Just picked up this 1983 Trek 600 today - it appears to be almost completely original and hardly ridden! Next few weeks will be spent disassembling, cleaning, and putting it back together - ahhhh - heaven!

Anyone with advice for this bike? Things to watch out for?

https://s197.photobucket.com/albums/a...00/trek%20600/

Any suggestions about touch up paint for Trek pewter or the light blue?

If it wasn't flooding here with melting snow and rain, I'd be out for my first ride already!!! Oh man, I am pumped.....

Mark

I love old treks. got a 89 myself, though its only a 400.

Great bike.

I can't stand Trek. New Trek. I LOVE old Treks, and yours is gorgeous.
Funny thing, I was just looking at a web site (First Flight Bikes) and they have a Brand New in the box Blue Line rear derailleur for $45. I thought to myself "How cool is that?" I'd never seen the Blue Line stuff before. Very cool.

Enjoy! (I know I would. lol)

Oh, and you're getting the same system that we are. This thing is huge! Well, tall....gulf to Canada. Doesn't seem to be very wide though, so hopefully it doesn't last long.

Sweet bike! I just picked up an '83 520 a few months ago, and I just love riding it. A tip--you'll probably want to replace the rear hub, since the Helicomatic clusters are sort of infamous for having problems. But if the chain/cluster combination are in decent shape, go ahead and wear them out before replacing them.

I picked up an 83 Trek 620 in November in the same Pewter/light blue color scheme. It is a beautiful bike and I can't wait to get it out on the road. Mine is also in very good condition, although it has had quite a few components upgraded--700C wheelset, Shimano 600 RD and indexed downtube shifters, short stem, aero brake levers.

I don't know much about the touch-up paint, but if you find out anything, please PM me.

I've got an 82 610 that I picked up for my daughter. It's nice enough, and she's still too small that I'll be riding it once in awhile in the spring. It's got the Suntour BL derailleurs and they shift real well. In fact, they shift nice enough that I bought a set for my Gitane Tour de France to replace the Ofmega's that were on it (yes, I kept the Ofmega's).

The only thing I found when overhauling the bike was some mild surface rust in the bottom bracket and seat tube from water presumably getting in via the grooves on the seat post. It cleaned up easily and everything went back together great.

Enjoy the bike - it's a great one.

Vintage Trek says your bike came new with a SunTour freewheel, not a Helicomatic.

old treks are great, if you don't have the helicomatic, there are really no problems that i know of

Explain, please.

If that 600 rides and handle anything like my 460, you're going to be in absolute heaven. Definitely give it the time and care, it deserves it.

Great find! My first road bike was a '81 Trek 600, i sold it recently because it was too small for me & just picked up an '80 Trek 400 in my size.
Some of the best bikes of their era [read: ever], & once you get to ride it, you'll wanna spend all day on it! If you're anything like me, on some days you will.

Congrats

Watch out for an epidemic. You will likely have to add several more vintage Treks to the stable. Ditto more Suntour pieces as well. I have BL components on my 83 Univega.


bill
83 Trek 520
83 Trek 620
92 Trek 950
94 Trek 950
84 Lotus Classique
83 Univega Gran Turismo

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words - the bike looks even sweeter in person - all it really needs is a good clean and polish to get rid of surface oxidation (not sure if the chain is salvageable). I'm also going to go over the various rotating surfaces and check for good lubrication.

Question 1: spokes appear to be dull metal - are they cad plated or simply in need of cleaning?
Question 2: what are opinions on the Avocet I saddle - back in the day they were well regarded but this one looks like a bit of a brick - are they comfortable?

From what I gather the Trek fans on the list love their bikes - I can't wait to try mine out as soon as the roads are rideable.

Mark

ps. Bill: it was tough enough getting this one into the house - luckily its beautiful but I still need to get rid of a couple of old outboards as part of the deal with my spouse!

I have (bought new) a Trek 660 from the mid 80"s which I am making into a single speed.
I loved this bike back when........Had Ofmega Premeir acetal resin RD, Modolo Speedy blk brakes, Ofmega drivetrain, steel 531 frame, ambrosio wheels, selle italia concours saddle.
I must have put 1000's of miles on this bike back in my racing days. Did many hilly 100's out of Princeton NJ in the late 80's early 90's.

I now have 7 bikes, non-racer, just recreational 24 miles every other day.

You are best off finding a seat you like and transferring it from bike to bike. Seat fit and comfort is so personal, what works for me may be awful for you.

So I would try the seat for a couple of weeks, put a couple of long rides on it. You'll probably then know whether it is the seat for you.

I pick up a fair number of older bikes, and the seats are almost always trashed. So I have not had to make a decision about an old seat.

I can't speak specifically to your bike, but I can draw some insight from my 1984 610.

1. My spokes were dull, too. They became more so with age. I did have a lot of trouble trying to touch up the truing, since the nipples were hard to turn. I replaced my Trek 27 inch clincher wheels with a set of 700c tubular wheels. The original brakes (Shimano 600 BR 6207, not what I would call good brakes) reach the rims.
2. Mine originally came with an Avocet racing saddle, but I soon replaced it with a Brooks pro, then my old favorite. I didn't like the Avocet. It's just a matter of taste, some folks like them.

My 610 needed frame alignment badly. After that (no thanks to the LBS, grrr, still ticked when I think about it) its a great rider.

Trek 620 representing.

I have not ridden this bike as much as I would have liked so far. Set up with a Nexus 7spd and flat bars.

jim

Newer Trek stuff just does nothing for me. It isn't "exciting" any longer. It's just another bike. Old Trek had soul, passion, and great looking bikes.

It's as simple as that. No hidden agenda or anything.

Nice bike, the BL shift levers look nice on the pewter paint. Your spokes don't look rusty at least, You could probably use nevr-dull or a mothers polish. Check for bent spokes as you clean, it doesn't cost much to replace a few if you need to.

-Matt

Was just looking again at the Trek 1983 catalogue. The 600 and the 620 are the exact same frame. Same geometry and same tubing. Only difference is the components.

Congrats! And hardly ridden, too! This summer I picked up an '85 Trek 600 on eBay in nice shape and rode it on my first century ever in September. Smooth, comfortable ride. I replaced the original Concor saddle with a white Regal and I've added a taller Nitto stem.

The 'Racing Blue' paint still has that beautiful Imron "wet look", complete with metallic speckles visible in bright sunlight. But there were numerous nicks, scratches and gouges, so I just sent it off to Joe Bell for a repaint! Here's a "before" pic; I'll post more when it's finished.

I have had two early Treks pass through my hands this year... a 610 and a 620 that were both too large for me but just right for a few of my friends who simply love them.

They are superbly built bicycles and if I ever come across one in my size it will definitely be put on the keep forever list.

The BL is the touring version of the Cyclone group and as such, is of very high quality and a great performing groupo.