Classic & Vintage - 1987 Trek 1500 Bonded Aluminum Frame

I have an old '87 Trek bonded aluminum frame in my possession thats in excellent condition. Is this frame worth building up with updated Shimano 105 components? How did these bonded frames perform compared to steel and welded aluminum? How did these frames ride? The fork is also bonded aluminum. Should this be updated to a carbon fork or should I just leave it alone? Sorry, but also posted these same questions in RBR.

OY,

I had a 89 1500 which, if memory serves, was a good ride. Plenty stiff, even in a 62cm size. I must have liked it a lot, because I tried to buy another after I decided a 62 was too big. Alas, they had stopped making them. Ended up with a Cdale. Now THAT was stiff. IMHO, this is not the bike to drop bucks on,unless you have the parts just laying around. Originally Ultegra equipped, and I think I paid around $900 for it.

Enjoy.

Don

I have a trek 2000 from 1986 - same frame, different group. I have about 20 million miles on it...nowadays it is semi-retired to a winter bike. I have upgraded it faithfully through the years and now it is running a nine-speed ultegra triple setup. There wasn't any problem with the upgrade other than having to manually spread the stays whenever the rear wheel needs to go out or in.

I have worked on several of the early ones and found the aluminum steerer split (usually someone fessed up to a crash - one woman dropped hers down the stairs while still attached to a wind load trainer...) - This is something you want to check out carefully, because a failure here would just ruin the rest of your day. I replaced mine with a look lds-3 and haven't had any further problems.

Incidentally, I picked up a second trek 2000 frame/fork on eBay a couple of years ago for the princely sum of $41 - I had saved all of the original 6-speed DA parts, the burgandy seat and cable housings from the original, so now I have two. One all original and clean, one all messed up and hotrodded.

I would not spend a grat deal of money building this frame up. I have a 89-90 1500 I got from an lbs three years ago for $75.00 (NOS). Pretty stiff, so I use it for hill climbs. Not exactly a premium ride though. The geometry seems a little cramped. I built it up with a Suntour GPX gruppo that I had from a rebuild of another bike (GPX>Superbe Pro) All-in-all a servicable bike, nothing to spend top-grade alteration bucks on
peace

Thanks for all the responses. Still not sure what to do though. Got too many bikes. Nothing like Lukers collection, but the wife and three kids take up a lot of space. Im just trying to narrow it down between the extremely expensive restoration of my Pinarello and piecing back together my old Trek.

I retailed Trek bikes during this period and I believe that the early bonded frames were just fine. I never remember having any problems with the frame or fork. I personally owned a bonded 1500 for many years and had absolutely no problems with the frame or fork. I do not remember seeing or hearing any problems with the steerer tube of the forks. If I were you I would carefully check the compatibility of the rear frame dropout width, bb shell width to today's parts. These frames were made for 6 or 7 speed width, while today's parts are now into 9 and 10 speeds, as I am sure you are aware.
My 1500 was an absolute joy to ride -comfortable and really absorbed road shock. Adding a carbon fork will make it lighter and I believe absorb more front end road shock.

The frame is spaced for a 126mm hub but a modern 130mm fits pretty good with a little spreading of the dropouts when the wheel is installed. I dont think its enough to cause as much of a problem as some people believe. Even so, Im still on the fence as to whether to go full retro with the Pinarello or somewhat modern with the Trek. I may end up keeping both, who knows.

I retailed Trek bikes during this period and I believe that the early bonded frames were just fine. I never remember having any problems with the frame or fork. I personally owned a bonded 1500 for many years and had absolutely no problems with the frame or fork. I do not remember seeing or hearing any problems with the steerer tube of the forks. If I were you I would carefully check the compatibility of the rear frame dropout width, bb shell width to today's parts. These frames were made for 6 or 7 speed width, while today's parts are now into 9 and 10 speeds, as I am sure you are aware.
My 1500 was an absolute joy to ride -comfortable and really absorbed road shock. Adding a carbon fork will make it lighter and I believe absorb more front end road shock.

As I recall the early versions of the Trek had less flexible paint than glue, causing the paint to crack at the joints. That's probably the story on the cracking frames, as I have never seen a failure, either. The fork steerer is a personal observation, and only applicable to the ones with aluminum steerers. Second or third year, they changed to chrome-moly steerers (for some reason...)

Would my '87 Trek be considered an early version or later? The paint is flawless even though it was a bit soft when I purchased it new. The paint was so soft, the zipties that held the computer wires in place left impressions in the finish. I can't quite remember when the first aluminum Treks were introduced.

The 87 sounds close to the time when Trek introduced the bonded aluminum frames. They did go through periods when their paint was not the best in the world.

They are fine bikes, though. I rode mine yesterday. The paint was Imron, and can stand up to a pretty good drubbing from general use.

They are fine bikes, though. I rode mine yesterday. The paint was Imron, and can stand up to a pretty good drubbing from general use.


Hey Luker, you got a pic to post of your Trek?

I'll get to it on friday...do you want a picture of the original or of the one that is all messed up? I'd have to clean the messed up one (but it is messed up...)

Either bike or both. Not quite sure what you mean by messed up. I didnt realize you had two! Man, you got a lot of bikes!

they breed in the garage, I think. Really, this is the morass we all end up in if we do something long enough. There's a guy down the street that has been collecting beer for years. He has all of his garage walls lined, top to bottom, with different varieties of beer. He has to heat his garage to keep 'em from freezing. To me, it just looks like a couple of really good parties. Heaven knows what he thinks when he looks in my garage (I try to keep the door shut...)

Luker,
Ever get those pics of your Treks? Here's mine with the 105 stuff.

okay. forgot. I am thinking about ebaying this one, so I need to get it down anyway.

A short history - designed by Tim Isaac, the tubing size was chosen for its esthetic similarity to normal bike tubing - the bike was scaled such that you don't realize that the tubing is significantly larger than steel tubing. The bike contained a set of innovations that made it a landmark in the mid 80's. The internally lugged frame, bonded and then smoothly finished, was a new approach to bike assembly.

The frame itself was light enough to capture a racing audience right away, and the handling is nearly neutral. The material for the 2000 and the 1500 was 7075 aluminum, an unweldable alloy that was just then making inroads into the sports tools arena (tennis racquets, etc...)

The 2000 frame was also the subject of a landmark aerodynamics study that was seminal to most subsequent studies of bicycles and their interaction with the air.

This bike is original except for the levers, rims and handlebar stem. The stock stem was supposed to be a Specialized, but because of supplier problems the early 2000's often came with other than the specified stem. The levers were used because I couldn't find the right color cable housings, but had an original set - and they had been shortened for campy aero brake levers in the 80's. The rims are replacements in the early 90's - the original matrix rims had a tendency for the spokes to pull through after a few years.

I much preferred the yellow of the 1500 but Trek wouldn't sell me a 1500 frameset. I privateered the 2000 through the later 80's, along with a Pinarello Montello. The last road stage race I did, in about 1996, I did on the old 2000, for old times' sake, I guess. I finished third overall, first in my category (old guys, at that time...)

This isn't that bike. That bike is covered with Idaho crud from winter riding. I'd wash it but then I'd have a frozen bike until we thaw up here.

You know what i like about Trek? Compare a 70s or 80s Trek with any other brand. Only the Trek looks like they could be build yesterday. The white one here doesn't appeal to me much but the yellow of OY... sweeeet. My legs start making kicks uncontrollable when i see that one. You guys seen that cherry red Trek's of RAD/55 and that other guy (Viper?)... Same story... sign here sign here.. shipment to The Netherlands :)
Later Treks around the fin de siecle unfortunately have more 'modern' patterns i don't like.

Thanks for the pics Luker. That a nice looking 2000. As you can see, I've decided to keep the Trek a while longer. I just can't part with it even though I got too many bike according to the wife. The Pinarello will stay as well since it is a dream bike but i think the Trek 1500 will get the most miles. I'm still recovering from that tibial plateau fracture so I'll be needing the triple that I installed. I go back to the doc next week for my one year checkup to discuss the hardware removal. One six inch plate and eight screws! In the mean time I am able to ride pretty comfortably considering my poor range of motion by pedaling on my heel using a platform pedal.

Man, you win the tough biker of the week award. No fat boy on a Harley got nothin' on you.

I put that 2000 together to see how well I remembered the ride (and it was really cheap, so I could). My original one is all ultegra 9 triple with a look LDS-3 fork - and it rides a lot like a modern bike, oddly enough. I really don't think many real improvements have been made in the last 15-20 years in frame materials or fit. Yeah, a Gishallo is a couple of pounds lighter, but it costs as much as a good car.

[QUOTE=luker]Man, you win the tough biker of the week award. No fat boy on a Harley got nothin' on you.


I'm not really that tough. Yes, I've been working on an exercise bike all winter long trying to get my range of motion back but it's soooo boring. We had some nice weather here in Indiana a few weeks ago and my 7 year old and I went for a 5 mile spin around the neighborhood. The only way I could get a full revolution without raising the carbon post on my mountain bike was to pedal on my heel. Hey, whatever works. I even pulled my 14 month old in the Burley trailer the next day, same technique, shorter ride. Next ride will be either on the Pinarello or the Trek. Too cold here again in Indiana for me right now.

Nice new editor. lotsa new bells and whistles. oooh, a spell checker. Was that there before?

I know whatcha mean about lousy weather, and we're sending you some more, should be there about sunrise, I think. A fast, fast nasty storm with a fair amount of snow and 40 mph winds - shut us right down. Put down about three inches in a couple of hours, and then the winds blew it all to heck. I have that new all Mavic-equipped bike sulking at me in the corner of the computer room. Canna ride it until the streets are dry (and the wind lets up a little...)

Nice new editor. lotsa new bells and whistles. oooh, a spell checker. Was that there before?


Nope, it's a new feature. Joe has been busy. And thanks to all for putting up with
the minor hassles during the server move.

I'm hoping like hell to get a ride in today, otherwise it's gonna be rollers for me all
week (rain, t-storms ) yesterday was a wash as I was not willing to fight the
40mph wind gusts, built the pog up instead (well almost fully built).

Marty

I rode a bonded Trek 1000 from 1988 until last spring. I am a clydesdale and loved the ride. Very stiff and responsive, very little flex, esp. compared to my previous steel Trek. Really love the bike and I regret trading it in on a newer Trek. In hindsight, I should have kept it and bought the new bike, but money was tight and they offered me $100 for it, and it needed a new rear rim, as I had worn the old one out. The attached picture is not my bike, but one like it off of google. I say build it up and ride it.

I'd heard that the carbon Treks from that era were iffy - tended to crack around front derailler mount, as I recall. can't remeber if that was due to pedaling stress or not. Anyway, they discontinued those frames pretty quick. I always thought bonded aluminum was iffy as well - especially the early jobs (mid 80's). I'm not talking from experience, just what I've heard or read about. Either way, aluminum is a temporary material in my book - it will eventually fail, usually at the most inopportune time!