then sold it to him. When I bought it, his wife was using it, but they were willing to let it go since she was moving on to a full blown mountain bike. The pics are after I gave it a full wash (car detailing supplies work really well), even waxed the thing for protection. To my untrained eye it appears to be little used, though the clear coat is failing in some spots, it appears to have some UV damage, so not a garage queen. The saddle, grips, and pedals are the only deviations from stock. Originally my thought was to do some upgrades, but it rides and looks so nice that I probably won't. Overall very pleased with it. It cost me $250, which I think is around the going rate for these around here locally. At any rate it's difficult to negotiate when you're buying something the other person doesn't want to sell!

hokiefyd 

Congratulations! That's a beautiful 750!

dmark 

Looks new. $250 seems fair enough for a "WTB" in great shape. I have a '90 in black that seems too nice so I ride my '91 beater for commuting.
When they're that old and look mint I am afraid to get a scratch; I need to get over that.

fishboat

Congrats..You dun good.

You might consider mounting a pair of Panaracer Gravelking slicks in 700x38. They'll fit fine and give you a fast, cushy ride. Bikesmiths on ebay has them for about $70/pr.

Korina

Gorgeous bike, what a score! Have you raised the handlebars yet? They do look pretty low.

c0rbin9

^Are you saying what I think you're saying? That the handlebars can be ADJUSTED? That would be pretty awesome, is that possible? I didn't think these had an adjustable stem for some reason... thought I was gonna have to buy a different one.

katsup

Loosen the bolt on top of the quill stem, you see it when looking down while riding. You'll need a 6mm allen wrench and you can go as high as the line marked on the stem (max height). Do NOT go higher than that line. Make sure the handlebars are straight with the front wheel when tightening.

You will also need to remove / reinstall the front brake cable. Best thing to do is use the quick release on the front brake, see how much stem height you have, then go from there.

Nice looking bike.

c0rbin9

So it is adjustable, I guess that's one advantage of a quill stem vs threadless. Thanks for the tips about the brake cable.

katsup

Threadless stems are adjustable as well, but spacers need to be available in the direction you want to adjust it.

Korina

Sheldon Brown Explains All.

Edit: You might also look into swept bars; I love my Velo-Orange Porteur Bar, but they have several styles. They put your wrists and hands in a more natural position, causing less pain and strain. If your shoulders are wide enough, you might like the Granola Bar.

hokiefyd 

Yes -- you can adjust a quill stem up and down without needing to buy parts. Threadless stems are not adjustable without buying parts. You can add spacers, but most bikes come with the stem at the highest point anyway, which means you're stuck with that. You can get an adjustable stem in both quill and threadless style -- this is sort of a gooseneck-looking stem with an adjustment bolt or hold-down at the pivot, and you can loosen this to angle the stem higher or lower. Of course, as you angle it higher, it also brings the handlebar rearward at the same time...because it swings in an arc.

delacrue96

Great looking set up!

c0rbin9

Does anyone take their Multitrack on mountain bike trails? I discovered that there are some excellent singletrack trails near my house, nothing too gnarly, but I would rather not take it there if it's just going to damage it.

Am I crazy for wanting to slap some 700c x 47mm tires on this thing and ride trails?

hokiefyd 

It'll work great. I take mine on light single track all the time (no jumps or super choppy stuff). The biggest tires I've had on mine are 42mm Speed Rides (which are actually 38mm on the 15mm Matrix Vapor rims). I could go up to about 45mm true width on my frame (1997 750), but I haven't yet.

SueShanny

I saw some awesome wide pedals posted. What are they and cost? I love the idea of riding with any shoes and I have big feet, so pedal is critical!
thsnks