fishboat

Picked up a Trek Multitrack 750 recently with a frame that was in about 8.5-9 condition. My GF needed a touring bike & it seemed like a great opportunity to dive into the drop bar conversion thing.

This 750 is a 43cm(17in) 1991, lugged, 2x butted frame. Folks say the frame in '91 was the same as the famed Trek 520 tourer. I checked the specs and this isn't exactly true, but for all intents and purposes..they're basically the same. The 520 in '91 actually had shorter** chainstays and was geared a fair bit higher than the 750(**in the 43cm frame only). FWIW..the current Surly Straggler has virtually the same geometry as the '91 Trek 750/520.

The bike was original when I got it and had Suntour XCE components (3x7 crank, derailleurs, trigger shifters). They've all been swapped out for a Claris 3x8 groupset (50-39-30 in the front to an 11-34 rear). Brakes at this point are original Diacompe XCE cantilevers, with new KoolStop salmon pads. At some point they may get swapped out for some mini v-brakes. The bars are Dimension compact flat tops..75 x 125 I think. The steerer tube quill to threadless adapter is Dimension in 180mm. The stem (one of the hardest parts in all this) is adjustable. Not my fav by any means, but it serves the purpose for now as, well, it's adjustable and helps us dial the fit-setup-thing in. It's a 110mm stem that is currently set high(60*, for both height and reach needs) and has a 90mm "effective" stem length. The longer top tube in MTB and hybrid conversions(although the 520 has the same TT length) can be a challenge. The adjustable will get swapped out for a "hard-plumbed" system eventually. Bar tape is Zukka. The yellow(actually chartreuse) is much brighter than it appears in the pics.

The goal of the conversion was a gravely-touring bike. We have Panaracer GK slicks on it now in 38's. There's plenty of room to go bigger if need be(up to the 45mm range from what I've read). The wheels/hubs are new..and very basic..potential upgrade down the line...

The racks..Axiom Journey on the back end and Axiom low riders on the front. I saw on the web where some guy added the L to R over-tire hoop. It does add quite a bit of stability and turns cheap iffy racks to an inexpensive, very solid-stable setup. The 750 has mid-fork (unthreaded) mounts so I fabricated a way to use them. The racks are almost level..close enough.

Lots of info..it's useful if someone else wanders down this path..

I know..blah..blah..POST THE PICS!

fishboat

oh..how does sit ride..? In a world where it (sometimes seems) that anything less than a 105 groupset simply doesn't work..we did 40 miles last weekend and she said the bike handled great. Super comfortable ride..she likes the cushy OEM saddle..so nothing cool looking coming in the near future. Shifting was crisp, quick, and clean. I often rode next to her and her bike was silent when running or shifting. On one downhill she hit just under 30mph..solid and handled well, from what she said. She has a nice Bianchi road bike for comparison's sake. So far, so good..

seedsbelize 

Wonderful write-up. I wonder at the utility of unthreaded midfork mounts. Why?

fishboat

I wonder too. My LBS guy says he's seen it before, I haven't before this. Seems they've just mounted a hollow tube. A 5mm bolt fits through nicely, though a 6mm might also..not sure. I did look at a '96 750 and it had a 5mm threaded mid-fork mounts.

I used a 5mm bolt and lock nut, with rubber washers on each side of the fork, and snugged things down until the racks were tight. I didn't crank the nuts down hard. LBS guy said it'll be plenty strong. I'll keep an eye on it.

seedsbelize 

Son the holes go all the way through the fork? That makes more sense. I was under the impression that there was no hole at all; just a brazed on bump.

Hobbiano 

I think its a fairly common way of doing it. I have two Schwinn Voyageurs done like that, a '90 and an '86, and also two mid 90's Trek 520's that are unthreaded. It will be at least as strong as a threaded boss, and the bolt will never get stuck or break off making removal difficult.

katsup

This made me curious so I checked my two bikes. The 1990 520 has threaded front mount while the 1990 790 does not.

ryansu

The 87 Trek 520 Cirrus I just picked up also has the un-threaded through hole which until I read this and checked I just assumed was a threaded mid fork mount - thanks! Nice build by the way OP and good report on the claris group.