# Let's See Your Vintage Touring Bikes!



## ADDam (Jun 7, 2008)

Hey Guys, I just picked up a 1983 Trek 620 Touring frame and I'm going to start building it up very soon and I want some ideas. It will be built up with "tasteful" modern parts:

XT Rear Der
Tourney Front
Sugino Triple
Bar-End Shifters
Mavic Open Pro/Ultegra Wheelset
Nitto Bars/Post
Brooks B17


















*Show me YOURS!*


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)




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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)




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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

bushpig said:


>


some really cool details on that bike


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## proto2000 (Jan 27, 2007)

Roadies.....


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

I prefer to tour on a mountain bike.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

cool thread. some of those old touring bikes sure have a lot of character. Dare I say it, almost like an old mtb. Nah, not quite that cool. 

BP, that one still makes me a bit mad that I let it get away locally, but it's better off with you.


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

The 620 was a tourer? No canti mounts etc. Not saying you're wrong, I'm just not seeing the touring aspects of that one. Nice bike though to be sure, and thanks for coming with pics!!

Hollister. What was the deal with the BB on that one? Press fit bearings, pinched in place? Doesn't look big enough for an eccentric BB....


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## Matt H. (Sep 14, 2004)

Here's my 1984 Trek 520. Props to EastCoast Steve for passing this on to me


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## ADDam (Jun 7, 2008)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> The 620 was a tourer? No canti mounts etc. Not saying you're wrong, I'm just not seeing the touring aspects of that one. Nice bike though to be sure, and thanks for coming with pics!!


I honestly think I'm at an advantage here w/o the cantis because I can run 700's and just use Long Reach Caliper brakes.

Check it out:


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

It isn't all that vintage, but here's my 1997/98 Rhygin Metax CX bike that I'll be using as a credit card touring bike. It was originally setup as a triple, but I'm running it as a double. Has lots of tasty vintage bits including the Syncros Revolution crankset, Kooka titanium bottom bracket, Precision Billet derailleur, Syncros titanium seat post, Flite titanum saddle, Ringle MoJo cable hangers and XTR M900 cassette.


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

ADDam said:


> I honestly think I'm at an advantage here w/o the cantis because I can run 700's and just use Long Reach Caliper brakes.


I'll never stand on a soap box and proclaim to know all, just so I've said it

I'm confused, you can run 700c wheels regardless, canti or otherwise. The reason they put cantis on tourers is because they have extra stopping power compared to road calipers. Long reaches are great for extra clearance with fenders etc, but the longer the caliper arms, the more flex they has, the less stopping power they possess.

I think the touring aspect they mention in the literature you posted is broad based. Meaning, you can tour, race, ride, etc, on basically any bike. They put rack mounts on it, so you can load it up and go for a weekend of fun, no worries. I'm not nitpicking, just chatting, and hopefully, helping someone get a better understanding what they've got.

Many bikes in that time frame were sport tourers, as in, road bike with rack mounts. A "true tourer", regardless of time frame, will have canti's (some modern ones are even disc now), front and rear rack mounts, a lower BB, and more relaxed angles, as well as a longer wheel base, both for heel clearance with rear panniers, as well as a more stable ride characteristic with load, for heading down the Rockies with 70 lbs of gear, plus a rider :eekster:


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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

No tto mention the fact that they are made with heavier gauge tubing to accept the heavy loads a tour is capable of handing you.

I have a Trek of very similar vintage, and while being a very fun, comfortable bike to ride, I'd never load it up. Thing is a complete noodle[that's the comfortable part there] with just little old me on there. I can't imagine adding another 20 to 30 obs of gear to that will do anything for the stability of the bike.

mr.dp - i've said it before, but I'll say it again. HOT bike! Love the tires. Hate the wheels. Keep them on the Indy roadie, and biuld up a set of nice White Industry hubs to Hed's new Ardennes rims for a sweet bomber[yet light] set of wheels. It would suit the look of the bike SO much more than the ksyriums do.


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

~martini~ said:


> mr.dp - i've said it before, but I'll say it again. HOT bike! Love the tires. Hate the wheels. Keep them on the Indy roadie, and biuld up a set of nice White Industry hubs to Hed's new Ardennes rims for a sweet bomber[yet light] set of wheels. It would suit the look of the bike SO much more than the ksyriums do.


Thanks! The wheels are only placeholders. I have a (fairly new) set of Phil Wood hubs I'm going to build up with Mavic Open Pro rims. The '08 IF Ti CJ has been sold and I'm dismantling the '09 IF Deluxe to fund a modern sister bike to this: an Igleheart 953 29er single-speed. :thumbsup:


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## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

*Fin*

Here's the updated Rhygin CX with Phil Wood hubs and NOS Mavic Open Pro rims (guessing late 1990s). It gets its maiden voyage to the bike week festival tomorrow. 

View attachment 544705


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## ADDam (Jun 7, 2008)

Nice, I like those wheels much better!


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Many bikes in that time frame were sport tourers, as in, road bike with rack mounts. A "true tourer", regardless of time frame, will have canti's (some modern ones are even disc now), front and rear rack mounts, a lower BB, and more relaxed angles, as well as a longer wheel base, both for heel clearance with rear panniers, as well as a more stable ride characteristic with load, for heading down the Rockies with 70 lbs of gear, plus a rider :eekster:


Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about that bike. We sold a line of brit bikes called Woodrup that were sport touring and were very different from the true touring bike that we also sold. Tighter geometry more akin to a typical road bike, though with 27" wheels and a single eyelet for a rear rack or fenders.

I'm going to keep my eyes on this thread. I keep hoping a crazy Annapurna that a coworker had build for extended touring will pop up on this board, and this thread is as likely a place as any.


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## ADDam (Jun 7, 2008)

I ended up building up the Trek for a buddy of mine and I bought a new LHT, Loving every second of it!


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## dvsjes28 (Dec 2, 2010)

*1982 Trek 613 All Original*










Gravedigging a bit, Sorry


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## CS2 (Jul 24, 2007)

dvsjes28 said:


> Gravedigging a bit, Sorry


Those early Treks had a lot of class for a factory bike. Unlike their counterparts of today.


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

Wasn't sure where to post this, but anyone savvy with bike racks know who might have made this one? It's steel if that helps.


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## marcinski (Jul 11, 2010)

That's minoura rack, see here:

Minoura Japan ? MT-800N


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## jpaw33 (Jun 3, 2013)

*trek 620*



marcinski said:


> That's minoura rack, see here:
> 
> Minoura Japan ? MT-800N


Here is my 620,I bought it new in 1983.The last photo is with the original wheels.I just added the new wheels ,tires,bar tape and changed out the helicomatic 6 speed to a shimano 7 speed.It's my everyday rider.
BTW The brake pads did not need much adjustment to fit the 700 wheels,so switching back to the original 27" wheels is no problem.


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

It also doubles as my 24 hours steed. 1984 Raleigh Mountain Tour


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## trailville (Jul 24, 2006)

*1994 Trek 520*

As touring bikes go, 1994 isn't very old but I figured I'd post anyway. I've ridden a lot of miles on this thing over the past 19 years, but it seems like only yesterday I was in the bike shop getting fit for it.


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## Saddle Up (Jan 30, 2008)

ADDam said:


> Hey Guys, I just picked up a 1983 Trek 620 Touring frame and I'm going to start building it up very soon and I want some ideas. It will be built up with "tasteful" modern parts:
> 
> XT Rear Der
> Tourney Front
> ...


Did this bike ever get built?

My wife's Miyata 610


My Muruishi Tourace TA15 when I first got it.


Turned Randonneur


Miyata 615 turned gravel grinder, the best possible use for a 80's steel sport tourer.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

I'm torn on parting with this one even though it's way too damn big:







Steve


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## sansarret (Mar 17, 2006)

I know i'm cheating but I have touring bike I built 6 years ago with a bunch of nos M900 xtr parts (is this sacrilegious?).

2007 Independent Fabrication Independence


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## oldskoolwrench (Jul 12, 2012)

sansarret said:


> I know i'm cheating but I have touring bike I built 6 years ago with a bunch of nos M900 xtr parts (is this sacrilegious?).
> 
> 2007 Independent Fabrication Independence
> 
> ...


Not one bit! Your IndyFab looks awesome!

Here's my rig... another '83 Trek 620:


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## jpaw33 (Jun 3, 2013)

My 1984 Trek 520,complete rebuild with velosity a23 wheels,28mm gatorskins,shimano bar-con 9 speed shifters,11/28 9 speed cassette and velocals 520 decals.I added more decals than the original bike had. :thumbsup:


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## bradkay (Apr 9, 2013)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> I'll never stand on a soap box and proclaim to know all, just so I've said it
> 
> I'm confused, you can run 700c wheels regardless, canti or otherwise. The reason they put cantis on tourers is because they have extra stopping power compared to road calipers. Long reaches are great for extra clearance with fenders etc, but the longer the caliper arms, the more flex they has, the less stopping power they possess.
> 
> ...


In the early days of Trek (up through the early 1980s) they had three frame geometries: Road, Sport, and Touring. Their Sport bikes had the steeper angles of the road bike with a little bit longer chainstays. Their touring bikes had true touring geometry: relaxed angles and a full touring wheelbase. They did not have cantilever mounts until somewhere around 1985-86, IIRC.

I have owned and extensively toured on both a 1978 520 and a 1980 720, riding both with heavy loads (50lbs+). I never felt any issues with load carrying or stopping from high speeds (using SunTour Superbe brakes). I know that on a transcontinental tour in 1985 I hit 47mph on at least a dozen different mountain descents. Honestly, I think that the full pack setup causes enough wind resistance that 47mph was the terminal velocity for that bike. The most fun I had on the transcontinental ride was passing 16 cars while descending Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the drivers of those cars when they realized that they were being passed by a fully loaded touring bicyclist!


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## bradkay (Apr 9, 2013)

Here was my 1978 Trek 520 on tour. It was stolen in 1986 and replaced with a 1980 Trek 720.


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## kpomtb (Feb 2, 2006)

Not vintage since I just picked it up this week, but has some retro touches.


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Nice Coconino.Wheel size? 


kpomtb said:


> View attachment 845992
> 
> 
> Not vintage since I just picked it up this week, but has some retro touches.


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## onlyoyster99 (Jul 14, 2011)

Figured I'd break up the trek-fest. It's a 1978 motobecane grand jubilé that I found in a barn. It's a great ride, but it's just slightly too big. 100% original aside from the saddle which was beyond repair, and the pedals which were missing.

Sent from my C6606 using Tapatalk 2


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## kpomtb (Feb 2, 2006)

jeff said:


> Nice Coconino.Wheel size?


26" Those are 1.75" Kenda Kwicks. It will work with up to 2.0" tires. Fork geometry heavily inspired by the old Bridgestone forks.


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## kolemjdouci (Nov 11, 2013)

*custom allrounder*

hello, here is my custom allrounder I built this summer. It is a dual speed with sachs orbit at the rear. more pics here


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## oldskoolwrench (Jul 12, 2012)

onlyoyster99 said:


> Figured I'd break up the trek-fest. It's a 1978 motobecane grand jubilé that I found in a barn. It's a great ride, but it's just slightly too big. 100% original aside from the saddle which was beyond repair, and the pedals which were missing.
> 
> Sent from my C6606 using Tapatalk 2


Those older, high end Motobecanes sure were pretty! All you need is a set of Lyotard platform pedals and you're all set!


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## bloud (Sep 4, 2010)

1981 Fuji America. Dork-disc, reflectors, pump, bottle and all original. I don't ride it with those tires, but it's smooth.


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## onlyoyster99 (Jul 14, 2011)

The bike had a set of Atom 440s, but they were missing the end caps and the.bearings were trashed. A set of lyotards would be nice though.

Sent from my C6606 using Tapatalk 2


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Time capsule. Very nice.


bloud said:


> 1981 Fuji America. Dork-disc, reflectors, pump, bottle and all original. I don't ride it with those tires, but it's smooth.


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

My '84 Mtn.Tour


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## nowhere-man (Feb 3, 2012)

*Miyata Le Mans*


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## The Golden Boy (Oct 7, 2009)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> The 620 was a tourer? No canti mounts etc. Not saying you're wrong, I'm just not seeing the touring aspects of that one. Nice bike though to be sure, and thanks for coming with pics!!


Hi,

I know this is an old thread, I rarely ever post here- however I kind of stumbled onto this thread doing some searches.

As it's VRC- someone may care a bit...

I like Touring Bikes- it's a really nice cross of a 'road' bike with a 'mountain bike.' Elegant _and_ business. To me- that makes for a supreme 'all around' bike.

As mentioned- As far as Trek goes- (and it changed a little year by year) for the most part the early geometries were the X10 and the X30 with X being the frame material (5 and under being Ishiwata or lower, 7 for Reynolds 531 and 9 for Columbus) and the 10 being the "Touring/Sport" and the 30 being the "Road/Racing" geometry. The "0" would be the component group- I know 6 was Shimano 600, 7 was Campagnolo GS and 8 was Campagnolo NR.

I have a 1978 Trek 736. It's a 531 framed "racing" bike with Shimano 600 components.

As far as the "touring" bikes...

The concept of the touring specific bike took a while to develop- and really was only around for a short while- 82-85 and anything after was kind of 'not important' to the bicycle companies- instead of the wide interest in 'touring' the companies looked to mountain bikes.

Trek created the X20 touring geometry.

Prior to 1983/4- even the top of the line tourers had caliper brakes. In 1982 720/728 had center pulls and Schwinn's Voyageur SP had sidepulls. In 83 Trek used cantis on the 720, but a shorter geometry and sidepulls on the 620. 84 the 620 had shorter geometry, but cantis. In 85 the 620 had a really similar geometry to the 720 and cantis.

IMO- 1985 was the pinnacle for "touring" bikes. They were as good as they ever got. Prime steel, prime components, prime design. Two city blocks long, 45-47cm chainstays, Braze ons for 3 bottles, front and rear racks, lowrider racks, the best in mountain bike technology adapted for the road... (A little note about dropout braze ons... some 84 Trek 720s had 2 per dropout, some had one- by 1985 it had one per dropout- so dual brazeons are not indicative or a requirement.) But in 1986- the 720 and 620 got dropped from Trek (the expensive Reynolds 531 frames) and only the CrMo 520 remained- but it didn't get "tour-y" until 1988. Schwinn dropped the Voyageur SP- and wrapped both of their touring programs into the Voyageur- Columbus Tenax for a few years and then True Temper.

That's not to say touring bikes disappeared after 85- they just weren't a prominent aspect of a bike company's attention.

I saw someone make the connection between Touring Bikes and Battleships and it totally makes sense to me. From the advent of the Dreadnought around the turn of the century to the early 1930s the line between a Battleship and Heavy Cruiser/Cruiser was kind of tenuous. In the late 30s the US' Iowa Class battleships ENTIRELY changed battleship design and the Japanese Yamamoto was among the very last and the ULTIMATE battleship ever fielded- but by 1946 they were gone.

I've had a 1985 Trek 620 for a few years. I love it- it's my favorite and primary bike. Within the last month or so I was fortunate enough to acquire both a 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP and a 1985 Trek 720- the flagship tourers from those companies. It's all wintery here- so I'm waiting for spring by rebuilding these bikes to my own particular... idiom.


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

You guys are smart, maybe you can help me figure out what this touring frame is. It seems to have been repainted and Reynolds 501 decals were applied, though there's nothing to indicate it's actually made with 501. Things I've figured out so far:

Campagnolo dropouts, fork tips, and cable guides

27.0 seatpost diameter

68mm bottom bracket

Came with Mafac brakes, Stronglight headset, Hatta bottom bracket and Shimano 600 wheelset, though nothing to indicate these components are original.

Another thing is that it has only one has one set of bottle cage bosses, located on the downtube. This makes me think it might be a cyclocross frame but I don't really know. Any ideas???

Almost forgot, 700c wheels.


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## Fuzzy2964 (Mar 24, 2009)

*1984 Peugeot Vagabond*









1984 Peugeot Vagabond. Picked this up on Craigslist and have just finished refurbishing it. Came with front and rear Vetta racks that will probably go on another bike. Canadian built Peugeot.


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## LeicaLad (Jun 5, 2010)

Okay.

1980. This is my grail bike.


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## rasumichin (Oct 21, 2008)

@LeicaLad - great bike!

German Democratic Republic-mass-produced DIAMANT RS ready for a 250km trip:


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

rasumichin said:


>


Looks like a well loved machine, so please do it a favor and fix the front fender line, poor thing......


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## 24pouces (Jan 8, 2007)

My girlfriend's C'dale 1985 ST500


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## nowhere-man (Feb 3, 2012)

Nice!


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## margefargo (Apr 4, 2013)

So - will post pics soon. Have a Centurion Pro Tour 15, in 1982 blue, all chrome under the paint, that I just redid. I wanted to use brifters, and had a set of rsx 7 speeds - used them in conjunction with a shimano mega exo 7 speed free wheel. New rear der to support the 7 speed indexing - left the front alone to handle the half-step front plus granny gear. Surprisingly, all works well and shifts beautifully. 1 major scratch in paint, otherwise not bad. Salsa grey h-bar tape, ice grey jagwire cables, black saddle, silver plastic fenders, panaracer tour guard 27 x 1 1/4 tires. time period appropriate blackburn rear rack, VO porteur rack up front. Tried to go 700c but couldn't get the cantis to play nice with the 700c wheels. Smooth, smooth ride - tange 1 tubing.


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## LeicaLad (Jun 5, 2010)

24pouces said:


> My girlfriend's C'dale 1985 ST500


That is such an interesting bike! Is this something like a . . . 45cm? I love the stretch both for toe clearance and overall balance. It's like the frame is suspended between the wheels. Does she like the ride?

Nice photos, too.


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## smorris (Aug 25, 2009)

Not all that old. This is my 1992 Bridgestone RB-T, which I bought new. It is almost all original. I've experimented with mustache bars, but I'll probably change back to drops.

More/larger photos HERE


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I've just decided that road bikers take better photos than mountain bikers.


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## rismtb (Dec 11, 2012)

*83-84 Ritchey*

set up to pull a BOB or panniers


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## The Golden Boy (Oct 7, 2009)

LeicaLad said:


> Okay.
> 
> 1980. This is my grail bike.


That's pretty much EVERYONE'S grail bike.

Congratulations for putting up with the seller and getting that bike- I don't think they get more rare and perfectly refined as your Ritchey.

Here's a couple of my recent acquisitions- the 1985 Trek 720 and the 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP.





I'm still working them out as far as setup and adjustment.

The 720 is pretty stock- I had the saddle, cable hanger and straddle yokes replaced. The VSP- I replaced the LeTech RD with an XC Pro and the DiaCompe cantis with XC Pro cantis, the stem is a 60mm SR and the bars are 42 Nitto B132. I'm going to be replacing the 30 year old tires today.


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## mmullins437 (Jul 13, 2007)

That Trek 620 is a real beauty, ADDam... great paint job in what looks like pristine condition. Jealous!


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## Saddle Up (Jan 30, 2008)

smorris said:


> Not all that old. This is my 1992 Bridgestone RB-T, which I bought new. It is almost all original. I've experimented with mustache bars, but I'll probably change back to drops.
> 
> More/larger photos HERE


Awesome bike!


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## smorris (Aug 25, 2009)

Saddle Up said:


> Awesome bike!


Thank you! Here's how it look now. I've come to terms with the mustache bars, and added a Nitto front rack and an Acorn Rando bag.


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## providence (Feb 5, 2013)

*'78 Motobecane Grand Jubile*










*'83 Trek 620*










Both touring frames that are used for 40-50 mile jaunts instead.


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## ofgit (Jul 16, 2014)

Where's my drool bucket? Wanted a '74 Grand Jubile but my student budget only allowed a Fuji S10-S, which I came to love. Alas, no photos were taken. Can't even find a pic of one on the www that had the same metallic gold paint!


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## krautwaggen (Mar 28, 2005)

My favorite bike ever.
1915 Iver Johnson Truss Bridge Roadster
72 gear inches. 700c Wood rims. Coaster Brake. Simply wonderful.

Touring Mode
CorydonCapital by VW Sightings, on Flickr

Commuter Mode
TrussBridgesquared by VW Sightings, on Flickr

Racing Mode


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Wow. Impressive!


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## datmony (Jul 12, 2012)

That is beyond all levels of awesome!!! Absolutely gorgeous.....


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