Pawnshop-bought oooooold Trek 7000

[bigsilk]

First, I'm no enthusiast. Used to be, but those days are gone. My first was a Bridgestone MB-5. Loved that bike.

I digress. About a year ago I bought an old Trek 7000 from a pawnshop. It cost a hundred bucks. I figure the frame alone might be worth it. It's been gathering dust since.

I want to turn it into a commuter. I'm pretty confident I can do this myself.

So, what's a good list of tools I should have?

Also, if anyone might be able to recognize the year, that would be fun.

[cyclerUK]

To turn it into a commuter just fit slick tyres and mudguards (fenders).
Will it will take a rack as well if you want to carry some panniers etc?

Initially you shouldn't need any special tools.
So screwdrivers, small metric spanners, allen keys upto 10mm, oil,

[Joe_W]

I commute (when there is no rain) about 20km. Most important for me are indeed mudguards (when the raod is wet). The tyre profile depends on the terrain on your commute: if it is only road: go for slicks, as cyclerUK suggested. On rough surface, knobby wider tyres running at low pressure are actually faster. Also very convenient: a hub generator. Beats a battery powered clip on light 11 times out of ten This is quite an investment, though, front wheel + good light will cost about as much as the bike. I highly recommend it, though (unless you commute on narrow trails, where a helmet mounted headlight will be better). You will not encounter dead batteries that way, which happened to me twice within two weeks (and replacement was dead, too!).

My setup:
- summertime, on road: Cyclomanix road bike, road tyres, race blades (when road is wet)
- winter and off-road: old Peugeot road bike, cyclocross tyres, usually race blades (not on snow / ice, have problems with clearance it is a road bike after all)
- darkness: self-built hub generator front wheel with QR mounted B&M Lumotec IQ fly

[KC-Steve]

(03-30-2010, 05:57 AM)bigsilk Wrote:  . . . Also, if anyone might be able to recognize the year, that would be fun.

Welcome to the forum! I don't know anything about Treks, but I'm sure you can find this bike in an old catalog posted here, http://www.vintage-trek.com/TrekBrochures.htm

Hope that helps,
Steve

[Bill]

Good portable tool kit. Using the websites video resources give it a good tune-up. You could add a better seat/saddle make sure the rider height is adjusted to your preference. As far as tools depends on how far you are wanting to go.


P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[bigsilk]

Well, after a little digging around, it seems it's a '92. I think that's the year model of my old MB-5.

It's going to need some pretty serious cleaning and adjustment. I've seen some pretty good tuts here on BicycleTutor.com. I'll check those out.

Now, do you think I ought to disassemble to the frame? Or clean it up with components in situ?

One other thing: A previous owner added Manitou Answer Air Cartridge forks. They don't give a bit, as in they are as rigid as, well, rigid forks. I'm thinking of getting rid of the thing, anyway, as I don't plan on doing a bunch of trail riding. Any suggestion on a reasonably-priced rigid fork?

I'm considering Kenda Kross Plus Front/Rear Slick XC Tires, 26 x 1.95". Amazon.com has them for $18/pr! The current tires are 26 x 2.1, but that shouldn't be a problem, should it?

BTW, if you haven't been able to tell, I'm a yank.

Oh, and thanks for the resources.

[Joe_W]

A rigid (as in "no suspension old skool") fork can be had for a few bucks from your local bike shop (LBS). Get a CroMoly, they are cheap and sturdy. Look out for the correct rake of the fork, though, as this will severely affect handling.

[Bill]

As far as the Tires nope they will be fine. I just recently tonight took a pair of 26 x 1.95 and uped them to 2.1's with no problem. For the price I would say for Amazon that's a nice deal!!!

[bigsilk]

I did some cleaning up and she looks much better. I did notice some cracks in the brake/shifter housing. Just in case, any advice on a decent combo? Again, I'm not going bombing off hills in Moab. Sure, the occasional 'bunny' trail, but that's about it.

Poking around on different sites I noticed how much shocked forks are. Wow. I just might get the Manitou forks fixed up and get a buck for them.

[Joe_W]

The fork might just be gunked up or the setup is totally off.

I get my cables and housing at the LBS, they cut the housing to the correct length and (roughly) clean up the cut. Cracks are bad, especially in brake housing, replace now (better: replace yesterday!).

[bigsilk]

It's not the cables, it's the shifter/brake combo itself. The cables look like they're in good condition, and the brakes tighten up and release with no problem, smooth as silk. No, it's the housing around the shifters, actually, but the brakes are, of course, integrated into that same housing.

The guy who owned this bake took care of it pretty well. It's got a bunch of aftermarket stuff on it, including the saddle, seat post, handlebar, handlebar stem, at least the front rim, probably the shock forks.

I'm off to the LBS today to either see what they have and start making a list or making a couple of purchases. I know that through Amazon, I would be spending about a hundred bucks or so for:

Tires, Tubes, Brake pads and a Rigid fork. Not bad, I'd say. But for the sake of expediency, I might get some of this stuff at the LBS. I'm impatient like that sometimes

[bigsilk]

Well, went to the LBS and went apesh!t.

The guy suggested separate brake levers and gear shifters. Got 'em. I didn't get the Armadillo tires, but Hemispheres. Still Specialized, even same tread patter, just not as bulletproof. Little tiny bike pump, Specialized tubes.

Still going to get the fork through Amazon. $60 bucks at the LBS, $20 bucks at Amazon. Even with the shipping it'll be $15 bucks less.

Soon, guys, soon...

[Bill]

See if it qualifies for the free super saving shipping, if so all you have to do is make another 5.00 purchase to qualify. Thing is both of the items have to say they qualify for the Free Super Savings Shipping though. Your ride is gonna be a nice one with the additions

[bigsilk]

New rubber on clean rims, right side brake lever and shifter installed.

Tomorrow (later?) left side shifter and brake lever, brake and derailleur adjustments.

Ride!

Even with decent tuts, getting the grips off is half the job.

[bigsilk]

Well, that's about it. All the controls are on the bike, brakes adjusted, rear derailleur adjusted. Funny thing though is all that really stands in the way of finishing is an L-shaped 5mm allen key: I bought a Park Tools jackknife-style set, and it won't fit between the down tube and back wheel to loosen the screw for the front derailleur. Of course if I take the wheel off to loosen it, I won't be able to test the adjustment unless I put it back on, take it back off, put it back on, etc...

The bike does work quite well, though. I adjusted the H&L screws on the front derailleur to the middle chain ring and rode it around a parking lot for a few minutes.

I'm proud of myself. I really did it. This has turned out to be a really nice bike. It's light, quick, maneuverable, and it looks good, too.

Thanks for the help and inspiration you guys provided. Sure, I might have been able to do it without you, but you definitely made it more fun and worthwhile.

I'll be back with better pics of my work once the rear d is done and I replace the fork.

I'm even contemplating flipping bikes (no, not like that, silly). You know, buying bikes on the cheap, fixing them up and reselling them. This has been fun.

[Bill]

Congratulation on your great accomplishment!!! You are welcome for what advice I contributed, thank you for sharing your experience. Pics Pics pics I wanna see lol.

[KC-Steve]

Grats Bigsilk. I think I enjoy working on an old bike more than riding it. If you are serious about flippin' bikes then knowing the correct year is important especially for the Trek 7000. It doesn't happen often but that model original retail price actually fell between the years 1993 and 2010. It went down from $725 to $360 in 2010. (source: Bike Pedia, years 1993 to 2010) That might be due to lower quality in newer models. Your prospective buyer will also be looking at that as well, and might use that fact to make their decision to buy or not, or to negotiate price. So it's important to know what year bike you have. In fact, the more you know about a bike, the better.

Good luck,
Steve

[bigsilk]

The 7000 has gone through a metamorphosis. It started out as a mountain bike, but has since become a hybrid. Actually, the 2000 7000 was $1,019.99, and that was a mnt bike. BikePedia doesn't have anything for model 7000 years 2001-2004, nor does it have the '92 model at all.

I was sure to look for a real mountain bike frame when I bought mine. Although if and when I do start flipping, I'll probably just look for a brand name frame and fix it up with good components. It really won't matter what style of bike it is. I live in Austin, TX and people here love bikes. Well, if it's good enough for Lance Armstrong...

I'll flip bikes more for people who want a bike to either putt around on or commute with. Also, I don't know enough about road bikes to consider venturing into that arena.

[Bill]

I will say this here in my area the bike sales has really picked up as well as Families riding together. My opinion is that cycling is gonna make a pretty sizable come back.

[TonyE]

Great buy!