A co-worker has asked me to work on his almost vintage, 1989 Trek 1000. He's having trouble reaching for the downtube shifters and would like to upgrade it to a brifter bike. Its an aluminum frame with chromoly fork. As I looked at this bike, I wasn't sure it's worth the investment. So I thought I would post it here and gather input.
The rear brake is missing part of the mounting hardware but I should be able to correct that from my parts bin. If you think you're seeing a buldge in the rear tire, you're correct, it's shot and, of course, he needs a saddle.

If we were to change this to a brifter bike, the Suntour 7 speed freewheel would have to be replaced with a Shimano compatable freewheel, I'd have to add cable stops, new cables, bar tape and a new chain. I've added a pic of the Maillard 500 hub with Suntour freewheel. I estimate the cost of the conversion will be between $160 to $210 for parts. The largest part of the cost will be the 7 speed RSX brifters. Right now, 7 speed brifters are running around $100 with shipping on ebay (they're getting hard to come by). Adding up the remaining parts comes to an additional $100.

I thought about using the new Shimano stem shifters that are used on the Schwinn bikes sold at WallyWOrld along with a Wally World chain. The costs with all the other parts would still run around $80-$90 and I'm not sure how tight the shifting tolerances are on those shifters. BTW, Friction shifters are not an option.
So let me know if you would invest $160 to $210 to upgrade an aluminum Trek bike that fits you well, but needs a shifter location change.

If it was a steel Trek, no problem. I could not justify it on an aluminum Trek in average condition.

why not?

I just picked up a 92 1000 in excellent shape and I think it's a great ride.

I am curious though...if your co-worker wants it done than isn't it his call of he wants to invest that money? I mean...only the owner and rider can decide the amount that upgrading a ride is worth to him.

If you continue with it I have a Fuji saddle with blue trim from my 1000 that I could send you for free.

I have an '88 2000 frame that I put a 9s rear in no problems. I personally wouldn't bother with 7s. Cost? that's up to the owner.

Financially, around here, a little clean up of the Trek 1000 and it should be quite sellable. The money from the sale plus the potential cost of the upgrade would likely garner a nicer bike.

But if it fits the owner well, and he really likes the bike, then it is his money to do it. Plus of course, his total investment would be well below what an entry level Trek road bike would cost him today.

hmm learned something today thanks! wait so why would it be justified if it was a steel bike?

^^^ this pretty much sums it up.

Cleaned and ready to ride, it could easily fetch a few hundred. That, plus the cost of the upgrades, could find a nice used bike with brifters, assuming said co-worker (or you?) are up to the search.

I ride a '90 trek 1000, and while it's a nice bike, there's nothing about it that really compels me to put more money into it. I looked into brifters at one point, but it's just more effort on what was never a top of the line bike. None of the parts are bad, but none are really outstanding. It's not a bad frame, but is isn't amazing either. aluminum technology has advanced a bit since 1990.

If it were my bike, I'd sell and find a different bike that better suited my needs. Although if there's sentimental attachment or some compelling fondness and desire to keep the frame, then why not?

I say go for it... It may not be the best financial decision but what the hay right? I may be a little biased, I have a 1990 Trek 1420 and I love it.

You could swap the downtube shifters for bar end shifters for about $50-$60. You wouldn't need to change anything else on the bike. They work like a champ and would perfect for that bike. Unless you are racing in close quarters, I think bar ends are 90%+ as good as brifters.

In this market, you'd be lucky to upgrade for $150 more. My take is if you can do the whole thing for $350, no problem, as it's a decent bike. $400 tops for new tires, tubes, 7 or 8-sp conversion, clean and ready to ride with new wrap, etc. Not a re-seller, but a nice $400 rider for most events, like Louisburg next spring.

If it were mine, I'd use 8-sp Sora's, new, which come with cables and cable stops. This is cheaper in the long run, you can run the 7-sp wheelset, and decide if you want to go with any more upgrades.

If you get to where you're looking at $350 for the bike, look for an aluminum 1200 or so from the mid 90's, complete with STI's already.

I had an 88 trek 1000, not a bad bike, but not worth this upgrade. Fix it up, sell it, and buy a newer brifter bike.