From 1978 to 1980 there were 730's, and they were DB 531 race (geometry) bikes. They became the 750 and 75x bikes, later 760/770. You recall correctly regarding those. I am almost entirely unfamiliar with Trek MTBs (zero interest), so I can't speak to a 730 mountain bike produced later on. I ride an '82 720, a touring bike. That is worth every penny in terms of ride quality. Was on mine today.

A small update to stir the embers of this thread. With the '81 complete, it's exclusively '82 715 time. One photo to show the paint in sunlight. Such a beautiful blue. Second photo shows most recent progress. I am presently hampered by an old Suntour down tube cable stop that no longer exists because it broke when I was tightening it to the down tube. Need to get another!

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...817f0492ce.jpg

The brake caliper situation is temporary, with a Tektro R539 in front and an Ultegra 6500 in back. The R539 reaches to 60mm on one side and a whopping 64mm on the other, far longer than its spec'd 59mm max reach. This is good info to know, as is the fact that I need 54mm of reach in front. Tektro R528s, IIRC, are spec'd to reach 54mm. That would be nice to run that brake, assuming it comes in nutted mounting. I have conversion bolts, but would have to check if I have the right lengths as I've done a few swaps with other calipers already.

I've had a casual "goal" of seeing if this bike can top out at the 10 kg mark, and I thought that was going well until this most recent weigh-in, which put the bike at 22.3 lbs with bar tape, cables, and pedals to go. It will likely be a 23.0 lb / 10.4 kg bike at the end of the day, which is not a disappointment to me at all. A normal stem (not a super tall Technomic) and running down tube shifters would get me real close to 10 kg on the nose, but that's not what this bike is about. I may drop the stem down a touch for proportion's sake, but otherwise it's working towards the finish line here.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dd45758ada.jpg

If you end up wanting to sell either frame or see another, let me know. I'm 6'4" and looking on with jealousy up here in Seattle...

I'll keep you in mind should I come to that point. At this juncture, any letting go of either 715, the grey '81 would be as a complete bike (though I'd swap to tan wall tires), and the blue '82 as a frameset since the components on it are one part special to me and another part worth some coin, which would put the complete bike into a price echelon it wouldn't sell in. I am thinking the '82 is more a kindred to my '82 720 than to its '81 counterpart--from my initial test riding--but that waits to be seen. Rode the 720 today, in 90° heat no less, as well as a little the evening before. It remains the standard by which other bikes in my possession are measured.

Cheers, I think I'm getting close to reconciling myself to the idea that I probably need to go for a full custom rather than waiting for the exactly-right unicorn to fall into my lap. I've spent so much time on forums and trolling craigslists across the country that I just should have bitten the bullet a year or two ago.

This thread has me, too, inspired to hunt down a 710 as an 'upgrade' to my 400T. Similar to what someone posted above, I've never really wanted to like Treks... But about a year ago a 400T came up for sale cheap, and I said, oh why not...? I wasn't sure if I'd keep it or not, but I ended up building it up with 650b wheels, fenders, etc, etc, and it's quickly become my most oft-ridden bike. A 710 seems like a nice step up to full Reynolds. Do I need the step up? Well, no, but....

Those later 400's have all the Trek virtues, just with more beef in the tubing. You converting it to 650B with resulting larger-volume tires, is in my opinion, a great move. I had both a 400 and an Elance of some variation last year. 700x28 was harsh on Seattle streets, 32s were noticeably better, but nothing seems to both ease road harshness/impacts while still being beautifully responsive like a full 531 frame, certainly at the "smaller" tire sizes. A quality 35mm tire is about the (minimum) point where a less-than-700-series frame is 'calmed down' satisfactorily over crummier pavement, at least as far as I have found riding 400, 500, 600, and 700-series Treks (and other stout bikes, like P15-9 Paramounts). Then one gets essentially all the benefits of a Trek frame with none of the rarity-in-finding hassle. Especially so if a 650B conversion is involved. Trek also got better at making the front and rear brake reach the same or close. That remains a significant or limiting factor, for me, in the appeal and recommendation of these bikes, especially if one wants to run fenders. 650B pretty much eliminates that problem.

Still, in all of this, a really comfortable saddle that has some give to it, ideally coupled with a comfortable handlebar/brake lever setup, seems like it will make any bike feel like it has large plush tires. Certainly if going from a modern race saddle like a current-generation Fiziki Aliante.

I have the one year only 1983 full 531 model 700. Recently got an 82 400 in three tube Ishiwata 022. Agreed with the above assessment of the 35s really making a nice ride out of this early 400. On my bikes the geometry is very similar with the 400 having a bit less trail. It is a plush casual ride on the 35s while the 700 on 32s is slightly more sporting in feel.

Last night's festivities revolved around some tire swapping and test riding a handful of my bikes. Short test rides for direct comparisons. Thinking I might get the '81 closer to selling, I swapped my venerable pair of Soma SV 700x33s from the purple 1980 510 to the '81, though not after test riding the 510 in its most updated (2x vs 3x crankset) configuration. The rims on the '81 were MA2s then, and are Arayas now, but the Soma tires (model and size) are the same between this '81 710/715 and my previous '81 710/716. And guess what? This 'new' '81 felt great, essentially the same as the previous '81. The Challenge tires felt really nice, but switching to the same size (actual, not nominal) Somas dropped 70g out of each wheel (not joking!) netting a noticeable difference when out of the saddle. The bike rocked naturally with me; there was no being out of time or out of phase.

And this continues to be a trait of 531 frames and whatever biomechanics I bring to the bike. 531 frames, when set up well, require no learning curve or acclimation for out of saddle pedaling--the man and machine integration is seamless and instant. Other frames have fought me (Columbus) or felt out of phase or a half-step behind (older Trek 410s and 510s) or require me to adapt to it (carbon--my Orbea, or a Cervelo S3).

Here is the '81, looking so very natural in this classic color and component composition. Like I said before, I was angling to get it closer to being for sale, but after riding it again with the Soma tires newly installed, the word that immediately came to mind was "Nope!" This is a chapter in life where I need to be a bit more flexible in what I have as I go about things, hence my consideration of its sale so soon after its completion. Having sent the Avocet Racing saddle to the '82, I may return it here as even with the nose of this Avocet Touring saddle tilted ever so slightly upward, the padding compresses and pushes me down/forward onto the handlebars more. The Avocet Racing saddle, in the same orientation, doesn't. The final change might be to wider-at-the-levers handlebars for an even better out-of-saddle "experience" as well as likely less arm fatigue on longer rides with it.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...08f0f858e2.jpg

Taking the '81's place on the Do I Sell This? block is the 510 that I guess I'm sneaking into here. The move to these bought-used-but-new GP5000 32mm tires--the same inflated size as the Somas that were on it--brought the out-of-saddle response to 70-80% of any of the 531 frames. Where as the rear end was sluggish and a half step slow before, it's in sync with my pedal efforts now. It's still a 510 and like my Chestnut Brown 510 before, is not a ball of fire out of the saddle. I'll need a plusher saddle (or cycling shorts) to get back some comfort lost from the Somas, but even then, the front end (stem, bars) communicates plenty, so there's no getting away from reality.

Two more changes to bring up the comfort factor and increase the ease-of-response and eagerness when out of the saddle: 1) stem flip to elevate the handlebars--it's amazing what a cm or two will do to fore-aft rider weight distribution and comfort, as well as out-of-saddle motion. The '81 was/is quite sensitive to it. 2) build up an all-rounder wheelset to give my Open Pro rims something to do. These DA16 wheels weigh over 2,100g, and I think a lot of the weight to be shed is in the rim, and rim weight affects response and ride quality in my experience. I have all the elements to make this exact wheel color composition, and the weight is a little over 1,900g. I think that will yield a definite improvement.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5c3798870.jpg

Lastly, I got the '82 to a point I could at least pedal it around and get an initial feel for it with this saddle, bar, stem, etc setup. Again, 531 frames = natural movement with me out of the saddle. I just need shift cable housing, which I must have put on another bike that got sold last month or something. So that's the final delay--one of my own making here. With regard to ride quality, all is good so far, but there is some dive-y-ness in the steering at slow speeds. I haven't experienced this before with tires of this (smaller) size--it's a sensation usually reserved for 35mm or larger tires on bikes designed with 28-32mm tires in mind. The handlebars are 44cm wide instead of the usual 42cm width I use, and in my experience, wider bars mitigate the wheel flop sensation (this has helped on big tire installs on my 620 and Specialized Tricross). So that's one to learn from and figure out. All in good time.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6bbcb46cc1.jpg

Agree 100%. I haven't been able to get down with STI/brifters, but I have had to concede to various age-related joint issues and have ended up with Tektro RL340 levers on most of my bikes. It pained me aesthetically to see various Mafac and Campy levers move to the parts bin, but that's been offset by significant comfort gains. And (for me), a nicely broken in Brooks is essential.

My Tektro lever of choice is the R200--the Campy 9/10-speed Ergo lever copy--I really enjoy it and have it on my Trek 720 and 620, with a spare pair in one of my parts bins. I'm glad a Brooks saddle works for you and so many people. I have tried many times to get various B17s to work with me and it's just never been successful. But some old Specialized "Body Geometry" saddle with plenty of miles under it makes any bike feel like it has 42mm tires. I wish cool-looking saddles were as comfortable as that. Older Prologo Scratch Pros come quite close, but are often very colorful/graphic-y, which makes them a bit inappropriate-looking on, say, a taupe-and-brown 720.

Half of me doesn't know why I'm posting this photo when I could just wait until tomorrow with light and an outside shot. Maybe just to say I got it done...done but not "complete." Done to the point where I could test ride it properly. We had temps well into the 90s over the weekend, and today was partly overcast and much cooler. Don't know if that's the root of the latter half of today's funk or if it was a couple of smaller detractors plus the continuance of "life" referred to in the first post, but here we are.

The '82 is a real sweetheart and does all the things I like. Perfectly behaved. Saddle to brake lever reach is a touch short and felt awkward with the 44cm bars, but dropping the stem height 1/2" or so put the right amount of my weight on the bars and things felt normal/good. Tons of easy speed, and easy to carry it. I was going up an incline in the big ring pretty easily (out of the saddle), easier than I thought I should. Everything is nice but something is off. It looks good, but for whatever reason there is something about the component set that isn't where it should be, and I don't know what the answer to that is yet. I knew this going into the completion portion tonight, using spare cable housing that didn't match, as well as not cutting the shift cables and capping them off. This is uncommon for me, so something is amiss. For pretty much everyone else/all of you, this doesn't look like an issue, but if I'm reaching for the 720 after test riding the '82 to "cheer me up" for some inexpressible reason, there is work to be done.

Good bikes are the result of good componentry paired well to a frame and to the rider. The 720, like bikes before it, is the culmination of much thought, work, and component iteration that has led it to truly become something special, the best it can be. The '82, by virtue of what it presented itself as, is now on that path. The '81 much less so as it's theme as a period correct beauty was a straightforward affair, but that '82... mixed (aka aesthetically-mismatched) component eras and at-odds gesture are present. [thinking out loud:] This confirms that the Avocet Racing saddle goes back to the '81. Put a previously-shown Fizik Aliante on this and present a fully modern component set to 'point the way' to the next to-do item.........

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b5e18a6cb1.jpg