nathand

I picked up a 730 two years ago, and after a year of riding it myself it became my girlfriend's daily commuter. Since then I've been looking for another one for myself, and finally picked one up today: a '92 790 for $50! Components are in rough shape but the frame and fork seem fine, a couple of scratches but no major rust spots. Not sure yet how I want to rebuild it, I'm thinking it will make a good all-purpose/go-anywhere bike. It's a lot of fun looking at all the other builds here for ideas.

As purchased

Rooney 

Here’s an updated pic of my 520 which I’m hoping can be considered an honorary Multitrack nothing too fancy, just an around the city beater.

vintagepedals

Re-converted from sports touring to a gravel grinder bike!

RetroMTBpolska

I never thought that Multi Track can be so addictive!
Last year I accidentally bought a 730 Multi Track, upgraded it and it became my favorite bike.
The project hasn't even ended, and I bought another Multi Track. Scored a 7900 converted to a trekking-commuter bike.
Tomorrow my friend is gonna pick it up for me, hopefully it will be a nice one. My frame size, 20", so I can't wait to put my hands on it.

Wheels4

Just finished putting the tires on this 750 i bought last year. So, it is officially converted to a drop bar now. Still gotta update the brake pads though. Other than that, I am happy with the ride.

goodwrench84

A bunch of upgrades but pretty comfortable to ride. Changed out the brake's, shifter / brake lever combo and handle bars with threadless stem. Also changed out the very painfull seat and new stem. I think stem was not original to the bike as the slot had no gap and wouldn't tighten fully. What I like is the 700 wheels and this bike is lighter then my aluminum Trek hard tail MTB and my sons new Trek dual sport.

SensibleCossack

What are the thumb shifters on there? And did you keep them (and if so, how are they working for you)? I'm not sure if that setup looks awesome, or awkward. Or both!

bikemig 

It's a dumb set up. The PO tried to do a drop bar conversion on the cheap with parts on hand. I just picked up a set of trekking bars from Velo Orange that I'll use with this bike. They'll work fine with the thumb shifters.

https://velo-orange.com/products/daj...r-22-2-dia-sil

SensibleCossack

Ha! I guess that's why I haven't seen that setup before.

Those bars will be nice! (And on sale, too!)

ElevatedEdge

Wheels4, mine is quite similar looking to yours. Just finished my first build on a 720 (1996?), super happy with the performance and looks. I went with the following for general components:

Microshift Advent X rear derailleur, cassette (11-48), and brifters.
SRAM Apex 1 cransket (42t)
FSA Adventure Bars
Shimano R500 Wheelset

SoCaled 

The lowest model and still a surprisingly nice ride. Bought the pair to get one for a neighbor. The were in rough shape, gave them some love, now back on the road with new owners and being ridden

ja1124

My 720 needs tires. I use it almost exclusively on paved surfaces. And I'm thinking of going down in size from the stock 700x38c to 700x35c. And I also want to score a good deal, but not at the cost of being stuck with bad riding tires. Thank you in advance for your suggestions. PM's with links to deals are most welcome.

jpbiking

@ja1124 check out Panaracer's Pasela tires. They come in 700x35 and a number of other sizes. They are a good option if you prefer a supple/flexible tire that is also versatile. They roll easily and respond well to air pressure tuning while also being durable in average conditions. They've got enough extra grip to help in edge cases but not enough to slow you down in most conditions. Wire bead variant is typically around $25 and some times lower. Folding bead is lighter and not much more expensive but may be a little harder to find.

One of the main benefits of the Pasela is it's light and flexible casing but that could also be a limitation if you ride in thorns, glass and other sharp objects regularly. I've never had flat problems with a set of Pasela tires but could see running something with thicker sidewalls, more protection and/or tubeless if puncture flats were a regular risk on my rides. The Pasela is capable of gravel and off-road riding in my experience and I've done plenty of both on them without issue.

hokiefyd 

I've used the Paselas on my MultiTrack before and really like them. They're on another bike at the moment (I swap stuff around regularly). I agree with everything jpbiking said about them above, and will add that the 700x38 Paselas are actually about 35mm wide-and-tall, so if you're looking for a true 35mm tire, the 700x38 Pasela might be a good choice.

ja1124

I scored a pair of good used Schwalbe Mondial's in 700x35c at SOPO Bikes in Atlanta. I'll report back after I log some mileage on them.

J3mbeck

Picked up a 91 750 to make a commuter/townie style bike. I stripped it bare today and will powder coat tomorrow (I’m one of the owners). Gonna be funky. I’ll post finished pics tomorrow.

ATL720

Celebrating 10 posts with a picture of our two multitracks on a summer evening ride. Both are 720s, I think 98 and 99 based on what I could make of the serial numbers.

Trav1s

This is an epic thread! I have been eyeing FB Marketplace for old steel bikes and the 700 series keep showing up. Thanks to this group I'm inspired for another project.

Danmozy66

Guys should I go for this 1998 730 multitrack? It’s listed locally in Toronto (expensive bike market) for $200 which is a bit high. It’s all original so I am envisioning to slowly make upgrades to something similar from these two examples from this thread shown below. Is this Altus group and hubs clunky? Is the full chrome frames set good? There was no 750-790 in 1998 so this would have been their highest steel hybrid (for whatever that is worth)





This third photo is of the bike that is posted for sale

Korina

What condition is the bike in? Has it been tuned up in living memory? Does it fit you? Have you ridden it? What kind of riding are you planning on doing? If the third pic is the bike for sale, what are the other two?

Altus is fine, it depends on what condition the parts are in. My personal preference would be to dump that seat post for a normal one.

You can find the 1998 catalog here.

Danmozy66

thanks for the feedback. As indicated the first two pics are what I’m envisioning my intentions are for this bike. Fits well yes. I agree, seat post to shave some weight off and thumb shifters are first to go, then wheelset with Altus goes when I can find replacent ones. Maybe some different bars, then. Is this frame worth it? No idea what is the tubing construction is, catalogue for 1998 just indicates full chromoly. Unlike the other years where it was true temper or something more intentional. This year would have been one of their last run of the steel ones

Korina

Wheels are expen$ive and those look fine; why do you want to change them? I don't think the change in steel is due to the year, more where it is in the model range. I have a '95 750 and the catalog says one of the upgrades from the 730 is the True Temper. My distaste for that seat post isn't about the weight, it's about sitting on a pogo stick. And what's wrong with thumbies? I have a Velo-Orange Tourist bar, and the thumbies work great.

If it's rideable, and you like it, then ride it. Replace parts as they wear out, but don't worry about it. It's from the middle of the range of a very good bike brand, so it's a great bike; just ride it.

Oh, as to your original question; $200 is steep, but if everything is in good condition and it's been serviced fairly recently, it's a better bike than what you can buy new for the price.

Danmozy66

I got the bike. And sorry, touché I meant to say grip shifts, not thumbies. I have some spare thumbies lying around, I’m going to see about compatibility. Still undecided on what to do for cockpit/bars type though. I now have a set of nicer 700 is the reason why, and even after cleaning out the hubs the wheels are tired and a bit wonky. And this seat post weighs a ton, and it no longer springs up and down either.

Regarding your point about the frame level for this year, the funny thing is, if you look at the catalogue for 1998 this 730 was actually the highest tier steel one (there was no 750-790). That’s why I’m curious about what (in theory) their best steel was for this year and how it stacks up against some of these other higher spec’d earlier multitrack frames. Guess they started going away from steel to focus on aluminum. Wonder if they were still putting as much consideration into the steel frames at this point

hokiefyd 

Danmozy66 if this bike is yours, would you mind letting me know what handlebar that is? Thanks!

goodwrench84

Surly makes a CroMoly sunrise handlebar of that style.