Mountain Biking - Re-Vamping old bike

Hello all,
I have a 2001 TREK 8000 HT with Rock Shox Sid SL fork, Avid brakes, and a mix of Shimano Deore LX and XT componets. I love the bike, it fits me great, but it shifts terribly even after tuneup and the brakes are shot. The componets just seem tired to me. I was just considering an overhaul of some degree to get her up and running so I can hang with the pretty bikes. does any one have any suggestions? I don't trust my local shop because they do sub-par service work. I am avoiding buying a new bike right now but if you think that is truly my best option than let me know please. Thanks.

Maybe you need cables. A new drivetrain would make less sense than a new bike. I struggle with this too. Parts are so darn expensive, and when you're done you still have a 10yo bike.

Find a new bike shop/mechanic. Better yet, do it yourself (it's not that hard).

How much has the bike been ridden and have the chain/sprockets been replaced recently? A new chain is almost a must if it hasn't been replaced recently. The chain choice can sometimes be an issue but with a 2001 bike perhaps less so. Regardless, having a chain that was designed to work with your shifters/sprockets can have a noticable impact.

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.htmlMeasuring
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Measuring Chain Wear The standard way to measure chain wear is with a ruler or steel tape measure. This can be done without removing the chain from the bicycle. The normal technique is to measure a one-foot length, placing an inch mark of the ruler at the side of one rivet, then looking at the corresponding rivet 12 complete links away. On a new, unworn chain, this rivet will also line up exactly with an inch mark. With a worn chain, the rivet will be past the inch mark. [For accurate measurement, the chain should be held under some tension -- either on the bicycle, or hanging. Also, use a metal ruler or tape measure. Wood, plastic and cloth all can expand or shrink.-- John Allen] This gives a direct measurement of the wear to the chain, and an indirect measurement of the wear to the sprockets. first, let's look at how to do this with a ruler that measures in inches.



If the rivet is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well.
If the rivet is 1/16" past the mark, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.
If the rivet is 1/8" past the mark, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn. If you replace a chain at the 1/8" point, without replacing the sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.
If the rivet is past the 1/8" mark, a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.

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If you decide to do it yourself the cables should be fine unless they are frayed and look like the need replacing. Cables stretch but if they aren't frayed and rusty they should be usable. I'd take the derailleurs off and clean them thoroughly. Make sure the springs and everything work well after you clean them. Clean the pulleys on the rear and grease them. Take the cables and housing apart and clean them as well. Maybe use a little teflon lube down the housing if you can reuse them. The shifter portion isn't usually the problem but clean them as best you can without taking them apart. A little WD-40 or parts degreaser to clean things up sometimes helps.

There are online videos for adjusting your derailleurs and reassembly.

Perhaps start with just an on-bike cleaning and adjusting your derailleurs via a video.YouTube user SFMTNS has some helpful videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngm6dr-1na0

A new cassette, chain, brake pads, and cables/housing would make most any bike feel fresh. Add some tires and grips just because. You'll still be several hundreds of dollars under the cost of a new bike. Use the videos at park tools website and/or youtube to learn how to do it yourself.

Have you priced a new bike with SLX and XT level parts lately? It's ridiculous...

Hello all,
I have a 2001 TREK 8000 HT with Rock Shox Sid SL fork, Avid brakes, and a mix of Shimano Deore LX and XT componets. I love the bike, it fits me great, but it shifts terribly even after tuneup and the brakes are shot. The componets just seem tired to me. I was just considering an overhaul of some degree to get her up and running so I can hang with the pretty bikes. does any one have any suggestions? I don't trust my local shop because they do sub-par service work. I am avoiding buying a new bike right now but if you think that is truly my best option than let me know please. Thanks.

If you've been using it as intended then, yes those components probably are shot. 11 years is a good run out of parts and a bike. I do my own and my family's builds and its rarely if ever cheaper than store bought, no matter how hard I shop around. What I do get is satisfaction and the family gets bespoke cycles, always cool.

So ask yourself, what do you want? A functional mountain bike with the latest tech, (disc brakes! Joy!), or the satisfaction (and horror) of doing it yourself to an old favourite?

I'd be looking at a yr12 model on closeout myself.

I have bought from Craigslist and done well in the past few years. Parts and a bike. You have to be patient as there are tons of vultures hanging around CL. It is always best to test ride the bike. New comes with a warranty and usually a post break in tune up. But I feel pretty good about my repair skills. And these days Youtube has all the repair videos you need. New is pricey, just my opinion.

If the bike has been neglected completely or has fallen (hard) on the rear derailleur, some of the components might be worn or damaged indeed.
However I've worked on plenty of bikes that were around 20 years old, have covered +25K miles and that only needed a good overhaul and new cables to become as good as new.

New outer and inner cables, a good de-greasing and lots of oil (especially in the shifters) will usually do the trick just fine.

The XTR derailers and LX shifter/brake levers and the cranks off of my bike are from a ~2000 Trek 8000. I know that bike was ridden hard. The guy I got it from put a lot of miles on it racing and practicing for said races. He actually gave it to me because he eventually cracked the frame from frame fatigue. Those components swapped onto my bike with new cables, chain, and cassette shifts and stops beautifully as you'd expect high end Shimano to perform.

I'd bet that if your components look like they're in good condition and the derailer pivots don't seem to have side-to-side play, etc, they're probably perfectly fine. As jzsoup someone said before, new cables, chain, cassette. And as he said, have you priced a new bike with those components. It's just fing stupid what they cost these days. The 8000s are nice bikes. Really light and fast under the right rider.