The Golden Boy 

Pretty soon the only weirdos are going to be the ones with the non-threaded fork crowns.

And those will magically be worth $500 more.

ColonelJLloyd 

Besides the weight savings of a single locknut, I'm failing to see the advantage of a threaded hole in the front of the fork crown. It has to be harder to mount an M12 or similar rack if you have to spin the entire thing around a dozen times, right? Might be nice for an L bracket fender mount, but one would normally use a daruma bolt in conjunction with a rack.

rekmeyata

Supposedly according the LBS where I got my 660 frame and fork from as well as other sources I've read over the years that the 531p had a 150 pound rider recommended weight limit, that's why the that LBS talked me out of and with the 660 with the 531cs...not sure if that was true but he claimed his info came from Trek.

Also there is a difference between 531cs and c, your info is incorrect, here is a chart from the Trek History site: https://www.vintage-trek.com/refurbish.htm see table 1, note the differences between the two.

robatsu

The Dura Ace 7800 Skewers are looking good. The action on them feels surgically precise:



Got my wheels built(Velocity Synergy rims, rear off center, Pasela Panaracer Tourguard 28c tires, Wheelsmith DB14 spokes):

Road Fan

Well, that table does not agree with what Trek put in their 1984 brochure, which you can research on that same site. If I recall the tubing table in the brochure had downtubes with thicker walls than the refurb table shows.

Having seen a lot of riders over 200# riding bikes made of 753 and of 531p over my years, I don't understand the tubing weight limits, beyond worst-case assumptions of rider carefulness, and a strong desire to seem protected in case of a lawsuit. I just don't believe them.

Not to argue, but I was only talking about comparing the main (top, down, seat) tubes, and said so clearly.

robatsu

Berthoud Aravis Saddle, which is the Berthoud Aspin saddle, but with luxo Ti rails:



Here are those Ti rails, plus I don't have to worry about the sporadically reported twisting problem since this one incorporates the fix:



P.S. I built the stone walls...

The Golden Boy 

That is coming along beautifully!

ColonelJLloyd 

Nice wall. And the saddle is cool, too!

The Golden Boy 

What have you got planned for your derailleurs?

I'm assuming you're not keeping the stock levers- but one of my brake hoods was shredded (flayed and splayed out at the ends- catching on my fingers)- the LBS had a set of the Cane Creek gum colored non-aero hoods and they fit perfectly.

robatsu

This will be revealed in due time If things keep going as planned, it will be drool-worthy, though.

On general principle, I'm replacing everything with new, and I mean new, not just new to me, parts. Decent brake levers are one of the tougher "neo classic" areas to have a wide range of choice of quality parts, whether new or NOS. That is not to say there aren't a few choices out there, but it isn't like selecting hubs, where there are gobs of options.

mkeller234

Oh, I would say that you are definitely achieving that! I'm really curious about these fenders that you mentioned. Any plans for lights?
I'm also with you on the black sidewall thing. I used some all black tires on my Mercian and they just don't get as crummy looking.

And yes, that is a nice looking wall. Thumbs up!

The Golden Boy 

I edited my initial post of something to the effect of "would it be spoiling things too much to see what you have planned for your derailleurs?"

robatsu

Oh yes, it would.... But even beyond that, I haven't completely decided, esp. the front since I just nailed down which crank the other day.

robatsu

I'm also debating lights. I was a big dynohub guy for years, a bit of an early adopter w/the Schmidt. I could still build a dynohub wheel for this, but then you always have a third wheel.

Plus, LED lights, with their much lower power requirements are diminishing some of the downsides of batteries and sidewall dynamos. You can get much longer battery life and some of the LED sidewall dynamos in Japan are purported to be really bright and much lower drag. Yeah, they still have their downsides, but so does a dynohub, the first of which is you really make a big commitment to the thing by building it into a wheel.

The fender thing is going to be a little unusual....

Built those up both sides of my driveway, down the front walk, one wall has built in steps. Did this about 10 years ago, dry laid (no mortar). I did them the right way - in some places they are 2 feet thick with double courses of stone. They haven't budged in 10 years.

Took me two summers and about 10 cubic yards or so of stone, Pennsylvania field stone. Really good exercise too. I had done some masonry & rockwork growing up, my Dad was a developer, but this was my first big project. The one thing I learned was when building stone walls was that it is best to use big rocks. It takes almost the same amount of time to find/fit a small rock as it does a big rock, but when you fit the big rock, the wall is a lot bigger. This far outweighs the extra effort of lugging around bigger rocks. Plus, big rocks you will take a two handed grip moving them around, smaller rocks you are tempted to throw them around singlehandedly and with a little less care and can twist/strain joints easier.

mkeller234

Ah, I see where this is going.

septacycles

Pictures of my 620... I'm also going to post a different thread in the classics and vintage appraisals section before I put it up for sale... not sure what to ask since I've seen them sell on ebay for $250 to $800.

Great bike in great shape... not my size and was too small for my wife who in the end expressed little interest in a touring bike... so it needs a new home.

jdefran

Any solution to cleaning these up? How about removal and re-installment for a paint job?

dirge23

Any thoughts on the best touch-up paint for a 1985 Trek 620? I know the original paint was some two-step job that is pretty much out of the question. My frame is all dinged up and I'd like to use some kind of close match to clean up the worst of it and keep a lid on the rust.

The Golden Boy 

Are you going to repaint yours entirely instead of just touching up?

The Golden Boy 

I'd bring your bike to a model/hobby shop and match the paint right there.

I used "Model Master" brand "Arctic Blue Metallic"

It's a "good" match- a poor job of painting, though. Fortunately my dings are on the underside of the chainstays.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Paint-Touch-Up

dirge23

Thanks, I found your thread after I posted this. Looks like a good match. My dings are all over the frame though. The paint is in pretty bad shape which is probably the only reason I got it for a decent price. I don't care that much -- form is second to function for me with this bike -- but I would like to fix the paint up up eventually.

The Golden Boy 

So your biggest concern is removing/treating bare steel for rust, and covering it up in a 'not hideous' manner.


There is a chip that I want to treat that actually would be visible if the bike weren't upside down. I'll try to get to that this weekend and do it right and carefully and get some pics.

robatsu

Great discussion, I'm glad you identified a color that matches, I've got a scratched area from the shipping ordeal to touch up.

This arrived today, Nitto Crystem:



A bit of an unusual profile:



Really unusual with the two clamp bolts:



In real life, it doesn't look nearly as massive as in the photos, actually looks a little compact. The clamp bolts secure into the stem alloy, this allows the "dime in the slot" trick for opening the clamp a bit for easy installation:



Super high quality, even for Nitto, cold forged, cost a gazillion dollars:



Nice detailing, a bit of a different look from a stem. I wasn't sure I would like it, but now having it in hand I am quite please:

robatsu

Nitto Crystem and Nitto B115 bars on Trek 620:






Here is a bit of a hint about something that should be showing up soon:

robatsu

Nitto M12 Front Rack and Shimano M732 (Deore XT) canti brake arms installed: