1991 Trek 970 - Lovely resto starts here…

[Jam_SWorks]

Thought I’d start a restoration here to document my 1991 Trek 970 rebuild.

This all started 2-3weeks ago when a fellow retro biker (Walterscot) spotted a mint 970 on Gumtree. Turned out it was very local to me here in Aberdeenshire. Here’s the original thread documenting its discovery, history and swift purchase by me.

Thread 'Trek 970 - Aberdeen'

Jan 28, 2025

Looks to be in very good original* condition. Wouldn’t take much to get it back to its original glory. £195 is perhaps a bit ambitious.



https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/...ze-185-one-owner-since-new-garaged/1346610734

*the seller seems to think that the long list of ‘upgrades’ and accessories are the key selling points of this bike.

• Walterscot
• Replies: 43
• Forum: MTB eBay & Marketplace Watch

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[Jam_SWorks]

I already have a mint Trek 8900 from 1991 which I bought from the USA and gave it the full rebuild treatment. So when I saw this nice Trek 970 from same catalog I couldn’t resist. My previous Trek 8900 resto can be found here and I hope to give it the same strip down, thorough clean and rebuild:

Thread '1991 Trek 8900 - Florescent resto happiness (almost NOS)'

Apr 12, 2022

Hi all, my latest restoration has been an absolute journey & joy to do = Trek 8900 from 1991. Although my most expensive too. But I love it! And it’s a keeper long term.

Some of you observant folks will have spotted this advertised in the USA (back in January 2022). No one bought it after the original ad got pulled, it was priced high of course (even for USA). Then add the risk of import duties bringing it to the UK probably had many thinking it simply not worth the costs. If you had those thoughts, you were completely correct (read on)

BUT… The temptation was too much for me to ignore...

• Jam_SWorks
• Replies: 70
• Forum: Reader's MTBs --> 1997

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[Jam_SWorks]

To summarise the 970 purchase back story... The lovely gentleman I bought it from was the original owner from new. He informed me he bought it from Cycling World, George Street in Aberdeen along with 2 other bikes. This was his bike and he stored inside is house and looked after perfectly. He was now of an age (69yrs) where he no longer road it much and it was time for it to go via Gumtree.

The nice back story to this bike is I was a bicycle mechanic at Cycling World during this period for 5yrs. I was one of the 3 mechanics at Cycling World who would have built this very bike back in the day. We built / sold many Treks back then, so it was nice to see one in such amazing condition 34yrs later.

Below is a photo of the shop team/staff who would have served the gentleman who sold me the bike. 6 people out of the photo below I still keep in contact with today = we are all a lot older / aged gracefully (lol). Scotty who is sitting on the Specialized bike I still cycle with today and his kids cycle with my kids too. I shared this very photo with the seller and he was delighted it was going to a retro enthusiast. And to top it off, probably me who built it for him all those years ago.

Happy retro days...

 

[Jam_SWorks]

First task was to inspect what id bought and remove all the extra addons / gubbins! fair old weight removed... Overall it appeared in great condition, with just some down tube paint damage

 

[Jam_SWorks]

 

[Jam_SWorks]

To restore it to catalogue spec, i was going to need the following:

ODI grips = Thanks to fellow retobiker suggestions, i ordered some NOS online which arrived.

Vetta Gel saddle = good news i had one off a Trek 8700 that would do the trick.

Tioga T Bone stem (1 1/8" with top stem cable routing for the brake) = So far I've not stumped up the courage to pay £100 to import the correct one from Germany that's available. All others are not period correct. As an interim solution I have a nice Girvin flexstem that needs a home. So will install that temporarily until I find a Tioga T Bone at a sensible price.

 

[Jam_SWorks]

 

[Jam_SWorks]

ODI grips arrived last week and here’s the Girvin Stem I’ll use temporarily

 

[Jam_SWorks]

Today I fully stripped the bike down, for a thorough clean and check. Everything disassembled with ease. I was horrified to find the pedal threads had no grease on them at all! Okay, can't have been me that built it, must have been my mechanic buddies = honest. LOL/

 

[Jam_SWorks]

I always like to start with the wheels first... so both wheels were fully stripped, cleaned, regreased, reassembled and trued on the jig. As you can see from the brake surfaces the bike has had minimal use or abuse over 34yrs. Even the spoke nipples turned easily.