nathand

This is actually an SGS - super long cage - derailleur. It's got sufficient capacity for a larger range since it was designed to work with a front triple. My question is how large a cog it will clear since the arm from the derailleur hanger to the upper pulley is not that long.

daywood 

Ah. OK. Then what I would probably do is take the chain off and manually extend the derailleur to see if the upper pulley would clear a larger cog when fully extended. If it looks like it would, I’d put the larger-geared cassette on and try the test with the new cassette. If it seems like it will reach, I’d put the chain back on and carefully shift up toward the low cog and see if you and the derailleur are comfortable with it. If not, I’d look for a lankier derailleur. If you are lucky like me, you have a community bike shop or co-op nearby where you can take your derailleur and dig through the bins until you find a longer one. You could do the same at a local bike shop to buy a new one. I think you could probably even find a good option by looking at photos (and max cog size specs) of new or used ones online. As you can probably tell, I think this kind of quest is a big part of the fun with updating older bikes. 😀.

DorkDisk

7/8/9sp SGS will wrap 34T

nathand

I might be mistaken - might be a GS, not an SGS. I don't see a marking anywhere that would indicate which one it is. The specs say there's only a 2-tooth difference (max 30T for GS, max 32T for SGS) https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/si/T-...000-00-ENG.pdf
I was hoping to avoid buying a 34 or 36 tooth cassette without knowing whether it would work. The local co-op is a good idea. I'll see if I can find a used cassette there, shouldn't matter how many speeds so long as it fits on the freehub, just to check whether the derailleur will clear it.

hokiefyd 

Those older derailleurs (RD-M300, etc.) don't typically support a very large cassette sprocket, since large cassettes weren't all that popular back in the day. I don't think it'd work well with a 34- or 36-tooth sprocket, especially if your frame hanger is perhaps shorter than average.

More modern derailleurs usually support the larger sprockets, often because they're spec'd for the 34-tooth sprockets on the lower end Megarange freewheels and cassettes. Examples that should work well, and ones you'd likely find in a co-op bin, are RD-M310 and RD-M360. The RD-M340 is the Acera-branded version of the Altus M310 and is functionally identical, near as I can tell. The RD-M591 is also a good choice, if you're into the 9-speed specific stuff and/or Deore.

Grant Petersen at Rivendell really likes the 310!

Leebob69

Installed a new seat post and seat on my 700 MultiTrack. Not many 26.2mm seat posts out there(Evo Kalloy is the one I installed)). Didn't need a 400mm long one but I didn't have to cut. It was close though.
The seat is the same as came on my Specialized Sirrius. I liked the one on my Sirrius so why not buy another.(Bridge Sport)
I think I've got the new combo adjusted but will need more than a ride around the block to be sure. It does feel different but the Trek seat was slightly tilted forward and the new seat is not.
Anyway I really like this ol' bike.

Trav1s

Because I cannot leave things alone, the 730 is on the stand and rebuild is under way. Currently it on the way back together with parts removed from my Quick 1 including the FSA crank/bb and f/r 105 5700 derailleurs. SKS Fenders were a $10 marketplace find.

judeen_buck

Follow up to above. I got a quill adapter and tried out a mountain bike handlebar. Not in love with that configuration. I didn't take a pic evidently.
I then hemmed and hawed while it is icy out about putting on drop bars with bar end shifters and started doing some looking online. That would also entail getting roadie brakes set up for linear pull brakes, or getting roadie brakes and cantilever brakes .....
Yesterday, I went to the local co-op and picked up some different bars. I think they are Soma "Sparrow" bars. They have 25.4mm at the stem and 22.2 where the brakes and shifter go, so they're a straight swap.




According to Soma, these could take bar end shifters, so I might pick some up and give them a go. I really don't like the cable routing right now.

I took this for a ride around. Not for long as it is 20degF outside. They feel fine. Not life-changing. Comfier than straight mountain bars though. I also had to mess with the saddle, sending it more aft to compensate for the reach,

Anyways, I thought I'd share.

daywood 

Good looking bike! I’ve been thinking of trying some bars like that myself. I might try putting a longer length of cable housing between the levers and the frame stops to improve the alignment of the cable as it leaves the lever and to provide more options for dressing the cables around whatever you have on the front rack.

I have to say, too, I’m experiencing some cognitive dissonance from the sight of that big u lock you have on board and the quick release levers you have on your seat post and wheels. 😀 Would theft resistant skewers and seat bolt be worth a look for wherever you need that lock?

judeen_buck

Thanks for the suggestion about the cable length. I might give that a go. I just need to ride around for a while, or the tinkering takes over again.

As far as the lock: i think it does look a bit big but I got it on a sale. I have a cable too for the wheels. Good enough for where I'll be. Yesterday was also the trial run for the lock's frame mount, and that worked out well too.

One of the reasons I was looking for an older hybrid was so I could have a front rack to carry a large bag to carry a lock etc. I also plan to put on a rear rack too for panniers if I ever want to take it to the supermarket, or to have this bike be something I take camping. We'll see.

rickpaulos

2001 700 pearl white/red fade. very tall 23" frame.
Came in to our local coop with a melted seat and covered in dust. The white paint has lots of scrapes and scratches mostly on the left side. Not very durable white paint. Rapid rise rear derailleur. I had to drop the seat so i could reach the pedals for a test ride after tuning it up. Ride is very smooth.

runair

Looks great. Wondering what’s written on the tag?

rickpaulos

usual tag for the local bike coop:

date in 11/7/2022
coop name
brand Trek
model 700
TALL^ 23" frame
serial
price

runair

Curious. The price? Inquiring MultiTrack owner who also volunteer mechanics at a local charity.☺️

rickpaulos

240.

I manage the local coop and personally own several MultiTracks and tell shoppers it's one of the best bikes ever and one of Trek's best offerings. We get over 500 bikes donated in every year of most types and brands. Lots of old Schwinns and boxmart bsos. Few are really good bikes. The Multi Tracks are in the "oh nice" category. Helps keep the fun in the coop. Working on gas pipe bikes and wallgooses all the time gets kinda depressing.

nathand

Finally finished my 1992 Trek 790 drop bar conversion this morning, just in time to take advantage of a beautiful day for a ride here in San Francisco.

Spent $50 on the bike and have probably spent another $250 on parts for it. The frame, headset, brakes (but not brake pads) and seatpost are about all that's completely original. The wheels are the stock wheels but I replaced the front axle and cones, and I swapped the rear freehub for one that can take a 10-speed cassette (along with adjusting the spacers and dish to match). Drivetrain is 10-speed 105, 50/34 crankset, Deore M591 rear derailleur ($10 from the local coop), and a SRAM 11-36 cassette (off Craigslist). I'm really happy with the wide range cassette, shifts smoothly. The hardest part was finding a stem - I tried 5 different options before settling on this one, and I cut it down a bit because it was too long to go low enough.

Trav1s

Great color! I ended up going with a stemless adapter on my 730 Multitrack to make bar upgrades easier. The Origin8 adapter was right around $20.

Trav1s

Here’s the curb find 730 after some work. It’s close to ready for relaunch. There's a thread detailing the project in the Classic/Vintage section.

Project brought to you by the parts bin, Facebooks marketplace, Amazon,365cycles, and Cambria. Also inspired by the numbers 8, 11, and 105.

RJfos

Are those the original rims on your 790? They appear that light gray color of the early 90’s Matrix rims. My 1990 750 still has the original Matrix Titan II’s. They were in excellent condition with virtually no brake pad wear so I saw no reason to replace. However they are quite narrow. Only about 14mm internal width. I replaced the original tires, which were 35mm, w/ 35mm marathons. Not sure if the rim width is a concern. I haven’t had any problems with them.

nathand

Yes, those are the original rims. They were in good shape, just needed to be trued. The hubs needed a full overhaul, but after that the wheels spin great, no reason to replace them.

ottobon100

Just picked up a garage find that owner wanted $40 for. Paid $30. Missing tires and tubes plus seat and seatpost. Purchased tires, tubes locally. Friend donated a seat. Had to order the 26mm seatpost. Needs lots of cleaning but everything seems to work. I'll post some pics when I get it cleaned up and working.

Trav1s

Nice find!

Might be a seat post shim in the frame.

ottobon100

Thanks for responding. I did have a local bike shop do the measurement as my 27.2mm post was too large. I would hope that they would have noticed a shim but I did not. However when purchasing tires they did bring out 26" tires and I had to show them it said 700c on the rim. They did hold on to my frame as they wanted to make sure the seat post fit when it comes in. If it does have a shim I'll be bummed.
Just got back from the shop. It was not shimmed and is definitely 26mm.

Trav1s

All done and ready for a test ride when weather allows.
Upgrades include:
FSA Crank, 105 5800 F/R derailleurs, Shimano 12-34 11 speed cassette, Shimano 105 11 speed chain, Shimano 105 hubs with Mavic hoops, Shimano Alivio vbrakes and levers, Shimano pedals, Microshift Centos 11 shifters, Upanbike bars and stem, SKS fenders, Origin8 quill stem adapter, and Ergon grips.

JayNed

Hello from Belgium, I got this mean green hybrid machine last week for about 100 $, the paintwork and general condition suggested it was either not ridden a lot, or very cautiously. The grips had gone sticky and the original Oasis saddle was HUGE so I replaced them with new equivalents and added new SKS mudguards. The rear bike rack and the Ritchey stem (in favour of the adjustable stem) came from the parts bin. A quick final polish resulted into this classics-inspired commuter/weekender bike, very pleased with the ride and the looks. 👍🏻