Found a Trek 700 series at a thrift store, but cannot ID the series, weird serial
 

Hi,
I just got this nice trek bike from a local thrift, just by chance for cheap. It seems kinda wierd as the serial does not match the what I can find on the forums or http://www.vintage-trek.com/model_numbers1.htm. I tried matching the color scheme there as well but got no where. My guess is a dark blue to silver fade.

Here is the Bike.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=253012

Looks nice, originally I thought it was a 70's-80's 700 tri but then when I looked closer it got weird.

The Trek badge on the front (with the plastic protector still on) was dated from 88-92 from the trek head badges, http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/company/believe
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=253015

The front of the bike does not match any early Trek model that I can find pictures of, looks like it was replaced (maybe?).
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=253016

Here is an additional decal noting trek as the manufacturer, this seems to be all original decals.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=253019

Here is the serial, again very wierd serial as it seems to list this as a TX770 from the early series according to http://www.vintage-trek.com/SerialNumbers.htm. The actual serial is GT5R5442. This is strange as the leading digits are 2 letters, which I am not sure is supposed to be... and the last 4 digits are numbers, again unusual.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=253020

Anybody know what this is? Seems like it could be a nice bike, has the original treads on it but the sidewalls are deteriorating. Maybe a franken bike? or a restore?

Thanks
Jeremy

You got it for cheap because there are millions of these. This is not a vintage steel Trek. I suppose you would call it a Hybrid and was between $250 and $300 new.
Check Bikepedia starting around 1993.

That is nice to get it cheap. It is definitely a nice bike to ride, but I am not sure it is actually from the 93+ era with that badge. None of the serials from that era are formatted like that. If it was a standard format the year digit is 5, it still does not match the year range of the badge on the frame (1985 or 1995). If the badge if a lie, it could be a '95 but the serial is off there as well. It is like someone repainted a tx770 from the 1975 and upgraded it to look modern. Problem is it has different welding on the frame.

Also, the paint job is listing the bike as a 700 series MultiTrack. But the colors do not match any pattern I can find listed.

+1 Its a later hyubrid, Trek reused the numbers for a totally different bike. Pretty much all the manufacturers do this, reuse the same name or model #s for a totally different bike.

The one model that irritates me the most this way is the Specialized Expedition. In the early 1980s, it was a top of the line touring bike. Very nice. Now it is a bottom of the line comfort bike.

Made in Taiwan, non-lugged frame = more modern hybrid.

Every time I see a CL or eBay ad for an Expedition, Sequoia or Sirrus I hope it's the 'genuine' article but most times it isn't.

I concur... you have a 90's hybrid bike, not one of the early models. 1st Lugs, then fork, then dropouts, then color/ decals.

:speedy:

+3

This is an early 90s low end hybrid. Still a decent bike, but not a "vintage steel Trek" in any sense. They reused the model numbers. This bike has not been restored or appear to have been modified in any way. It looks 100% original to me.

Check out page 21 of this catalog: http://vintage-trek.com/Trek-Fisher-...d/1992trek.pdf Probably not the same year but the same model as your bike.

Ok, this sounds about right must have been an early hybrid in 1992. Probably why it is not in the catalogs as this is when they started hitting the market.

Anybody have a clue what this is worth value wise? I would like to know if I overspent or not.

As-is, looks like it needs new tires and maybe a tuneup. I recently sold a 720 (one level up) for $120. As-is I'd say you're looking at $50-75 for yours, but if you fix it up and get new tires it could be in the $100-120 range depending on your location.

Also I noticed the stem is above the minimum insertion point. Lower it before riding, it's a safety issue.

That head badge timeline is off. I have a bike that I know 100% is a 1993 with the same badge as this bike. What are the components? The Altus -> alivio swap was around 1995. Those brakes and pads look newer than mine which are 1993.

Hell, the cover page of the 1994 catalog is the 88-92 logo according to the timeline.
http://www.vintage-trek.com/images/trek/94/Trek94.pdf

this is your bike. Ice Blue to violet fade?

The red 470 in the 1995 catalog has the same, "88-92" head badge.
http://www.vintage-trek.com/images/trek/95/Trek95.pdf

The Multi-Tracks are actually pretty nice bikes for casual riding. i have a 720, and I really like it. Most important thing here is the fit. If it is the right size for you, paid under $100, you did OK. Forget snob appeal, or making a fortune off it...just get out there and have a nice time riding. If it needs tires, try finding a non-aggressive pair of 700 x 35s. I put Nashbar Transition tires on mine.