Don't pay much attention to negative reviews on bikes like the trek 1000. Most entry level road bikes will simply have more negative reviews than the more expensive models (kind of seems obvious - but is often due to people thinking that the front derailleur shifts too slowly, or not liking the 8 speed "thumb" part of the STI unit, etc.). Even the trek 1000 will have shifters and components that are light-years ahead of entry level road bikes from 20 years ago.
The biggest issue I take with such bikes is that they are often supplied with pretty weak wheelsets -- but those can be upgraded and the rest of the components are usually quite nice. Heck, I still use downtube shifters and center-pull cantilever brakes!
