Hi All,

I told my Dad this spring that I was thinking of buying a road bike and he said he had one he would give me. It is a 1982 Trek 710 25" (according to the info @ vintage-trek that I found through this forum - Thanks).





Anyway I had to replace the rear wheel and the chain and added clipless pedals but other than that I have just been riding the heck out of it. About 300 miles a month so far.

Is there anything good bad or indifferent I should know about this bike, or old treks in general?
I have no idea if it is stock or modified, I notice other bikes from that year seem to have the shifters on the frame not on the bars?
I have never ridden another road bike so I don't have much to compare it to. I know it is quite a bit heavier than newer bikes but it is flat here in Eastern NC so I don't think it matters much. I have no trouble keeping up with the group that rides on Sunday from the local bike shop.

I have noticed that the brake levers seem to be mounted really low, so low that I cannot ride with my hands on the hoods. I assume they can be moved - is there a "proper" placement?

Other than that I intend to add a set of aero bars, re-wrapping the handlebars and continuing to ride it as much as possible.

Thanks in advance for comments/suggestions.

-Cliff

Yeah, you should know that you have a nice bike there and you should continue to ride the heck out of it! As for the levers, as you've found, they may be more versatile moved up a bit so you can ride the hoods, but low enough that you can still give the levers enough pull to stop you if you're riding in the drops. Also, it looks like moving them up will give your rear brake housing a little more slack. As it stands, in the photo, the housing looks tight, which can cause poor braking, or unexpected braking if you rotate the steerer much. You should also look into getting some hoods for the brake levers; it'll make riding on the hoods more comfortable.

I've got those same barend shifters, and they're great. Stick with them, they're an upgrade in my book!

The Park Tool website has excellent 'how-to' pages.

Here is the one that describes proper setup of the handlebars, which includes brake levers.
https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=72

Basically, you want the tips of the levers to be nearly in line with the bottom edge of the handlebar.

Another empathetic vote for getting those levers back where they belong:



Looks to me as if whoever set the levers there did so to make up for a possible lack of braking power.

-Kurt

Super nice bike..l. in great condition. The key is that it fits you (it looks like a tall bike... are you a tall rider? Over 6 Foot?

As sacriligeous as this sounds, I'd ditch the old brake levers and get som aero brake levers (Tektros are good). This will move some of the cabling out the way and give a bit more of a contemporary ergo to the handlebars. Put a rack on it and do a weekend tour.

Thanks for the replies guys. The bike is in great condition. My Dad took good care of it and didn't ride it very often.
I will get the brake levers moved up asap. should give me a whole new riding position. And I saw the link on here for the replacement gum caps which will be nice.
I figured the aero bars would get a few groans. I know they are a out of place on a vintage bike, but I am planning to do some sprint triathlons and at 6'3" I feel like I need a bit more room to stretch out.
And hey they can always come right back off!

ride on,

-Cliff

That bike isn't "quite a bit heavier than newer bikes". With Reynolds 531 double butted tubing, I would guess it weighs around 22 or 23 lbs. This is about the same as an average new $1000 aluminum bike in your size.

I have the exact same bike and have been riding it since 1982. My bike (also blue) has been through a lot over the years. One summer I had locked it up on a narrow street in the North End of Boston and when I came out from a nice Italian meal, my top tube was bent in, in the middle of the tube, though still straight. Eventually, I had that section fixed. I also changed out the original stock Suntour derailleurs and replaced them with Campagnolo parts. I also put some better wheels on them and put on a tighter (gearing) freewheel (sprocket set). I agree with the previous posting about the Reynolds 531 tubing (being fairly light), which was (maybe still is) considered very good. Oh, and Trek was still making their bikes in Wisconsin at that time. The only thing I wish is that the wheelbase was a bit tighter, i.e. the front fork has too much of an angle for me, but I guess it is meant for touring as you will notice soldered on lugs on the front and back of the frame... great for those Blackburn racks. Ah, time for an over-haul. Cheers! - Mike

I built one of these bikes up for a friend with a more modern STI drive train. He loves it a great deal. Very comfortable yet fast. Great bike. This is one that can be upgraded to a modern drive train and really be worth it, not that you would need to, but if you did, it would still be awesome.

Welcome to C/V and congrats on an awesome dad and and awesome bike!

I concur with others that the barcons are an upgrade. It also looks like your dad simply rode in the drops, the brakes are positioned to be easily reached from there without any wrist movement. It would also mean very little hand movement when shifting gears.

You only need to move the brakes to a position you are comfortable with. The above suggestions are a great starting point, but we all have different body mechanics, as evidenced by how your dad set the brakes up. Aesthetics are secondary to comfort in my book.

He nice thing about 710's are their comfort aspect. Quality tubing and nice geometry make for a sweet ride. The eyelets make for great versatility as a sports-tourer: one can go all out racing or full commuter/light tourer.

Be sure to update changes! (We can quickly scroll past any aerobars )

He probably made a lot of changes in the past 9 years...

Zombie bump.

Doh! That's what I get for posting in the wee hours of the morning. I even read it from the start.

Thanks to you guys, I read it too until the 4th post and noticed the date!

Nice bike.

9 year zombie thread. Wow. I have a 1981 710. Put some 10 speed 105 brifters on it.