When did the Trek 720 get soft?



B

bryanska

Guest
Hi, I'd like to buy a Trek 720 just like the one I had as a kid.

It was most surely a road frame with flat bars and cantilever brakes. I
remember it was one of the original hybrids. I think mine was a 1994.

Was the 720 originally a touring bike?

Anyway, I know the new 720s have sloping top tubes and comfort-bike
leanings, and was wondering when they went soft. Then I'd know what
years to search for.
 
Doesn't show the "fall of the 720". It's kind of a lost model anyway...
I remember there was a Consumer Reports review in like 1993 about the
"new hybrid bikes" that featured the 720.
 
bryanska wrote:
> Doesn't show the "fall of the 720". It's kind of a lost model anyway...
> I remember there was a Consumer Reports review in like 1993 about the
> "new hybrid bikes" that featured the 720.


True, it doesn't go much past about 1988, but you can get a good review
of what TREK made in the '80s. A lot of this stock is showing up on
eBay these days. My local LBS aways trades to get used good used steel
for their shop inventory. Your's may have a bulletin board with some
postings. I have two older TREKs: a 620 touring triple and a 610 road
double. They are great frames: lugged, butted, 531. It's worth the
effort to locate one.

720's are really tough to find, since that was TREK's top touring frame
with all the racking braze-ons, the double eyelet dropouts, long
geometry, 47cm chainstays... A lot of folks, including me, would like
one.

Will
 
Yeah, I'm looking for one just like I used to have - lugged, butted 720
with a flat top tube. The 1992s I believe all came with flat bars and
Suntour thumb shifters. The old Multitrack logo looked like a road
disappearing into some hills.

I want to turn it into a tourer, so the whole thing doesn't need to be
in dynamite shape.
 
On 2005-08-15, bryanska <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi, I'd like to buy a Trek 720 just like the one I had as a kid.
>
> It was most surely a road frame with flat bars and cantilever brakes. I
> remember it was one of the original hybrids. I think mine was a 1994.
>
> Was the 720 originally a touring bike?


Yup. The original 720 was introduced in 1981 as a touring geometry frame
built from Reynolds 531 tubing. The first year of production had
Gran-Compe centerpulls and Suntour derailleurs, but subsequent years used
cantilever brakes (Gran-Compe or Shimano) and Huret duopar derailleurs.
After the first year they also had braze-ons for front and rear racks
installed, and the Andrew Hauge brake bridge had a nice threaded hole to
which you could mount your fenders..

--

John ([email protected])
 
On 2005-08-16, Will <[email protected]> wrote:

> 720's are really tough to find, since that was TREK's top touring frame
> with all the racking braze-ons, the double eyelet dropouts,


Yeah, I spent a lot of time milling notches in dropouts and brazing on
eyelets in the early 80's...

--

John ([email protected])
 
Yargh! I WANT ONE!

Let it be known across the land, whispered in the cloisters, yodeled
from the hillocks -

I will pay for a early 90's Trek 720. Visit www.theevilwebsite.com and
drop a comment in a recent post. I will contact you!
 
bryanska wrote:
> Yargh! I WANT ONE!
>
> Let it be known across the land, whispered in the cloisters, yodeled
> from the hillocks -
>
> I will pay for a early 90's Trek 720. Visit www.theevilwebsite.com and
> drop a comment in a recent post. I will contact you!


There are a host of modern equivalents. Rivendell is almost a dead on
copy. Google for Heron bicycles. Look at the Waterford bicycle line.
The common denominators are:

STEEL
cantilever brakes
fenders
bar end shifters
racks
slightly wider tires
longer wheelbase

By-the-by... You don't want a 90's bike. It is TIG welded. You want an
80's bike. It is lugged. Better construction. Keep an eye out for
Shimano 600 parts. They are the era's equivalent to Ultegra today.
 
"bryanska" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Yargh! I WANT ONE!
>
> Let it be known across the land, whispered in the cloisters, yodeled
> from the hillocks -
>
> I will pay for a early 90's Trek 720. Visit www.theevilwebsite.com and
> drop a comment in a recent post. I will contact you!


They turn up on eBay pretty regularly. I have my eye out as well.
 

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