Hello from South Torrance CA
Hi, I’m new here and got back into biking in August after a 31 year pause in road bikes. In the 90’s I got really into mountain biking but after a big crash in the summer of ‘97 and spending a week in hospital I promptly gave up the sport. In the 2010’s my son raced BMX for 6 years so I got back into BMX so I could ride with him.
Fast forward 3 years since we last rode at the track and I was looking for a fitness replacement since gyms were shut down due to Covid-19 and seeing a friend in Chicago post his vintage bike pics got me thinking. So after several days chatting with him I got a 1984 Trek 670.
When I went down to Huntington Beach to get it from the original owner who hadn’t ridden it in 25 years I was ready to pass on it. It was rusty and all the aluminum had light surface corrosion from being outside under a cover for 25 years near the ocean. Also it was massive, a 25.5” frame, the largest they offered. Between the bad paint/rust/corrosion and size being much bigger than I wanted at a modest 6’2 I said no thanks. He kept coming down on the price so I finally thought what the heck worst case I fix it up and flip it. I worked in bike shops as a mechanic in my 20’s so why not.
As it turns out, once I adjusted everything to fit me, I made it work and put 1000 miles on it. The 670 was the third from the top in 1984 and came equipped with parts I drooled over as a teen. I’ve gone on 50+ milers with it and hit almost 47mph coming down a hill. It is stable fast and crisp handling but ultimately it’s a bike for someone taller than me. So I have been hunting for one more to my size.
Since August 2020, I have acquired 3 more vintage steel bikes: a 1973/4 Falcon San Remo which my son rides and I occasionally ride, a 1988 Trek 360 which my stepson rides and I sometimes ride, and my latest which is to replace my 670, a 1983 SR Semi Pro is almost show room condition.
The three of us are all close to the same height, the boys are both quickly catching up to me and for sure my stepson will be taller than me. On all the bikes we have 2-bolt spd pedals so it’s nice we can ride whichever bike we want with just a small seat height change.
Anyhow this site has been an invaluable source of information for me as I especially researched the Falcon and SR which have limited info, unlike the awesome vintage Trek site where you can find out everything about old Treks. So hopefully I can contribute to the collective info on here and looking forward to having enough posts to share photos of my bikes.
cheers!