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-   -   So, tell me about this bike I just bought. (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/897462-so-tell-me-about-bike-i-just-bought.html)

DoninIN 06-23-13 04:55 PM

So, tell me about this bike I just bought.
 
4 Attachment(s)
I had some problems on the road with my ancient (1987) Lotus Challenger, so I traded it at a bike shop in a neighboring town for this Trek 1000, but I did no research, I know nothing about this bike, other than the fact that I love it, for what I paid for it, and that it looks almost new. I'd even love the way it looks if not for the yellow bar tape, I think I hate that, but I've only had the bike for two days now. (As ugly as it is, it is completely fresh, so I'll have to use it for a couple of weeks, on the same subject, what color to replace it with? Blue? White? Other?)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=325138http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=325139http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=325140http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=325141


The frame says that it's "designed and manufactured in the USA, and that it's 6061 T6 Aluminum, and the fork is Chromoly. (As a machinist I always want to point out that 6061 is quite cheap, and not as strong or flexible as 7075, and that virtually everything made from 6061 uses the T6 temper.)

Wino Ryder 06-23-13 05:03 PM

Looks like a nice bike. I'd go with black bar tape to match the saddle and tires, and it wouldnt distract the eyes from showing off the frame.

oberthecat 06-23-13 05:40 PM

Nice paint, its not too wild but not too plain. It like it and I vote for black bar tape as well.

kunsunoke 06-23-13 05:53 PM

http://www.vintage-trek.com/images/trek/Trek88_1.pdf

http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...00_1_Start.htm

Appears to be a 1988 model, based on the color scheme (aqua/white decals) and the group specification (mixed Shimano / Sakae Ringyo / Maillard).

The bike has a few upgrades, including the fashionable tri-bars, yellow grip tape and the coordinated bottle cages, not to mention the poofier saddle (OEM was a suede Vetta Mundial) and the new Bontrager tires. Looks like a longer-than-spec stem as well. Someone had this set up for triathlon, which was the hip thing back in the late 1980s.

The frame is Alcoa 6061-T6, which is rugged and has a long history of use in motocross (motorcycles). It's also stiff as a rock. Maybe that's the reason for the poofy seat. The bike probably accelerates like a rocket, like most 6061 bikes.

Aluminum frames were a lot more free-form when compared to CrMo steel or 531. A lot of builders saw how whippy and flexy the Vitus and Alan frames were, and they wanted no part of that, so the frame tubes got fatter. And stiffer. If you like a flex-free ride and instantaneous response in your road bike, this is going to be right up your alley.

If it were my bike I'd re-equip with black Cinelli gel tape (white's an alternative), ditch the tri-bars (you might be into that, though) and get a shorter stem. I'd also dump the Bontrager tires for the fattest carcass slicks I could get my hands on.

rekmeyata 06-23-13 06:37 PM

The bar tape has to go but that's cheap, I would either match the white of the decals or the black of the seat. Fizik bar tape is the easiest to clean if you go with white. It will be harsh riding but if you swap the tires for 700 x 25's instead of 23's and run less air pressure according this: http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-...alculator.html Use the middle calculator and enter your total clothed for riding weight and your bikes total ready for riding weight, then put in your tire size and hit enter. Also Latex tubes do feel a bit nicer but they are fragile and expensive, I would instead go with a ultralight tube like the Conti Supersonic race tubes; either one you'll have to top off the PSI before each ride.

DoninIN 06-23-13 06:43 PM

Thanks for the replies so far! The crankset says it's an "Exage 500 EX" and the rear derailleur says it's an Exage 400 EX, the brakes are Exage Action. Which I believe is all Shimano original equipment. The Yellow tape is hideous and has to go, I don't know about the aerobars. What I use this bike for, basically is working out through the week and one or two longish weekend rides to some other town, 50-85 miles round trip, seems that the aerobars might be useful in extending my ability to go farther with the same effort, or go faster either way.

It does accelerate like a rocket and rolls fast for a given amount of effort. I don't think the ride is harsh at all, in fact I think it rides much softer than the steel frame lotus Challenger I ditched for it, I feel bad about getting rid of the Lotus, I bought it in 1989, I rode it for several thousand miles, but really, as I get back in shape, and go on longer and longer rides, it was too rough, and it was going to cost far more than the price of a new bike to upgrade it enough to make me happy. (The brakes weren't sufficient to hold me on some of the scary steep rough road descents I go on for instance.) This way, trading it to a bike shop they will almost certainly get it in the hands of someone who at least intends to ride it, maybe she'll end up as some hipsters fixie, that'd be a nice second life for the old girl.

oldskoolwrench 06-23-13 07:51 PM

DoninIN,

You've got a good solid rig there. The components are serviceable, and for what you're doing with the bike it'll work just fine. Swap the 23's for 25's, and go with white bar tape.

:thumb:

pcb 06-23-13 08:06 PM

When still in production, Trek's bonded aluminum frames outlasted every other Trek frame type (lugged steel, tig'd steel, bonded aluminum/carbon hybrid, bonded carbon) on Trek's frame torture machine. The lug outer surface was ribbed and lug/tube mating faces tapered to ensure optimum gap for the bonding agent (glue) and precise alignment. They weren't light, and since the lugs were expensive to mfr it was difficult to change frame angles or use non-round tubes. You want to change the seat angle? How much do the lug molds cost, how many frames will you sell, how soon can you amortize the mold costs? How soon till the frame is profitable? You want an oval tube? Fuggeddaboutit. The other guys were doing better with tig'd aluminum, lighter frames with cool/weird tube profiles, so Trek axed the bonded aluminum frames.

That's not saying the joints couldn't debond or never debonded, but it is a very reliable way to build a very durable frame. More durable than welding or brazing when done right, and Trek did it right...


Originally Posted by Chuckk (Post 15774917)
I think the most interesting feature is that it is bonded aluminum. While it looks like a super clean filleted frame, it actually has a cast head tube, and one piece cast seat and BB cluster that spud out to four bonding points...Somebody on another thread just had a rant about how their joints were liable to separate, but I've never seen it happen.


PatTheSlat 06-23-13 08:20 PM

Be careful with that seat post binder bolt. Do not ever overtighten it, because the design for the frame eyelets that your bike uses liked to crack, and it's 100% not repairable. ASK ME HOW I KNOW

oddjob2 06-23-13 08:40 PM

I about doubled my investment on this Trek 1000 flip 2 years ago. The bar tape was in good shape, so I didn't change it. Just tires, saddle, and cables. It's a pretty stiff ride and not a lot of room for wider tires IIRC.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z...0/DSC04708.JPG

a77impala 06-24-13 05:19 AM

I have one like that, I believe with that color and black splash it is a 1992.

Gary Fountain 06-24-13 06:04 AM

Such an attractive colour. A very nice bike.

BluesDaddy 06-24-13 12:27 PM

I have a '91 1200. It's fast and fun. The lower-tier bonded Treks (1000, 1200) are better IMO than the 1500 because they have a steel fork, which smooths out the ride a lot. The Al fork on the 1500 is too much stiffness. I have 25mm tires on mine.


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