zammykoo

Hi all, I'm looking to pick up a beater road bike and found a local listing for a Trek 500 series. Unfortunately the seller does not know much about it and is probably selling it for a family member. The only thing they told me was it is built with Reynolds 501, chromalloy-m butted tubes, manufactured by Reynolds Limited England.

In my research it looks like an early 80's model, possibly entry level. It looks like a smaller frame as well, which would suite my needs but I don't know exactly what size. I need something that is 52-53cm.

They are asking $100, is that worth it? It's hard to see what condition it is in, but looks like it has not seen any maintenance for a while. They are located about an hour away so I wanted to see if it would be worth the drive. Thanks!

The only photo posted:

bikemig 

Crummy pic and the bike is not set up right. That said if the bike fits (and it looks to be around a 52 cm), $100 is a very solid price. Those suntour bar end shifters are very good. Check to see if the frame is OK (look for any wrinkled paint that might be the sign of a crash, look for any bulges, dings, etc.) and that the wheels don't have any bad hops in them. Bottom line is that this bike is well worth $100 if it checks out.

bargainguy

Looks like an '85 510:

https://www.vintage-trek.com/images/trek/85TrekSport.pdf

Stem and barend shifters are not original.

Is it worth it? Absolutely, assuming the usual dealbreakers aren't present - damaged frame or fork, stuck seatpost or stem, etc.

oddjob2

WARNING! It is worth $100 if you intend to refurbish it yourself, have the needed tools, and enjoy getting your hands dirty. Otherwise you'll be into it another $200 + parts at the local bike shop.

zammykoo

Awesome! Exactly what I needed to know. Thank you all!

zammykoo

Well I was able to get a few more photos! It appears to be the size I'm looking for and the seller mentions it's been stored indoors and has no obvious damage besides a tire tube that needs to be replaced, and tires look a bit dry. No biggie. Rings and cassette appears to be in decent condition. And yes, I will be doing all maintenance work on it myself since I normally tune our family bikes, should save me a few bucks.

The seller was also willing to meet up halfway so it'll save me some driving time. I'm going to check it out tomorrow.

bikemig 

Those are nice wheels and not original to the bike; that's an upgrade.