I blogged about this Trek frame back in August.  It's a 1982 Trek 720/728 - the first year for this classic and coveted touring model. At any rate, I finally got around to doing a build with the frame and thought I would share the results.

First a little history, In Trek's early years, they sold only framesets. But after a couple years, they began to assemble and sell complete bikes. In 1982 they were stilling selling a few high-end models as both complete bikes and framesets. The reason for the dual model numbers was to distinguish the frameset from the complete bike.  Frames were 720s and the complete bicycle were 728s - or maybe the other way around. No, I think that's right.

I remember seeing a 728 on the final day of RAGBRAI back in 1982. I was astonished by the length of the chainstays and the fact that it came equipped with center-pull brakes.  At 47cm (18.5"), I'm not sure there has ever been longer chainstays on a production bicycle. And in 1982, center-pulls had definitely fallen out of favor. By the following year, many of the better production touring bicycles on the market came equipped with cantilevers brakes, including the 720. But there were several years in the late-70s and early 80s when some touring bikes came with side-pull brakes.

But for the inaugural year of this model, if you purchased a complete bicycle, it came with a set of beautifully finished Dia Compe center-pulls. The Gran Compe NGC450 is a gorgeous, high-quality brakeset that, unfortunately, hit the scene too late and missed the center-pull heyday.   

Back to this particular bike. If you read my August post, you might remember that this Trek lost a fight with an oak tree, or a brick wall, or some such immovable object, The fork and headtube were bent. Fortunately, the Iowa City Bike Library is well endowed with frame repair tools!  With a little patience and the right equipment, I was able to reincarnate this thing and give it a second chance.

There is a silver lining in cases like this. The "incident" happened early in its life and so it spent years hung on a hook in a climate controlled garage.  It's barely been ridden. Consequently, the paint is is probably an 8.5 or 9 on the ten point scale. The decals and headbadge are all well preserved. There were a couple of flaws in the finish.  There were chain-slap blemishes on the top of the right chainstay and if you peek underneath you will see scratches where a kickstand had once been clamped.

The frame is 24" center to top with a 22.5" top tube, center to center. It was built for 700c wheels. But one thing I know about this vintage touring bike is that clearance for fenders and big tires is not an option. So I decided to go with 650Bs and a more modern transmission - eight speed.  (Contrary to most of the evidence, I do like some contemporary amenities!)

Not having cantilever brakes made the transition to 650Bs easy.  I found a set of long-reach Weinmann center-pulls, cleaned them up, slapped on some vintage Mathauser pads and it was done.  Now fatties fit fine. I had a set of Panaracer Nifty Swifties that are a true 34mm but it could handle a much wider tire. The Blumel Popular fenders are vintage and work well with the fatter tire. 

I am looking for a rear Blackburn rack  that fits with the bosses on this frame.  This will not be easy to find.  There are plenty of variables to work with so I'm not holding my breath. The front rack is a Blackburn and the one they show in  the Trek brochure for this bicycle. Although the brochure says that the complete bike does not include the racks.

As built, the bike comes in just over 25 pounds and rides swell.  Not sure what the future holds for this beauty, but I don't think I will keep it.  It's too small for me and it should definitely be ridden and enjoyed.

I have been a League of American Cyclists member for several years.  I'm also a League Certified Instructor.  I have tried to be active in local cycling advocacy endeavors for the last decade.  

As a cyclist.I know how intimidating the streets can be.  I also know people that would love to cycle, but don't because they're not comfortable mixing it up on streets designed to move cars.  The research clearly shows there's plenty of pent-up desire to ride, if only those potential riders perceived their pathway to be safer.

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. and next week is the League's official Bike To Work Week. I hope this is not seen as a crass attempt to cash in on Bike to Work Week, but we're putting our Dolliver trunk bag on sale to celebrate Bike to Work Week.  Dollivers will be 20% off from May 11-15.  That's $60!  

We hope Ironweed customers that buy the Dolliver take the savings and put it towards a League membership - if they're not already a member. Supplies are limited and this is only the second sale we've every had, so now's your chance!

I thought it might be interesting to one or two of my readers to share a few of the bikes I own and enjoy riding.

Like many people in the United States, my first bicycle was a Schwinn.  A Coppertone Stingray to be more specific.  I remember telling my dad I wanted one of those flashier looking Stingray-style bikes that the department store sold; like the Murray Eliminator.  But my father insisted that my first bike be a Schwinn because of the quality and durability.  I was 6 years old and desperate for my own bike, so I didn’t put up too much fuss. 

I still own a Schwinn; though it’s not a Stringray.  It is a 1974 Opaque red Sports Tourer (ST). 

The Schwinn Sports Tourer has a frameset and fork made with 4130 chromoly tubes.  The Sports Tourers, along with the Super Sport and later the Superior, were fillet-brazed by hand in the same part of the Chicago Schwinn factory where they made the Paramount. 

While clearly superior to the flash-welded frames featured on most Schwinns, the Sports Tourer looked very similar.  But with a higher price tag, it was not obvious to the customer why the ST – which looked quite similar to the Varsity and Continental – was priced closer to the top-of-the-line hand-made and lugged Paramount. 

But closer scrutiny reveals the source of the more expensive sticker price. In addition to the lighter chromoly frame/fork and the hand fillet-brazed joints, the Sports Tourer came with a cotterless (or should I say Ashtabula-less) crank and other lighter and better quality componentry.

My Sports Tourer came with a TA Cyclotouriste crankset.   Earlier versions were fitted with nice Nervar cranksets. In addition to a French cranks, there was a veritable United Nations of components.  Schwinn basically acquired components from wherever and frequently rebadged them as “Schwinn” or “Schwinn Approved.” 

A Shimano Crane rear derailleur was standard equipment on the 1974 Sports Tourer.  It was matched (or perhaps mismatched) with a Huret front changer.  First year models (1971) of the ST came with a Campagnolo Gran Turismo.  A five speed Shimano freewheel with the two largest cogs being skip-tooth, finished out the drivetrain. 

British parts included stem, handlebars (GB), saddle (Brooks).  French components were also well represented.  In addition to the front derailleur and the crankset, hubs, pedals, and Twin-Stick shifters were all French.  And the brakes, brake levers, and rims were Swiss (Weinmann).

Of course I’ve switched out a few of the components.  For instance I traded the 170mm TA Cyclotouriste for a 180mm TA Pro.  And the Weinmann brakes were exchanged for MAFACs.  I added a longer stem, wider bars (needs even wider) and added VO fenders. The old Brooks B15 grew a little tattered and I replaced it with Brooks Flyer.

I like the geometry, specifically the longer top tube, compared to its British and Japanese counterparts of that era. (I’ve seen 68cm Panasonics matched with 58cm top tubes!)  My Sports Tourer is called a 26 inch frame.  That’s from center to top of the seat tube, which rises well above the top tube. The top tube comes in around 62cm center to center.  By comparison, my British Woodrup is a 66cm frame with a top tube of 59cm.

In general, the Schwinn Sports Tourer is a pretty comfortable ride. It has a geometry not too dissimilar from the Surly Long Haul Trucker.  I would not hesitate to use it on a century ride or a weekend camping trip.  It’s not bad looking either!

The Ironweed webstore is now offering Velo Orange front and rear Campeur racks.  

We get lots of questions about mounting the Ironweed Orpington front bag. The questions are usually along the lines of “what rack works” and “do I need to use a decaleur.”  The VO front racks with the integrated decaleurs are a simple and clean mounting solution.  The VO Campeur front rack has the integrated decaleur. 

If you plan to mount our panniers to this rack, we would refer you to this blog post. If you still have any questions, please drop us an email.  We'll be happy to assist you in making sure your bags and racks find a harmonious fit.   

On Groundhog Day gray is good!  That's why we're putting our gray panniers on sale for one day - Groundhog Day, February 2,  2015!