BigStick

How do I go about finding a chain replacement for a 1985 trek 620? I asked my LBS and they said they didn't carry anything. Also, anyone have a good deal on 27" tires?

mechanicmatt

Any 6, 7, 8 speed Shimano or SRAM or KMC chain should do...I think. So yeah, they should have it.

jmeb

SRAM 8-speed chain (PC-850 for example). Includes a quick link. It will work fine. Your LBS is silly.

Panaracer Paselas are widely available and good, reasonably priced tires.

mechanicmatt

Oh and Performance has a super cheap Forte branded 27" tire. I buy them a lot for flipping bikes. Less than $15 each and some times less than $12 on sale.

The Golden Boy 

I've had a Shimano 6-7-8 speed chain on my 85 Trek 620 for the past 3 years or so. It's great.

My other two touring bikes have issues with the chain sort of slipping between the big and medium chainrings. I never knew that problem before I got those bikes.

I most recently got 27 1/4" Panaracer Pasela Tourguard (I think they're called Pasela PT now) for $23 a tire from Amazon.

bikemig 

Some older cranks have a bit larger spacing between the chainrings which may give you an issue with the chain slipping as you describe. In any case there are plenty of good (and inexpensive) chains out there for the OP's 620. These have worked well for me, https://www.amazon.com/KMC-7-8sp-chai.../dp/B001CN6QA2. Also these conti's for 27 inch tires, Amazon.com : Continental Tour Ride Urban Bicycle Tire : Bike Tires : Sports & Outdoors

Steve Whitlatch 

The age of employees and owners in many of the Bike Shops in Chicago is younger than my newest bike. How young was the guy at your LBS?

Today I delivered bikes to a shop I go to all of the time. They had a new young kid working receiving. We talked bikes. I told him how much I love old steel bikes and he said " they are so outdated and heavy". As we where walking in the back of the shop I noticed the owners yellow 1972 Paramount that used to be in the back room of the third floor was sitting in the bike rack and I had to take a look. I picked it up and handed it to the kid and said "this is a 1972 top of the line racing bike full original Campy hand made here in Chicago. He was shocked at how light it was. He said it was in the rack in the back for months and he never even looked at it. He had no idea what it was. That is what you are dealing with.

wrk101

Find another shop.

KMC Z33 or Z50 both will work fine.

One shop in my area told me any bike over five years old is obsolete and not worth fixing. "The technology on bikes changes so fast, bikes get out of date in a few years." Needless to say, I have not been back.

auchencrow

+10

Steve Whitlatch 

I use an 8 speed Sram on my 1984 Trek 560 with no problem. I just had to remove some links.

jacksbike

Boy that is sad about the current state of employees at LBS's. I guess that the 60's thru80's bikes that I regularly work on must be truly antiques. Hope that everything in the world is not just STI and 11 speed cassettes.

kunsunoke 

+1 on the PC-850 and the masterlink.

Attitudes one may encounter at Bikes R Us:
1) Owners are morons.
2) They know nothing about bicycles, and nothing about regular maintenance (replacing parts).
3) Moron owners need to be upgraded from "department-store bikes".
4) Department-store bikes are crap.
5) Older bikes are as hopeless as department store bikes. Older bikes are made from steel, which rusts = crap.
6) We make money on bikes we sell. So sell the customer a carbon bike they can't afford, because anything else is crap.

Fortunately, I live in a place where bikes are held for years, by people who use them as daily transportation. The bike shops here are occasionally pretty helpful. Our LBS does have one or two employees that don't have an issue with vintage iron, which (from my perspective) is a blessed relief.

Phil_gretz

Agree. The shop's ignorance of basic things belies greater ignorance of maintaining and operating a bike of your type. They are not your friend, advocate, or helper. Avoid, and let them know why...

Also, on the Performance Strada and Strada K tires the a poster mentioned above. They're heavy and stiff, and ride poorly. Fine for a debris laden commute or for a flip, but not for a rider.

OldsCOOL

Sorry to say it. When I walk in they treat me like I must have something carbon fiber and a corncob cassette to be treated like a real customer. If I dont wear a full kit.....pffft. Good grief. Truthfully, nearly all of them just dont know anything about older bikes and their sometimes cold shoulder behavior is an attempt to cover it up.

Grand Bois

The kids behind the counter at my LBS know nothing about vintage bikes, but they don't need to. It's a very small part of their business. I've never seen anyone with a vintage bike there. The head wrench knows more than I ever will and he always stops what he's doing and comes out of the back to help me. They even have a resident Sturmey Archer expert. The owner is knowledgeable, too. He bought the inventory from Bridgestone's warehouse when they pulled out. I wish I had been around then.

bikemig 

I was friends with a bike shop owner when Bridgestone liquidated its stock. There was, as you might imagine, a run on their bikes. I managed to pick up a 1993 RB-1 and XO-2 both of which I still own at prices that were far below wholesale.

crank_addict

KMC X8.93
Cost approx. $13 SHIPPED to your door. Bargain.

DiabloScott

Is that Missing Link in Berkeley? That's where I met Eddy on a promotional tour - 1985. Got an autograph, not a photo.

Grand Bois

The Pedaler in El Sobrante. I read somewhere that they built bikes for Greg Lemond.

The Golden Boy 

I sort of expected it on my 720; however, the VSP has the original chain. Go figure.

Alaska Tourer

Could I get you to take a look at your front derailleur and tell me make/model. I need to replace one on my similar bike and and having trouble figuring out what to get. THANKS!!!

Phil_gretz

SunTour Cyclone Mk II?

The Golden Boy 

My 85 Trek 620 came with a Sachs/Huret FD. The catalog says it's a "Pilot" model, but it's not.

Here's the FD on my 620:




Here's the Pilot:







If I were going to replace a FD on an 80s tourer, I would go with a Suntour Mountech FD or a Suntour XC Pro (not MD compatible, with the yellow sticker) from the early 90s. I think they look fantastic and they work great on triples as well as half-step triples.














As an aside, what does it say when I do a google search and half the pix are mine?

jmeb

1. It says you're a big asset to vintage bike dweebs.

2. Early Deroe, Deroe DX/XT also look pretty decent and functional well in a triple or half-step setup. My 620 is rocking a DX up front with a formerly-half-step, now real triple setup -- photos here: Trek 620 for Dad - Imgur

BigStick

Thanks so much for all the responses. I did end up getting that SRAM 8 speed chain PC-850. Works great so far. I have the Sachs Huret Pilot Front Deraileur like someone said above. I ended up getting the Forte Strada tires for 12.99 at Performance. I'll probably try to upgrade later. How do I get my hands on the back rack and some blue bottle cages? I'd love to get some blue front racks as well. Pictures soon.