Got my new ride. Any Trek 700 owners out there?
#1
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Got my new ride. Any Trek 700 owners out there?
So I have given up trying to replace my stolen bike for now with no new stock and people paying crazy $$ for used higher-end bikes. I decided to just buy a gently used bike for a year or two until things settle down and sanity returns. The irony is that there are multiple buyers even for old bikes in the less than $300 range.
After missing out on some bikes I finally managed to buy a solid Trek 700 from 2000. It was from an older man who switched to an e-bike. On the pictures, it looked like it had a bit of rust however it turned out that it was grease which I assume was there to avoid rust. He said the tires are original which means it was not used much as they don't show much wear if any. The rear derailleur works beautifully. The front derailleur needs to be adjusted a bit as it rubs the chain on the tallest gear and the breaks need to be adjusted and perhaps new pads. The only snag I hit so far is the seat stay tube seems to be ever so slightly smaller than my 2011 Cannondale Quick was preventing me from using my seat. I need to see if there is a way to remove my seat from the post and attach it to this bike. Having said that, the seat actually looks new it just needs to be adjusted to be horizontal. It might be a women's seat as his girfriend has been using it since he got the e-bike. It has cantilevered brakes which I recently watched a youtube video on how to clean/adjust to increase braking power. The wheels spin nicely and they are true. The bike rolls really nicely with no resistance. The hubs sound really good. I think the important stuff like BB, hubs, shifters/derailleurs are in solid shape except for the front needing a slight adjustment. It's all Shimano hardware.
I'm going to have to identify and look up how to adjust the derailleur.
If any owners out there have any tips/suggestions feel free to share.
Cheers,
George
P.S. Forgot to mention fit works as well. It's a large frame but standing over the top bar I have like an inch to inch and a half clearance. It has 700x35c tires. The tires look really good as it has a continuous section along the rolling surface which should provide a slick like feel on pavement, which is what I do mostly. It's a bit knobby on the sides but still round which should provide nice grip if I do go on dirt. It cost me CAD$125 ~USD$95.
After missing out on some bikes I finally managed to buy a solid Trek 700 from 2000. It was from an older man who switched to an e-bike. On the pictures, it looked like it had a bit of rust however it turned out that it was grease which I assume was there to avoid rust. He said the tires are original which means it was not used much as they don't show much wear if any. The rear derailleur works beautifully. The front derailleur needs to be adjusted a bit as it rubs the chain on the tallest gear and the breaks need to be adjusted and perhaps new pads. The only snag I hit so far is the seat stay tube seems to be ever so slightly smaller than my 2011 Cannondale Quick was preventing me from using my seat. I need to see if there is a way to remove my seat from the post and attach it to this bike. Having said that, the seat actually looks new it just needs to be adjusted to be horizontal. It might be a women's seat as his girfriend has been using it since he got the e-bike. It has cantilevered brakes which I recently watched a youtube video on how to clean/adjust to increase braking power. The wheels spin nicely and they are true. The bike rolls really nicely with no resistance. The hubs sound really good. I think the important stuff like BB, hubs, shifters/derailleurs are in solid shape except for the front needing a slight adjustment. It's all Shimano hardware.
I'm going to have to identify and look up how to adjust the derailleur.
If any owners out there have any tips/suggestions feel free to share.
Cheers,
George
P.S. Forgot to mention fit works as well. It's a large frame but standing over the top bar I have like an inch to inch and a half clearance. It has 700x35c tires. The tires look really good as it has a continuous section along the rolling surface which should provide a slick like feel on pavement, which is what I do mostly. It's a bit knobby on the sides but still round which should provide nice grip if I do go on dirt. It cost me CAD$125 ~USD$95.
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#2
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George, that sounds like a great buy! The tire's are probably one of Bontarger's older "Invert" style of tires (they may even have a model name of "Invert" on the sides). I have a set of these tires on my 1997 750 and I think they're quite good! They do have a very smooth center tread, which rides silently and smoothly. As for derailleur adjustment, check out some of the videos on Park Tools' YouTube channel. They have a lot of great videos on how to do this.
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It sounds like you got a nice bike at a great price. You seem to know your way around a bike and how to take care of one. After a few shake down rides you should be able to get a better idea of what kind of condition it's rally in. If it's in as good of condition as you say, you got yourself a really nice deal there. You shouldn't need to change out the seatpost just to change the seat. That should be a pretty easy fix. Personally, even though the tires look to be in good condition I would still be leaning towards a new pair in the near future just for peace of mind.
#4
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George, that sounds like a great buy! The tire's are probably one of Bontarger's older "Invert" style of tires (they may even have a model name of "Invert" on the sides). I have a set of these tires on my 1997 750 and I think they're quite good! They do have a very smooth center tread, which rides silently and smoothly. As for derailleur adjustment, check out some of the videos on Park Tools' YouTube channel. They have a lot of great videos on how to do this.
#5
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It sounds like you got a nice bike at a great price. You seem to know your way around a bike and how to take care of one. After a few shakedown rides you should be able to get a better idea of what kind of condition it's rally in. If it's in as good of condition as you say, you got yourself a really nice deal there. You shouldn't need to change out the seat post just to change the seat. That should be a pretty easy fix. Personally, even though the tires look to be in good condition I would still be leaning towards a new pair in the near future just for peace of mind.
The interesting part about the brakes is that the bike seems to have had a complete Shimano 200GS groupset originally with cantilever brakes, but the rear brake lever seems to be one of those newer "brifter" two in one deals and it's labeled as a v-brake. The cable going to the rear derailleur is shiny and the sifter is one of those thumb operated ones for both up/down shifting which IIRC is a higher end component the trouble is the brake lever for vbrakes uses twice the pull and yet the brake still doesn't work well. The rear derailleur still says 200GS on it therefore only the shifter/brake unit was replaced. The entire shifting works excellent in the rear so I might look into upgrading the rear cantilever to a brake to match the lever. I might also do the front to match the rear because it feels kind of odd between the front/rear handle bar components.
I will try to adjust the front derailleur and even replace the cable as it looks a bit rusty but i don't think these cost too much so I may just buy a set. Once I get the braking sorted I should be able to get my money out of it when the time comes to replace my Cannondale. Speaking of which.....
I notice you have a Trek 7.4 FX. I noticed one up for sale near me and I'm actually going to see it to try it out. It looks very similar to my Cannondale as it has the carbon fork. The problem is he is asking $850 for it and has two other buyers coming to see it after me which means I gotta pay the asking price if I want it. That's ok though, I have patience, I just want to try it out for now. If I like it as much as I loved the Devinci Copenhagen I tried out I just might go for it. Problem with the Devinci was it was all banged up (with dents on the top tube) and I'm pretty sure it was stolen as the guy's story was total BS.
P.S. I might have sounded a bit negative but despite the needed fixes it rode well for what it is. I really shouldn't be comparing it to a light aluminum bike with a carbon fork .
Last edited by Synmag; 08-04-20 at 11:16 AM. Reason: added info
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Having mismatched brake levers will definitely sour things. A lever intended for V-brakes pulls more cable length, and has less mechanical advantage, than a lever designed for cantilever brakes. If you use it with cantilever brakes, you won't be pulling the brake cable with as much force, and the brakes will feel like they're trying to grab a wet rim. The opposite is equally bad -- a short-pull lever (for cantilevers) matched with V-brakes, if you could even get it adjusted so the brakes wouldn't drag, would pull the cable with so much force you have a much higher risk of going over the bars. Ideally, you'll be able to match the brakes with the levers. That is, replace the lever with one designed for short pull brakes (like cantilevers) or replace the brakes themselves with V-brakes.
Keep in mind also that the MultiTrack 700 was the lowest model in the 7xx line, which means it has the lowest percentage of butted chrome-moly, and the highest percentage of high-tensile, steel in the frame. In general, bikes with more high-tensile steel are heavier and less flexible -- the bike will, as you describe, handle or ride like a truck. If you got on a 750 model, which has a chrome-moly fork and fairly flexible butted chrome-moly tubing in the frame, it'd feel like a different bike.
Regarding cross-chaining, I've always had pretty good luck with front derailleur adjustment (this is where I presume your chain rub comes from). I usually adjust the front derailleur with it in the middle position, and turn the barrel adjuster so that I traverse the entire cassette or freewheel on the back without any rub on the front. I've never had a bike where I couldn't do this. A 700 should have a 7-speed freewheel, so you should be able to find this adjustment okay. The front derailleur is then generally pretty good in terms of being able to drop down to the small ring or push up to the big ring. You may have chain rub if trying to ride in small/small, or big/big, but that's often going to be the case. Not that the bike was "designed to do that", but that it's simply the nature of trying to cross the chain over so far. The derailleur cage has to be narrow enough for good shifting and also wide enough to allow for some degree of cross-chaining. My 750 has Shimano STX derailleurs index-shifted with modern Shimano RS47 Revoshift twist shifters. It has a 22-32-42 STX crankset and I'm usually in the 32 or 42 ring in the front, and then usually in the lower half of the cassette on the back. I don't have any chain rub, but I would say that I'm probably more cognizant than average about chainline, and I do try to keep it relatively straight.
Keep in mind also that the MultiTrack 700 was the lowest model in the 7xx line, which means it has the lowest percentage of butted chrome-moly, and the highest percentage of high-tensile, steel in the frame. In general, bikes with more high-tensile steel are heavier and less flexible -- the bike will, as you describe, handle or ride like a truck. If you got on a 750 model, which has a chrome-moly fork and fairly flexible butted chrome-moly tubing in the frame, it'd feel like a different bike.
Regarding cross-chaining, I've always had pretty good luck with front derailleur adjustment (this is where I presume your chain rub comes from). I usually adjust the front derailleur with it in the middle position, and turn the barrel adjuster so that I traverse the entire cassette or freewheel on the back without any rub on the front. I've never had a bike where I couldn't do this. A 700 should have a 7-speed freewheel, so you should be able to find this adjustment okay. The front derailleur is then generally pretty good in terms of being able to drop down to the small ring or push up to the big ring. You may have chain rub if trying to ride in small/small, or big/big, but that's often going to be the case. Not that the bike was "designed to do that", but that it's simply the nature of trying to cross the chain over so far. The derailleur cage has to be narrow enough for good shifting and also wide enough to allow for some degree of cross-chaining. My 750 has Shimano STX derailleurs index-shifted with modern Shimano RS47 Revoshift twist shifters. It has a 22-32-42 STX crankset and I'm usually in the 32 or 42 ring in the front, and then usually in the lower half of the cassette on the back. I don't have any chain rub, but I would say that I'm probably more cognizant than average about chainline, and I do try to keep it relatively straight.
#7
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In 91, Shimano had stiff competition and cut less corners. Even the lowly 200GS had a cassette and freehub as part of its group. I would not be surprised if you have a cassette. Gruppo busting was not as common in 91 and most bikes still used the group crankset, hubset, and even headsets.
200GS is a very forgettable component group, it was mostly stamped steel coated in rubber and plastic. It was 1 tier above the bottom (100GS). The 1st gen rapdifire (not plus) shifters died quickly
#8
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Having mismatched brake levers will definitely sour things. A lever intended for V-brakes pulls more cable length, and has less mechanical advantage, than a lever designed for cantilever brakes. If you use it with cantilever brakes, you won't be pulling the brake cable with as much force, and the brakes will feel like they're trying to grab a wet rim. The opposite is equally bad -- a short-pull lever (for cantilevers) matched with V-brakes, if you could even get it adjusted so the brakes wouldn't drag, would pull the cable with so much force you have a much higher risk of going over the bars. Ideally, you'll be able to match the brakes with the levers. That is, replace the lever with one designed for short pull brakes (like cantilevers) or replace the brakes themselves with V-brakes.
Keep in mind also that the MultiTrack 700 was the lowest model in the 7xx line, which means it has the lowest percentage of butted chrome-moly, and the highest percentage of high-tensile, steel in the frame. In general, bikes with more high-tensile steel are heavier and less flexible -- the bike will, as you describe, handle or ride like a truck. If you got on a 750 model, which has a chrome-moly fork and fairly flexible butted chrome-moly tubing in the frame, it'd feel like a different bike.
Regarding cross-chaining, I've always had pretty good luck with front derailleur adjustment (this is where I presume your chain rub comes from). I usually adjust the front derailleur with it in the middle position, and turn the barrel adjuster so that I traverse the entire cassette or freewheel on the back without any rub on the front. I've never had a bike where I couldn't do this. A 700 should have a 7-speed freewheel, so you should be able to find this adjustment okay. The front derailleur is then generally pretty good in terms of being able to drop down to the small ring or push up to the big ring. You may have chain rub if trying to ride in small/small, or big/big, but that's often going to be the case. Not that the bike was "designed to do that", but that it's simply the nature of trying to cross the chain over so far. The derailleur cage has to be narrow enough for good shifting and also wide enough to allow for some degree of cross-chaining. My 750 has Shimano STX derailleurs index-shifted with modern Shimano RS47 Revoshift twist shifters. It has a 22-32-42 STX crankset and I'm usually in the 32 or 42 ring in the front, and then usually in the lower half of the cassette on the back. I don't have any chain rub, but I would say that I'm probably more cognizant than average about chainline, and I do try to keep it relatively straight.
Keep in mind also that the MultiTrack 700 was the lowest model in the 7xx line, which means it has the lowest percentage of butted chrome-moly, and the highest percentage of high-tensile, steel in the frame. In general, bikes with more high-tensile steel are heavier and less flexible -- the bike will, as you describe, handle or ride like a truck. If you got on a 750 model, which has a chrome-moly fork and fairly flexible butted chrome-moly tubing in the frame, it'd feel like a different bike.
Regarding cross-chaining, I've always had pretty good luck with front derailleur adjustment (this is where I presume your chain rub comes from). I usually adjust the front derailleur with it in the middle position, and turn the barrel adjuster so that I traverse the entire cassette or freewheel on the back without any rub on the front. I've never had a bike where I couldn't do this. A 700 should have a 7-speed freewheel, so you should be able to find this adjustment okay. The front derailleur is then generally pretty good in terms of being able to drop down to the small ring or push up to the big ring. You may have chain rub if trying to ride in small/small, or big/big, but that's often going to be the case. Not that the bike was "designed to do that", but that it's simply the nature of trying to cross the chain over so far. The derailleur cage has to be narrow enough for good shifting and also wide enough to allow for some degree of cross-chaining. My 750 has Shimano STX derailleurs index-shifted with modern Shimano RS47 Revoshift twist shifters. It has a 22-32-42 STX crankset and I'm usually in the 32 or 42 ring in the front, and then usually in the lower half of the cassette on the back. I don't have any chain rub, but I would say that I'm probably more cognizant than average about chainline, and I do try to keep it relatively straight.
I think I felt the rigidity of the frame as I did feel more vibrations in my hands and I had a bit of a sour back. Though the back issue might just be due to different geometry and it just takes getting used to it.
The chain rubs on the left side of the front derailleur cage on the tallest ring anytime the back is on the taller sprockets than the smallest 2 or 3. I also mostly use the front tallest rings so if I can adjust it to rub on the smallest would be an improvement. I have in ear headphones to listen to music while I ride and don't hear a rubbing chain that's why it would be good to adjust it.
#9
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200GS had a very short run in 90-91; which might indicate that your bike is not a 2000 model, which is a good thing. A 91 Trek 700 had a Chro-mo front triangle with a hi ten rear and fork, the 2000 Trek 700 had a Chro-mo seat tube only. Aside from the weight, a 1" chro-mo headtube is much stronger than a hi-ten one.
In 91, Shimano had stiff competition and cut less corners. Even the lowly 200GS had a cassette and freehub as part of its group. I would not be surprised if you have a cassette. Gruppo busting was not as common in 91 and most bikes still used the group crankset, hubset, and even headsets.
200GS is a very forgettable component group, it was mostly stamped steel coated in rubber and plastic. It was 1 tier above the bottom (100GS). The 1st gen rapdifire (not plus) shifters died quickly
In 91, Shimano had stiff competition and cut less corners. Even the lowly 200GS had a cassette and freehub as part of its group. I would not be surprised if you have a cassette. Gruppo busting was not as common in 91 and most bikes still used the group crankset, hubset, and even headsets.
200GS is a very forgettable component group, it was mostly stamped steel coated in rubber and plastic. It was 1 tier above the bottom (100GS). The 1st gen rapdifire (not plus) shifters died quickly
I looked at a 2015 Trek 7.4 FX and it was listed as a Deore and except for the rear derailleur all the components were two level lower Acera. It's pretty sad that bike companies resort to these games.
#10
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An easy way to loosely date this bike frame would be to look at the rear brake area. Is there a rear brake cable "noodle" or pipe welded to the non-drive side of the seat tube, through which the rear inner brake cable passes down to the cantilever brake? Or is there a welded brake bridge with a cable stop for rear brake cable housing? If the former (noodle) then it's likely later than the mid-90s. If the latter (brake cable stop on a bridge) then its likely earlier than the mid-90s.
#11
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An easy way to loosely date this bike frame would be to look at the rear brake area. Is there a rear brake cable "noodle" or pipe welded to the non-drive side of the seat tube, through which the rear inner brake cable passes down to the cantilever brake? Or is there a welded brake bridge with a cable stop for rear brake cable housing? If the former (noodle) then it's likely later than the mid-90s. If the latter (brake cable stop on a bridge) then its likely earlier than the mid-90s.
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#13
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#14
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So it looks like the front is made up of two separate components. The brake has a label indicating Shimano ST-EF51-L Malaysia 22.2.
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The ST-EF51s are very common (I have some myself). Some of them had dual-use levers -- you could move a small switch to convert the pull ratio from short (cantilever) to long (V-brake). Yours do not. So we know for sure that your front brake is mis-matched. It would probably be easiest to simply replace the brakes themselves with V-brakes. If your right/rear brake lever is also designed for V-brakes, you should be able to convert the rear to V-brakes as well. If you have the brake bridge with a cable stop behind the seat post, then you probably also have a cable stop near the rear of the top tube, so you could cut a short section of cable housing to run between that top tube cable stop and your V-brake noodle.
Unless I'm misunderstanding your bike setup, you should be able to get much better braking power with two sets (one for each wheel) of V-brakes.
Unless I'm misunderstanding your bike setup, you should be able to get much better braking power with two sets (one for each wheel) of V-brakes.
#16
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Yes, exactly. I just have to find some used parts as I do not want to invest in new parts for an old bike like this. The weird thing is that despite the mismatch the front brake works better than the rear!
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I may have read the name regarding road bikes but mine seems to be an all in one unit as well. Do you recognize which shifter the rear is? It just says STI but no other identifier. It looks like the rear are two separate units so I could just replace the brake lever to match the front and switch from cantilever to vbrakes. Vbrakes are newer technology I'm sure they would work better. I might even get a set with a front derailleur. Last time I checked front derailleurs were inexpensive. I just want to keep the cost down. Sorry about the large photos, I thought they would be downsized automatically.
Some had seperate pods, it looks like your might be. On others you can detach the shifter unit from the brake lever, but there is no way to attach the shifters to the handlebar without the brake levers as the clamp include a cover IIRC. Look under the bulky rubber housing.
Last edited by DorkDisk; 08-05-20 at 01:13 PM.
#18
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Looks like a 200GS shifter, and that is a 91.
Some had seperate pods, it looks like your might be. On others you can detach the shifter unit from the brake lever, but there is no way to attach the shifters to the handlebar without the brake levers as the clamp include a cover IIRC. Look under the bulky rubber housing.
Some had seperate pods, it looks like your might be. On others you can detach the shifter unit from the brake lever, but there is no way to attach the shifters to the handlebar without the brake levers as the clamp include a cover IIRC. Look under the bulky rubber housing.
The shifter arm looks rusted but it seems to be surface rust only as I am able to shift.....for now. May snap off at some point. If that were to happen can would I need to find a vintage shifter or would more recent ones work. Maybe I will price out a newer shifter that would work with the derailleur. If it's not too much that is. I don't want to spend more than ~$50 on this and the brakes. Is that realistic for used parts?
#19
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Ok, I didn't look under the brake housing but it looks like it slides over the bracket holding the shifter. Do newer brakes do this differently? To answer my own question yes. The other side is mounted on a single bracket with no sleeve.
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#21
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I just got back from my ride. This frame is definitely stiff! I think I'm going to keep these tires on as the higher-profile acts as a shock absorber. The treads are fine, it's the sidewalls that are questionable but since I ride on pavement it shouldn't be a problem. I also feel like these handlebars are narrower than my old bike's were which contributes to the truck-like feel. I also think my crank arm length might be shorter. When I got out of the saddle for some uphills it felt different. I had that feeling as if my shoelaces were tied together.
Last edited by Synmag; 08-05-20 at 05:52 PM. Reason: added info