Yeah, it's been a struggle. I'm almost to the point of selling it and my other ancient MTB and buying a new one. I already have a SS/FG with 700c wheels...

Here it is in my messy garage.

No no no keep keep keep! I'll post pics of mine later today. Once you get the frame all stripped down, you'll realized how light it is. These were the highest-end Trek steel tig-welded frames they made, and also probably the best gen of the Trek Single Tracks from 1990-1998. That 94-96 was really the sweet spot. Also, when built up, it handles great! What a great platform. Ditch that brick of a fork and go 700c rigid steel disk fork 1 1/8 threadless, which can be found.

Hahaha, yes of course you're right. I had the fork off this weekend. It is a very light frame. I actually ordered a fork last night only to realize this morning that it will be too short to keep the angles correct, so I canceled the order. Maybe a 700c fork would keep the angles right. I have been searching and searching for a decent fork that won't break the bank; there are so many things to consider with brakes, wheel size and axle to crown length. I wasn't sure if a 700c fork would work. Maybe I'll take a closer look at those.

The cheapskate way to do it, maybe, is to find a decent donor bike.

What Headpost said; find a donor bike from CL, as I was attempting to suggest in my last post. I do love my little 930.

Apparently, I'm a little dull; I didn't catch that. I have been looking though. Nothing on CL that I could use. Ebay is too cluttered with new products from overseas to find anything. The fork I almost bought was only $80 and it looks nice and isn't too heavy. Too bad it won't work. I read a lot about these bikes and apparently the 970 had rigid forks. Maybe I should look for those. The few I've come across already have suspension forks though; they also weren't for sale. I don't want to settle for a junky fork that looks ugly and weighs as much as a boat anchor either, which makes it that much harder. I'll keep looking.

I had a steel bike back in the 90's and at the time, I kinda hated it, but it was all I could afford. Looking back, I wish I had kept it, because it would be perfect for this project and it already had a rigid fork. That is also part of the reason I got the 990.

950 thru 990 had the same frame/forks, so keep a lookout. Don't forget your local co-ops and C&V's for sale thread. You can also put an ISO post in CL. Dang it, IT CAN BE DONE!

ETA: What city & state are you in? I'm very extremely bored and will check CL for you, if that's okay. You just need a mid-'90s mtb. with a 1 1/8" steerer. How hard can it be?

Thanks for the offer. I live in Las Vegas, NV. Always happy to help with someones extreme boredom. I scoured Las Vegas and Los Angeles CL today, also eBay and the entire internet. I have been reading a lot about this stuff the past 2 days and I need a fork that will equal the approximate height of the suspension fork, so I don't change the geometry of the bike too much. For this bike that is approximately 435mm axle to crown. Turns out, that specific axle to crown length is very difficult to find. I have found a few new ones that are pretty close for not a ridiculous amount of money, but most of them are way too short or way too long or are road forks with only caliper brake mounts, etc. My order for the other fork has not been officially canceled so I don't want to order anything new until I hear back from Universal Cycles about my order. But once that happens, I will probably just buy one from an online retailer, so I can make sure I get one with the proper height.

In other news! I did a mock-up with the rear drop-out and the 700c wheel I have on my FG/SS bike and it fits perfectly with the 23mm tire and there is plenty of room to go wider. I almost bought a set of 26" wheels off CL today, but I think I am going to hold out for a 700c set instead.

If I can get the fork/wheels situation figured out, it will be a sweet ride.

In an effort to not start a new thread, has anyone done 26" to 650B on an old mtb? Seems like that would be a good compromise between 26" and 700C. I'm wondering if the brake adjustment is easier with the shorter 650B wheel?

So many. You'll likely need longer reach brakes.

In the time a posted that and now, I managed to find a buddy with 650b wheels I could use to test fit. I think I got lucky with my frame and brakes

Woo hoo! You really lucked out! You win.

What about this guy? He's advertising parts, he may have something lying around. And is Crank and Grind still around?

Wow, that's a good price for that stuff. I can check if he has other stuff. Thanks.

I still have everything for the original bike except for the seatpost, saddle and wheels (not all original, but original to me when I purchased the bike on eBay). I'll have to double check, but I think I still have the derailleurs too.

I have also considered this option. Looks like it works pretty well too!

I think I just got lucky. The same buddy I borrowed the wheels from couldn't get them to work on his 26" wheeled mtb.

Wow, that is lucky. I have been thinking about doing this for a long time and my solution has always been to use disc brakes which is turning out to cause a bunch of other issues. However, they do make those extenders for canti and V-brakes. I can't remember what they are called, but they add another 3/4" or so more capacity, so you and your buddy should be able to make those brakes work with any wheel that is at least a 26". That is as long as you can find those extender things.

The bike looks good! Further inspiration for my project.

Haha yes!!! I figured it was time for me to actually get some skin in the game, so here is my frame below, along with some weights, for any interested parties.

This is the Trek 990 triple butted frame, OXIII true temper tubing. Weight: 2077g / 4.58lbs for the 16" frame, which acts like a slightly larger size due to the longer top tube.

I'm going to go ahead and throw this one together again. When it is together it is a bit of a mix-master in appearance, but don't let that fool you - it is a superb ride!

Very nice!

Okay, so I decided to strip the frame + fork of my Trek 990 and do a 'gun blue' steel finish on the bike, with silver components. This bike is worth the time and work. It rode beautifully before, now it will look beautiful as well.

The paint already had plenty of scrapes and rust, so this will be a good chance to remove all the rust and start fresh.

This type of finish requires more maintenance than a usual paint job, but there is no way to mess it up, no such thing as 'scraping the paint', and if it needs refreshed, it will be as easy as a little steel wool, and it will be good as new.

I need to get all the way to raw steel, so I need to strip the already rough finish. At first I used 150 grit...was taking a while, then went down to something like 80 grit. Finally, I found that using a razor blade seemed to work pretty well and finished off the second half of the frame using that method. Slow going, but it worked, and no nasty chemicals.

My plan is to get it stripped down to raw steel, then use some 'Perma Blue', and then a product called 'Rust Prevention Magic', which was designed for period correct car restorations, to be used on unfinished steering/control arm components to keep them from rusting. It goes on invisible, and provides a bit of a protective shell the penetrates the pores/surface of the metal. I've got one raw bike I've used it on, and its been probably over two years since I did that bike, and the bike is nearly rust free. I don't ride it in storms and I don't live in a really humid environment, so I can get away with it. If you were to attempt something similar, YMMV.

I've done research on the clear powder coat over raw/blued steel, and what I have found out is that it has the most unbelievable, cool look...for a couple of years. Then, somehow rust finds its way underneath the powdercoat shell, and starts rusting from the inside. Therefore, I'm going with the higher maintenance finish that will be a breeze to repair.

Here was the progress today - got the frame about 80% stripped - lots of hand work. Just have to get the nooks and crannies, then finish off with 220 grit. Maybe tomorrow I will do some finish work and do the fork as well.

And where I am at now:

That looks really good so far. I ordered some wheels and a fork. I have a few more misc. parts to get and then I can put mine together.

Thanks! Got a little more detail work done yesterday, and removed the front derailleur cable hanger, as I will never use it.

Also, recently I found some bars that will eventually make their way to this bike -

https://alsrapidtransit.com/shop?ols...-bar-30&page=2

These bars will solve several problems I've come across with the build. First, they'll get the bars up to a more comfortable level since the headtube is so low. Biggest benefit (to me) is that they are made in USA. I'm trying to keep this build as American as possible. Plus, I've looked for alloy, mx style handlebars for months now and have been coming up empty handed. That these ones are wide and have the benefit of modern geometry is icing on the cake. I grew up riding bmx so the Trek will pay a bit of homage to that.

I'd love to get a custom wheelset made for the bike, but first things first. I need to keep working at it over time, which is sort of what makes this so much fun. Next up is finishing the frame and fork, and then fabricating a rear v-brake adapter. I just got word that the perma-blue for the frame shipped, so hopefully should be doing that soon!

More to come later!

Welp, just found the stem I want for the build, key word being want!!!

That's kinda what I was thinking. I didn't ride BMX as a kid, but I rode a BMX style bike and I was actually thinking the same thing about this bike; part of why it's going to be single speed. The wheels I got are used, but they seem decent. They are single speed 135mm (rear) and 29er wheels, so I can have the larger skinnier tires. I might still get a set of 26er wheels, as well, as I am going to move forward with the disc brake conversion. I got a Surly fork with disc mounts, so I don't have a choice on the brakes up front. The fork is tall enough to compensate for the suspension fork, so I should be OK with the headset height, but I may also try to raise the bars a bit. Getting old sucks.

I am interested in the finish, so definitely post pix when you that part done.