likebike23

I'm not sure all riser bars would work. Some have short clamping areas so that they can have a longer grip area. The distance between the stem clamps on a slingshot stem might be too wide for some bars. OP- if your bars won't work and you are buying new bars, I'm with Surreal. 7/8" bars for motorcycles, especially with a crossbar, look sick.

Grim

I have a 84 Trek 890 with 126 spacing and similar geometry that I bought as a frame. I ended up lacing a modern 9 Speed hub into some period Ritchey hoops. Since I didn't have the original derailleurs I tracked down some nice LX Deore derailleurs and put 9 speed bar ends on it. Rides awesome, still has a vintage look. Another popular way to go is run 650B and some nice fat road tires are available in that size.

The Golden Boy 

My 84 Stumpjumper has the front Saturae rim on what I believe is a Specialized hub. It's way lighter than the Joytech/Araya on my 87 High Sierra.

FWIW, my Stumpjumper had the rear wheel and the stock Mountech RD replaced somewhere around 1993.

Aemmer

84 was a banner year for 26" rims with several choices arriving. From late 78 to 83 if you wanted aluminum, you choice was either single wall Araya 7X or Ukai's.

hockeyteeth

I have used this stem with a 21.1 quill x 25.4 handlebar clamp and it is great (https://www.jbimporters.com/web/check...t_number=58132):

corwin1968

I've figured out a few more things:

1) I finally found an LBS that does framework (they even build custom frames) and they will cold-set the stays on the Takara to 135mm and realign the frame for $25.

2) They will also move the canti-studs on my 1995 Trek 730 (a 700c bike) so that it will work with 26" rims (a project I've wanted to pursue for some time now).

3) A month or so ago I bought a 1995 Trek 820 MTB. I stripped off the gripshifters and brakes and replaced them with Sunrace thumbies ($20) and the Alivio brakes that came off my Trek 730. The wheels on the 820 are in pretty good shape and this will become a donor bike for my other two projects.

4) I'll get the wheels from the 820 trued up (I already overhauled the hubs) and put some Schwalbe Big Apples on them.

5) I'll pick up a regular style 21.1mm stem ($20) and maybe a regular seatpost for the Takara.

When I'm finished I will have a 1995 Trek 730 converted to 26" wheels and the 80's Takara and they will share the wheelset from the Trek 820. I might use the derailleurs and brakes from the 820 on the Takara if they are compatible. The vintage stuff is not familiar to me but the mid-90's Shimano stuff is. The crankset on the Takara is just too nice looking so it will likely stay on there.

I had thought about buying a Surly Troll or a 26" LHT. I think my 730 and my Takara will be decent "poor man's" versions of each bike, respectively. I've also thought about having a custom 26" bike built. The 730 and Takara experiences will inform that decision as well. My ultimate hope is that one of these old bikes is "IT" and I can just get it powdercoated, upgrade to modern drivetrain & brakes (I would probably just pull those from my current good bike and make it a SS) and forget the Troll, LHT and custom routes. That way would be more fun, more satisfying and definitely cheaper.

Here is the Trek 730 with 26" wheels. It looks better as a 26'er than it did as a 700c bike:

corwin1968

UPDATE:

This bike has spent most of it's time in my possession laying on a top shelf in the garage, in pieces. This weekend I decided to get it down and give it another try. The last time I rode it, the wheel(s) were wobbly and it had old, knobby tires on it. The wheel flop was atrocious and enough to discourage me, even though the ride was very smooth.

Since then, I have done the following:

1) Had the chainstays coldset to 135mm
2) Swapped over a set of 1995 wheels that are true
3) Put Schwalbe Big Apples on the wheels
4) Bought a new seatpost (ended up being 26.4mm)
5) Installed large BMX platform pedals

I've been riding it around the neighborhood single-speed style (no cables) and brakeless (no cables). It took a couple of rides to get over the wheel flop but now I don't even notice it and the bike is a blast to ride!

Yesterday I removed the Dia-Compe brakes and installed some 1995 Acera cantilevers and put a more modern saddle on it. Today I'm going to remove the SunTour derailleurs and install 1995 Alivio derailleurs and then I'm taking it to the LBS to adjust brakes and derailleurs and cable everything up. This bike will make a nice counterpoint to my 700c bike. Surprisingly, I think the Takara is a little lighter than my 26.5 lb 700c bike. That is without cables, housing and chain but I might still be looking at a 28 lb bike, which is far better than I ever expected. I'm convinced the main-tubes are cro-mo and possibly the entire frame is as well. Or, my perception of weight may be off and it might be a 30+ lb tank. I also still need to replace the extremely heavy tube in the rear tire. I replaced the front one last week and my perception was that the wheel/tire combo weighed about half what it die with the heavy tube.

I've thought about adding some rise handlebars as mentioned earlier in this thread. The max height of the stock bar is a little low for me but I'm optimistic I can get used to it. I LOVE the wide (69cm), flat handlebar that came on the bike and the sweep back angle is perfect.

If I'm still enjoying this bike in a few months, I'll probably do more upgrades. If I decide it's a keeper I'll have it powdercoated and install modern V-brakes and a modern drivetrain. I'll come out way ahead of what I would have spent buying a Surly Troll, which was my original plan.

Here is the bike now: