Jason9696

So I just purchased a used (obviously) Trek 330 to do a few triathlons this summer with. I also do a benefit ride for an area cancer treatment center too that's 100 miles.

My first look at the bike is that the rear skewer is bent, and the rear wheel will turn, but very rough. I'm wondering if I need to replace the hub or is there anything I can do to save it? It says Joytech Sealed on the hub itself.

It also needs tires and tubes, which lead me to Ebay where I spotted this set....

They are Matrix Aurora 700c that he says are compatible with Shimano/SRAM rear hub. They also come with some decent tires.
I can pick these up for $65.

There's also these....

Easton Circuit Velomax Wheels which are up to $130 with shipping.

So what do you guys think? Will either of these wheels work? I'm not trying to make this bike something it's not and throw components on there that cost twice as much as the bike, I just want to make it running again smoothly.

Also, the bottom bracket is loose, can anyone help me find a good deal on one that will fit?
Thanks in advance.
Here are some pictures of my Trek as it is.

FBinNY 

The bent QR is trivial, if it's only slightly bent, straighten it out by laying it on a flat surface and gently tapping it straight with a soft hammer (or hammering through a small block of wood with the grain endwise), or consider replacing it since skewers aren't too expensive.

The hub is a different story. For all practical purposes you can't replace a hub, since it means replacing or rebuilding the entire wheel, but you can usually service the bearings yourself. If the damage to the bearing is beyond what a simple clean & repack will solve, you might be able to replace some of the parts. So in the interest of keeping outlays to a minimum, step one here is to open it and assess the damage before considering replacing the wheels.

operator

+1

Listen to this dude.

Jason9696

Cool, I will give that a shot tonight. Any input on the bottom bracket problem? Should I be looking at a specific size or brand?

FBinNY 

Same sort of advice as on the hub. I can't tell from the photo what kind of BB you have. If it's a traditional threaded cup and spindle style it can be serviced just like the hub, if it's a cartridge you might need to replace it, but cross each bridge one at a time as you come to it.

While you're at it, consider field stripping and servicing your front hub and headset, both are fairly straight forward jobs if you're not mechanically declined. Then go through the rest of the bike doing a combined status review and service to get it ready. Probably the only dough you'll need to put into it are new tires and tubes, brake shoes (replace if worn, or more than 3 years old) and possibly cables and housings depending on condition (leave alone or wick a few drops of light oil in from the ends if they look OK, because dis-assembly usually means replacement). That and some lubricant and TLC and you'll have a functional ride without spending unnecessarily.

You can always spend more dough later for upgrades. After all, that's what bikes are for.

Retro Grouch 

A bent skewer isn't much by itself but it's usually the mark of a bent or broken rear axle.

Carefully measure (in millimeters) the distance between your rear dropouts. That's your over locknut dimension (OLD). If you decide to replace your rear wheel it's a number that you need to know.

Another option is to overhaul your bottom bracket and hubs. If you decide to do that yourself, you're going to have to buy some relatively inexpensive special tools. Frankly, if it was my bike, that's what I would do.

HillRider

Agree that a bent skewer is often the sign of a bent or broken axle .

I would refine the advice to measure the rear drop out spacing by noting you want to measure between the inside faces of the dropouts. Common measurements are 126 mm (6/7-speed spacing), 130 mm (current road hub spacing for 8/9/10-speed cassettes) and 128 mm ( a compromise used during the transion period when both 7 and 8-speed hubs were supplied using the same frame.

FBinNY 

Yes, it might it be an indicator of axle problems, but most of the time bent skewers are simply the result of rough handling of the wheel while off the bike. In any case, you'll know soon enough when you dia-assemble the hub to examine/service the bearings.

davidad

You have a freewheel hub. The axle is either bent or broken. The new wheels are cheap enough, but you should coldset the rear spacing and then make the dropouts parallel. https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
This is a source for the BB if the old one is shot. https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg.../Taper-Spindle

Jason9696

Thanks for all the great replies everybody, I've decided because of time constraints to take it to my trusted bike mechanic. When I showed him, he said most of the same things you guys are saying, that the axle is bent. Once that is apart he will replace the hub races and repack with grease. He is going to check for trueness of the wheels after this. He also said that the bottom bracket is the style that can be tightened slightly with out much labor. I will know more tomorrow after he works on it in the afternoon. I'll let ya'll know how it goes. He is charging $45 in labor to replace the axle, repack the hub, tighten the BB and go through the whole bike afterwards.

BCRider

$45 will not include cleaning and re-lubing the BB, front wheel, headset and a lot of other things that will need to be done to make this bike work to its best for the months ahead. The guys above said that the headset and BB should be stripped, cleaned and re-lubed. You'll want to do that soon, VERY soon. If not by the bike shop then treat this as your own learning experience. It's OK to get the bike shop to do the $45 job but plan on assembling the tools you'll need to do those other jobs yourself in the next couple of weeks and get to them.

Is that crankset one of the plastic coated steel inner core types? If so an upgrade on that one item alone will remove likely near a pound from the weight of the bike. Doesn't need to be anything fancy. Likely if you buy off Ebay you can score a decent older or less well known crankset for no more than $30. Almost anything will be an upgrade if yours is the one I think it is from the pictures.

Jason9696

^ Yes they are the rubber covered cranks, I will look into upgrading those as time passes and money comes.

Jason9696

Alright, so I just got a call from my BSM and he said that he was able to replace the axle, true the wheels, re-tighten the crank, retape the grips, replace the rear brake cable, put two new tires and tubes on, and tune up the derailleurs for $115 total. I'm pretty happy with that. I pick it up tomorrow afternoon. I'll post some pics of it all put together. Can't wait to ride it.
Now, what should I be looking for cranks? Any ideas?

FBinNY 

You've just put a decent amount of dough into it. Why don't you ride it a while and see if anything else needs work before spending on upgrades?