Alright, I've made a final decision. I've decided to just ride the 820 for awhile and was planning to take it to the LBS for an overhaul. However, I don't want to get too far into this financially so I decided to bite the bullet and overhaul it myself. I never worked on a bike until about the past year or so, when I've been tinkering quite a bit with my bikes. I've also got two manuals (Parks & Bicycling) along with YouTube. Having the ability to maintain and build my own bikes has been a goal for a couple of years so I'm going to the LBS today to invest in some tools and chemicals. I'm off for the next week so the plan is to overhaul the headset (easy...I've already had it apart and put it back together) and the hubs (not so confident there...especially on the rear but on YoutTube it doesn't look to bad). I also replaced the Altus canti's with the Alivio canti's that came on my 730. Hooking those up is probably my biggest concern. I also ordered a set of the same simple thumbshifters I have on my good bike and I'm hoping those are pretty straight-forward to set up as there is no indexing to adjust.

I don't plan on doing anything with the crankset/BB at this time, primarily because it doesn't really have any play in it and it would be a couple more tools to buy. I know that after watching YouTube videos on installing/removing different cranks......all of my bikes are going to be running Hollowtech II from here on out (my good bike already does).

Shopping list for today:

Bearing grease (already have thread grease)
17mm cone wrench
chainwhip
bearings for front and rear hubs
bearings for headset
cables and housing for brakes

I already have degreaser, chain lube and a cassette tool.

Using a 17mm cone wrench is rare for me. Most are cone flats are 14 or 15. 17mm locknuts all the time, but I just use an endwrench on those.

I wasn't sure so I took the wheel and measured the nut with calipers and it was 17mm. Does this not sound right? I'm just trying to narrow it down so I can buy one wrench.

there is a one cone wrench made with steps on the 2 ends so 13-15/14-16 on one wrench
then you only need 2. 1 for each side ... this is for the flats on the cone itself, adjustment,
not the 17mm hex on the ends, thats the Locknut.

Got if figured out. The locknut was 17mm, like fietsbob said and the cone was 13mm. The square sides on the cone were so subtle I didn't think they were even there. Luckily, the guy at the LBS knew his stuff and I got the correct tools. I didn't get the chainwhip so the rear hub will have to wait. The front hub was much easier than I expected, assuming I've done it correctly.

Most shimano rears take 15mm cone wrenches, with 13mm fronts (as you found out.). The hardest part of a hub overhaul is finding the "sweet spot" between "barely loose" and "slightly binding". First few times I overhauled hubs, I had to readjust after a test ride around the block. Don't go on a long ride until you're sure you got it dialed. but, yeah, it's a pretty easy job, on a front, a singlespeed/fixed hub (unless there's a coaster), or a multigear hub for derailer use. IGHs are far more complicated; most cb hubs are fun to repack, but i've NEVER gotten the preload right on a KT coaster hub. Never, ever, at all. It seems like the sweet spot doesn't exist on those.

I overhauled the headset yesterday and when I got it back together the front end wobbled like crazy! I took the front wheel off and tested the headset......no play whatsoever. It was the hub that was extremely loose. I got the cone wrenches back out and started playing around with them again. I must have readjusted and remounted the wheel a dozen times with some being more wobbly than others. After about 30 minutes I finally realized what I was doing wrong (allowing the locknut to move the cone when tightening.....very subtle because it looked like I was holding it in place) and got the hub where it had just the slightest wiggle but was rock solid when the QR's were closed.

We're leaving for a couple of days but when we get back I'm going to get a chainwhip and brake cables/housings and do the rear wheel and TRY t set up the brakes. After that I only need to hook up some friction thumb shifters and it will be good to go! I still need to buy smoother tires but that can wait a couple of weeks till next payday.

I'm now seriously considering a 54cm Surly LHT with 26" wheels. The only thing that gives me pause is the long chainstays. I test rode a Karate Monkey and it was too stable for my tastes. Would be fantastic as an off-road bike but not to my taste as a pavement bike. I'm loving the ride of the 820 and I'm guessing that's closer to how a LHT would ride as opposed to my 73/73 Handsome Devil.

I used to ride a 54cm 26" LHT, in the truckaccino colorway. It was destroyed by a Ford Fusion, but I liked it while it lasted. If I had to do it again,i'd get a 56cm-- but, BITD, the 54cm was the biggest 26" LHT available.

Great bike, rides best when loaded...but, I suspect, based on your earlier comments, it won't have the handling characteristics you crave.

That's the thing. I may be changing my mind about the characteristics I want. The Trek 820 probably isn't as stable as an LHT but it's way more stable than the Devil, which is almost twitchy in comparison. The LBS where I rode the Karate Monkey has a big shipment of 2014 Surlys arriving in a couple of weeks and I'm scheduled to test ride a Troll and an Ogre but I'm really hoping they have a 26" LHT. They are quite a ways away but it's the first shop I've been to where they take your drivers license, give you a bike and pretty much say "we'll see you when you get back". It's right next to a major university in a university town so lot's of places to ride. I've never gotten to test ride a bike further than the parking lot of other LBS's.

Whatever I end up buying (or not)....getting there is half the fun!

UPDATE:

I picked up a mid-80's Takara MTB that is basically a knock-off of the old slack angle, long as a Battleship Stumpjumpers. I had a local framebuilder cold-set the stays to 135mm and it's waiting to be picked up. I got a quote on moving the canti braze-ons on my 730 and it's a fair price for me, if I decide to go that route.

I've been riding the 730 (sans brakes and gears) with 26" wheels and the knobby tires that came on them. I ordered a set of 55mm Big Apples and due to weather conditions, I just got one of them tonight (ordered almost 2 weeks ago). I stuck it on the front wheel and I already had my good 700c wheel on the back of the 730 and took it for a ride with a 700c/26" back-front mix, just to see how different the lack of knobbies would make the ride. I was very pleased because I didn't know if the sluggish ride was just part of heavier 26" tires or it was primarily the knobbies. It was definitely the knobbies so my idea for building a dedicated 26" bike is sound.

Once I get the second Big Apple I'll mount it up on my rear wheel and spend some time swapping them back and forth between the Takara, the 1995 Trek 820 and my 1995 Trek 730. Then I'll make a decision. The 730 will have to just blow me away with it's ride quality in order for me to have the studs moved but if it does, I'll make the commitment.

When I pick up the Takara they should have a 26" LHT that I can ride. Ordering a LHT frameset is also an option. Finally, I am also considering the Velo Orange Camargue that should be available in late Spring. Once they post the final geometry I'll know if it's definitely in the running or not. I would prefer stay with 700c on that bike.

I finally got both of my 55mm Big Apple tires. First and foremost, this was a test of those tires for a possible, nice build of a fat-tire bike. They passed with flying colors and really don't have any more rolling resistance than my 700c x 40 Duremes, which are on my main bike.

The first bike I put them on was the newly cold-set 80's Takara MTB frame (a knockoff of a mid-80's Stumpjumper). I was thrilled with the ride and began making plans for this bike.

The next day I swapped the wheels/tires over to my 700c Trek 730. Within the first 20 yards, all thoughts of the Takara vanished from my mind. I knew instantly that I prefer the more sporty handling of my 730 over the very stable handling of the Takara.

About a week later I finally got around to trying the wheels/tires on the 1995 Trek 820 MTB. I waited so long because this one is at my absolute limits for stand-over clearance, in that I really don't have any. I would be totally comfortable on pavement but not so much so on dirt. This bike was a surprisingly nice compromise between the stability of the Takara and the agility of the 730, while falling closer to the agility side.

So, the verdict is........the 820! Even though it's really too big, it was more pleasant to ride and once I get it dialed in I think it might be more comfortable than my good, 700c bike.

I hope this is a joke.

No… It is two months old, but it's not a joke.

Haven't gone back to look at the thread, but I'm pretty sure the OP is talking about 90s Treks. A low end trek hybrid (730) and a low end mountain bike (820) are NOT something to get defensive about. Again, nearly certain both will have had riveted chainrings.

Big deal. I've been riding a bike with riveted chain rings for nearly 20 years. Some of us just like to fiddle.

Looking at my parts collection yesterday, the idea occurred to me to braze 26" wheel height canti posts onto a 700c road/touring frame, put 26x2.1(+) commuter tires on it (estimated outer diameter of 668mm, 700x23 is 676mm; 26x2.35 would be ideal but I don't know what kind of clearance I'll have), and fenders (hopefully). First step: check forums for relevant insights/similar builds.

I am looking for reasons to or not to do this. The allure is the high-volume tires on a classic steel road frame and the opportunity to use parts I have.

I currently have:
-32h 126mm freehub and matching front hub
-nice 32h 559mm rim
-3x7 shifters
-deore dx rear der
-a handful of fronts
-1" threaded headset
-some stems
-bars
-a friend who would do the brazing/tig welding

If this isn't a terrible idea, what frames should I pursue? I need a frame built for 700c wheels that isn't too nice to put posts onto. Nicer 700c frames probably wouldn't have ample tire clearance. Clearly, I am still in preliminary planning stages of this build, but I'd love to put these parts to use on a road bike capable of navigating the terrible potholes I deal with on my commute. I already built up a Univega Alpina pro with 700x35s and a 1x9 drivetrain; I guess I want to do something similar with this build but making use of the narrower hubs and various other parts I have.

Have you moved forward with this project?

I decided the 820 was not for me and went back to riding my 700c Devil for awhile and then bought a 1993 Rockhopper frameset to make into a single-speed. I rode that for a few weeks and then realized that the head tube of the Rockhopper was just slightly longer than the head tube of my 730. So, I pulled the fork off the Rockhopper, stuck in on the 730, added about a cm of spacers and locked down the headset. I then put my 2.15" Big Apple shod 26" wheels back on, installed a V-brake on the front and my 730 26" conversion is all I've ridden since.

I've decided that the key factor for me is the very low bottom bracket. The Rockhopper is an excellent handling bike but the high bottom bracket and the long top-tube bothered me. The converted 730 fixes both issues. Long-term, I will either further update this bike to have rear brakes (either new canti-studs or a roller brake rear wheel) or commission a custom that is very similar to the 730 (Co-Motion Pangea and R&E UTB are top of the list).

The only issue I would warn you about is bottom bracket height. My 730 has about 60mm of drop and it works fine with 55mm Big Apples. The bottom bracket height is in the mid-to-high 27cm range. Co-Motion's Pangea has 55mm of drop and comes with much smaller tires and a BB height in the 26 cm range and that's an all-terrain bike.

Right now I'm running the 730 as a 1x7 (have a triple but no front derailleur...just been to lazy to remove the outer and inner rings) and will upgrade to a 1x9 when I have a custom wheel built. Simple friction thumb shifter for now and a Deore trigger shifter when I go 9-speed.

Good luck on your project and keep us informed!

Here's mine as I'm currently riding it:

I don't know if they're that great but I'll give you that they make sense for touring. Good post btw.

I have not. I have built up three other bikes since posting this and, in doing so, have not dimished my parts amassment. The fat tire road bike is still something I plan to build, but considering the fact that i could very well destroy whatever frame I employ for such a build has made me hesitant to spend any money for said frame. The 730 is a natural for wider tires, but the hubs I have for the project (mostly the rear hub) would not fit. I suppose the stays could be bent inward, but that seems like a waste of a practical 700c frame.

If and when this bike becomes reality, I will post photos and info about it. At this rate, it is probably a ways off.

Thanks.

U-brakes are often maligned on these boards, and outside the BMX world, they're all but dead. But I've yet to find a short-pull rim brake that will outperform a good u-brake. They're just a hassle to set up, especially if you haven't done many....but it's an acquired skill.

I personally go out of my way to find late 80s MTBs with chainstay-mounted u-brakes, b/c they're exceedingly rad.

What size is the 'Hopper frame?