The Trek Antelopes are a great alternative to the Stumpjumpers and MB-1 of the era. For this week’s Readers’ Rides, Matt shares his 1987 Trek 800 Antelope with us…

It’s an old truck of a bike, heavy and steady. You can feel the weight carry your momentum. The hubs are smooth, and it fits me well for someone who normally rides flat-bar setups. On a mellow dirt trail, there’s no better ride for me.

This is a ‘87 Trek 800 Antelope, representing the entry level of Trek’s ATB series with main tubes advertised on the sticker as “plain gauge.” No butts about it. I was drawn to the color scheme, but what I really liked about it were the thin tubes, short reach and tall frame. I love all the little details — the cable guides on the top tube, the bulky but sturdy brake cable stop on the rear and the yellow paint so thick that it might provide some structural support as well. It even has a mid-fork mount that I haven’t used yet. The slenderman head tube.

This was actually my first bike build from just a frame, fork and headset. I bought it from a private seller in Minneapolis in January 2023 for a winter project. I decided to abandon a GT Talera that I really enjoyed riding, though it might have been even heavier than this frame. I rode the Talera in the inaugural Hodag Country Ramble near Rhinelander, Wisc., and had an incredible time. That frame went to a bike swap buyer, and I hope it’s still being enjoyed.

It’s tempting, though not economically wise, to affix all new parts to a low-end, 30-year-old bicycle frame. And as much as the Twin Cities used bicycle marketplace was a candyland of secondhand, quality gear, I don’t always have the patience to wait for the right fitments to materialize. For the Antelope, it was a combination of new and pre-owned parts. I cannibalized the drivetrain, wheels and some other parts from the GT. The wheelset in particular was just beat to shit but holds true and spins so smoothly. I matched the used Shimano Alivio 3×7 setup with new Microshift bar-end shifters on friction mode, which is just a really nice way to shift. I sprung for the new Velo Orange stem and Daija Far Bars, where I borked the tape job a bit but it works fine. I ended up getting these WTB All Terrain wire bead tires, which just barely clear the fork crown. They actually roll pretty nice, and I’ve been happy with them on and off pavement.

Once built, I took the bike straight to a small singletrack park in the Twin Cities suburbs and quickly realized that steep and rough trails weren’t the place for this bike. It needs long, flat and smooth surfaces to make its steady, smooth forward progress. The Antelope was a monster around the Minnesota River Bottoms, an excellent system of trails that weaves through the forests along the Minnesota River. The Bottoms have virtually no elevation changes, and most of the trails have been pounded into fine dirt from years of shred. A fall evening on those trails is like a holy experience.

I now live in Great Falls, Montana, home of Charlie Russell. I work as a journalist. Great Falls has a special collection of singletrack trails along the rocky cliffs of the Missouri River that a small but mighty local organization maintains (thank you). The views are so good I keep pausing to gander. These are high plains trails that are dry and desert-like with prickly vegetation and golden grasses. There are rattlesnakes and snakes that look like rattlesnakes, though. And you’re usually getting a headwind going westward, but each mile is worth it. There are also lots of pronghorn that blend into the light brown coulees of the high plains, so this bicycle feels right at home.

I have a hardtail more suited for those craggy trails, but on the Antelope there are plenty of sections to hop on and off of paved trails and still get those riverside views. The paved sections of trail take you by the shortest river in the world, the hometown skate park and some beautiful stretches of the Missouri.

The Antelope is not a daily ride, but I’m really fond of it and have a blast each time I take it out. I think it looks pretty cool, and the frame will probably outlive my grandchildren.

-Matt Hudson

We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!