I have a 1984 Trek 620,which I bought after selling a1983 Trek 620. The 84 model was specd with 27" wheels and canti brakes set just at 57 mm drop. I first converted to 700C and found that I could barely fit a 30 mm tire (actual) and fenders. I ground out some metal at the bottom of the crown to make it work. I did spread the stays to 130 mm. No problem. I really like the way the frame handled and responded. Beautiful. I found the ride responsive and didn't want to let go of it. So I had it repaired and the studs repositioned for 650 B, along with S&S couplers. Now I ride it with 38mm Pari Moto tires and absolutely love it. A good ride is better than a vintage show piece.
I think the 420 is one level down in steel and components (now probably long since gone) but I'll bet that good Reynolds standard gauge steel still performs wonderfully. I'd say go for a modernization. Spread to 130, easy. Convert to 650B. A bargain compared to any new, comparable frame. michael On Thursday, August 28, 2014 8:03:39 PM UTC-4, cbone97 wrote: > > So after selling my Sam (sniff sniff), I scored a 1985 Trek 420 with 27" > wheels. It's a beautiful lugged frame that looks like it was barely ridden > and I can't wait to get my collection of Rivy parts on it: SunRace > thumbshifter (singular, no front der), Dirt Drop stem, fancy drilled Tektro > levers, etc. > > Here's the hard part. I'm a hefty lad and need/want a fatter tire than > the fattest 27"ers made. The Trek has a rear hub spacing of 126mm and I > don't really want to cold set it to 130mm. At 126mm, options seem limited > to freewheel hubs. I'm ok with that, but all the prebuilt 700c 126mm > wheelsets have skinny rims for skinny tires. So it seems I need a custom > rear wheel - 126mm hub with a rim that will accommodate 38-50mm tires. > > If I'm going to have a rear wheel built on a 126mm hub, would it be > preferable to go 650b or 700c? Can I really get that much more air volume > with 650b tires? My rough measurements suggest that with 700c the rear > will fit 38mm tires. With 700c, I might? even fit a 50mm Big Ben on the > front a and a little Ben on the rear. While 650b theoretically will allow > a bigger tire, I'm not sure a 650b Big Ben will fit the rear, which might > put me > > Assuming that the Silvers will work for either size (reach the 650b rims), > which size might be best? I think either would be fine/ok, am I forgetting > anything? Should I REALLY not rule out cold setting to 130mm and going > with a freehub wheel? > > Thanks! > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
