Got my new ride. Any Trek 700 owners out there?
So I have given up trying to replace my stolen bike for now with no new stock and people paying crazy $$ for used higher-end bikes. I decided to just buy a gently used bike for a year or two until things settle down and sanity returns. The irony is that there are multiple buyers even for old bikes in the less than $300 range.
After missing out on some bikes I finally managed to buy a solid Trek 700 from 2000. It was from an older man who switched to an e-bike. On the pictures, it looked like it had a bit of rust however it turned out that it was grease which I assume was there to avoid rust. He said the tires are original which means it was not used much as they don't show much wear if any. The rear derailleur works beautifully. The front derailleur needs to be adjusted a bit as it rubs the chain on the tallest gear and the breaks need to be adjusted and perhaps new pads. The only snag I hit so far is the seat stay tube seems to be ever so slightly smaller than my 2011 Cannondale Quick was preventing me from using my seat. I need to see if there is a way to remove my seat from the post and attach it to this bike. Having said that, the seat actually looks new it just needs to be adjusted to be horizontal. It might be a women's seat as his girfriend has been using it since he got the e-bike. It has cantilevered brakes which I recently watched a youtube video on how to clean/adjust to increase braking power. The wheels spin nicely and they are true. The bike rolls really nicely with no resistance. The hubs sound really good. I think the important stuff like BB, hubs, shifters/derailleurs are in solid shape except for the front needing a slight adjustment. It's all Shimano hardware.
I'm going to have to identify and look up how to adjust the derailleur.
If any owners out there have any tips/suggestions feel free to share.
Cheers,
George
P.S. Forgot to mention fit works as well. It's a large frame but standing over the top bar I have like an inch to inch and a half clearance. It has 700x35c tires. The tires look really good as it has a continuous section along the rolling surface which should provide a slick like feel on pavement, which is what I do mostly. It's a bit knobby on the sides but still round which should provide nice grip if I do go on dirt. It cost me CAD$125 ~USD$95.