Originally Posted by
mello velo
I found an older used Trek 620 at a bike shop here in Memphis. It had a tall frame, with the top bar about an inch clear below my crotch. Wheels are true. I took it out for 15 minute ride, don't see any real issues except these:
Handlebars are a little narrow for me, they are drop bars, they look original. Could I switch these out easily to wider bars?.
There doesn't appear to be room enough for full fenders. For commuting and light touring, this is an issue. I looked around online, there are some that could work.
The store wants $350 for it. I don't know the year, I would need model # I guess? Not sure if this is a good deal. I'm not experienced enough to know if the components are good. The derailleur said Shimano 105, as did the brakes I think.
Otherwise, I'm probably going to spring for a new Surly cross check.
Any suggestions?
Trek 620s are nice, purpose made touring bikes, only made as far as I know for a few years in the mid 80's. Switching bars is relatively easy, but not as easy as it would be with a threadless stem. See if the shop will swap out some wider bars from their parts/take-off bins for you. Those bikes take fenders pretty easily, are there super fat tires on it? If everything is in good shape, the only thing to think about is wheel size - Trek 620's came stock with 27" wheels, though with the right brakes you can switch to 700C wheels if you really want to. As far as I'm concerned, between Conti Gatorskins and Panaracer Pasela TGs there are very good touring/commuting tire choices, so I keep 27" wheels on my bikes that were originally equipped with them.
In Chicago, $350 for a 105-equipped 620 would be gone in a heartbeat. Not sure what the market prices are where you're at.