John Ummel

I love old steel Treks. What late 70 or early 80 Trek road bike, with original components, is considered a a good find today - from a collector and rider perspective?

Re-Cycle

I would venture that every trek from that era was to some degree desirable. https://www.vintage-trek.com/ may have a better answer.

John Ummel

Yes, I have been all over that site but I am looking for the opinions of other early Trek fans.

redneckwes

I've had a 330, 400, 460 and a 520.

330 is my trainer bike, made in Taiwan in '89 so it's not an "early" Trek, but no complaints.

400 was too small for me, but it was a nice riding reliable machine.

460 was too "Race" so I traded it off to a fellow forum member, very well made frame though.

520 I love my 520, mine is an '83, first year for the 520, last year for the panel decal. It's getting restored this year.

Can't say much about the better Treks I've never had anything in R531 ect...

fender1

I have a 1981 24" 710 that I like. Reynolds 531 Frame and fork. It can flex a bit when pressed hard with a load but all in all a fine ride. Mine has no original components and has been repainted.

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USAZorro

I'd say a 170 or a 720

leftthread

What frame size are you looking for?

yellowjeep

where is ridethecliché

Bikedued

I LOVE my 1983 560. Reynolds 501, so it handles my 225 pounds very well. A little heavier than the 531 models, but I don't mind. VERY stable ride and handling, predictable to say the least.,,,,BD

Hocam

I have a Reynolds 531 1986 Trek 560 that handles beautifully. I would love a bike with modern steel tubing and the same geometry, it just corners so well. This does come at the cost of significant toe overlap, but that has yet to be an issue (it hasn't made me crash yet).

sop

Here's one I just rebuilt. Bought it new...way back when. The paint was just getting too shabby, so I had it powdercoated. It's a mid-eighties trek 560 Pro Series, Reynolds 531, 60cm. It rides like nothing else I own. These old Treks are real classy rides, definitely worth the trouble.

waldowales

I love my Campy equipped '85 600. Thinking of selling my '06 1000 and keeping the older one, just feels so smooth and responsive. Weighs 21 lbs but feels lighter.

Road Fan

I've got a 1984 610 and a friend's 1983 600 on hand, and both frames are well made, both have IMO funny steering.

In terms of pure class, I would look for a '70s TX900, Trek's Columbus-based frame. The 930 was the racing bike with a wheelbase of 99 cm in a 56 cm frame, while the 910 was a tourer with 103.5 cm in a 56 cm. The racer had less rake, hence more trail, and a slightly higher BB.

Road Fan

zac

My son and I are doing an '83 760 frame restoration. It's royal blue with a silver head tube. The lug work is same as the tubes, but there are numerous cutouts, that I painted in yellow. I am the original owner (actually had 3 of them, but this is the only one still left.) I just finished stripping the paint and will be sending her off for new paint and panel and Reynolds 5-3-1 labels soon. I am keeping it to original colors.

Haven't decided to what to hang back on her yet. I originally built it with Suntour SuperbePro (and still have a new in the box complete group), But I will most likely reinstall what I was riding on her: Campy NR. My son is amazed how simple it is to work with that old Campy stuff!

zac

marengo

I have an '85 400, I believe that was the only year that 531 construction overlapped with the cast lugs and that's why I bought it. I like it very much, however with a replacement fork, powdercoat, coldset and lacking a single original component it could hardly be considered collectable.

My point is this: the valve of a given bike to you depends on what you like and how you intend to use it, I like 531, I like the cast lugs, the fastback seat cluster, I was thinking of building something more modern than the rest of my bikes, so when this frame came along I was willing to pay $150 for it and consider it a bargain. Many people here would think that too much, there are often stories of members finding comparable complete original bikes for less than I paid for this frame.

We can't really answer your question: do some research, look at a lot of bikes, figure out what exactly appeals to you and when you find it you'll know what to do.

digitalbicycle

True, or a 970. But if you want a great bike at a good price, go with a 660, undervalued IMO. Also, the Reynolds 531-tubed 620 tourer is a great bargain, there's one on Tucson CL right now for $125.

paulwwalters

Hi Road Fan,
I just got an '81 610 today, do you know anything about it?

RFC

I'm going to suggest something a little different. I have owned or ridden a number of Treks. My favorite model is the 1989 660. I have two of them. For me, this model was the hot rod or street racer of the earlier line. It is a true steel criterium bike with a short wheelbase, relatively sharp head and seat tube angles(73.5/73.5), and weighed in at, for what was then, a respectable 22.5 lbs. It came with also respectable components -- Shimano 600, the predecessor to Ultegra, and index shifting. Of course, all of this is a function of personal asthetics and fit. I have found that my body and its dimensions seem to fit and function best on bikes with sharper angles, i.e., criterium, track, and TT/Triathlon. Actually, I have one of my 660's set up as close as I can get it to my 2007 Schwinn Madison and they are very similar in ride and feel. I use these two bikes when I want an aggressive, over-the-top workout. The 660 also can be accuartely described with almost all of the standard slang, including "tight," "quick," "responsive," etc.

Here is a pic of one of mine

roccobike

I have the same bike, only a smaller frame (56cm) and I like it too. It is my favorite vintage road bike.
I also have a 400 with 27" rims, not quite as nice, but in its own way, I like that bike too. I had a 330 with Accushift. It had a really nice ride, but it was a 48cm frame, too small so I sold it late last year.
If you can find one of these Treks at a flea market or a yard sale, I'd say buy it, regardless of the model you can't go wrong.

Road Fan

You can learn about what I know by looking up www.vintage-trek.com, finding your correct model and year based on teh serial number, and looking through the pdf'd brochures and specs. Don't be surprised if the equipment is different from "stock" or if the SN lists as something other than a 610 and other than a 1981. It can be a detective game, and some people have sold bikes that were not identified consistent with the web site. It's claimed that exceptions exist, but I've seen a lot of truth.

In short, 43.5 cm chainstays, 531 db main tubes, ishiwata non-chromoly forks and stays, silver brazed. I think mine is very similar. I might want one or an earlier one as a piece of history, but I think it'll ride like mine does.

caloso

I love my '89 660 too. I made an eBay score by getting the frame and fork for $50 + shipping. I've set it up as a fixed gear rain commuter/training bike and the fit mimics my race bike, which also happens to be a Trek (but in carbon fiber). As RFC says, it's light and quick. I bet the 660 won quite a few races on the domestic amateur circuit in its day.

I had the same paint scheme as RFC's but it was getting pretty shabby so I had it powdercoated last month. Here's a picture after I got it rebuilt.



Still haven't decided on restoring the decals. I think I may leave it in stealth mode.

lotek 

I had and sold an 85 670 which was a very smooth riding bike. I have an 84 770 which I
haven't built up yet. According to one of the guys who built the 170 series the 770 was the
same frame only it was 531P tubing (and the same as the 760 which had suntour superbe components).

Personally I think the steel treks are some of the most undervalued/underrated bikes out there.

Marty

John Ummel

22". Standover of 32"

John Ummel

Interesting that you showed a pic of 83 Trek mountain bike; looking for a raodbike. However, I have an 84 850 MTB in near new condition with the 531 frame. This bike has never seen a dirt path and is awesome to ride. You could throw it off a cliff and it would be fine.

John Ummel

I was following a TX 930 on ebay just several days ago; which appeared to have just one bidder. Did you see that one. I wonder what it went for?