Hi_c

My 1984 520 is a bit more in line with the earlier models- it’s Reynolds 501 tubing and came originally with suntour Cyclone GT group set. It had the older more traditional seatpost cluster lugs, as opposed to the 750 with the beefy boy logo cluster. One of the main reasons I wanted to try the slightly later lugged 750 models was that the 520 only has one bottle mount, and I hate the look of most clamp on bottle cages or ones that use straps. I just finished the 750 build last few days ago, so pictures coming when I am allowed.

Hi_c

1991 Trek 750

1984 Trek 520

Here is my 1981 Trek Multi Track 750 and my 1984 Trek 520 Touring bike. I love the 520, but get annoyed on longer rides by its single bottle cage mount. So considering that the early 750s share frames with the same years of 520, I built up a similar 750. So far the 750 has been a great ride, slightly stiffer and heavier, but feels great!

jpbiking

Great looking rides Hi_C! How do you like the 1by setups? I assume the simplicity is nice.

From what I see your 520 looks a lot like my '82 613. I was able to dimple the chainstays and run 42's front and rear with reasonable space. Really fun bike for unloaded, mixed surface rides but wouldn't be the best bike with a lot of weight I don't think. It's also a Reynolds 531 frame (maybe just main frame tubes?) but looks like it's got a different fork and shorter chainstays.



I think my 520 is a '92 but am not totally sure. I don't have a 750/790 in the same size to take measurements for comparison but this era 520 and the 750/790 frames do look very similar when compared. This bike keeps going through revisions but none have stuck yet. Frame has a great feel and drop bar touring, including mixed surfaces, is probably where it will end up build wise.

jpbiking

Btw, for anyone following along and looking for a 750: a pristine, all original 750 in the small size (like Hi_C's above) showed up on Facebook for a reasonable price in the last 24 hours here in South East TN. If it's around in a few days I may grab it though I'm out of room for more bikes...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...3908486804956/

Hi_c

I like 1x setups, mostly for the simplicity and considering that where I live in the Midwest is completely flat, they serve my purpose well. I’m partial to the setup on my 520, as it has a bigger front chain ring, but I’ll remedy that in time on the 750. I do like how much tire clearance the 750 has, I’m running 43mm Gravel kings on it and could still easily mount fenders. In contrast, I have 38mm on the 520 and that’s absolutely the largest tire that will fit inside the fork.

daywood 

I recommend you add an inexpensive rivnut tool to your tool set and you can put as many bottle cages on as you want. You can make it look like a Surly Ogre if you like. :-) I just used rivnuts to make a second set of bottle bosses on my 520 rebuild. I’ve done the same on several other old frames, and I’ve even used them to add mounts on the seat stays for rack attachment.

I use this one:

https://www.astrotools.com/product/1...ut-assortment/

You may also find a right angle drill useful for getting between the down tube and seat tube to drill the holes for the rivnuts.

StarBiker

I had a similar 520 that I found for $40 in 2010. To big unfortunately so off it went. One of the few bike finds that I really wish was my size and wasn't.

jpbiking

Very similar and a great deal at $40. I think they may have switched to tig welded frames, like yours, in 93 or so and also kept the green / gold color scheme for a few years around that time. I bet yours was just a year or two newer.

skinz0506

I picked up this baby the other day from FB marketplace. Only cost $20. Plus another $10 for a 2005 Multitrack 7000. Which I did not really want. This picture is of a 1993 720 multitrack. My guess from talking to the seller, is he wanted the bikes out of his garage. They were both his son's bikes that were stored under an open covered structure. There is some rust on the 720. The 7000 has 5 broken spokes on the front wheel. That means a new front wheel. I have to say, that the only reason I purchased the 720 was because of this thread. The 7000 was just an extra. You all got me hooked on the 720. Have a great holiday weekend.

BnB11

Just picked up a multitrack 750 off of OfferUp $70. Everything seems to be original and in good condition minus the shifters and the brakes. Not sure the year but from pics I've seen, looks like it could either be a 95 or '97. It's midnight blue with gray decals, pic coming as soon as I'm able to

BnB11

Any recommendations on tires? Main uses for the bike is running errands all paved roads and riding with the kids on bike paths. I have the gravel king SS on my gravel bike and they've been working out for me so I'm thinking of trying to gravel King slick plus for the multitrack

goodwrench84

I have used Kenda Kross Plus for years on two different mountain bike's riding light trail's and street. Pretty fast on road and just drop some pressure for the trail's.

BnB11

​​​​​​ I'll take a look at those. What size do you run?

BnB11

Here she is. Sorry for the crappy pic. Hope I remember how to put the brake and shifter cables back on correctly

goodwrench84

I was running 26 on both of my MTB's and they have them in 700 size on Amazon.

DorkDisk

Looks like a 95, it has the older logo and text with serifs. 95 had no anti-chain suck device below the chainstay and the seatpost did not have the Quick Cleat accessory mount thingie.

Im using Continental Speed Rides tires on my '94; I find them a great value for road and offroad. Cheap, light, and effective.

fishboat

GK slicks (in 38mm at least) will run well on your 750. I did a drop bar conversion on a '91 750 for my girlfriend. She uses the bike for touring. The GK semi-slicks are a good choice also. GKs are fast tires, I'd run the largest tire that will fit..I think GKs come in 40mm or 42mm(?). Comfort goes way up without having to pay a lack of speed price. For touring, she runs Schwalbe Big Ben tires(as do I, only in 26 in). I believe the 700c version of the Big Ben is call the Little Big Ben. They have more meat on them and are better on slick trail conditions, while still a very fast tire.

I'd stay away from any "Plus" tire (in GKs or Schwalbe) as they will give you better flat protection at the (heavy) price of much more weight and slow rolling. Unless you're in a very flat-prone area (goatheads, heavy urban glass...), "Plus" tires aren't needed. You lose a lot in terms of speed, for no real benefit.

BnB11

I wish you posted this 3 days ago. I ordered a set of gk slicks in size 35, I would've at least went with the 38s. I agree with what you said about the gk ss, I run them on my diverge, great tire. Almost went with them for the track but since I'm only writing on paved streets I decided to go with the slicks. We'll see how they work out for me

jpbiking

Good advice on tires above and 38MM GK SS' are the next set of tires I'll put on my 750 with stock/matrix rims that is mostly used on pavement. That 750 is currently running 42mm Continental Speed Rides which have been great for the few years I've run them though they do better on a wider than stock rim.

Based on my experiments with different tig and lugged multitracks you should be able to run the GK 43mm tires on that 750 frame with sufficient clearance and could go a bit larger depending on the tire and your comfort with small clearances between frame/tires. Fenders, wheel true and wheel dish are factors that could impact how well larger tires fit on the frame and some fine-tuning may be needed.

While the multitrack frames can handle tires over 40mm in width, in my opinion the stock rims are too narrow for them unless you are just cruising and taking it easy. When I run larger tires on the stock matrix rims on my MultiTracks I experience fold-over of the tires when pushing them hard (cornering) unless I run them at a higher PSI than I would otherwise prefer. The loss of rear wheel traction when the tire folds over can be pretty dramatic and if you plan to ride the bike hard it needs to be avoided if possible.

I prefer to run tire pressures low enough to get good flex/traction but not so low that I risk pinch flats. On one multitrack I replaced the matrix rims with Rhyno Lites which are a good bit wider than the stock rims were. On that rebuilt wheelset I run 40+mm tires at lower pressures comfortably. Rhyno Lites laced up to the stock hubs/spokes easily and made for a cheap upgrade without larger changes.

On the stock rims 38mm may be a good max width to avoid the problems with a too-wide tire on a not wide enough rim. Of course actual inner rim widths vary a little through different years/models while different tires, conditions, personal preference and rider weights will lead to different results.

fishboat

Sorry..didn't see the thread. The 35s will be fine. They'll ride quite similar to the 38s. The most important thing is you'll be running good tires. Life is too short to run slow, stiff tires.

Should have mentioned, the wheels on my GF's bike have been replaced and have 18mm internal diameter rims. The stock rims should be fine with 35mm or 38mm tires.

Rooney 

Any chance you'd be able to share photos of the dimpled stays and your dimpling method? With and without the rear wheel installed? I have a similar era 710 that I've been trying to figure out how to build up.

jpbiking

Hey Rooney,

I don't have pictures close at hand and that bike is on loan for a while so I can't easily snap new ones. The good thing is that there are lots of discussions on "chainstay dimpling" if you search online including some tools you can purchase off the shelf and a lot of diy tool making options.

I used a pair of large vice grips with a half-tube on one side to prevent a dimple on that side and a metal rod on the other to focus effort where the dimple needed to be created. The chainstays were easy to deform and I was able to dimple them a little at a time and move from side to side until I had the clearance I wanted. Reinstalling the tire through the process helped me keep the dimples centered around the point where I needed more clearance. Because of the coarseness of my dimples I ended up fairing them out a little with thickened epoxy before paint. If I were to do this again I'd avoid that coarseness and the need for fairing. The original paint chipped off around the dimples in the process so I sanded/primed/painted with spray paint I had on hand when I was done.

Here's a discussion from this site that will give you a lot of ideas:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...y-works-2.html

Kobe 

Every year we go the the Jersey shore for a week and stay at a condo that only has outside parking for bikes. I picked this bike to fill the role of that beater. It was pretty dirty with a layer of grunge about 10 years old. Some newer tires and grease and I like it, especially considering what I paid for it, $75.

I have tried before to get Multitracks to fit and ended up giving them away because they were too small. I also added wider handlebars and that has made this one much more comfortable.

nivekelyk

Trying my luck here. Is anyone selling their lugged 750/790 in 17"? Or can point me to someone?

Thanks!

jpbiking

nivekelyk Not sure where you are located but in many parts of the country you'll see a few nicer Multitracks popup up per year on Facebook marketplace and/or Craigslist. I occasionally have seen them in stores that carry used bikes as well. If you have the patience you can setup your search range to the distance you are willing to drive to get one and get in the habit of checking what's available every few days and you'll find one eventually. I wouldn't rule out the tig 750s as they are nice rides as well and some of the components are easier to mix with newer stuff since they run Shimano and not Suntour (the lugged 750s were mostly/all suntour I think).

Of course, someone watching this may have one that they are looking to get rid of as well so it's always worth asking like you did.