1991 Trek 990

[GeneralOsik]

I'm sure there's a lump of aluminium with seized everything and a seat cover from Aldi to be had if you stretch your budget to 20.

Stretch it to 25, and you could get an Alpinestars with a cracked head tube! (see reply #2 of this thread )

 

[GeneralOsik]

I installed a Gorilla Brake Beefer the other day, and swapped out the bottle cages for some black Elite Ciussi cages.






I think I'm going to start riding this bike to the local Bike Polo games, and I might try my hand at playing. That is why I wanted stronger front brakes, and bottle cages that will bend instead of break when hit. Recently, I've been riding to the local park, and riding around the play ground or tennis court with one hand, as slow as I can go in 28x28 direct drive.

I've talked about Rodando Por Ti a little bit before. When I found a lesser quality rip on YouTube a couple years ago, I was ecstatic to find they were riding the bike that I was currently rebuilding, albeit in the 1992 Red color. It was neat to see certain grainy clips showing parts that I have on my bike. I could immediately tell the custom parts that were installed, like the Profile Design handle bar, and the addition of a brake booster. It wasn't until I found a higher resolution copy of the video, and freeze framed a shot of the booster that I realized it was a Gorilla Brake Beefer.



At the 15:00 minute mark, you can see a clear shot of both bikes fitted with the same booster. In a few other shots, one of the bikes is missing the booster. That's one of the neat things about movie making that I like noticing, when "props" aren't the same shot to shot.

After seeing this, I knew I had to find a Gorilla Brake Beefer for my bike. I had been looking for a while on Facebook and eBay, but one day a couple weeks ago, I decided to do a Google Image search to find better photos, and I happened across this website, still selling the Beefers and a few other NOS parts!

http://abundantadventures.com/quads.html

If you are in the US, I highly recommend visiting and seeing if there's anything of interest to you. I picked up two Beefers in black, and I happened to already have a Headlock, seen here fitted to the bike when I bought it. I might install it, since there's another Gorilla part on the bike now, to match...

 

[Bonicon]

Thank you for the great build thread and the links to those videos -- I would've never found them.

I picked up a red 1992 Trek 990 last week, finally found one in size 22". It is not in the best state and unfortunately some previous owner decided to saw off the rear canti bridge after installing V-brakes. But, I will have it up and running again.

 

[7Speed]

Back in the day, a wealthy neighbour bought one.. Guy was a lawyer for corrupt politicians and had also a fleet of expensive cars. I used to admire the bike and had no funds for a high end mtb. Then i read a test (was it bicycling?) saying the frame was a brick and the stumpjumper was the real deal. Anyways, i bought a 8700, new, at the dealer, a couple years later and hated it´s dead feeling ride from the go. I bet the steel 990 is way better....

I raced a 990 for most of the early 90s - this spec. It was great - lots of spring and whip in the frame and was very “pointy” - it went where you nudged it. Solid front end and balanced handling when the trail threw you off line. I never struggled on the hills with it - but then I used to be young and light. Now, not so much.

 

[Markybeau]

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. Thank you for sharing. And congratulations on a job very well done.

 

[GeneralOsik]

Thank you all for the recent interest in the bike, and the kind words!

I've spent a lot of time on this bike lately, and I've been taking it on lots of adventures. I'm proud to say that I haven't washed the bike since the last time I posted photos. It's definitely not living a life as a wall hanger or a garage queen. Here's a bunch of photos!

My first time playing Hard Court Bike Polo. This is a fairly underground sport in the states, and in Europe. I don't play on this bike, except once just for fun.







My Friday Night bike crew went on a closed down high way to hang out.


I've been taking this bike to lunch at my favorite neighborhood deli pretty much every day. The Tioga seatpost clamp sometimes shifts the saddle if I land a jump hard and my butt bumps it. Not ideal, but it's tight and level now.

 

[Tsundere]

It's great to see any old bike being properly ridden and enjoyed, this thread is a perfect example of what this hobby should be all about. A good read.

 

[fatchanceti]

Just curious - any chance you weighed the frame when you had everything apart? Assume these are solid 5 lb'ers?

 

[7Speed]

never weighed mine, but it wasnt Super-heavy for the time - think the complete bike was around 26-27lbs once I added a few essentials to it (cages, bar ends, flexstem, titanium seat post etc). I just built up a P-21 with a similar spec and that came in at just under 22 llbs - so you sound about right, maybe a little harsh on the frame weight. The rigid fork had massive diameter tubing, so the bike handled really well and went where you put it.It was also a very tight springy frame, climbed really well. I miss mine, so if the General ever wants to sell….

 

[fatchanceti]

Yeah, I just finished a 1990 970 rebuild and even swapped in a few lighter parts than stock and she was a solid 26.5 lbs.

Your paint is much cooler!