Originally Posted by
Bogey Speedwell
some excellent advice here, I will heed these words for sure. You’re right about the treks here, perhaps I’ll keep an eye out for one. I do enjoy working on them, second only to riding them!
I would second the advice on vintage Treks given your neighborhood.
It's been said by many that Trek's low-tier bikes were as good as any other company's mid-tier.
The 70s and early 80s Treks were hand silver brazed using excellent butted tubesets and have (imo) the perfect sport touring geometry for spirited rides with decent tire clearances with fenders (some of the rear seats yay bridges were a little low).
There's better frames out there, but I don't think a better value exists, especially in Trek heavy areas like the Great lakes and (strangely) Portland.
The market is slow right now, and I ended up "rescuing" too many of these frames. I'm sure it won't be hard for you to pick up a nice 510 or 710.
One of the big draws of these frames is the ride quality and tire clearances, so allocate a good part of your budget for some excellent tires.