Got inspired by OldCruiser and had a little time on my hands and wanted to give the old girl a new purpose...and I didn't even have to message him for help! Is it a beach cruiser? I have no idea since it hasn't been near a beach in a long time but it sure is comfy like one. Gave it a good cleaning, new 7 spd cassette, new chain, repacked the wheel bearings, replaced all the cables, added a comfy fat saddle that I had sitting around and new handlebars for $5 from the co-op and tuned everything up. Shifts incredibly smoothly with the original derailleurs and fresh cables. The Trek 800 sure was built like a tank...pretty sure it's a 1990.

Before:


After:


I know the pics aren't great but I hope you'll get the idea. Looking forward to a warmer day so I can put a few shakedown miles on it. Can I say I was sad when I was finished? First time I ever did something like this and it was way fun!

Congrats on your cruiser conversion. I would guess most cruisers never see a beach .
You can cruise anywhere. I cruise my neighborhood and the town where I live all the time.
Looks nice !

Tank is right! Those are great bikes but heavy compared to the 830/850. What tires are you running?

Oh it's heavy...as in real heavy. But it always rode super smoothly. Guess those 2 are related?

They're Kenda Kross Plus. It used to see gravel trails years ago so they worked OK but they're a little prone to punctures at bad times in my experience...always rode with a spare tube or 2.

Not sure what will be after these wear out. They still have plenty of tread on them so I'll probably try to wear them out first.

Spend some time here and you can find the details on the year and original build. The 800 was intended to be a reasonable priced Trek to complete with lesser brands. Frames were definitely heavy but still nice bikes. I've cleaned up one 800, three 820s, one 830, and three 850s and there is definitely weight reduction and jump in component quality as you go up the line.

r/xbiking is filled with bikes built similar to yours - you'll find multiple tire conversations in that group. IMO there are two approaches - durable and long lasting or comfort and ridability.

As I spend more time one two wheels, I have move the second of the two. I like 26x1.90" or 26x2.0" and run lower pressures for better ride. As for tires, any Panaracer GravelKing with the "Plus" or "+" designation is a nice balance between durable and comfortable. Continental DoubleFighters are another great all around option I have used in 26"x1.90" and 700cX38 sizes. Another option I like are Panaracer CometHardpack but they tend to have a bit of a buzz while on paved trails. The DoubleFighters can be found for $25-30 and CometHardpacks can be had for under $20/shipped on eBay.

Also, check out the Classic & Vintage section of the forum for more ways that people have remixed the late 80s/90s mountain bikes.

Awesome. Thanks for the info and suggestions. Haven’t thought about what may happen next with it but def have some stuff to read. It’s always been my “rainy day” ride.

FWIW- Spent 4 years in Marietta. Great place. Ohio will always have a soft spot in my heart.

And here’s a better pic for what it’s worth: