Jinkster

Gentlefolk...I can't thank you all enough for all the great advice given in the thread where I questioned the possible purchase of a wally world mountain bike...and the plethora of wisdom and experience impregnated sage advice and suggestions that offered up many paths and options by which to proceed as long as?....

it didn't include rolling one out of wally world...and now I FULLY understand why! LOL!

That said?...I spent most of the weekend scouring over thousands of CL listings for used mountain bikes...along with bouncing back to my thread here reviewing the many suggestions and options...and by 4:00pm yesterday afternoon?...I had pretty much resigned myself to the conclusion that searching CL was a loser and that I'd just bite the bullet this week and exercise another fine suggestion made which was to head to the LBS to drop about $400 on a new Giant Revel 3...when I did one last check of CL before heading for my oldest daughters house for dinner and?...Bam!...there it was...a clean looking old trek for $120...so I called and?..turned out the guy was retired and a lifelong bike mechanic who kept his sanity by refurbishing old bikes he deemed worthy of such...and when I asked of this treks condition and ride-ability or if there was anything that would require immediate attention or replacement?...his immediate response was...

"No...like all the other bikes I do?...I tore this one down to bare bones and the list of new parts includes new grips, shifters, brake levers, brake pads, new rear cassette, new chain, new tires, tube and liners and completely re-rigged with all new cabling with every bearing stripped, cleaned greased, lubed and reassembled...it's like a new bike if not better."

So without hesitation?...I raced north 20 miles to go see it and surprise!...he wasn't lying...and he lived in a gorgeous home with a 3 car garage and two of them were filled with what appeared to be junk bikes and spare stuff with two pristine completely refurbished bikes sitting right up front...a GT Timberline and this Trek 800...I took the trek for a quick test ride running through all the gears....(flawlessly I might add)...and couldn't pay him his $120 fast enough when I got back and in my truck it went!

Now while you folks gave me lots of Kudos for my choice here?...when I got too work this morning I made mention of my purchase to a mountain biking coworker/friend and he had a fit when I told him it had no suspension...ranting at me that I'm going to kill myself with a bike that doesn't even have front forks and that I didn't buy a mountain bike that I bought what equates too a cheap kids beach cruiser worthy of nothing more than rolling it out to the end of the driveway to take it's rightful place beside my garbage cans.

Now while I found this upsetting?...I tried to snuff out his ongoing diatribe by calmly explaining to him that I have no intentions of trying to hop rocks or jump stumps and that I simply wanted a bike capable of traversing the given conditions in my hood...so maybe you're right...by today's definition?...maybe what I bought isn't "A Mountain Bike"...so lets just call it..."A Trail Bike"...a bike with a smallish nimble frame with 26" wheels and knobby tires...and I feel like I got a great deal on it and suites my needs just fine.

Then again?...It might be noted that I was speaking to an extremely dedicated MB'ing guy who has $5,200 in his home build Hard-tail so?...I gotta cut him some slack and realize he's just looking out for me...from his world. LOL!

Either way?...I couldn't be more thrilled with this bike and as far as I'm concerned?..it's the best $120 I've spent on anything bicycle in the last 4 decades...and the sense of freedom that came with throwing my leg over the ability to go everywhere and anywhere sans any worry of the extremely poor surface conditions in my local hood area and here's a prime example of what sort of roads I was playing "Dodge The Craters & Sinkholes" while on my Giant OCR3 RB that is no longer and issue with this $120 refurbished trek "Trail Bike?" of mine? LOL!



and it sure was nice to know that I no longer need fear any encounters with dirt, gravel and grass....



and took myself a nice evening ride...



around the lake...



Now I have some serious reservations of whether the wheels on this (I have it dated by color as a '98 model) bike are original as they just look to be in too good a shape for a 17 year old bike...and are made in japan...unlike the bike with the "Made in Taiwan" sticker on the steering head....



another interesting tidbit I took note of?...was this sticker on the backside of the seat-tube...



I know this...for some strange reason?....I love this bike...and if I ever upgrade?...I'll either keep it myself for guest riders or?...it's staying in the family if any of my 3 daughters ever express and interest.

Thanks for looking and all the help folks!...Ride Safe and L8R, Bill.

Pistard

Here is mine Mountain track, almost as much fun as my carbon bike... good luck , they are great rides...

DnvrFox

I'll move this post here. This could easily have been done on a non-suspension bike. Your friend is a mtn bike snob, IMHO

At almost 75yo (one week away) I do some pretty mean mtn biking on a Spec Rock Hopper (one step up from a SHR - the equivalent of your bike), and also did it on my SHR.

Here is a youtube of some riding in my backyard, so to speak

Kai Winters

It's a great bike that will serve you well. I'd take one in a heart beat and ride it to work every day.

David Bierbaum

My 1992 Araya rims look to be in just about the same condition as yours, and I know mine are original, since I bought my Crossroads in 1992, so it should be entirely possible.

For commuting and errand running, or even light touring, your bike without 'suspenders' should do you just fine.

GravelMN

No disrespect to your friend (well, maybe a little ) but you made a great choice for an all-rounder commuter/trail bike. No, you aren't going to be able to do the jumps, drops and technical downhill of a $5,000+ MTB, but the 1980s/90s cro-mo steel MTBs (yours should have a cro-mo main triangle and hi-ten fork and stays) are among the most versatile platforms ever made IMHO. I've refurbished several and still own a 1990s 820 Mountain Track and a 700 Multitrack and really enjoy both of them. My wife has a vintage 820 as well, my grandson rides an 800, and my daughter refurbished her own vintage Giant Boulder as her daily commuter for the past three years. There is a reason these bikes were so popular and are still around, they are comfortable, bombproof, and a lot of fun to ride.

I've gone gravel grinding and ridden single track many times on these bikes including sand hills, rocky trails, minimum maintenance and fire roads, even a little trail busting (riding where there is no designated bike trail). Put on some 1.5 hybrid or slick tires for commuting and switch to 2.1" knobbies for off road and you'll have a blast. Kid's beach cruiser . . . trip to the garbage cans . . . my arse.

You got a lot of bike for $120. Well done

BTW, those Araya rims look appropriate to the period and are quite possibly original to the bike. The 800 series came with 36 straight gauge spokes and usually Exage hubs.

DnvrFox

[EDIT] - By the way, tell your friend that, while my Specialized Rock Hopper does have front suspension, I lock it out while doing trails like the above, and treat it as a non-suspension frame. I don't happen to like suspension.

MRT2

You did fine. $120 for a completely rebuilt Trek 800 in ready to ride condition is a good deal. I paid more for a store rebuilt Trek 800 for my son 4 or 5 years ago. He rode the hell out of that bike and eventually outgrew it. I would imagine you could expect years of riding fun and you will likely look to upgrade long before those components wear out.

as for Araya rims, I have a set on my 1997 Bianchi hybrid original to that bike. Must be a quality wheel set. Though I had a few spoke problems when the wheel was new, once I got that sorted out, haven't had a problem with them in 17 years. Contrast that with a Salsa Delgado Cross rim that failed after just 2 years.

Jinkster

Thanks folks...and while I know it's a far cry from the mountain bike offerings of today's standards?...it sure seems like a solid and very capable "Trail Bike" according to my personal standards...someday?... (probably within a few months)...I mmay upgrade but until then?...this 800 sport should suit me just fine and I feel blessed to have stumbled upon it.

The only thing I don't much care for?...is the color...pearl violet just isn't me! LOL...and I'm seriously contemplating do a blow can camo job on it...cause I think that would be much more fitting.

BluesDawg

You were very fortunate to find such a perfect bike for your requirements in such good condition for such a low price. I'd keep the seller's number and see what else he may have to offer later on.

As for your coworker, give him a bit of a break. Aside from his cluelessness about what your biking needs and wants are, he was probably more or less right from his extremely narror self-centered perspective. BTW, Do not use the term "trail bike" around him unless you want to set him off on another misguided rant. That term will mean to him a MTB with 120-130 mm of suspension front & rear with slightly slack geometry for gobbling up rugged singletrack at speed. Not at all what you mean by the term.

Enjoy your bike. With a modicum of care and maintenance, it will serve you well and long. Now, for your next bike...

RideMyWheel

I like the part where you said you couldn't pay him the $120 fast enough. Sometimes you just KNOW when it's right.

volosong

You scored big time, Jinkster! I would have given the guy an extra twenty. It's a good bike! I have the same vintage Trek 930 SingleTrack and in those days, those were "mountain bikes". Front suspension forks had just come out the previous year or two and since they were new on the market, I didn't want to chance it having new, complex technology. You have a "non-suspended mountain bike", and don't let any arrogant co-worker tell you otherwise. Those vintage mountain bikes have a good component group and those rims are good and solid. You did well.

(In the mid-late 90s, I added Blackburn front and rear racks to hold panniers and took mine cross country. They are that solid!) Only thing that I'd recommend, when you do eventually get a flat, rip out that liner. That's assuming it is a plastic liner between the tube and the tire, to "help" avoid flats from stickers and such. On that cross country ride, the only flat I got was because the edge of the liner wore a hole in the tube. Ripped out the liners and no other flats for the entire ride.

BobbyG

When I bought my mtn bike 17 years ago I didn't get suspension. I did however fit the largest front chain ring possible for the frame (53 teeth). I'm a low cadence kinda guy but like speed.

Gerryattrick

Big tyres and your knees provide all the suspension you need for most light off-road or singletrack use.

It's not pretending to be a full-on downhill bike as used by "weekend warriors" but it is definitely a mountain bike (old school, before Garmin, internet etc.). This video shows what can be done without suspension.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DiLeN3PlAXA

There's a large school of thought that believes riding rigid mtbs helps you develop better riding skills off-road as you have to learn to pick your line better rather than just ploughing on over bumps and obstacles on a full sus bike.

MRT2

Though I think you were kidding, I would say leave the paint original and you can probably sell it and get most of your money back in a few years.

Jinkster

Uhmm...no...I wasn't kidding...matter fact?...I already inquired with our programming department at work about making me some stencils so I can retain all the stock logo's and fonts in flat black...on camo.

Really? ...I'm serious...is it that important to retain the original paint?

MRT2

It isn't like you are in it for a lot of money, but yes. Original paint is always better than a cheap, rattle can paint job.

Wanderer

Don't kid yourself - you got a great bike at a great price! Iffn you would have gotten it for say $80, and had to put $50-$60 into it to bring it up to it's current condition, you would still have a good deal........

This, was a shrewd investment ............................

Look at the color as unique, and less likely to wander off!

Wanderer

I think this is yours - a 99 Mountain Track 800 Sport - yeah, the high dollar model... 1999 Trek 800 Sport - BikePedia.

Jinkster

Cool!!!...I got it for 1/2 off and zero tax! LOL

Wanderer

Don't forget 100%+ inflation over 15 years...............

dannwilliams

The bike looks fine! I use my 1989 GT mtb as my bike path and around town bike in the summer, put on fenders and studded tires so I can get out in the winter. You have a great all around bike for a great price! You did good!

MRT2

Yup. Trek's current entry level mountain bikes; the 820, 3500, and Marlin retail for $369, $439, and $489.

AbsurdChalk

If you want to paint, do it. You can make a cool looking bike.

Jinkster

Thanks folks!...all that makes me feel real good and to add?...the bottom line for me here is this...

While I can remember "Trading" one (1) bike in my entire life (and that was in my early childhood...a 26" Columbia for a cool 20" spider bike in the late 60's)...other than that?....I have NEVER....EVER..."Sold"...any bike I ever owned...ever...everyone of'em I pedaled into a heap and when their day came?...rolled down to the end of the driveway for the poor kids or the garbage man...whoever came first...but I never in my life sod a bike I owned as "used"....now I have "Given" some away....and as I raised my 3 daughters?...every Christmas they got new bikes from Santa and it became ritual that the day after Christmas?....their used bikes got loaded in dads pick-up truck and we headed to the poor side of town....slowly driving by all the kids playing in the street looking for who appeared to be the least fortunate and then letting my daughters pick out who they wanted to ask first of..."Would you like to have my bike?"...and then give it to them.

But this trek here?...I love it...it';s humble and modeat yet couldn't be in better mechanical shape and I knew before I got 100' out the driveway of the guy I bought it from that it would be mine and had a strong feeling that God had a hand in the works.

And that said?...onto...

as when I said blow can paint job?...I might expand by saying I'm pretty darn good with blow cans...aka "Spray Bombs" LOL!....I've doe lots of camo and fades on my archery gear soooo?....if I were to tackle this?...trust me...it would come out super sweet looking...but you folks do have me questioning whether it would be worth the effort VS the value of Original Paint but...if It's like every other bike I've owned?...that's a non-issue as it's now mine forever.