1984 Trek 620 owners - Are Fenders Possible?
 

My recently-acquired 620 is on the stand and the wheels are disassembled so I can't check this myself.

I have seen some internet images of 1984 620's with fenders despite the very tight clearance under the crown. Some of these fendered 620s had been converted to 700c rims thereby gaining 4 mm under the crown. But some looked like 27" wheels with fenders.

I like fenders on this style of bike - adds some class and functionality.

Have you tried to put fenders on yours? Successful?

Thanks.


One example:

https://www.pedalroom.com/p/1984-trek-620-25645_10.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PzQpX2K.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3CIJQQV.jpg
700x28 Paselas

That's a bit tight, but doable. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 20mm clearance, but you can get by with less.

Did you mount the front fender using an L bracket bolted through the fork crown?

What width are the fenders? 35mm?

Thanks.

A bit of apples and oranges here- but I used fenders on my 85 Trek 620 and 720 using 27 x 1 1/4" Paselas.

I used a set of Velo Orange Facette fenders, on my 620 which I had to bend inward to get under the fork crown. I took them off because the bending that I had to do to fit them bent them into an unshapely mess- that I was forced to look at as I rode and it drove me kooky.

I have a set of SKS Chromoplastics on my 720- I used them with 27 x 1 1/4" wheels and currently with 700C x 35.

I do not recall using the 27 x 1 3/8" Sand Canyon tires with fenders.

yes, they are SKS p35. 35mm. there is an L bracket riveted to the fender; I bolt it on the trailing side of the fork crown so long as there's no recessed brake nut.

:d

Heyo,

I've got 700x32 gravel kings with fenders on mine. It's also an 84 620. It was a pretty significant battle, and mine is nothing at all like stock but they clear with no issues now that I've got them on. If anyone's interested in seeing it I can get some photos but yeah, np!

Good info. - I like Gravel Kings - have them on another bike. Post some pics once you have 10 posts. I'm leaning toward no fenders on this bike while using 35mm +- tires. I have a 1985 620 that I am going to build using fenders - currently just a frame and a box of parts.

My '84 620 is a work in progress. I've had a chance to ride it with the Salsa Cowchipper bars and the indexed 9 speed Microshift bar-end/RD set-up shown in the photos below. I really like the comfortable geometry and the indexed bar ends - definitely a Cadillac ride. The Cowchippers are a nice compromise between road bars and full-on trail drop bars - wide with some flare but not extreme. (The pipe insulation is just so I can test-ride the bike before final taping.)

I replaced the middle 45T chain with a TA 39T ring - very nice quality and it fit very precisely. The original 47-45-28 half-step wasn't cutting it. A 39T ring with a 9 speed 11-32 allows me to stay on the 39T ring most of the time.

I plan on getting a new 700c wheel set now that I've been able to test the fit of the original Dia Compe canti brakes with a set of 700c wheels from another bike. I've seen some reasonably-priced silver H Plus Son wheels that are attractive. Christmas is coming!

I also have a set of vintage upgrade canti's - with spring and up/down pad adjustment - that I am going to substitute for the Dia Compes.

I may also spring for a better-looking stem - maybe the Velo Orange offering that takes 31.8mm bars and has a removable face clamp.

I also bought a RD alignment tool ($28) - the indexing wasn't quite right. I adjusted the alignment using the tool and the indexing is good now.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f73f65b965.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ff6c02269f.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a4bb6f69f.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7418cadb3e.jpg

Here's a 1983 614. Your original post didn't say whether you planned to do a 700c conversion or not. I did convert to 700c Open Pros with 32mm folding Paselas. VO fenders, and I was able to get decent lines...though I did do some indentations and took my time. This whole bike was a big project.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...44480ebfd5.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cc455dfcb9.jpg

Very nice work - lots of vintage parts that give it a special look. I tend to be about function over form so my bike is more of a mish-mash. I'm drawn to the 61X Treks because having caliper brakes they present other options (650b) that the 62X doesn't allow because of the canti brakes. I've been looking at some of the 61Xs on ebay.

What size/speed cassette are you running? Looks like you've got some good low gears.

Which rims? I have enjoyed building a few wheels in the past, but there are some really good deals to be had (H Plus Son, DT Swiss) that are a little cheaper than me buying the parts and assembling.

And, what front rack is that? I assume that the mid-fork mount location is the same on my 620 as compared to yours.

I talked to Velo Orange about putting their canti rando rack one of my 620s. They had concerns about the canti posts being too close - 60 mm. I found a guy on the web who had installed their rando rack on a canti Trek 620 and they then agreed that their rack could probably be made to work, but it might be a bit of a struggle. I am considering a rack using P clamps - this would allow switching it to other bikes should I wish to do so.

What size/speed cassette are you running? Looks like you've got some good low gears.

Nothing special..it's just a Shimano 12-32 as I recall. Low gear is 28/32 with the granny on the Sugino AT crank. I live in the mountains, and this is enough since I don't use this bike for fully loaded touring. Mostly day trips.

Which rims? I have enjoyed building a few wheels in the past, but there are some really good deals to be had (H Plus Son, DT Swiss) that are a little cheaper than me buying the parts and assembling.

Those are Mavic Open Pros on Ultegra hubs, 700c.

And, what front rack is that? I assume that the mid-fork mount location is the same on my 620 as compared to yours.

It's VO Randonneur front rack, but you shouldn't take anything on this bike as a model, rack-wise. The 618 had no mounts on the fork. These were added after the bike was media blasted, and before the pewter powder coat. There was a bit of mis-communication about the the type and placement, and you'll notice if you look closely, I cut the original arms off the rack, made new ones, and tigged them on to fit the added mounts. The arms are solid as opposed to tubular like the rest of the rack. And, ahem...you'll see I tried to finish my welds more nicely than the VO ones. :lol:

Great job- I got a set of VOs on my 83 600 but after all that work I did not like the lines so they came off again. It was especially hard under the fork crown even with careful crimping....

Nice bike. I didn’t think 600 series bikes had a Reynolds fork.

*Apologies to OP -- won't hijack any further from original post. 700c fenders will work if you're willing to do a conversion!

Hey good eye, you are correct! There was sort of a mystery around the fork blades on this particular frame when the project was going on, and we wound up not being sure. I decided to replace the decals with the same as were found on the bike, since I don't plan to sell it. And if I ever do, I'd certainly never mis-represent it. Here's a few of the exchanges about it at the time. The wealth of experience, information, and outright knowledge of the folks in this forum continually blows my mind:

It is serial 029788 (1982 Trek 614 22 inches).
The 6xx would have had Ishiwata fork and stays, so I think the factory applied the wrong sticker. Just MHO.
Awk, you're certainly on the right track. The only Trek catalog listings I recall as clearly labelled "531 double butted tubes, forks, and stays" were the 7xx's. I could still be wrong about there NOT being a 6xx with that tubeset, and it seems Trek's practice may not have matched it's catalog specs. Or the decal could have been applied by an owner or LBS to "replace" a torn-up OEM decal. I use the serial number to sort out the specs, at least. There were a lot of small variations in geometry, and Trek's descriptions of tubing really don't let you see what's really there, unless it actually is Reynolds.
As for the sticker, it's the one in the pic. My LBS guy here offered the same explanations I've heard here....wrong/replaced sticker, Trek running short on other tubes at the end of a run and using all 531 on a few 6xx frames, etc. Since the bike is currently stripped down, does anyone know how to settle the mystery? Weight? A way to tell once it's media blasted I'm looking at a bare frame?
To be honest, I don't really care. The bike fits me great, and I always thought these old 531 main triangle bikes have a wonderful lively ride. I suppose my palate isn't seasoned enough to whine about forks/stays yet.
Great attitude! Whatever the truth is about the tubing, it's a well-built quality frame.
Nobody can say what tubing is actually there with out removing paint to observe for stampings, cutting tubes to measure wall thicknesses, and performing chemical analysis on the steel to verify alloys. When you're done with all that in you DIY material science lab, you no longer have a Trek 614 to ride.
Short of those measures we just have an estimate. Taking what Trek said is at least as good as any other info.

True for the 1983 620.

The 1984 and 85 620s have Reynolds 531cs forks.

Trek 520 and fenders
 

Rode one for several years. No problem with 700 x 32 tires-Conti Top Touring-- and SKS full fenders.