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1997 Trek 750

Old 07-21-17, 06:06 AM
  #26  
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Looks great! I like your stem and handlebar setup. I see you reverse your brake levers (right for front). Interesting.

I took my rear rack off and laid some silver paint on it. I'll put on a few more coats and then re-fit it to the bike. I got my trekking bars wrapped with the brown tape and it looks beautiful.
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Old 07-25-17, 06:50 PM
  #27  
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That's a sweet ride there!!
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Old 07-27-17, 01:24 PM
  #28  
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I've got the handlebar done and I also painted the rear rack to match my color scheme. I'll replace the stem with a silver one when one comes along at a good price. I also need to replace the front brake cable stop with a spacer and the saddle with a brown one to match the tape, but this saddle is comfortable for me for now so I'm not in a huge hurry to replace it.







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Old 07-27-17, 01:34 PM
  #29  
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Sharp-eyed viewers will note that this is a different crankset as what came on it. It came with a STX crankset with 22/32/42 rings and 175mm arms. I wanted to try some shorter arms on this, so I swapped this Alivio crankset with 24/34/42 rings and 170mm arms. I could probably be convinced to go even shorter -- the shorter arms seem to pedal smoother to me.
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Old 10-22-17, 02:07 PM
  #30  
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I've had this bike for a number of months and have ridden it hundreds of miles in various configurations. I've done some things recently that have put it back pretty close to stock.

Handlebar

I have a conventional mountain bike bar back on it. It has a moderate rise to it, but I discovered, after playing with the butterfly bars, that I really prefer a wider hand position than those bars allowed, especially the position where the shifters and brakes are. The trekking bars were about 56 cm wide total, at the outside of the ends. The area where your hands would rest to brake or shift was a good deal narrower than that. My current bars on it now are 58 cm wide, and my grips are all the way out at the end (Ergon GP3s). That's a good deal more comfortable to me. I also have the very classy stock stem back on it.

Crankset

I have the stock STX 22-32-42 crankset back on. I've tried some others, including a 24-34-42 and a 28-38-48, and I really like the 22 small ring and the 42 large ring is fine. I can just barely spin out when in 42-15, and I have a 13 and an 11 in the back also, and I hardly ever use those taller combinations, so the 42 large ring is plenty large.

Brakes

I've gone back to the stock cantilevers, and I'm really enjoying them. The whole bike is Shimano STX (where base level Deore is today), but the stock brakes are Acera-level BR-MC16s, which were low-to-mid grade at the time. These are a bit unconventional in that the brake post mounts on the INSIDE of the brake arm rather than on the OUTSIDE. Shimano claim more efficient braking, less stress on the braze-ons, etc. With the right alignment of the brake shoes, these grip as well as the linear pull brakes that I had on it did. I can easily slide the rear tire when seated, and it hauls down from speed in about "right now". The shoes are basic Shimano CT-91s (5 bucks/pair at your local bike shop). I got a pair of Tektro alloy straddle wire triangles at my local bike shop as well, and used plain brake cable as the straddle wires. I polished up the brake arms with some jeweler's rouge and a Dremel pad. I think they turned out great, and look ace. Plus, I could ditch the extra clamp-on brake cable hanger that I needed for the linear pull brakes.

I did add a Tektro fork-mount hanger for the front cable. I did have some shudder with the stem-mounted hanger when I originally got it (prompting me to throw the linear pull brakes on it to fix). I like this solution quite a bit better.

I've removed the bolt-on rack, and will soon switch to a seat post rack with a medium-sized bag mounted to it. I'll have all of my kit in there and I'll just move the rack to whichever bike I ride that day (they're all 27.2mm seat posts). I also swiped a very nice HG50 7-speed cassette (nickel finished) off a parts Trek 820 I scored for $10 last week and am using it on this to replace its original IG50 cassette.

I'm done experimenting/playing with the setup on this, and it's brought me pretty much back to the way Trek made it back in 1997. It's a joy to ride and I look forward to many more miles on it.







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Old 10-24-17, 03:44 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by hokiefyd
Crankset

I have the stock STX 22-32-42 crankset back on. I've tried some others, including a 24-34-42 and a 28-38-48, and I really like the 22 small ring and the 42 large ring is fine. I can just barely spin out when in 42-15, and I have a 13 and an 11 in the back also, and I hardly ever use those taller combinations, so the 42 large ring is plenty large.
Agreed. My bike had a 28-38-48 crank paired with a 11-34 cassette. The cassette really an 11-28 with the 28 swapped for a 34 "bail out", 11-13-15-18-21-24-34. 28/34 pairing was too low and 10 tooth jump made the 34 useless. I replaced it with an 11-28 to get reasonable spacing. On the other end 48/11 was ridiculous for a hybrid. Maybe with drop bars but not with a flat bar. Most new hybrids are 28/38/48 or 26/36/48. I think manufacturers are trying to be all things with a hybrid hence the wide ranges. I'm now running a 22-30-40 crank paired with a 12-25 cassette. Much more useful. The 22T ring is for climbing, spend most of the time on the 30T ring, and the 40T ring is for pavement downhill.
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Old 10-25-17, 11:19 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by pjthomas
The 22T ring is for climbing, spend most of the time on the 30T ring, and the 40T ring is for pavement downhill.
That's about where I am. My low is a 22/28 which is 21.5 gear inches, and my high is a 42/11 which is 104.9 gear inches. Even that is too high, but I can live with it. A 40/11 like you have would be great for me.

I keep it in the middle up front most of the time, and shift through the middle 4 or 5 sprockets in the back. I'll move up to my 42T ring in front before I go down into my 13T or 11T sprockets in the back. 42/13 is about as fast as I ever push it, and that's with a down slope. I just don't ride for speed and don't wear skin suits or other such aerodynamic assists.

Just last night, I just switched out my Verve's 28-38-48 crankset with a 24-34-42 Altus crankset from a parts-bike Trek 820 I recently bought for 10 bucks. With its 32T large cassette sprocket (8 speed), I now have a low of 20.6 gear inches instead of the 24 gear inches I used to have (which is about 20% reduction -- very useful!). My high is now a more reasonable 104.9 instead of the utterly useless (for a Trek Verve!) 119.9 it used to be.
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Old 04-26-19, 11:51 PM
  #33  
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Hokiefyd:

My bike is a 1997 Electra Rocket STX 21.

Looks like the same drivetrain as yours!
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Old 09-06-20, 04:17 AM
  #34  
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I am in search of a Trek 750 lugged. I have been searching for Trek sizing information. I see that your Trek is 21", but how tall are you and what's your inseam. I am 5'10" and my inseam is 31.25". I've been looking for a 19" Trek, but I'm not sure about that size. I'm in New Hampshire and most Treks that I am looking at are 1-2 hours drive away. So I'm trying to get the sizing about right before driving. Any advise would be helpful Thanks, Nelson
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Old 09-06-20, 07:31 AM
  #35  
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Yeah, mine's a 21". I'm 6'0" with a true inseam of about 33-34". I have plenty of standover clearance on this frame and could probably live with the next size up, but I tend to prefer frames on the slightly smaller side than slightly larger. The MultiTrack frames tend to have a very slightly longer effective top tube than what you might expect (it's not dramatic) so a 19" frame might be the right size for you. I think a 21" might be too large, especially if you prefer a more upright riding position vs. more elongated.
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Old 09-06-20, 10:29 PM
  #36  
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Hi. Am new here and love the featured 750. I just bought my 16 year old son a 1996 black Trek 750. It needs new grips as the current shifters; Gripshift SRT-400 (?) are oddly gooey?

Can anyone please suggest the replacement parts for the bike? I cannot find them online. The shifters work great I guess I just need a set of the short and long grips?

Thank you for any help you can provide.
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Old 09-06-20, 11:36 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Rollinstone
Can anyone please suggest the replacement parts for the bike? I cannot find them online. The shifters work great I guess I just need a set of the short and long grips?
Use trigger shifters (Shimano SL-M315) and any grips you want. Make sure you get the 7sp version.
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Old 09-07-20, 02:40 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by fujifinest
I am in search of a Trek 750 lugged. I have been searching for Trek sizing information. I see that your Trek is 21", but how tall are you and what's your inseam. I am 5'10" and my inseam is 31.25". I've been looking for a 19" Trek, but I'm not sure about that size. I'm in New Hampshire and most Treks that I am looking at are 1-2 hours drive away. So I'm trying to get the sizing about right before driving. Any advise would be helpful Thanks, Nelson
I'm about the same size as you (5'10" w/31" inseam) and I ride my 1996 19" Trek 730 everywhere. It may be a bit small, but it sure is nimble and comfortable. I think the next size up might be too much for me.
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Old 09-07-20, 02:42 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Rollinstone
Hi. Am new here and love the featured 750. I just bought my 16 year old son a 1996 black Trek 750. It needs new grips as the current shifters; Gripshift SRT-400 (?) are oddly gooey?

Can anyone please suggest the replacement parts for the bike? I cannot find them online. The shifters work great I guess I just need a set of the short and long grips?

Thank you for any help you can provide.
My 1996 Trek 730 has the original grip shifts and they are crisp and quick to shift. Try cleaning and lubing the derailleur cables which can be done without removing anything.
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Old 09-07-20, 06:59 AM
  #40  
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Thanks. The actual rubber on the Griftshifters has gotten ggoey and is deteriorating for some odd reason. The gears shift smoothly but all the rubber is a mess;I cannot find replacement Gripshifters. Any advice?

I appreciate the speed shifter suggestion and may have to go that route but my son prefers the gripshifters as they came. I have a 1995 Cannondale with the same original parts gripshifters that work flawlessly and the the rubber is perfect.

Thanks again for any assistance!
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Old 09-07-20, 08:49 AM
  #41  
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I generally prefer twist shifters over triggers also. Try some Shimano Revoshift SL-RS45 or similar if you're interested in replacing them. I currently have these on my 750 and really like them. The RS45s have a softer "click" than some of the cheaper Revoshift models (like RS35). If you like the SRAM Gripshifts, you can buy newer versions of those, called the MRX Comp -- those are compatible with Shimano derailleurs.
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Old 09-14-20, 10:37 AM
  #42  
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Beautiful build.
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Old 03-10-21, 08:20 PM
  #43  
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Bikes are never done, right? They're always fluid...existing in one form or another just temporarily...at least for those of us who like to tinker. I have had my '97 750 in a steady state for a little while now, putting many miles on it in the basement on a fluid trainer over the winter. And it's been out and about some this month, now that the weather in the mid-Atlantic has finally broken for some 60s and 70s. I haven't taken any snaps of it lately with its current parts, so I figured I'd post some for the MultiTrack fans out there.


^^^ On a very pleasant evening ride tonight. This is a 21" frame. Given the height of my seat post and bars, you'd think I should be on a 23". This may be true. I'm usually right in the middle between a "medium" and a "large" and I generally prefer upsizing a small frame rather than trying to downsize a large frame.


^^^ The current drivetrain. This originally came with a full STX drivetrain with a 22-32-42 crankset, but I wanted a little taller gear than that as I use this as my "road bike", so I swapped on a 26-36-48 FSA crankset from my parts bin. The hub has a 7-speed freehub that is not upgradeable because it's a roller clutch hub...so I have an 8-of-9-on-7 cassette on it. I took a 12-36 9-speed cassette and I'm using the 12-32 from it, dropping the 36 tooth sprocket. I have this paired with a 9-speed chain and 3x9 Microshift thumb shifters, indexed on the right/rear. I replaced the original STX rear derailleur with this Acera M3000 from my parts bin to better clear the 32 tooth sprocket and it shifts very nicely with this combination.


^^^ You can see the "bell" of the roller clutch mechanism from behind the cassette. The 8-of-9-on-7 is working great in this application.


^^^ It's riding on 38mm Panaracer Pasela PTs. I have a set of the regular (non-ProTite) versions in the same size on another bike and those seem a bit more supple than these (understandable). I'm happy with these, happy with the look, and happy with the comfort. They're dead quiet and seem to be wearing like iron so far.


^^^ This bike was originally equipped with cantilevers, and I've had both the original and newer Tektro cantilevers on it, but the linear pull brakes just work really nicely, especially with the rear rack configuration (more on that below). These are Avid Single Digit 5s (no longer produced). I'm very happy with these brakes.


^^^ This is the rear rack area. There are threaded bosses for two rack stays, but they're set pretty close together, laterally, and don't work very nicely for that. The brake bridge works much better as a rack stay mount, but that necessitates the cable routing offered by linear pull brakes. The fenders are Planet Bike Cascadias, 45mm wide. They cover the 38mm tires very nicely.


^^^ The cockpit. From the outside working in, those are Ergon GP3s (large), Origin8 bar ends with generic foam grips, and Microshift 3x9 thumb shifters. There are a lot of hand positions here and it's pretty comfortable to ride. The inner bar ends let me "tuck" (or as much as an overweight middle age Fred can really tuck!), and I can sit up nice and tall on the outer grips.


^^^ Another cockpit view, showing some of the angles. The bar is a cheap Sunlite 720mm rider bar I found on clearance at a local bike shop. It works great for this application.

Really nice riding bikes, these MultiTracks are. I own several newer bikes with aluminum frames and hydraulic disc brakes, but this bike just feels good to ride. And it's a quiet operator, with the smooth tread Paselas and roller clutch hub. I'm very pleased to own this example, and I use and enjoy it as often as I can.
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Old 03-11-21, 07:56 AM
  #44  
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Very nice and VERY clean.

Well done Sir.
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Old 04-11-22, 12:18 PM
  #45  
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Do you have any guidance on equating the frame size to height or stand over height? I am looking at a very similar 750 that is 2 hours away and is 19" frame. I am 5'11"-6' depending on the day with a 30" inseam pant. If I did it correctly I measured a 32" stand over height. I would hate to drive 2 hours one way to find out it is too small. Thanks.
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Old 04-28-22, 12:35 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by kenlenuiuc
Do you have any guidance on equating the frame size to height or stand over height? I am looking at a very similar 750 that is 2 hours away and is 19" frame. I am 5'11"-6' depending on the day with a 30" inseam pant. If I did it correctly I measured a 32" stand over height. I would hate to drive 2 hours one way to find out it is too small. Thanks.
I am 5' 9" and my stand over height is around 30" (if I measured it correctly) and my 19" 1990 Trek 750 fits perfectly, although I have about an inch or less of stand over clearance. A 19" frame may be too small for you but I'm not really sure.
I don't know if you read the whole thread, but you might find the answer to your question above.

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Old 04-29-22, 04:22 AM
  #47  
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My desired standover height is in the 30-31" range, so my 21" 750 fits well. I prefer more standover clearance than less and I typically prefer shorter frames to longer frames...so I'd be fine on a 19" frame personally. The actual configuration, however, of seat/stem/bar can REALLY change the feel of a frame. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to help a particular frame fit you well. I typically prefer smaller frames because I find it easier to make a smaller frame feel larger than to make a larger frame feel smaller.
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