I'm currently riding a Trek 930, vintage 92 or 93. I'm putting about 1500 miles a year on it, but
I'd like to shoot for more. Most of my riding is on paved trails and roads (Coyote Creek Trail,
Bailey Road, organized rides), but I've done a bit of riding on the dirt trails (Santa Teresa
County Park).
I'm somewhat happy with the 930; I like the dirt/road tires that I'm using on the 26" wheels, in
that I'm not as prone to flats as most people on pure road slicks are, and I don't have to worry as
much about road hazards. I also like the somewhat more relaxed position I'm in. However, I seem to
be having either saddle or saddle position problems that I can't straighten out.
The bike is getting worn out. Well, rather, a lot of the componentry is getting worn out: the
springs in the shifters are losing their spring, the cogs and the chain rings probably need
replacing, the front deraillure seems to not be able to reliably shift any longer (either the chain
refuses to jump down, or it goes too far and completely off the chain rings). It's also a 21 speed,
and 7 speed componentry is almost impossible to find any more.
The bike was/is hardtail and no front suspension; I've installed a suspension seatpost that I'm not
too happy with.
I'm on the heavy end, but I'm in the process of slimming down. I'll always be a clysdale, being 6'1"
guarantees that, so the bike must be capable of carrying at least 200 pounds, and realisticly more
than that.
I don't think that I'll be touring with this bike; the most I've ever done has been two metric
centuries, and I'm still trying to recover from my last one a week ago.
Do I get a new bike, or just do a massive componentry replacement on this bike? The LBS I got it
from is still in business, but I'm not comfortable with their work (but they do turn it around in a
day; as the joke goes, "That restaurant is really bad: the food is terrible, and you get so little
of it!"😉 I'm a little afraid of other LBSes because of repair turnaround time: this bike is the
only one I've got, and I know from past experience that if I stop riding, it's really difficult to
start again...
I am capable of some mechanical work, but adjustments scare me: I've never been able to figure out
how to correctly adjust a front deralleur and avoid mis-shifts. Time, OTOH, is not something I have
a lot of; I'm grateful in this economy in this area to have a good job, but the work details do not
leave me a lot of time (I make time to ride; it relieves stress, and prolongs my life, and I do it
with a lunch break from work).
Sam