cango

This is my second post so please forgive me. I have started riding again in the last few months due to my gym being closed down. I was really into cycling until I got hit and than retreated into the gym.

I have an old Trek MultiTrack which I have been riding. It is 3x7 and I am having a heck of a time finding certain parts as the industry has moved beyond 3x7. Shifters in particular seem to be tough to get I am assuming because of the pandemic.

I want to upgrade it a bit starting with the brakes, shifters, etc... Per Trek's documentation it has 135mm dropouts in the rear so it got me wondering what might fit? 8, 9, 10?

DiegoFrogs

As it turns out, the world is indeed your oyster. You can fit 8, 9 or 10 into a 135 mm spaced rear triangle without modification. I think an 8 speed cassette is a pretty good, practical, flexible build. Budget minded parts of reasonable quality are still available, though super high-performance stuff may be hard to come by.

Mr. 66

What's not working?

Dylansbob 

If it's a 3x7, 99% sure you won't be able to run any more gears in that rear wheel. That era used a cassette body that was ever so slightly shorter than in later years.

Classtime 

It seems that the Multitrack is well loved on the forum. It has good bones. These threads document some other efforts upgrading a trek like yours.
https://www.bikeforums.net/search.php?searchid=8375916

jeirvine 

If it ain't broke, maybe just service it. I have over a dozen bikes and none of them more than 7 speed.
But if you do want more gears, it is possible to swap freehubs on the rear hub to one that will run 8/9/10 speeds.

cango

It has Grip Shift shifters on it that are kind of wonky. On top of this the handle bar is totally flat. My hands go numb not even 15 minutes into the ride. I have come to the conclusion its the angle of the bar. If I hold the extensions it doesn't happen. I remember it happening in years ago. I would post pics but I don't have enough posts yet.

I already replaced the brake pads with Eagle 2 salmon pads. Now it at least stops but it still doesn't stop as well as I would like. I adjusted them, toed them, etc..

I was thinking of replacing the handlebar, brakes and shifter. My bike has a full Shimano STX drive train on it thats in good shape.

I don't want to run amuck replacing the entire drive train but even replacing the stuff I want to replace is still cheaper than buying a new gravel bike . I was just curious as I am a great bargain hunter, I don't need more gears per say - I need parts .

cango

From my friend I just scored a NOS front/rear set of Avid Single Digit 7 brakes and Speed Dial 7 brake levers. My friend said $50 for the set so I said sure.

He also said he has a set of NOS 3x7 Deore thumb shifters that I could have for not a lot of money.

What do you guys think?

Classtime 

I have the same problem with flat bars unless I am doing mountain bike stuff. Microshift 3x7 shifters are an option and your brake levers and shifters will fit on Soma Oxford bars and that change will transform your ride. You will need new longer cables and housings but I would start there.

Mr. 66

I am not a fan of grip shifters even when they function properly. I do like thumbie shifters, but for me I would swap to trigger shifters to go with the Avid brakes, make sure that you have v-brake levers. I do like the STX.

On my flat bar bikes I like to have them slope down. I don't know if that will help with your plam falling asleep. The slight ergonomic change helped me. I'm working on my Barracuda I'll take a picture of it for you.

Your price paid for brakes is a little high but if clean not bad.

Get a few more posts under your belt and share some pics, those are fun bikes to build.

jeirvine 

The good news is any Shimano-compatible 7-speed shifters will work with your drive train. You could go Microshift, or bar end, brifters, or down-tube...

Mr. 66

Bbbbbb Barracuda!

Jmpierce

I just did what you are talking about doing. I upgraded a 1990 Trek 750 from 3x7 to 3x9. I used Shimano 150 hubs laced to Mavic 319 rims. I used a Shimano STX rear derailleur and Sora front. The shifters were changed from the 7 speed Sun Tour shifters to Microshift 3x9's (thanks to a fellow C&Ver who's name escapes me right at the moment) which were expensive but worth it. This bike was my main commuter years ago but is now just a grocery getter and Sunday coffee and donut casual riding bike.

I'm not sure if you really gain much by going with 9 speeds as opposed to 7 but this bike is really a joy to ride and instead of donating it or selling it I have modern gearing with classic feel to it.

I say go for it.

hermanchauw

Low end bikes still come with 6 to 7 speed set ups.

The cheap and easy way to do it is to use 8 speed shifter and cassette. Remove 1 cog from the cassette and take up the slack with a spacer.

If you have/are willing to spend more money, you could replace the rear wheel to a modern 8 speed one, which also fits 9 and 1 speed.

Salamandrine 

Changing shifters is going to be a whole lot easier than replacing the wheel or wheels. A big +1 for everyone suggesting that. There are plenty of 7 speed shifters available.

If the bars are bugging you I'd start with them, then decide on shifters. I never liked straight bars either. I have Albatross bars on my Rivendell 'country bike', and those have much more favorable hand positions for me, plus they work with bar ends. Some other options for you would be trekking bars, drop bars, or dirt drop bars.

FYI, should you be determined to get a fully modern drivetrain, 135 is still pretty much the MTB standard. It's getting harder and harder to find rim brake MTB hubs, but Shimano still sell 135mm Deore 'trekking' hubs. These are good and inexpensive. At the expensive higher end, there's plenty of options for 135 hubs. Phil Wood, VO, White, etc. In theory a new cassette body could be swapped onto your existing hub, but good luck finding one.

cango

Thanks for all the input! It is appreciated. Great pics.

I learned the other day my friend hoards bike parts. The Avid brakes and levers I picked up were NOS (new old stock) - never used. I think $50 for a set of new front/rear brakes and levers is pretty reasonable. From my reading the Avid Single Digit 7 brakes and Speed Dial 7 were not bottom of the barrel years ago. He wants to sell me a set new old stock Deore 3x7 thumb shifters. He said they would be perfect for this bike.

Only reason I asked about the gears is I am having a hard time finding 3x7 trigger shifters.

ctak

+1
I've done the 7 to 9/10 speed conversion several times with success. hub bodies can be found for less than $20
https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-M5...b-Body-en.aspx

madpogue 

Photo assist:




The driveline on that bike is pretty good quality, and appears to have very little use. Indeed the weak spot is the cheap-ish grip shifters. Definitely some thumbie or trigger shifters would be useful, as mentioned. If you have a bike co-op nearby, they might have something for you. Your numbness experience may not be from the bar, but from those not-very-comfortable looking grips. Try some modern grips, which you can swap on when you replace the shifters. You might also benefit by raising the angle of the brake levers.

kunsunoke 

That bike's a candidate for drops - and also Shimano bar-end shifters or brifters.

Nobody really uses SRAM GripShift anymore. Shift detents were always really vague and janky.

dddd

The Deore 3X7 thumb shifters are excellent, so getting NOS ones make this a no-brainer imo.

The STX derailers were made for "compact drive", meaning a maximum or 28 or 30t cog size.

Swapping freehub bodies is fraught with difficulties unless taken from a quite-similar model of hub and with the entire drive-side axle cone-seal-washer-nut stack staying together with the donor freehub body.
There are online sources of info that suggest any of Shimano's splined-interface freehub bodies can be swapped between hub models, but this simply is not true and will often screw up the sprocket-to-spoke distance and screw up the overall hub spacing as well.

Shimano offered (offers?) a 7s, 13-34t cassette that I have found has close enough ratios for all but competitive road riding. You could try using your derailer with this, but likely will max out on the mounting pivot positioning screw (B-tension screw). Your chain will need to be made longer by 2-4 links as well.
I would use a Shimano IG chain because your crankset has IG rings that tend to drop conventional chain inward from the bigger rings when using the larger cogs in back.
IG chain is available online and is not very expensive.
Another good (and quite inexpensive) 7s cassette option would be the newer 12-32t cassettes offered by SRAM (and promptly copied by Shimano). I prefer SRAM's for it's bright finish versus Shimano's unsightly black/white printed sprocket. The 12t smallest cog will be better than 13t because of your compact-drive crankset.

katsup

Shimano currently makes the following two shifters in 2/3 and 7/8 speeds

SL-M310
SL-M315

There is also many older sets, the Deore thumbies mentioned being one.

Also note that the pull ratio is the same for 7-9, so you could use a higher speed shift and just have 1-2 ghost gears. Just make sure your limit screws are set properly if doing that.

cango

HI Mr Madpogue! Wow! Not sure how you did that with the pictures but thanks so much!

Those shifters mentioned are the ones that I have not been able to find. They are sold out everywhere online.

SL-M310
SL-M315

Thats why I started looking at other options like like the Shimano Deore thumbies. I don't really want to replace the drive train as it can start getting very expensive.

I bought the Jones H Loop handlebar today and got a Origin stem quill stem adapter as well. I thought about putting on drop bars but decided the Jones with the multiple hand positions should work. The Jones H bar has gotten rave reviews.

Only part I am missing now is the shifters!!! I think I am going to buy my friend's Deore shifters.

madpogue 

When you try to post pics, before it invokes the 10-post rule, it puts them in your gallery. Click the "Gallery" link near the top, then "My pictures", and you'll see them. We can all see one another's gallery. So I found yours and posted the pics.

Smart move, unless you REALLY need a wider range, you have what appears to be a robust driveline. And if your friend's shifters are the thumbies you've been thinking about, yeah, get them, you'll be happy.

Post a few more replies on other threads, get up past 10 posts, and when you get the new cockpit set up, post some "after" pics.

katsup

eBay or ali express are the usual sources. The problem is that the price has doubled since the pandemic bike craze hit.

Buy the Deore thumbies, they are nice and very durable.

cango

Thanks so much with the help and the explanation on the pictures.

Want to hear something crazy, I emailed Jones bikes and Jeff Jones actually replied to me directly. I was very surprised because you rarely see that. He was super nice and very helpful.

So I bought the Jones 710mm H Loop bars and his clear matching ultra squish clear Kraton grips that were made for his bars. I bought them because of the multiple hand positions. Dare I say they are kind of like drop bars in terms of having multiple hand positions.