Modern Retro Trek 2300 Build: Value?
 

Hi! I'm starting to think about selling the road bike that I built up this winter. I'm wondering what it is worth? I know how much money I have into it, but I am curious about what you all think its market value is?

Here are the Details

• Trek 2300 Pro Composite (Carbon Tubes, Aluminum Stays and Lugs), Ritchey Carbon Fork, Bontrager Pro Stem and Bars, Cane Creek Headset, Whisky Aluminum Seatpost
• Full Shimano 105 R7000 Groupset including pedals (50/34 Compact, 172.5mm Cranks, 11-34 Cassette)
• Superteam Carbon Clinchers w/ Black Prince Brake Pads, Continental GP 4000's (28mm rear, 25mm front)
• Custom Paint and Decals
• Lizard Skin Bar Tape and SuperCaz Fly Bottle Cages

The bike is gorgeous and has very few miles in it (less than 200). All components are new apart from the frame which was painted by me and cleared by a local automotive body shop.

I'm new on this forum, so, unfortunately, I'm unable to post a picture. The fork, stays, lugs, and stem are fluoro yellow while the main tubes are raw carbon similar to the stock Trek 2300 Pro.

How much do you think it is worth?

Hate to say it, but if you ever do anything custom or buy new parts, not nearly as much as you put into it, and not nearly as much as you thought it was worth when building it up. Not even if you get an automotive body shop to clear the structural integrity of your carbon fiber bicycle, however they do that. I can't imagine the price would be better whole than parted out. I'd guess ~$500 because most people aren't going to trust an old carbon frame with dubious history and Chinese carbon wheels 200 miles or not unless it's cheap, so the selling points are going to be that a used bike that comes with used carbon wheels and a used groupset are cheaper than buying a new groupset and new carbon wheels.

Bikes aren't nearly as bad as cars when putting in non-original pieces and labor into an original frame/entity. Still, figure about what you have into it sans labor, and perhaps completely negating the money into the paint job. This sounds like a total downer take, but the market just seems to not care about that as a whole. Usually we do the sort of thing you do as a personal "investment," not intending to sell, or make a profit from it. If you can more or less break even, sweet. Those frames look fantastic, and are aided by the traditional geometry. Why are you selling the bike? If you have another frameset that you like etc etc, I'd transfer those components to it. It's what I tend to do. R7000 is a fantastic and great looking groupset, and the Superteam wheels are neat as well. If you're selling due to the way the bike rides or handles, it could be the wheels (some frames just like a certain type of wheel no matter what) and tires, or it could be the frame. All those pieces should look pretty hot on another frame, even a steel one.

Thanks for the honest thoughts! I don't expect to get the amount I put into it even negating paint costs and labor. I love the bike, but am toying with the idea of selling it and using my employee discount to buy a gravel bike.

So the question really is, what's a stock 2300 worth? The hybrid aluminum lug/carbon tube frame is very good at damping vibration from road surfaces, but the ride is a little dull if you're used to a lively steel steed. Keep that in mind.

In my area, the ones without brifters go for around $250, whereas brifter models can go for $300+. But that's about it. Older hybrid alu/carbon don't get as much love these days. As far as yours? No clue. Extensive customizing will not necessarily increase the value.

The value of a 2300 is almost entirely in the components. I worked at a large Northwestern Trek dealer for @20 years. For about half of that time I was at least partly responsible for warranty claims. Trek's 3 tube carbon frames were off the charts in a bad way--way too. many of those came unbonded at the lug joints as Trek figured out that it wasn't a good idea to build a carbon frame as a mimic of a metal-tubed frame. If it comes apart it's good if the owner can find a Trek dealer who will advocate for them in getting a beyond-written-policy warranty replacement. I can't knock Trek's non-carbon frames or their later (off topic, I know) OCLV frames--great stuff! But those carbon and aluminum bonded frames are nothing you'd want to do anything with but hang on a wall!

I think in this case the OP's "cleared" refers to the application of a clear-coat paint over the DIY finish. A body shop would (hopefully) use a two-part "catalyzed" clear coat that should be more durable and permanent than DIY alternatives, provided adhesion of the paint is good.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...th-appraisals/

Sounds like a real beauty, too.

That is correct. While they do make 2-Part clear in aerosol cans that stuff is way too noxious to be spraying in my basement with no ventilation in the middle of winter.

Yeah, I have used those spray cans. Can vouch, it's nasty!

Yup! I've heard much about the perils of the Carbon-Aluminum frames. The early frames were more susceptible to coming unglued than the later editions. Also, larger frames were more prone to it as well. Mine is a 1996 I believe and is also a 52cm. I carefully inspected all of the joints between the carbon tubes and aluminum lugs before I painted it to ensure that they were sound. These frames receive quite a bashing, but they also have a niche following as a piece of cycling history. I've seen them go for as much as $400 on eBay.

Thanks!

Thanks for all your help! Now that I've reached 10 posts, I can post a picture!

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d2a4e5f0e.jpg

cool bike! moved to appraisals

Cool bike

cant offer much in the way of value, but the paint scheme does look like an old trek factory color scheme.

good luck with the sale

i bought one so i could scavenge the tri color brifter group from it and it had cool cxp30 deep dish wheels -- i paid 275, but later tossed the frame in the trash when i found some suspect looking fibers at the downtube- bottom bracket juncture