Trek 720 1984 replacement due to accident
 

Hello everyone my name is Lance and I live in Burlington VT. I own a 1984 trek 720 and I love it a lot!! Last week I was commuting home from work and was struck by a car that failed to yield to me when I had the right away. I had to spend a few days in the hospital because my liver was lacerated. I'm out of the hospital now and have not gone back to work yet. I dropped the frame off at a local bike shop and they quoted that the fork and down tube received enough damage that the bike is not ridable. I''m assuming the driver is going to be responsible for replacing the frame. What would be a fair replacement bike? It's sad to hear I will never ride this bike again!! Thanks.
-Lance

Lance,
I am sorry to hear about your accident, but glad to hear you will recover.
Did you wish to replace the bike with another vintage touring Trek?
Or are you seeking a dollar replacement value figure?
What size and condition was your bike before the accident?
Was there damage to other components?
Just an opinion, or my estimate, but the frame, if in good condition would probably be worth about $300.
Others may have differing opinions of the frame value of course.
May you have a speedy recovery!

I am assuming that the driver has liability insurance. Why don't you ask to have it replaced with a new Trek 520 touring bike. I don't think that is an unreasonable request.

He can asks, but no way is the driver's insurance company going to replace an almost 30 year old bike with a $1,300 new bike. I'm going to guess that they will offer around $500-$600 cash value settlement if the OP can prove that a 1984 Trek 720 is worth that much on the open market.

I got paid repair cost for an older bike with no question asked about the bikes current value. I suspect that the repair cost might have been more than the used price. The OP might have a better chance with getting a quote for frame, fork, and any other damaged parts. He can then do as he sees fit with the money, whether that be a new bike or the parts.

BTW, I wound up needing to use a lawyer in order to get a fair settlement on the personal injury part. Assuming personal injury, if I had it to do over, I'd just go straight to the lawyer and skip talking directly to the insurance company.

^^^
As much as I don't like jumping to "lawsuits", this one will benefit from the presence of legal representation since the other insurance company may be more willing to discuss compensation in exchange for waivers to bodily injuries which may show up days, weeks or months after this accident.;)

Don't know your size, but, if you're taller and want the same thing back, might be interested in this: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...2#post14717822

Thanks for the responses everyone. A lawyer has already been involved I was just trying to get an idea what the bike would be worth. I'm not allowed to ride a bike for three months so I have a while to figure this out. Besides the frame and the fork the front wheel with a dyno hub needs to be replaced. The saddle also got ripped in the crash. I would say the bike was in good condition before the crash. I'm not sure what the frame size was I'm 6' 2" and it seemed to fit perfect. I'm not sure if I want to replace it with another vintage trek. They are hard to find and can be expensive. I may be looking into something like the surly LHT. Thanks everyone.

Trek 520s are still sold , though an insurance company has a habit of depreciating
a 28 year old bike quite a lot..
See if eBay has any traffic in that model and year and what they sold for ,

or get a written statement from a Trek dealer .. with old catalog price memory

You realize the lawyer gets a healthy % of the settlement, right?

the insurance company will own the bike then, so any thing you added will go too..

I was in an accident and got hurt but not as seriously as you.

I went to a lawyer. He called the driver's insurance company while I was sitting in his office.

He said that he would like them to pay the maximum of the liability on the policy. They agreed without a hesitation. I got 65k, he got 35k, which he earned in 5 minutes.

Don't worry, you will be able to buy the bike of your dreams.

Tell them your bike was in perfect condition, the less you tell them may work in your favor. Tell them a Disc LHT is a modern day equivalent.

BTW, the insurance company paid the limit on the policy, $100,000, AND the cost of my bike.

About six years ago, my slightly older ('81) Trek 720 was stolen by a local bike shop while it was in for a warranty repair. (It was one of the early 720's that came with a lifetime repair-or-replace warranty). I ended up paying around $900 to get the same frame on eBay and I felt lucky to find one. The original one failed twice at the seat stay/seat tube junction, a design problem that was fixed in later years. The NOS I replaced it with also failed there, but this time I just took it to a framebuilder and had it rebuilt.

In my opinion, there isn't another bike built that is as nice as an old 720. They are classic touring machines that are also great for centuries/randonneuring. I have ridden mine on gnarly off-road fully loaded and then put tubulars on it and did an eight-hour double century. If mine got whacked by some motorist I think the only fair compensation would be a custom replacement. It's kind of like when someone crashes into a classic car: you don't go looking in the Kelly Blue Book for the appropriate compensation.

Good luck replacing your steed and I hope you have a full recovery from your injuries.