Reaper0Bot0

Howdy all!

I'm about to purchase a late 1980's Trek 1000 for $125 off of Craigslist. This will be my introduction to road cycling. I've been doing some of that on my daily commuter (a Trek 7.3 FX) which I am finding less and less desirable for long-range stuff. I want to get into touring and I just don't think my FX is right for that.

I'm going to test-ride it prior to purchase, of course. I've seen some high-res pictures and it looks great. What I want to know, really, is whether or not the down tube shifters will drive me insane, and if so, how hard will it be to replace them with something more current (STI, perhaps). I have nearly zero mechanical inclination and as such would be paying the LBS to do any work of that sort. I'm learning, but I'm still doing basic bike maintenance and having some trouble with that.

Looks like it's a 14 speed. Perhaps tied in with the shifter upgrade question, would it be possible (or indeed necessary along with going STI) to go to 24 or 27 gears? Are these parts I can find second-hand on eBay at a reasonable price?

How much headroom do I have on this bike? If I really get into road biking but I'm on a tight budget, can I do a lot with this? I love my 7.3 FX and my 4300 (both are quite young) so I trust that an older Trek should be well worth such a low asking sum.

Thoughts?

Enthalpic

You can get a much newer bike for not much more; pass.


~2 models up, 25 years newer ~800 bucks.

Reaper0Bot0

I don't have $800. I don't have $400 I can spare at the moment. I can spare $125.

Enthalpic

In that case search more and spend ~$25, seriously. You would be amazed at the deals people find at garage sales etc.

mike868y

Before I purchased my current bike, I rode a circa mid 1980s raleigh with downtube shifters, and they pretty annoying at first. My biggest issue is that it is very difficult to move the lever the exact amount to shift one gear without the de railer still hitting the chain. However, after a few weeks you do get the hang of it and the truth is that On a hard 20 or 30 mile ride I can achieve the exact same time on the old steel bike as I can on my newer aluminum fuji with sti shifters.

As far as upgrading, I am not entirely sure but I would assume that you would need to upgrade the entire groupset including front derailer, rear derailer, crank, and shifters. This can get quite expensive, but if you enjoy the way the frame rides, then it could be a worthwhile investment. However, I could be wrong and you may be able to just update the shifters.

The bottom line is that the downtube shifters are usable, but not as convenient as sti. If you do get the money to upgrade in the future, it could be worth it, but don't fret it for now, JUST RIDE!

halfspeed

Nobody can tell you whether you'll hate DT levers. You'll have to find out yourself.

The upgrades you are considering can get very expensive, very quickly, especially since you are not comfortable doing it yourself.

What kind of "touring" are you planning? Be specific about your goals and budget and you'll get more specific advice.

divineAndbright

Probably white W/ red decals? suntour parts, aluminum frame with chromoly forks. Its ok and comparable (well probably better) then any new entry level road bike you can buy today.

Thats an early aluminum bike, super stiff frame, will probably be rather rough riding. 125 is kinda expensive unless you live in a high price market. I found one in the trash last year, but the pin for the dowtube shifters was busted (a commonproblem I hear, so I could't ride it)... it doent use normal downtube boses so if it breaks you got yourself a single speed.


if you wanna upgrade this bikes a bad candidate however cause of the weird downtube boses, cant use STIs or Barcons, just the stock shifters

Davidlean

An in-between option between downtube shifters and STI are bar-end shifters. If you can't stand the DT shifters, bar-end shifters can be easily found for a reasonable price. That is what I have on my old Trek.

Personally, if the bike has been well maintained and it is a good fit, it is worth it to buy, assuming you like the aluminum ride.

RFC

Not a bad deal. I bought my son a 1989 Trek 1200 in great condition $200 as a campus bike. It's the same frame with different components. He loves the bike and has no problem with DT shifters. The idea was that, at that price, no one was going to have a heart attack if it gets stolen.

Just for fun, he and I are going to use some of the extra parts around to convert it to 9-speed.

It's a solid bike. Not a bad place to start, and you can always flip it for what you paid for it.

StupidlyBrave 

I would imagine these DT shifters are indexed.

Not so much rough riding as you might think. I ride the same frame daily.

I'm also in the ride the way it is camp.

+1

jsharr

I rode a 1988 Trek 1000 until 2005. I loved that bike. Bonded aluminum frame, stiff, fast, relatively smooth for aluminum. Made in America. Made the mistake of trading it in on 2005 Trek 1200, when I wore out the wheels, instead of keeping it and buying a new wheelset. Love the new Trek as well.

Down tube shifters take some getting used to and upgrading to brifters will set you back quite a bit, as you are going to have to replace the whole drivetrain, and possibly the rear wheel, depending on what cassette it will accept.

$125 is a fair price. My bike shop gave me $100 for mine on trade and it needed new wheels. Make sure to go over the bike carefully if you can. Check the rims, esp. looking for cracks around the eyelets. This is where my Matrix Titans failed. Also look at the braking surface of the rims for excessive wear.

pagliaci

That's not exactly a smokin' deal, I'd keep looking. If you were considering upgrading the friction shifters than you have more than $125 to spend.

STI brake/shifters are an expensive upgrade, especially if you involve a bike shop- you're looking at $200+ for Sora or Tiagra level.

MrCrassic 

You know, with that budget of yours, I highly recommend that you get that Trek.

Their older stuff is solid, high quality and should last you forever. I highly doubt that you'll find anything extraordinary at $125, even on CL.

With $300 or $400, however, you can probably find some awesome stuff. If that's not the case, I'd get it!

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Reaper0Bot0

After doing some re-jiggering, it looks like I can swing perhaps $400, maybe a tad more. A local has a 2006 Specialized Allez listed at $550, with some flex in the price. He doesn't recall exactly what components he has on it, but he'll be e-mailing me some pictures this afternoon. He says he paid around a grand for it, and thus it wasn't the baseline. We'll see.

If spending a few (emphasis on FEW) hundred more now means I don't have a nightmare upgrading the shifters, well, I'm willing to do it. Last week I test-road a 2008 Trek 1.2, a 1.5, and a baseline Specialized Allez to get properly fitted on a roadbike and see what I liked. Frankly, any of those were fine, but I couldn't swing the $700+ they wanted. Having bought my 7.3 FX there at retail price (and god knows how many accessories), I didn't feel too bad about using them as a resource.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Lt.Gustl

Ask this same question in Classic and Vintage just for fun!

As per price it depends on where you live, that one is fair in a lot of places and a good deal in some. Of course you can always get a better deal. Just have to be patient and wait for them.

downtube shifters are fine by me and you get used to them quick.

Whatever you don't forget to ride it and take care

cizzlak

I love 80s Treks. 560 760 you name it. Even those earlier aluminums... A good, older road bike will still serve your road riding needs, until you learn why you have surpassed them. Then you can upgrade to whatever you want, KNOWING what you want. My two cents.

ridethecliche

I. Love. My. 760. Oh. So. Much!

Phantoj

$125 for a late-80's road bike is not a bad deal at all, if it's in good shape. Yeah, there are road bikes for $25 on Craigslist, but they are all junk (around here, at least).

If you can stretch to $400, you should be able to get a late-90's/early 00's road bike with STI, if that's critical to you. Will probably take a bit of looking. Be ready to pounce when one pops up in your size.

Bearonabike

Late 80's Trek 1200 in CREAMPUFF shape, Exactly $25 at a garage sale. IT CAN BE DONE!