My '84 610 had some serious frame issues and assembly issues that I didn't recognize until I had bought my Masi! I actually thought I had forgotten how to ride; it was my first bike in 10 years.. It pulled to the side, had excessive headset drag, and the seatpost binder ears broke off!!!
I sent the bike back to Trek after a year, via the LBS, and the binder ears got fixed, it got repainted in 1986 colors, then it still rode badly. 15 years later I decided to get everything aligned and see if it's still just a POS (yes, I am a cheap engineer!), and that, plus an overhaul and new headset, is what it needed all along. Now its a nice, nice bike!
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI
>
\r?\n> > Here, Burke reveals how he built the bicycle giant:
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > ".....In 1984 we made some bad product...... "
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Haunting statement, ouch.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Does anyone know what implications this statement entails for owners of,
\r?\n> say, bikes like my 1984 Trek 720?
\r?\n> I recall an alignment issue with mine that I corrected at home, but it's
\r?\n> been great otherwise ever since. Paint and finishing work look excellent to
\r?\n> me. I don't remenber any recall or anything, but mine was literally sold
\r?\n> for 52% off as a leftover model, right after SIS became popular around 1996.
\r?\n> I finally tossed the Helicomatic hub four years later after the freewheel
\r?\n> bearing cone ring loosened a bit during a long ride. I tightened it en route
\r?\n> with a rock and a big nail as a drift punch and was able to ride home. I
\r?\n> would repeat this roadside procedure only last year when a Shimano freewheel
\r?\n> pulled the same stunt, again with no bearings lost. Amazing how little time
\r?\n> it takes to find a roadside nail! Finding a suitable rock takes longer!!!
\r?\n>
\r?\n> David Snyder
\r?\n> Auburn, CA usa