avitron142

Heya! First post on the forums; I was just wondering if it would be worth it for me to get this Trek 730 (from 1988, I think)? It has all the original parts, and while it doesn't look new by any stretch of the imagination, it rides extremely well. I have someone who is willing to part with it for $80; I can't really haggle it down any more than that.



Now, usually it would be a no-brainer to me, the problem is I recently bought a Trek 700, not the 2012 version, but a bit older with new tires put on.



So my question to you experts are: how well does the Trek 730 last, in your opinion, and is it a smoother ride than the Trek 700 overall? I can't really tell from a few minutes with the bike, so I'd love to have someone's insight. Thanks!

MRT2

That looks like a mid 90s Trek. In the day, the 730 was a little higher up the food chain than the 700.

avitron142

I'm new to vintage bikes (no pun intended). Do you think the 7x0 series could go a year or two without needing repairs, especially at this age? I don't want to have to put money into it for a while...

MRT2

Not likely. Even a lightly used 20 year old bike will need a little TLC. It might need some, hopefully not all of the following. tires, tubes, brake pads, grips, chain and freewheel or freehub, cables, shifters, derailleurs, chainrings, and. bottom bracket.

avitron142

Thanks so much! I guess I'll stick with the Trek 700 then; the 730 is all original parts, and I don't want to have to spend more money on this.

MRT2

Just for the record, I think $80 is a good price for an old Trek 730. Really, what does $80 get you these days as far as new cycling gear? A cheap Jersey and a pair of cycling shorts? One wheel? A couple of tires?

If the frame is clean and free of rust, dents, or cracks, it would make a nice bike fore around half what a new hybrid would cost.

avitron142

Oh, for sure! If I didn't have a bike, I would jump on it. I'm only hesitant because the Trek 700 is working great for me, so to spend more on a bike I would need to do at least some TLC on... well, I just don't see the purpose lol. The price itself was great. If only I could run the heck out of it for a year before I need to spend on maintenance...

BigDB67

Kiler deal. Pull the trigger on that one!

Siu Blue Wind

Moved from Hybrids to appraisals.

oddjob2

Your 700 shifters have been upgraded from gripshift to trigger style, smart! $80 is a nice price!

The differences are shown on the detail spec sheet. Not a difference you will really notice. The 730 has a lighter stronger fork, better grade derailleurs, crankset, brakes, and rims.

https://vintage-trek.com/images/trek/...ikecatalog.pdf

avitron142

THanks! Perhaps if it breaks later on I could use it for parts as well... I actually like the twist-shift (or however it's called lol) on the 730; I pretty much abused the gears in the test ride and it took everything I threw at it.

dit

If the frame is the right size it would be in my garage today.