Finally landed a whale: 1983 Trek 720
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While out of town for work this weekend I got a text from a friend. I work nights, and texts don't normally wake me up while I'm sleeping during the day, but this one did. The text contained a craigslist ad, the craigslist ad contained a 1983 Trek 720 in my size for $100. I told my friend to move with haste and get it for me. At the end of the day we got it for $90. The man was older and got the bike out of a storage locker several years before, and had kept it stored in his garage since.
There are a few odd things, and a few very cool things going on with it, and I am hoping to make this my first tear down/rebuild (more about that later). First, it came with a pretty broken in Brooks Professional, which I love. I know there is someone on the forums that mends worn out Brooks, can someone direct me his/her way? It also came with a seat bag full of old tools, also very cool. The original odometer is still on and has nearly 5,000 miles clocked on it. Oddity #1 : Simplex front derailer. The catalogue says Huret Duopar, and I do have that in the rear. Oddity #2 : Raleigh branded barcon for shifting the rear cluster. The front shifter is just Suntour branded Everything else seems original to the bike aside from the tires. The bike does need a lot of TLC, and I have no real maintenance experience of any kind. That being said, I would like to work on this bike by myself as much as is reasonable. Wheel stuff I will leave to the pros, and the final tuning up I will also have done at my bike shop. I'd like to hear stories or advice from your first time doing such work, even if your advice is "have your shop do it." I do have a coop in my city, but open shop hours are always while I'm working :/ Without further ado, some pictures: http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414377 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414378 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414379 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414380 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414381 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414382 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414383 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414384 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414385 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414386 Thanks for looking and for any advice/guidance any of y'all can give me! I'm very excited to have found it. |
You got the Helicomatic tool! Don't lose that one.
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Wow, what a deal. Those are my favorite Trek decals. Great find.
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Man, great catch, that bike is in great shape ! Do all the work yourself , lots of info on the forum and YouTube .
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My size too. Great catch!
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Well done.
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Great find! I did a quick search and came up with a link you might find helpful.
http://www.parktool.com/blog/calvins...ng-older-bikes |
Good job! And...congrats...
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Sweet. I have the same bike but mine is badly in need of a repaint. I rode mine across the US some time back. It is a heck of a nice long distance touring bike. Be gentle with the cantilevers; many modern cantis won't work as the spacing is narrower than is the norm today.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=414403 |
Great score - nice bonus tools. With the amount of rust on the chain breaker I'd be curious to see if there is any internal rust on the frame. The paint looks great. Beyond that, new cables, pads and grease and you'll have an excellent bike to last a long time. I'm sure you already know, but between this site, the park tool website, YouTube, and of course sheldonbrown.com you should be set. Do some reading first on specific jobs you would like to accomplish then get to the coop if you can for some oversight (and tool$). Can you ride another bike through the coming winter to give yourself time on this project? Forum member rhm would be the go-to for recovering the saddle (if it needs it - looks okay to my untrained eye on mobile...).
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Originally Posted by Sir_Name
(Post 17254735)
With the amount of rust on the chain breaker I'd be curious to see if there is any internal rust on the frame.
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What a God awful place for a bottle cage!! lol.
Awesome looking bike, I love that color and decals! |
Originally Posted by jpaschall
(Post 17254759)
Yes that is a concern. I plan to tear it down completely over the next couple of weeks, so I'll get a good look soon. I know oxalic acid is the way to go for treating internal rust, but it will hurt my paint, correct?
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^+1
and be mindful of your concentration of OA in the water. |
$90 for a full on "grail" bike.
Congratulations! Welcome to the Trek 720 club- your clubhouse keys are in the mail and you'll be taught the secret handshake and all that. Everything is pretty much as it should be- the front derailleur is the Simplex SLJ- Make sure when you clean it up- that little foil Simplex tag has a tendency to fall off and get lost. The "Raleigh" branded barcon is just the shift lever cover. If this is your size, I honestly don't think you can find a smoother riding bike- I have a very high opinion of my opinion on the 720 and touring bikes in general. :D I've had my 720 for a little less than a year, I've changed bunches of things here and there, and keep daydreaming of things to do to and with it. Every year of the 720 it had among the VERY finest in touring/ATB components, although most will probably suggest you swap out the wheels for something that's... engineered a little more... robustly. If you're staying with 27" wheels, you can use all kinds of different cantilever brakes- the brake selection gets a little tougher when it comes to going to 700C wheels, as the canti mounts are higher and narrower than a lot of cantis can adjust to. There are those who's opinion on bike parts I almost implicitly trust that like the DuoPar- I do not- and I'd suggest swapping out the DuoPar for something like a long cage Suntour or a (more or less) period correct Deore XT. IMO, that Simplex SLJ is a great front derailleur- it's unique and it works really well. Again, congratulations! |
I know there are tons of threads on tool needs for a project like this, but I plan to use this thread as a log for the journey. I know I have the Helicomatic tool, a couple of pedal/headset wrenches and a debatably useful chain breaker, and I believe I'll need:
Bike stand Crank puller BB tool Cone wrenches (if I decide to work with the wheels) Chain whip (?) Cable cutter WD-40 Bearing grease (suggestions?) Patience Aside from basic tools that I already have (allen wrenches, socket set, adjustable wrench, etc), am I missing anything? |
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
(Post 17254943)
$90 for a full on "grail" bike.
Congratulations! Welcome to the Trek 720 club- your clubhouse keys are in the mail and you'll be taught the secret handshake and all that. Every year of the 720 it had among the VERY finest in touring/ATB components, although most will probably suggest you swap out the wheels for something that's... engineered a little more... robustly. If you're staying with 27" wheels, you can use all kinds of different cantilever brakes- the brake selection gets a little tougher when it comes to going to 700C wheels, as the canti mounts are higher and narrower than a lot of cantis can adjust to. There are those who's opinion on bike parts I almost implicitly trust that like the DuoPar- I do not- and I'd suggest swapping out the DuoPar for something like a long cage Suntour or a (more or less) period correct Deore XT. IMO, that Simplex SLJ is a great front derailleur- it's unique and it works really well. Again, congratulations! |
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
(Post 17254943)
. . .
If you're staying with 27" wheels, you can use all kinds of different cantilever brakes- the brake selection gets a little tougher when it comes to going to 700C wheels, as the canti mounts are higher and narrower than a lot of cantis can adjust to. . . . ! |
Originally Posted by jpaschall
(Post 17254975)
Thanks! I couldn't believe the ad when I saw it. I plan to stick with the 27" wheels, as I don't want to deal with the issues you've laid out. Are the stock rims not worth much salt? If I do replace the wheels, I'm under the impression that getting away from the Helicomatic is a good idea.
Keep reading around as to what you gather are "good" rims and "good" hubs- and keep an eye out for those. I have a thing about Super Champion rims. Since getting the Phil Wood hubs- wow- it's a whole different league of wheels than anything I'd ridden before. So, if'n I got your bike, I'd replace cables, housing; regrease everything, look for a different wheelset (IMO something 126 or so with a 6 sp freewheel) and a sporty long cage rear derailleur. Here's mine: John Zeni's blog of the rebuild of my bike: John's Bicycle Restorations: Dave V's 1985 Trek 720 Overhaul - A Holey Grail Touring Bicycle And a few of the changes since then: http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8c3eaeef.jpg http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...psdeca51a1.jpg http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6742ea4d.jpg http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3b69143.jpg http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9d9655b6.jpg http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6c77a8e6.jpg |
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy
(Post 17255094)
So, if'n I got your bike, I'd replace cables, housing; regrease everything, look for a different wheelset (IMO something 126 or so with a 6 sp freewheel) and a sporty long cage rear derailleur.
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Originally Posted by jpaschall
(Post 17254959)
I know there are tons of threads on tool needs for a project like this, but I plan to use this thread as a log for the journey. I know I have the Helicomatic tool, a couple of pedal/headset wrenches and a debatably useful chain breaker, and I believe I'll need:
Bike stand Crank puller BB tool Cone wrenches (if I decide to work with the wheels) Chain whip (?) Cable cutter WD-40 Bearing grease (suggestions?) Patience Aside from basic tools that I already have (allen wrenches, socket set, adjustable wrench, etc), am I missing anything? |
Bike stand - in a pinch you can hang ropes from a garage rafter. But a good bike stand is so useful. Don't buy a crap off-brand one. False economy.
Crank puller - yes BB tool - yes Cone wrenches (if I decide to work with the wheels) - you can use the ones in the toolkit Chain whip (?) - no, very unlikely you'll want/need to take cogs off the freewheel Cable cutter - yes WD-40 - for cleaning, it is a good degreaser Bearing grease (suggestions?) - a tub of synthetic axle bearing grease from the auto parts store will cost $10 and last decades Patience - yes but enjoyment too Also: Headset wrench Spoke wrench of correct size Tri-Flow for pivot points like on the brakes Metal polish and rags for shining up the alloy components I can't see paint damage or rust from the pictures. It may not be necessary to OA the frame. If there are just a few little chips and minimal rust spots, I'd just clean the frame really well, sand off the rust (sandpaper wrapped around tip of a chopstick, etc), and touch up the spot with paint or even clear nail polish. If it is very rusted internally then OA but I'll bet its not. So is the Simplex FD original? I think Huret is a darn cool brand of derailleur for a vintage touring bike, if there was a Huret FD to match the RD and that will shift the triple, I'd be tempted to swap it out. I'm unreasonably bugged by non matching derailleurs. What's wrong with the rims? If they are undamaged, why not keep them. Check spoke tension and true as needed. The night before, put two drops of Triflow on each spoke nipple, at the nipple/spoke and the nipple/rim junction. When you overhaul the bottom bracket, if the fixed cup doesn't want to come out, don't go nuts with the adjustable wrench - unless you have a bench vise or other special tool, I'd overhaul with that cup in place, rather than risk damaging something with just an adjustable wrench. Beautiful bike and an absolute steal of a price. |
Your absolutely killing me. That is my grail bike I have had a hard time finding in my 24 inch size. How is the paint??? Looks good from the photos. Ever want to part with it and make a good profit on it let me know.
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Originally Posted by jpaschall
(Post 17254759)
Yes that is a concern. I plan to tear it down completely over the next couple of weeks, so I'll get a good look soon. I know oxalic acid is the way to go for treating internal rust, but it will hurt my paint, correct?
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Originally Posted by jyl
(Post 17255240)
So is the Simplex FD original? I think Huret is a darn cool brand of derailleur for a vintage touring bike, if there was a Huret FD to match the RD and that will shift the triple, I'd be tempted to swap it out. I'm unreasonably bugged by non matching derailleurs
What's wrong with the rims? If they are undamaged, why not keep them. Trek specced the 720 (and the 620) with the BEST components without regard to the manufacurer- the proverbial "eclectic mix of parts," but in no way haphazzard. Regarding the rims/wheels... Although Trek used the best hubs available, the best touring hub at the time was the Helicomatic- because it was so easy to switch cogs. However, it wasn't quite engineered properly. So, the Matrix rims (as far as I know) are good rims, but the hubs they're laced to have proven to be problematic. From Sheldon Brown: French Bicycles "Some French bicycles (and many early Treks!) came with Maillard "Helicomatic" rear hubs. This was the first cluster that could be removed without a big, powerful tool. It came with a cute little pocket-size tool that incorporated a spline wrench for the cassette lockring, a spoke wrench, and a bottle opener. The Helicomatic was a nice idea on paper, but poorly executed. These hubs are losers. Both hub flanges were 1mm farther to the left than those of a normal hub, causing increased dish in the rear wheel, and persistent spoke breakage problems. Many loyal Helicomatic fans tout the ease with which the cassette may be removed for spoke replacement as a great virtue, but if the hub were better designed, it wouldn't break so many spokes! These hubs were prone to bearing problems as well. Due to clearance requirements, they couldn't fit the normal 9 1/4" bearing balls, so they used 13 5/32" balls on the right side. These didn't hold up well. The cones tended to wear rapidly, and replacement cones are no longer available to fit these hubs." |
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