strider7476

I have a vintage 1984 Trek 620 touring bike. The frame size is 22.5" (56 cm). It is a beautiful bike and the bike is in excellent , practically mint, condition. It appears to be all original equipment from all the research that I have done on the bike. There appears to be no rust and the paint is very shiny. I even have the original instruction manual and two vintage Trek water bottles. The bike was purchased new by my father in 1984 in from Cahaba Cycles in Birmingham, AL. When my father passed away, the bike was passed down to me. It has always been garaged and well cared for. Unfortunately I am 6'1" with long really long arms/legs and the bike does not fit me and is very uncomfortable to ride. I went to the local Trek bike shop and asked about the possibility of getting a longer seat post and stem in order to get the bike to fit me, the owner watched me ride the bike around the parking lot and stated that it would mess the geometry of the bike up if I modified it and therefore it would never be enjoyable for me to ride. Does this sound true to people familiar with this sort of situation? I may try to modify it if it is possible and sale it if it is true that I will never be able to ride it comfortably. If I do decide to sell it, I was curious what the value for this bike might be? I have looked on eBay, but none of the 620 bikes I have seen sold there have been in nearly as good of condition with all original equipment. I tried to post a picture for reference, but it said I couldn't because I haven't made 10 posts, if anyone wants a picture in order to provide better information, I can send one. Thank you in advance for any help!

bikemig 

We can't give a value on the bike without pictures particularly of the drive side. There is a good market for vintage Treks.

Frankly I think the bike shop owner may have wanted to sell you a bike. In all likelihood you would have ridden the next size up (a 24 inch frame) and this bike can be made to fit with a longer seatpost (easy enough to find) and a taller stem (like the Nitto technomic).

strider7476

Below is a link to an image on Imgur. The forum won't allow me to post a picture within posts until I have at least 10 posts.

imgur.com/a/UIGVs6R

OutnBack

I remember Cahaba Bike Shop. They were nice folks.
I agree with bikemig. There is a strong chance that this bike could be made to fit with some tweaking of the seatpost & stem.

Pemetic2006

Nice bike.
To me it's odd that the owner would tell you that a longer stem/seat post would alter the bike's geometry. Isn't that why longer/shorter stems are made - to get a better fit?
Trek had weird sizes in the 70's/80's. I'm about 5'10" with somewhat long legs and I find the 22.5 inch bike to work (I have a 1979 910) but 23 inch is ideal. But Trek went from 22.5 inch right to 24 inch.
6'1" seems tall for a 22.5 inch bike but I'll defer to the other 2 posters.....they're more knowledgeable than I.

bikemig 

bikemig 

This is a nice bike in pristine shape. The tubing is Reynolds 531cs (531 main tubes and reynolds chrome moly fork and stays) and the parts group is good (shimano 600 triple crank, huret derailleurs, avocet saddle, and what looks to be dia compe cantilevers). The only minor downside is that the rear wheel looks to be a maillard helicomatic rear hub.

It would be no big deal to set this bike properly for you. If you want to sell, vintage touring bikes tend to command a premium and this one is in excellent shape. It is not one of the top of the line models though. I'd value it at $400 as it its.

Here's a link to the catalog: https://www.vintage-trek.com/TrekBrochure1984Touring.htm

The only nitpick is that it is a helicomatic rear wheel. Most folks don't have the tool for it and parts are not available. It was a forward looking design but it went the way of the dodo bird and it had some issues as well.

bikemig 

I'd find a different bike shop and get it fixed up so that it fits you. The bike may be pristine on the outside but it needs an overhaul. You can do it yourself and save quite a bit of money.

You need two parts to make this work:

(1) a longer seatpost. Kalloy makes very decent seatposts that come in different lengths and dimensions. This should be a 27.2 seatpost but you'll have to double check.

(2) a taller stem. The best choice is a good one: a nitto technomic. That thing is tall and comes in lengths. Bens--a bike shop and mail order place out of Milwaukee--has good selection on all things Nitto,

https://www.benscycle.com/nitto-tech...25_870/product

You'll need to figure out whether you need a 25.4 or 26.0 bar and the length of the stem.

bikemig 

I love the bike and the back story. I'd fix it up and ride it into the sunset. That's what I'm doing with my father's old bike, a 1993 Bridgestone XO 2 (which is pretty similar in terms of quality to your bike). I bought it for him new in '93 and now I've inherited it . . .

strider7476

Thanks to everyone for all of the information so far! I am still trying to figure out what to do. Based on what has been said, I think I'm going to swing by a few more local bike shops that specialize in bike fitting and get some more opinions there and if the consensus is that I won't fit the bike then I will list it on eBay. I hate to sell it, but at the same time, I don't want it to just sit and collect dust.

If I do modify, I will most likely go with the Nitto stem and Kalloy seat post.

Bikemig, your bike looks awesome, glad to know you are getting good use out of it!

Phil_gretz

I wouldn't try to make that frame fit you. You'd do better on a 59cm frame. Trek touring bikes sell very well, even in today's heavily depressed market. Do you want to ride a touring bike? That might be a fundamental question.

I'm 6' 3/4" with a long torso, and I made a 58cm Fuji Saratoga work with a Nitto Technomic stem. It fits fine. A 56cm would not have worked. PG

trainman999

Way easier and cheaper to change the seat post and stem than buy a new bike especially if you have an attachment to it. What doesn't fit about it? If you adjust the seat up to the marked limit, sit on the bike leaning on a wall, with the pedal at the bottom,both feet even Is your heel above the pedal, just touching the pedal or is your knee bent heal touching the pedal. With your elbow touching the end of the saddle, how far are your fingertips past the handlebar? I'm 5'10" preferred size is 56 cm 54,58,60 can easily be made to fit by changing the stem size. a 52 requires a longer seat post and a stem change. Remember the manufacture equipped the bike with average size components, a good bike shop would have changed the bar, stem, and seat to ones that fit you when you purchased it

lostarchitect 

Hello again. As I said on ****** (LOL, the name of the website r-e-d-d-i-t is censored for some reason?), it's a lovely bike and you could get a good price for you if you want. I'd keep it for sentimental reasons, but maybe I'm sappy like that. That said, it is too small for you. You can make it work with a long seatpost and a tall stem, and it'll be ride-able, but it probably won't feel quite "right". I'd probably set it up that way, ride it now and again on short trips and remember dad. But I'd get a bike that fits better for long hauls.

StarBiker

Xo 2......

jlaw

I recently bought the very same bike in the very same size - and I am about your size. The only change I found that I needed to make is I installed a stem adapter (1" to 1 1/8") and longer stem with an adjustable angle feature (Ritchey). This allowed me to dial-in the fit. This link is for a stem fit calculator that allows you to compare your existing set-up with possible replacement options: Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

Also visit some more bike shops to get fit advice. That's a nice bike and a definitely a keeper if you can make it comfortable.

Selling on Craigslist is local market-dependent. In an active market I agree with the previous suggestion of $400. If you try ebay you will have to package it and ship it - costs about $125 I think - but many people would be happy to pay the shipping for that bike.

Good luck!

Aubergine 

amerikaner

What's the standover on a 22.5"?

jlaw

With 27x1.25" tires the standover on my 620 is 32.75" (22.5" frame).

WGB 

Sorry to side-track but what is that crankset?

I looked up the 1984 Trek brochure and all it says is "Shimano's sealed "600" crankset". There was also a photo captioned "620's Shimano triplle crank - 18 speed versatility".

Is this the 600EX triple crankset FC-6206? Just asking because I'd like a triple for a trouring bike I am building

jjames1452 

I'd personally keep the bike together and in my possession if it were me. Sentimental reasons.

If you want to swap 620's, I'd be willing to do so. I'd likely need to pay you some boot. My bike is not all original. The parts that are not original are awesome though. Phil Woods hubs laced to new rims. The wrap and saddle have been replaced. Quite frankly, if you wanted, we could swap frames. I'd still probably owe you a little boot, as my frame is solid and nice, but not pristine.

I'd give the bike to my brother. I've got more 24" Treks than you can shake a stick at. Love them!!!
He is 2.5 inches shorter than I.

Thank you
Joe Harper.

dmark 

Yes.