'83 Trek 700
#26
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Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
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Kinda funny to have 3 guys all working on the same model. In my research before purchase, I didn’t find as much info and opinions as one often sees. It looks like this was only a single year model, so maybe an odd duck. Perhaps the niche it intended to serve wasn’t that large or their were too many alternatives, or marketing, etc etc. However it turns out, we each get to try the same model and personalize it to our own use and post about it. Fun
But the bike itself is neither fish nor fowl, in terms of what bikes were. It's not a touring bike- it's geared WAAYY too high for that. It's not a race bike- it's geared too low for that, the chainstays are too long and it's got all those pesky braze ons.
Where a racer is willing to spend big money on a racing bike, and a tourer is willing to spend big money on a touring bike- The 700 is effectively a "sport" bike. Traditionally "sport" bikes are for "enthusiasts." People who like bicycling some. It's curious that Specialized had the Sequoia around the same time- built very similarly.
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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#27
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As a old rider with a newer interest in the vintage bikes, it is interesting with the frame geometries and such. Riding my newer vintage purchases combined with the education I am getting on the C&V is fun. Now when I take a spin, I am more attuned to the ride and try to learn and associate. Seeing your (Golden Boy) signature collection would make you very fluent in this as it pertains to Treks. Looking through catalog specs points to some other models that on paper are quite similar such as some of the 600 series bikes. My small fleet covers several areas, so I am now starting to be able to make better evaluations.
#28
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Update
Slowly getting the 700 put together tonight. I've cut the cable housing but have yet to cut and adjust the cables. Temporarily half installed the tires on the wheels and slapped a saddle on it just to see what it looks like as a whole bike. With a little luck (aka, it continues to rain so I don't have to work the yard), I'll have it to a stage to give it a brief shake down cruise before the end of the weekend. There's a new KMC Z72 chain waiting to be installed along with a set of Shimano PD-R540 pedals that I scrounged from the local co-op. I hope to wrap the bars with black and grey cloth tape in harlequin pattern which I think will give it a neat retro look. Looking at the pic, it appears that I might have to lower those brakes hoods a little!
#29
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Need Your Input
Below, you can see that the RD cable stop for this frame directed the cable to the outside of the OEM RD which was a Suntour Superbe Tech GT RD. The stop doesn't have a cup to accept a ferrel on the derailleur cable housing to direct the cable straight back, but has just a slightly cupped opening. When I got the bike, the installed cable housing just butted up to the stop (see pictures at the first part of the thread). The bike was in such a sad condition when I purchased it that it couldn't be ridden so I don't know how well this set up would shift the rear gearing. I have a Superbe Pro RD that I want to install which has the RD cable entering the derailleur from the rear, like most bikes. Does anyone have suggestions on fixing the cable housing to the boss on the chain stay to prevent the cable housing from sliding around? I thought about removing the plastic guide in the stop and trying to install a step down ferrel, but that's a non-reversible option which can't be fixed if I tear up the original plastic insert if I remove it. I also thought about strapping the cable to the chain stay behind the boss, but I'm at a loss for the moment determining how I could do that.
#30
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Not the most elegant solution, but I'm going to try this jerry-rigged resolution until I devise a better one. I placed a couple of wire-ties on the drop-out to hold the RD cable in line. Fortunately, given the dark blue color of the frame, the wire-ties don't stand out. However, the cable isn't running as straight through the stop as I would like, but c'est la vie. I probably just need to find the correct RD to put on the bike.
#31
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You could try tapping gently aftward (?), using a punch, on that plastic insert, and see if it starts moving backward, and then remove it and use the step-down ferrule as you were thinking. If the insert doesn't move with gentle force, at least you haven't trashed it.
@JohnDThompson might have a thought about where you could find a replacement insert if you do end up mangling it upon removal.
@JohnDThompson might have a thought about where you could find a replacement insert if you do end up mangling it upon removal.
#32
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Suoerbe Pro
That Superbe Pro looks very nice on there. It must have been costly. On my same bike I wanted a 28 in back which I don't think most of the short cages will handle. I got a very nice VX-s from a forum member here. I rode the bike without even noticing the cable stop and it shifted and seemed fine with the long cage Shimano presently on it. The plastic insert is still in, but the cable housing seems a bit short. Perhaps that keeps the cable from sticking out to the side too much. My build hasn't started yet.
#33
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Below, you can see that the RD cable stop for this frame directed the cable to the outside of the OEM RD which was a Suntour Superbe Tech GT RD. The stop doesn't have a cup to accept a ferrel on the derailleur cable housing to direct the cable straight back, but has just a slightly cupped opening. When I got the bike, the installed cable housing just butted up to the stop (see pictures at the first part of the thread).
https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.c..._id=JW-1156/10
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#34
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That's a Cinelli "diver's helmet" cable stop. It uses a step-down ferrule to hold the housing. It appears the P.O. had some sort of insert in there instead. Pull that out and replace it with the proper ferrule and it should be good. These should be available at your LBS, or online:
#35
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Trek used Cinelli cable stops on the 700 series frames. These have a 4mm ID, so any step-down ferrule that will fit a 4mm opening and is wide enough at the other end to accept whatever housing you intend to use will work.
#36
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Thank you sir! I’ll start looking for the ferrule but may get a ride in this weekend just so I can get a little saddle time on it. It will be the first bike I have bought “unridden,” prior to purchase and am looking forward to it!
Last edited by Triplecrank92; 07-28-19 at 11:14 AM.
#37
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Tout Complet!!!
I have completed the 700! This morning, I wrapped the bar with cloth tape in a harlequin pattern and stuck a couple of corks in the end of the handlebars. I'm happy with the overall appearance and like the old school vibe it gives off. I took it for a brief shake down ride around a few blocks yesterday and had a friend complement its clean looks. The friction shifters were nice and smooth. I'll just have to learn the amount of movement needed to shift the gears. The friction shifters reminded my of a late 70s Motobecane Super Mirage that I use to have. But it was almost mindless to set up the drive train compared to the other indexed drive trains on my other bikes. While I'm not sure if it's kosher, but I'm thinking of taking a little bit of white or gray paint and fill in the "Trek" pantographs on the top of the seat stays. It's kind of a shame for them to not be that visible.
Also on the shake down, I learned that there is a flat spot in the rear wheel. Not really noticeable on bumpy, rough roads; but it stands out on smooth asphalt. I'm not sure if it is correctable, but I'm not to the point of wanting to sink any more funds into the bike yet by having the wheels rebuild. I also still have to fix the RD cable with a step down ferule as suggested by Mr. Thompson. However, there's nothing that will prevent my from taking it out for an inaugural ride. It should be interesting to compare the ride to the other bikes!
Also on the shake down, I learned that there is a flat spot in the rear wheel. Not really noticeable on bumpy, rough roads; but it stands out on smooth asphalt. I'm not sure if it is correctable, but I'm not to the point of wanting to sink any more funds into the bike yet by having the wheels rebuild. I also still have to fix the RD cable with a step down ferule as suggested by Mr. Thompson. However, there's nothing that will prevent my from taking it out for an inaugural ride. It should be interesting to compare the ride to the other bikes!
#38
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Looks very nice. Still not even started on mine. It may be a winter project. I just ordered a Sunrace 14-28 7speed rear freewheel to try on mine. Waiting to see how you do with the step-down ferrule too. The cloth tape looks nice. Are you going to put tan wall tires on? I just got some Pasela GravelKings in 32 to try. Not yet mounted. Interestingly, mine has the SR sp11 pedals that are specced for the 720 that I think I may like.
#39
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So, I just finished 22 miles. First impression on that ride is that it's probably one of more comfortable bikes that I have. I believe that I would have to contribute that to the Reynolds 531C. The frame's geometry isn't that much different than my other bikes, unless I'm mistaken on what a cm or a half of a degree will do to a bike's ride. The wheelbase is is slightly longer at 101cm with longer chain stays than the other bikes. The head and seat tube angles are right in the middle of the other bikes which range from 73 to 74 degrees. With new grease and a waxed chain, the bike didn't make any noise other than my mis-shifts and adjustments of the derailleurs. The friction shifting was a blast. So, simple and easy to adjust out. The gearing is tall but do-able given my road conditions. If I can give the quads time to match the gearing, the bike should fly. Long or steep hills could potentially be a challenge with the last cog being a 21, but I don't have a lot of those around here. The one set of water bottle bosses / one bottle on a ride could be a challenge on longer rides given the heat and humidity here on the Gulf coast. Since its been a while, I need to jump back on the Centurion and compare back to back rides with the 700. But, all things considered, I've got to say Trek can build (or could build - since I haven't ridden a modern Trek) a bike.
sd578... I don't think I'll change out the tires at this time. I'll leave the old Specialized Pros on the bike to save a little coin and I like the look of the black tires. I think it makes the bike look "bad" and faster. While I love the older bikes, there are a few modern things I like to keep instead of going all C&V: the clipless pedals, the Vitesse saddle which I found to be the most comfortable for my tush (I have the same saddle on all my bikes).
sd578... I don't think I'll change out the tires at this time. I'll leave the old Specialized Pros on the bike to save a little coin and I like the look of the black tires. I think it makes the bike look "bad" and faster. While I love the older bikes, there are a few modern things I like to keep instead of going all C&V: the clipless pedals, the Vitesse saddle which I found to be the most comfortable for my tush (I have the same saddle on all my bikes).
Last edited by Triplecrank92; 08-23-19 at 05:11 AM.