Alex Moll

About a month ago, my brother-in-law told me he had some bike parts I could have. I looked in the bag, and 'twas nothing exciting - only the brakes and levers look usable. Then he brings out a wheelset - also low-end, and completely shot. Then, he brings out this frameset . . . HEY! Cool, lugged MTB goodness, ca. 1993. I'll take it!

I was determined to spend as little as possible on this bike. I had most of the replacement parts on hand, including the first wheelset I ever built - ca. 1991. The purple anodized American Classic front hub and skewers go perfect with this bike.

I did spend a bit over $150 @ Rivendell (birthday discount plus free shipping) on the steel Bosco bars, cork grips, a new chain, bar-end shifter pods, and the RMX sneaker pedals. Grant could've named those bars "Wheelie Bars" - some of you will get that.

This is now a fun cruiser, that'll be the bike I take along on car camping trips. It'll probably see some rough-stuff touring in the future, also.



Had these Suntour Power Shifters, and mated them to Riv "Silver" bar-end pods:


Also had this Suntour VGT luxe "ALL ALLOY" (jockey wheel cage) - still works great:


Grass green Newbaum's before shellac. One roll wouldn't quite make it:

Alex Moll

Bianchigirll 

great looking clunker! looks like it would be right at home in Marin County in '78

Chris W.

I like it!!!

Cheers,
Chris

Alex Moll

Thanks - I know what you mean. Those bars do look clunker-ish, in a good way. They are also really comfortable, and fairly versatile: on the grips=very comfortable upright views, just ahead of the grips on the curve=a bit more power, and down on the flat=somewhat aero.

rfj

Nice! I'm getting ready to build up an '89 Trek 990 into a single speed.

frantik

sweet.. surprised to learn you could get a True Temper OX MTB with lugged tubing... I thought by the time True Temper became popular, lugged bikes were no longer popular

jeirvine 

Sweet build. Any issues with the shift levers hitting your knees while turning? I did a recent build with them and VO Belleville bars and had to raise the stem quite a bit to keep knee clearance from being an issue.

Alex Moll

Yes - these DT shifters wouldn't work very well in tight, technical singletrack. Normal stubby bar-cons might clear my knees. That's a 15 cm stem, but the Bosco bars do come way up and back. I really wanted bar-end shifters to keep the curve ahead of the brake levers free and open to use as a hand position. These bars, set up this way, allow 3 distinct body positions, and lots of wiggle room for tired hands. I think it'll work well as a cruiser, and rough-stuff tourer.

Alex Moll

Me too. This was definitely the end of an era - I think this '93 may have been the last year for lugs, and that's why I was surprised, and pretty excited when my Bro-in-law pulled it out. I have a Rain City MTB (built here in Seattle) from 1992, made from this tubing, but TIG welded. I recall that was the "in" thing, as it was strong enough, and a few grams lighter. It was also a new and different look then.

oldskoolwrench

Nothing wrong with that ride at all, Alex!

First time I've seen ST Power Ratchet shifters mated to Riv BarCon pods; that looks cool! Neat thing is, with a Dremel and some creativity you could make a one off set of stubby shifters if you feel they're too long.

One MAJOR thing, though... The crank set you have on your Trek was recalled by Shimano:

https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml97/97149.html

Unbelievable as it may sound, Shimano is still honoring the Recall, 15 years afterward! If you take the bike to your local Trek dealer there's a good chance they'll replace the crank set with something comparable. Call the toll free phone # in the Notice and I'm sure they'll steer you in the right direction.

northbend 

Now that looks like a fun bike Alex. I love the range of your interests in the cycling universe. Makes me wonder whats next? a unicycle?

- Matt

jeirvine 

Whoa! Thanks for the heads up. I have those cranks on my Trek commuter.

Alex Moll

That's wild! Thanks for the info!

Alex Moll

No. I'm definitely a bicyclist.

WNG

Trek 930's are sweet frames. IIRC, made in the USA too. I have (had) a later TIGed 930, but your lugged one is cooler.

Shimano will replace the Alivio crank with a cheap Tourney model. I had the same crank recalled.

Lenton58 

The Trek 930 frame was/is great! I have one that is TIGed as opposed to lugged in True Temper. Unlike WNG's bike, mine came with an STX crank-set and DR's. It is set up as a bad-ass, urban street-fighter with chopped straight bars (to squeeze past the cagers) and very upgraded brakes. It runs on narrow slicks, mounts a roadie type saddle, and MKS Sylvan Lite road pedals with clips and straps. Right now it is parked "under the bench". But in recent months, a friend ran it around town while waiting for his custom bike to come in. He loved it. His first comment: "fast". Not bad for a 94-95 MTB that cost $650 - $700 — upgrades exluded. I keep it around because they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

realestvin7

Nice. I kind of wanted to see what those bars would like like on one of these. Out of curiosity, how tall are you?

Alex Moll

I'm just a bit over 6'3". This is the biggest frame size Trek made - 22".

realestvin7

This is why I asked.

Idkutet

i might have gotten my answer on why I've held onto my 930 for so many years..... i like what you've done

Bikedued

They send a new chain, bottom bracket, derailleur, and crankset. Bad news though, the crankset is hybrid quality Tourney. It's worth it for the other free parts, but visually the all black, plastic shrouded crank looks like crap on a nice vintage mtb. They don't even ask the component level when you call them. It has to be done in an authorized shop. Even worse the shop has to send the old parts back in a box within 30 days or get charged $40.,,,,BD

https://www.cswestbikes.com/servlet/t...FUeRPAodAWcA0A

NICE build though! It does look like a LOT of fun to ride! Here's one I wished I had back. it was an early 90's 990. Super light for a steel bike, even with the suspension fork. A blast to ride, but I needed some quick cash so it had to go. Same tubing and frame design, but XT equipped. I will find another one some day!

squarenoise 

I know it's a long shot on such an old thread, but how the heck to you mount those shifters onto those bar end pods, Alex Moll?

AdventureManCO 

I sold this exact same bike a little less than a year ago, in the same size I believe. I was helping out a non-profit bike shop generate funds. I probably got 20 hits on the ad, the most out of all the bikes I had posted for sale. They have aged well and are in demand for a sleeper hot rod commuter. I myself have '96 990 and a '97 930 - both Made in USA beauties.

AdventureManCO 

Down over in the '26" to 700c conversion thread', we've been discussing the merits of these bicycles, and I've been posting up some of the work done on my own Trek 990 from '96. They are a very, very undervalued bicycle. I'm going through mine from the frame up, but before that it rode like a dream, just had the handlebars that were a touch low - a problem easily solved with new handlebars.

Glad you are appreciating this one!