Sjtaylor

I had to share this. A few weeks ago I was very lucky to acquire a hardly used and well stored 1984 Trek 720 in my size. I'm 6'3". Currently working to improve my fitness level for an ambitious bike tour and I want to use the 720.

I just finished modernizing and fitting the 720. The build has 700c wheels, 108 to 16 gear inch gearing and indexed b





ar end shifters. The quill stem adapter and cozy stem fixes the reach for me. I bought the panniers used several years ago and finally put them to use.

Mom is 89 and lives 90 miles away and is the destination for the shakedown practice tour to Mom's house. It'll be a two day ride each way. My tent uses trekking poles so they'll be poking out the back of the rear rack.

I attached a couple photos of the fitted bike yet to be loaded.

Thanks for looking.

andrewclaus

I was given almost the same bike (gray, 1983) a few years ago and did much the same thing. The canti brakes barely reach down to the 700c wheels, don't they. Mine came with the Helicomatic rear hub and I gladly upgraded that to a 9-speed rear, cold-setting the frame to 130 mm. I put brifters on mine. I toured on it for several years, then sold it to a guy heading to Cuba, who was going to donate the bike to a local there when he was done with his trip.

Enjoy your ride.

mark d

very cool. gods speed

Sjtaylor

I cold set the dropouts but didn’t yet align the dropouts. Did you and we’re they misaligned much? I’m a little worried about the weight. I’m 220lbs and the 25-1/2” frame seems pretty spindly compared to what I see today. My wife wishes I wouldn’t ride on roads without safe bike lanes. I’ll probably seek out routes on back roads that’ll probably have varied surfaces and conditions.

No problem adjusting the brakes to 700c. I wish I could fit a little wider tire. I could probably go one size larger.

pdlamb

Lesson available to be learned: I cold spread a frame but didn't align the dropouts. It took a few years, but the frame snapped right ahead of the dropout. In retrospect, it's obvious that the stress was concentrated in the thin wall of the chainstay by the misaligned, and much sturdier, dropout. I'd probably still be riding that frame if I'd aligned the dropouts.

Learn how to ride in traffic, pay attention while you're riding, and most roads become as safe as non-separated bike routes. Not to mention there's a lot more places to ride. Cycle Orlando videos, John Forrester's Effective Cycling and the LCI bike safety course, and John Allen's Street Smarts are some good sources to get started.

andrewclaus

Ditto on aligning the dropouts. The rear wheel wouldn't stay in straight under high torque until I did.

Ditto also on learning to ride in traffic. I've been riding in traffic for over 50 years, including commuting for my entire school and engineering career with lots of night riding and harsh weather, and am still learning stuff. I took a "responsible cyclist" course in my town last year, thinking I could teach it, but it was worthwhile. Excellent references above. A properly-ridden bicycle can be an excellent alternative transport, and the more people do it the safer it'll be.

In my opinion, the best innovation for cycling in my lifetime has been the LED bike light. They're bright and cheap and the batteries last a long time, so light yourself up. High-vis clothing gets you more room and care from motorists, too.

Sjtaylor

I did a ghetto alignment on one bike I cold set using 3/8” all thread, nuts and washers. Not sure how well that worked. I’ll look for a local shop that has the tool. I want that 720 to be perfect to make up for my condition.

I used to be a roadie forty years ago, in fact completed a few double century rides on an XL frame Nishiki 12 speed. Looking back I mistakenly thought those were fun. Traffic worries weren’t nearly as concerning as now. There was no wife in those days to look after my safety. A road riding course would be a welcomed activity. I’ll look into it.