1989 Trek 1000 Opinions
 

I am going to check out a Trek 1000 from 89 this weekend described as in excellent ready to go condition. It is the intense blue color but sorry I have no photos.

I did a search and I am confident the price is very decent...not a screaming deal but a good price nonetheless.

So I am not really asking for money opinions just general opinions. I am intrigued with more of a modern classic (an aluminum frame) but I have been pretty much stick with vintage steel. What are your opinions on these older aluminum bikes?? Any lovers?? Haters?

I know I should expect a stiffer ride but this model does have a steel fork I believe. I am torn.

If the price and fit are good, why not? But many around here would greatly prefer a steel Trek. And from what I have been seeing, steel Treks are appreciating nicely, up around 25% in the last year. I have 30 bikes right now, 28 steel, one carbon and one aluminum. Kind of tells you my bias....

I have a 1988 Trek 1000...

It's a good bike, but don't expect anything near a smooth ride. With the 23c tires on mine, the ride will beat you to death. And it's more of an entry level bike too... don't pay too much for it.

It probably is a twin sister to this beast that I picked up earlier in the spring as part of a multi-bike purchase. 14 speed SIS.

As said, it was Trek's entry level aluminum road bike. Specs are interesting, in that my unit actually had some of the 'upgrades' found on the 1200 series, like a Shimano 105 freehub, rather than the freewheel. Unfortunately, mine sat out in the weather too long, and the rear wheel was taco'ed beyond repair. I had to take a bolt cutter to the chain! I picked up a set of 700 mavic wheels / tubes / tires cheap to replace the originals, so it's back to a freewheel. The rear derailleur cleaned up nicely, but the front is a mess. I have nothing in my stock that can replace it as the clamp is not the typical size of a steel frame bike.

Part of the reason I took it was that I was curious about the bio-tech oval chainrings. Some love them, some hate them, and I figured it was an inexpensive way to explore something new. Plus the opportunity to compare/contrast vintage steel to early aluminum. My total investment so far is about $50 (plus possibly a FD), plus labor. I'm sure I can flip it and recover if it turns out not to be my cup of tea.

I was trying to upload a spec sheet for you, but the 100k max file size makes the pages unreadable even when I did a .pdf conversion. You can find info at
http://www.vintage-trek.com/images/t...re/89Specs.gif

Good luck!

My son has a 1989 1200 as his campus bike. It has the same frame as the 1000 and is rock solid.

I guess the stiff ride was my main concern. While it was the entry level aluminum model the components at least seemed decent enough.

The seller is asking $150 and it is in ready to go condition. That seemed reasonable to me.

If it really is in riding trim, that is more than reasonable. I could get twice that amount for one out here.

I thought so as well. I will find out for sure but he said that the only issue is that the handlebar tape needs replaced. Other than that excellent plus and ready to ride.

Actually, the Trek hydroformed frames have an excellent ride quality. I had this one for a while; sold it last year. It was a great rider. Better than some steel frames I've ridden. It might be the only bike I regret selling. Maybe...

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...000006edit.jpg

And I agree. $150.00 for that bike is a very good deal in ready to ride shape. Like BBM said, I too could get double that in my market.

Buy it for $150 and ride it.
Wait patiently for the right size 1" threaded CF fork, and add it.
Wait for a good deal on an 8-sp set of STI's, and you'll run rings around a LOT of bikes that are double your investment.

more than reasonable... a good deal, assuming everything is solid.

I bought a 1990 1000 last year. After swapping a few parts and making a few adjustments, it hung in the garage for a while. A few weeks ago, after one bike broke a chain and another had a flat, I decided to start riding the 1000 a bit more.

I've put several hundred miles on it over the last two weeks, and love it!

Stiff? it's on the stiffer side of aluminum frames (from my experiences) but with the right tire combo, it's pretty enjoyable. and at that price, I'd see no reason not to pick it up, assuming it fits well.

I ride an '88 for my everyday urban commuter workhorse. I've put probably 8K on it the last couple of years and have had no problems with it. The original shimano bio pace 6 spd index stuff is working fine with only normal wear items (freewheel/chain) replaced and new bearings every couple years. I just worked on a set of '89's for a guy. He and spouse bought a matched set new with suntour edge gruppo on them. She had hers converted to flat bars and grip shifters at the time. Doesn't ride as nice as my cro-moly Raleigh, but on our dilapidated northern frost belt pavement, nothing rides too smooth. I will say the Matrix rims have held up well under the pounding and pannier loads. For that price you really can't go wrong.

I happen to have one similar to the one you describe, that I just finished overhauling and getting ready for sale. This one has Suntour Edge components, and is Suntour indexed 7 speed:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...e/trek1000.jpg

That would be just like it. Intense Blue with Suntour Edge components. It seems like a sold deal and I will go for it. Checking it out tomorrow and will report back.

Posting question: I put in two thumbnails of this bike, Machin Shin & Bigbossman added full sized photos. How do I do that?

Yeah - for $150 you really can't lose, assuming it is clean and fits you well. Those Suntour drivetrains are very solid performers.

I picked it up today. It was as he described...ready to ride. It was from an older gentleman that told me that he maintained his bikes (greasing bearings, cleaning, etc.) every year whether they got ridden or not and it shows. This is the first used bike I picked up that didn't need at least an immediate cleaning and waxing.

He told me it was blue so I assumed intense blue which would have put it as an 89 but it turns out it was exactly like Machin Shin's one pictured above which is a blue with black splatter deal. That places it as a 92 model. Because of that the parts are all Shimano 400 versus the Suntour Edge that were available on the 89 model.

It rides wonderfully and while it is entry level I would put it up against a higher end bike easily.

Anyone know if the Shimano 400 is better or worse than the Edge stuff?

PS I will post photos later after I put new bar tape on. That is about the only thing that needs replaced and the stuff on there right now is ugly.

Exage 400 is one step below 500, which is pretty much the same as 105 with a cheaper finish.
I'm a big fan of the upper-tier Exage groups.
Top

Post an IMG link from an on-line hosting service, like Photobucket or....OK, what's another one?:D
Top