Bf409

Hello, new to the form not sure if I posted this in the proper place?

I am interested in purchasing a vintage trek late 80’s-late 90’s particularly the 800 and 700 series.
I have read various threads in this form as well as visited the vintage trek website to gather some information but still some questions remain.
I realize these older bicycles were not sized as S,M,L but rather in inches ranging from about 15 to 22.
I would consider myself to be a solid medium at about 5’8’’ with longer legs than torso, what size would I most likely want to be looking for?
additionally many of the postings I see on craigslist or Facebook marketplace do not specify the size, where exactly would I want to measure to determine the size of the bicycle according to what the manufacturer lists.

as you guys know the hunt for a good vintage bicycle is half the fun, I realize the higher versions of the series (ex 800 vs 820, or 700 vs 730 etc.) indicate better components
am I correct in understanding this?
also if I could find a 900 series at a reasonable price would that be considered a better find Than a 800 or 700?
I realize back in the day that was a more expensive bicycle?

thanks for any info.

katsup

With Trek in that time period, the higher the number the better. In reference to the steel models only:

Mountain Bikes
800 (lowest) --> 990 (highest)

Hybrids
700 (lowest) --> 790 (highest)

Components and frame are better with the higher end models.

At 5'8", a medium (18"-19") would likely be best. Measured from center of crank to seat post clamp.

DorkDisk

I’d suggest looking for 750/790 and 900 series for the better frames. Old bikes dont vary too much in price, buy the good stuff.

Digger Goreman

Do a search fu on "Old Trek Sizing Chart" or Mountain Bike Sizing Chart. By coincidence I thrifted a '95, 800 Sport back in 2013. Still riding it today. 2500 commuting miles just last year. One way commutes have been 5-10 miles each way.

Recently I saw an old manual with "lifetime warranty" on the frame. Even if I had been the original owner, I don't think it would ever be needed! This entry level bike is an enduring beast. Because of the wild drivers in my area, I make a few transitions (street to sidewalk to unpaved) and was not ready to do a double superman (thankfully at low speed). The failed transition (bunny hop) from lawn to sidewalk had me on top of the handlebars till flipping into a ditch. The bike followed the flip and landed on top of me 2 seconds after I plowed to bottom of the ditch. I took relatively minor injuries and the bike was SCRATCHLESS! Same for the last two times over the last 10 years. Bottom line: I am a HUGE fan of this unbeatable, to anyone else beater bike.

Size? I am 5'11". The bike is 18" according to the seat tube label. Depending on the website, I am at the top of the height for the frame, or a tiny bit too tall. BUT, the straddle height is perfect and the ride is awesome! That is the "keeper" for a bike imho. Not being a purist, I have concentrated on function and good, affordable options. Basic Shimano for the brakes and drive train (with happy finds of new old stock through fleabay, thrift shops and craigslist) though I just ordered FYOH for a cassette. The somewhat maligned Altus derailleur trained me well for dialing in adjustments with grip and trigger shifters, but the need to lessen clutter in the cockpit led me back to thumb shifters which are a simplistic dream While I had mastered the Altus prior to thumb shifting, I find the old school solution super worry free. I adorned the old beast with a Topeak Explorer rear rack, Axiom low rider rack up front and a no name small randonneur(?) rack. A small collection of craigslist panniers takes me from 0-6 bag capacity and carries darned near anything I want. I only go full bore for recycling runs, though my (hopefully) imminent retirement will include touring.

Good luck on the shopping. My wonder horse was only $30 at a Goodwill, but prices today are bewildering.

Bf409

Thank you for the information
I found a good black 930 for $60 which I think is a great deal considering some of the prices I see.
my intention is to use this as more of a hybrid/computer as I do not intend to do anything aggressive off road.
that being said I would like to put on a new set of tires that are more commuter friendly, change the handle bar to a riser(it is currently flat) and put a new seat and post that is designed more for comfort and performance (with shock absorbing)
any ideas/ suggestions on these upgrades?

I was originally looking for an 800 series/antelope, am I correct in assuming that this 930 surpasses that in all aspects including performance characteristics and ride quality?

thanks

VegasTriker

Anything you can find where I live for sub $100 probably wouldn't be ride-able. If it is in good shape that would be a steal here.
It looks like the 930 was only made in one year 1993. The color is maroon with black decals. Weight is approximately 29 pounds. It came in two versions the 930 and the 930 SHX. MSRPs were $500 and $700 with the difference being in the component quality.
930 https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...product/32741/
930 SHX https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...product/58234/
If it fits and there are no serious safety issues with the bike, buy it. You probably should consider replacing rubber parts like the brake pads, maybe the tires, and the grips. When I get a bike as old as this one I always clean and re-lubricate all of the bearings. I found a nice Trek 830 in the trash pile a neighbor left when he was moving out of state. The grease in the wheel bearings was hardened and the bearings were not set right but once it was cleaned and lubricated the wheels spun nicely. If you can do your own wrenching, you will have a pretty good bike for less than the crap at Walmart.

HarborBandS

I worked at a bike shop that carried Trek from 1991-1996, and we sold more of these bikes than anything else in that time period. I agree with the advice above. I believe the mountain bikes were sized with even numbers of inches, and the hybrids may have been odd numbers of inches. But it has been a while!

If you can find a Trek 900 series MTB (930, 950, 970, or 990), these were very nice American-made steel framed bikes. I seem to remember the True Temper OS tube sets on these bikes. Many have Deore drivetrains (at that time there were three tiers of Deore: Deore LX, Deore DX, and Deore XT), and you can find used ones at very attractive prices these days.

The 800 series were made in Taiwan. It is a noticeable difference, yet pretty much any 1990s 26" steel mountain bike is incredibly durable.

I recently saw a pristine Trek 970 on Facebook marketplace for $250, and I was very tempted to jump on it.

nathand

If it's in good shape - little to no frame rust, wheels are in good shape - that's a great price. For any bike that age it would be a good idea to clean and lube the hubs, replace the brake pads if they're worn or hardened, and probably replace the cables and housing if they've rusted.

For city/commuting use I've been happy with Continental Contact Speed and Serfas Drifter tires. Note that a 930 uses 26" wheels which are somewhat less common these days, but you should not have a problem finding tires.

The 930 will be lighter and have better tubing and components and a more aggressive riding position; for the same size frame you'll be a bit more stretched out and less upright than on an 800-series in the same size.

For what it's worth, I'm 5'8" and I have an 18" 930 (1996) and a 17" 730 (1998). I'm comfortable on both of them. I have a lot more seatpost showing on the 17", and I'm sitting a lot more upright, which is good for visibility and less good for speed.

nathand

The 930 was made in a lot more years than that. See Trek Bike Models by Year and Color According to that list it was available 1990-1999.

Bf409

The bars are currently flat true temper bars, the aggressive riding position and being stretched out is exactly what I want to change, I would prefer riser type handlebars and a less aggressive/upright position.
is the aggressive riding position and being stretched out difference between the 930 and an 800 series simply a function of the handlebars or is there some other geometry inherent that factors in?

btw
i got lucky I guess
I did purchase it for $60, absolutely no rust but as expected the rubber should probably be changed.
the seller was a gentleman and said he was returning calls based on first come first served, he did mention he had about 12 replies with one guy coming from as far as 150 miles away

nathand

The frame size is slightly different. For example, looking at the 1996 Spec Manual, an 18" 800 has an effective top tube of 560mm and a 100mm stem. An 830 in that size has an effective top tube of 570mm, also with a 100mm stem. The 930 has an effective top tube of 580mm and a 120mm stem. So the difference in riding position is a combination of the frame geometry and the stem.

Bf409

Thank you for the detailed explanation
so if I swap out the straight bars on the 930 to a riser type similar to a hybrid will I be able to achieve something similar to the 800 series in terms of position.
Are the approximately 10 mm differences Between the 930 and the 800 series frames /stems something that will be quite noticeable or relatively negligible to a casual rider.

nathand

A difference of 10mm - less than half an inch - won't be noticeable in casual, commuting and recreational use. You can get a shorter stem if you're reaching further than you'd like. So long as the bike is close to the right size - not too large, and not much too small - you'll be able to get to a fit that works for you without replacing too many parts. Assuming you have a quill stem (which is what most of the 930's have), the handlebar height is easily adjustable with just a hex key, up to the minimum insertion line marked on the stem.

Bf409

Thanks
So for starters I will look for the riser type hybrid handlebars, Are there good generic/aftermarket bars that will fit well in the stem Or must they be trek specific? And will swapping over the brake and shift levers be straightforward or am I likely to encounter some issues.

When looking for riser type handlebars What are typical dimensions to look for or specify.

Maelochs

Only thing about the bars is diameter at the mounting point in the center. Might be 25.4 mm might be 31.8 .... I haven't owned a bike like that in a lot of years---if it hadn't lost in a joust with a car, I'd still be riding it. Shifters and brake levers are all generic--Shimano shifters, or off-brand, or whatever you can strip off junk bikes you find on the side of the road. Ebay is a great place to waste time and money and also buy bike parts. If it were my bike I might visit a few sites to find out if there are any special dimensions or features (for instance, I found out too later that Raleigh had a proprietary bottom bracket standard for a few years) but as far as I know, everyone either used Shimano or made imitations, so it should all fit.

I cannot see anything special about Trek bars after a short search. Measure the clamp area and do a little math---if it is closer to an inch diameter, it is 25.4, if it is closer to 1.125 it is 31.8. otherwise ,. you really cannot miss. I'd spend $25 on Ebay and get something I liked.

nathand

Swapping should be straightforward - you'll need to slide off the grips, loosen the set screws holding the shifters and brake levers to the bar, then slide those off. If your riser bar increases the height a lot, you might need to replace the shifter and brake housing with longer pieces (which means disconnecting all the cables), but most likely it will be fine. Handlebars don't need to be Trek-specific.
Find your bike's year and look at the corresponding Trek Tech Manual from Trek, Fisher, Klein, Lemond bike catalogs, bicycle brochures Find the page for your bike, and the relevant dimensions should be there. For the handlebar you're looking for the handlebar clamp diameter. Also check your stem - if it's a single-bolt style (quite likely) where you need to insert the handlebar through the stem, make sure you pick a handlebar shape that will work with it (a shape that fully encloses a square won't work).

zjrog

I found my 89 Trek 950 10 or so years ago, needed new shifters, but otherwise was ridable once cleaned up. I think I spent $50 then, and found it sturdy enough for my then, 300+ lbs. A few years ago, I found a 90 Trek 7000 aluminum MTB for $75 that just needed new tires and brake pads. Again, supported my 350+ lbs. Both bikes aren't ridden as much anymore, but are great now that I am under 250...

!6 years ago I was given a 91 Fisher MTB, I rode it a lot until about 10 years ago, my son took it to college. I have it back, it is in need of some maintenance, but is still ridable.

In my profile, you can see a few old bikes. All the Treks and the Fisher I've been offered ridiculous money for and have turned them all down. When I got the Trek 950, I actually got 2 at $50 each, but prepped and gave away the smaller of the two bikes to someone in need of a bike, And she still has it and rides it, I dare say they are sturdy and will last a long time.

restlessswind

The 90's Gary Fisher bikes were made and sold by Trek (BTW, FWIW)
Specialized Hardrock, Rockhopper Stumpjumpers (and are in that order of low-high) MTB's and Crossroads (hybrid) are very similar to the Treks in components and quality
GT, Giant, Schwinn, Bianchi and many others offered very similar bikes. Is there a specific reason for Trek? Any one of these bikes from the Mountain Bike boom era are really all the same quality and style. Expand your search and find a nice, clean one with good paint and good wheels.

dedhed

Not necessarily, If the front canti brake hanger is integral with the stem (like my 1990 970) you'll need to adjust the brakes - if there is enough cable. They will need to add a cable hanger if they swap stems and the original is integral with the stem.

Maelochs

Shouldn't be hard to fabricate a cable stop, if that was all that was holding the OP back from buying a generic replacement bar.

VegasTriker

If raising your handlebars will accomplish what you want to do, consider installing a Delta stem raiser. The handlebars in this picture are similar to those on my Balance AL450 MTB.



When I wanted a less aggressive stance on the bike I installed the stem raiser for $20. Prices are up for the Delta version but you can find knockoffs on eBay for as little as $8 https://www.ebay.com/itm/293552991489 It is easy to install. You don't need to remove any components and if it does not solve the problem you are only out $8

nathand

Most likely the bike in question has a quill stem, not a threadless one (the one in your photo is a 950SHX, the ones with a front shock came with a threadless stem). The stem raiser you mention will not work for a quill stem.

Josepepe

Nice picture