Thanks for popping up to share this with me. The current 750 frame is just black, but the next one is a dark purple 520, which presumably has some red pigments in it's makeup. I'll have to find a way to fill the tubes rather than immerse it.

Picked up this barely-ridden 1996 730 yesterday for $130; seller even had the original purchase receipt (about $390 in '96) and owners manual. I feel a little silly at having spent half as much on transportation to pick up the bike, as I paid for the bike, but I got a nice train ride out of it. I swapped out the seat (did anyone really like those huge sprung seats?) and removed the kickstand of course, and I'll probably replace the stem for one that's longer horizontally and shorter vertically, but otherwise planning to keep it as is for now.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...26a6df8eab.jpg
1996 Trek 730

And to celebrate getting over the 10 post hurdle:https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1706f19d35.jpg
This is what 100€ buys in Bavaria these days; a mostly stock 1991 750 which the seller said "never needed anything doing to it except new tyres and brake pads". Uh-huh. Some lube and an occasional clean and wax over the last 30 years would have been nice. It's not too bad except for paint chips all over and a patch of advancing rust on one rear dropout. The Suntour XCE group is thrashed and both hubs are ready for the bin. Fortunately I didn't have to travel.

Restoration to follow.

Love the mid 90s two tone Treks. Check to make sure that your Alivio cranks were not part of a recall, yours look like FCMC12. Shimano is still giving replacements for these.

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think this crank is part of the recall, I don't see a matching model number (nor, weirdly, any model number) on it. Here's a photo:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bd68c0f73.jpg

I think that Alivio crankset is an FC-MC14, which I don't think is recalled.

I know it's not a MultiTrack, but here's a photo of my 930, right after I got it - It's currently in the resto-queue.
I also absolutely love this purple / green fade paint job - I know Trek and Specialized used it - A Stumpjumper with this paint is my Grail Bike !
Back to your regular programming, now .......
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...074a72befb.jpg

In fantasy novels by Jack Vance, purple and green are the defining colours of magic. And as a teenage Vance nerd in 1993, I made it my mission to trick my bike out in as much purple and green anodised stuff as possible. Good choice!

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I picked up a 1990 750 MultiTrack about 6 months back. The bike was in very good, almost unused, condition. It came with original Suntour XCM 7 speed drivetrain, which appears to be nearly identical to the XCE drivetrain on your bike. A previous owner had broken both of the accushift plus shifters and had recently replaced the original Suntour freewheel with a new Shimano 7 speed freewheel. I set the bike up with a drop bar, since I was planning to use the bike for light touring. I installed Microshift 3x7 drop bar shifters but I was never able to get them to mesh with Suntour derailleurs. I'm not sure if it was the spacing of the sprockets on the freewheel or the cable pull on the derailleurs but I just couldn't get them to work. So, I picked up Shimano Acera (rear) and Altus (front) derailleurs and was able to get them to work perfectly within a matter of minutes. I'll take that back a little. The front derailleur is still a little bit touchy, but it works well enough and I don't do a lot of shifting up front anyways. It could also be because I still have the XCM crank up front. Anyway, I actually really like how the bike rides. I just recently completed the 400 mile Erie Canal Trail from Buffalo to Albany w/o any problems.

Congrats on your acquisition and upgrades, and welcome to the forums! Hurry and get to ten posts so you can share pictures of your bike and your ride. I’m really interested in that trail and would love to see how it went for you. I was on a section of the Empire State Trail near New Paltz earlier this year and loved it.

I really like the MicroSHIFTs I’ve installed, too. I find it funny that front derailleurs seem like they should be so much easier to set up and are often so much more fussy. This may not be it, but if what you’re experiencing is chain rub at the lowest or highest gear positions, I’ve had some luck going with a size narrower chain to get just a bit more clearance. So if i’m currently using a 6/7/8 speed chain, I’ll try a 9 speed. As much as I like feel of the MicroSHIFTs, I don’t think it’s as easy to dress the front derailleur position slightly with light taps at the shift lever as it is on the Shimano levers I have.

I’m not keen on shifting rear derailleurs with non-indexed shifters, but I have to admit the front one can be a lot easier to live with that way.

I'll post pictures of the bike as soon as meet the post quota and give a review of the Erie Canal Trail.

great thread, just picked up a minty 730 this week.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3750b2ca7.jpeg
Got this 730. It may not be super vintage but it is near mint. The protective stickers are still on the head tube. Looks to have almost never been used.

Anyone have recommendations on a simple but sturdy front rack/basket that fits well on a Multitrack? Looking for something to hold a backpack or a grocery bag.

Wald basket with the adjustable hardware fits great on mine.
https://www.amazon.com/Wald-1372-Fro...07WKO6QA&psc=1

Picked up a Trek 700 MultiTrack today. Saw it on Craig's List and it was only 5 minutes from the house. Once I saw it I couldn't resist. The $75 price didn't hurt either. This is my first Trek and So far I'm liking it. Owner said he bought it new in the 90's. Not sure how to confirm that but have no reason to doubt him. The ad said 26" wheels. NOPE 700c's SWEET.
Here it is still in the truck when I returned home
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a93ce04c6a.jpg
And here it is cleaned. Chain cleaned and lubed. Not sure if the seat and bars are adjusted in this pic
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b843091ad0.jpg
Needs almost nothing. Rear brakes hardly did anything but CoolStops had been installed, Adjusted and working now. My first bike with twist shifters so getting used to that. Bike is very comfortable and ready for some miles. But I'll stay near home for a few rides. See how it goes.

100GS components were produced in 90,91, and 92, so that would narrow down the range.

Thank you. That matches what I was able to find on Vintage-Trek.com. Seems this color was called Sour Grape with red decals-1992

Lee

Yeah, I’d say 1992. Appears to be the only year they produced the Sour Grape color. Nice find, especially for the price & condition. Appears to be all original except for the tires. Enjoy.

Thank you. I'm going out again shortly to pull the rear brake off and clean the pivot posts. Then grease and reassemble. I see it has a small screw to adjust the spring to help center the brake. I had to adjust the pads a bit wider than I would like because it's not centered now.
The seat had me wondering. I think someone put a new cover on it. It now has staples on the underside. Says Trek on it though :thumb:

Have a great weekend!

Continuing saga of my newly acquired MultiTrack. Brakes are fixed. So I ordered some inexpensive shimano shifters. Shifter for the rear is indexed but has a push button for going up and a trigger for down.
Front derailleur shifter is friction with clicks. Install of the shifters was fairly easy. Removal of the GripShifters too. The brake levers not so much. Shimano 100GS tighten to the bar through the front like a drop bar. I had to disconnect the brakes to get enough room to get a screwdriver in there. Of course I had to do it twice because I didn't like the angle of the levers on the first try. Here are 3 pics

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...967afe27bc.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe3c735c70.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...45af1ae4a7.jpg

I couldn't help myself when I saw this 'lightly used' 1996 750 in my size pop up. It really had been babied. I put the 1991 frame I've been restoring on the back burner and built it up with a spare 5700 105 group, so that I have a winter gravel bike to ride.

Having both a lugged and a TIG welded 750 frame unbuilt in the same size (21") presented an interesting opportunity, so I got out the digital scales and proceeded to test the 'TIG welded frames are lighter' assertion. Scroll down for the results!


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...07e874e3e5.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...89c226b021.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cdcf84f48c.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...69c751b7dd.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...717a38199c.jpg

Thanks for the data; that's interesting. FWIW my 21" 94 750 (TIG) came in at pretty much 4lbs 15oz (2239.61g). 94 was the first year for TIG frames, and it is a hair lighter than the lugged.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0145c24c29.png


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...43c77546bb.png

Beautiful 750 builds. I'm surprised that the lugged is lighter but glad to see it as my 790/750/970/520 are all the lugged variety.

Any noticeable differences between the lugged and tig 750s in terms of measurements?

It would be interesting if you did identical builds with the two frames and tested ride qualities back to back, but that can be tricky/expensive. I have a 750 and 790 that are pretty much identical frames/forks but with different builds and they shine a light on how much the frame/fork do and do not impact the final ride and handling of a bike.

First post. I just picked up a mechanically sound 1997 750 MT (19") yesterday. Plan to add fenders, shorter stem, wider bars and wear out stock drivetrain.