85ish TREK 500
#1
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 49
Likes: 22
85ish TREK 500
https://honolulu.craigslist.org/searc...inAsk=&maxAsk=
Looking at this tomorrow. 85ish 500 with some work done to it. I am not looking for a resto, just a way to get into roadbiking that is of high enough quality to hang onto. I will commute with it 40ish miles a day, it will replace my Diamondback Edgewood that I will keep for cruising with the kids.
Owner says no rust or damage, just looking for opinions.
Thanks
Ron
Looking at this tomorrow. 85ish 500 with some work done to it. I am not looking for a resto, just a way to get into roadbiking that is of high enough quality to hang onto. I will commute with it 40ish miles a day, it will replace my Diamondback Edgewood that I will keep for cruising with the kids.
Owner says no rust or damage, just looking for opinions.
Thanks
Ron
#2
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 49
Likes: 22
#3
weapons-grade bolognium


Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,615
Likes: 3,326
From: Across the street from Chicago
Bikes: Battaglin Cromor, Ciocc Designer 84, Schwinn Superior 1981
I owned one back in the day and it was a nice bike. Very neutral ride - it would be great for commuting as long as you don't need to haul a lot of stuff. Try to get it for $250 - $300. You might be able to sell some of the Tri bits to knock the price down.
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 250
Likes: 0
From: Minneapolis, MN
Bikes: '86 Trek Elance 400; '83 Trek 520; 90s Specialized Crossroads, '84 Trek 610 (wife's), 90s Trek Multitrack (wife's), Cargo Trailers, Burley for the Kids, WeeHoo Trailer
I own an '86 Trek 400 Elance, which shared the same frame as the '86 Trek 500. I was cycling through a series of used bikes to find a commuter and this one was the clear winner of about 5-6 bikes...and still is my current commuter and light touring bike. This one looks to be of similar vintage judging by the markings and look of the lugs, etc. It is a road bike with a bit of a relaxed geometry, which is nice. Has a very nice Reynolds 531 (check sticker on bike frame) steel frame with Cro-Moly forks and stays. I really like the bike. Note, during the mid-80s, Trek would offer the same frame as a touring frame (520), sport frame (400 Elance), and a tri frame (500)... but the components were a little different. If you can get the serial number of the bottom (bottom of bottom bracket) you can look up exact year and model of bike on vintagetrek.com. For that price, the bike should be in good shape (although prices vary by market). Do the usual checks of used bikes to make sure there is no damage.
#5
Senior Member

Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 139
From: Rural Western Wisconsin
Bikes: Down to 4 vintage touring machines
I briefly had one and it had a Reynolds 501 frame. It was too tall for me but was a pretty quick ride and should have enough clearance for fenders as a commuter. You could try lower but I think it is a pretty fair price based on my market area.
#6
I had an 1985 Trek 560 that I recently sold. I had it set up with 28cm tires, I don't think you would be able to get much wider. Being in Honolulu you probably don't have to worry about too many pot holes though. The 560 is one of Trek's racing bikes, but I could ride 40 miles on it very comfortably.
I lived in Kailua (Oahu) years ago, that Trek with Aloha reminds me of how freindly people in Hawaii are, keep it on there for the Aloha spirit.
I lived in Kailua (Oahu) years ago, that Trek with Aloha reminds me of how freindly people in Hawaii are, keep it on there for the Aloha spirit.
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