Rebuilding a 1990's trek 7000

[Brian98]

I got a trek 7000 and had some questions on rebuilding it. It has no front wheel (I want to replace the rear wheel too), the chain is rusty, the brakes work but seem a little sketchy, and I want to repaint it. I would like to take it to college so I am hoping to make it into a road bike. Any help would be great and I'll post pictures of it so you can see what goin' on.

[Painkiller]

lets start by pictures. everything. also,do you have the tools and ability to do most of the work yourself?
Is money no object, as it can be costly but worth it to me. How much roadie do you want?
your post grabbed my attention because my last rebuild was a trek 730 multitrack that I turned
into a roadie 14speed and If you have the legs and lungs it is as fast as most any road bike and handles better
forums.bikeride.com/thread-2785.html

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http://forums.bikeride.com/thread-2785.html

[Painkiller]

The main part swap for this conversion were
crank
shifters
bottom bracket
chain
tires

[Brian98]

I am working on getting pictures up for you guys. I have the bike in my school's workshop and I am used to building stuff so I think I can handle it. I would like to keep cost down, but I won't compromise on quality. Also, I want to repaint it, but the brake lines run through frame and I want to know if that would be an issue when I put it back together.

[Painkiller]

The price if a tool compared to labor is may or may not be cheaper but you have the tool for ever.

[Painkiller]

http://forums.bikeride.com/thread-896.html
before you repaint check out what this guy does

[Brian98]

I went to a bike shop today and asked about what it would cost to replace the front wheel, change the tires, repaint it, and change the handlebars, and possibly change the transmission. The guy said it would probably be best to just restore it to normal, sell it and buy a new road bike. Any thoughts on this?

[DaveM]

To pay a shop to do all this definitely doesn't make sense, just buy a road bike. If you do the work yourself, it's a lot more reasonable.

Getting a frame painted is not that expensive, but the labor to strip all the parts off and then rebuild is. As for turning it into a road bike, it depends what you want to achieve. Switching to drop bars will be fairly expensive. You'll need at least stem, bars, brake levers, shifters, new cables, and bar tape. It's a fun conversion to do, but I don't know how practical it is.

If what you want to to make the bike you have faster, I would get a wheel, put on narrow high pressure slick tires, cut the bars down a couple inches (maybe a longer stem), replace the chain and cassette since they're probably worn out, new brake pads, cables as needed. Rattle can paint job for looks. You could easily spend $200 bucks doing that, but you should end up with a quick durable bike. (A big question is if any of the bearing races need repair/replacement - give the bike a thorough check over before you start buying parts.)

As an alternative to drop bars, think about getting something like this (http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/handlebars/vo-montmartre-handlebar.html) and mount them upside down. You get a dropped aggressive position, but can use your existing parts, and end up with a really unique look.

[Brian98]

[attachment=2273][attachment=2276][attachment=2275][attachment=2273][attachment=2269][attachment=2270][attachment=2271][attachment=2272]

[DaveM]

Not bad, very similar to a 8000 I built into an Xtracycle.
Not sure it's worth major conversion, but a good base for a beat around bike.

I would buy a front wheel, get new tires, chain and cassette, pedals, brake pads and I would guess you probably need a new bottom bracket. And yeah, different paint would definitely help.

It looks like the rear derailleur hit the ground at some point. I'd eyeball the hanger to make sure it isn't bent and of course make sure the shifters and brakes are all working ok. Chain looks to be one link too long.

Not a bad base to work from, but I wouldn't pour a huge amount of money into this. Pretty quick you'll get to the point where you could just buy a new bike that would be better anyway.

[JohnV]

Wow, some of those parts look like they really need a lot of work. The frame also looks like it needs a lot of work on it as far as the finish goes. If the frame is aluminum, I would look at the link in painkiller's post to see how this guy does polished aluminum bikes. They are really beautiful looking when he gets done with them. Looking at the amount of work that needs to be done here, if you have plenty of hours to spend on getting this bike how you want it, I would go for it. If not, I would go with the suggestion that the LBS gave you.

I know that this forum is for how to DIY projects, but sometimes the time it takes to do the project doesn't always fit into the time you need to have the product.

[Painkiller]

Thanks for the pictures, it certainly spells it out. I have a lot of years in the bike thang,and alot of spare parts here and there. But I could easily dump $400 bucks on your ride. If you cannot do the work yourself forget it.I know this is not want you want hear. But thats what you need to know
People will always be ready to take your money so do not be so eager to give it.

[Brian98]

Is it worth it? Should I just replace the front wheel and the chain and sell it to buy something better? I have another bike that I could get by with by just changing the tires and cleaning it.

[Painkiller]

If thats all you replaced was the wheel and chain you would be into it for around 75 to 150 bucks
from the pics it needs more than that. rule of thumb is when you replace the chain you should replace the rear cogs also, this is the character of a shimano hyperglide type system.

If you look at my trek link I have about 600 bucks in that remake. I did it because I could do it all myself and not because I wanted to sell it and make money. the Paint was good,and I liked the fit.
remember to do stuff yourself cost extra in tools also.

the 600 bucks sounds like a lot and it is. However no one makes a 14speed bike setup like that.

[Tim M]

(04-26-2011, 09:15 PM)Brian98 Wrote:  Is it worth it? Should I just replace the front wheel and the chain and sell it to buy something better? I have another bike that I could get by with by just changing the tires and cleaning it.

Looks like a great learning experience, if you are so inclined. It's very difficult (impossible?) to give credible answers to these questions without seeing the bike in person. Is there something like BICAS in your city?

BICAS:

http://bicas.org/about/

[Painkiller]

Chain $30
cables, housing,cable caps,crimps,straddle cables $50
grips $15
Tires and tubes $60
wheel $70 Total $225 " or is it" Mmm lets see, oops
pedals crap $20
bottom bracket junk $30
shoot! shifters don't seem to work $90 Total $365
by the way this does not include shop labor
And I never even got the chance to paint it yet
I personally do not have to see the bike in person. you did a fine job with picture's
one other note: higher end 7speed components of that era command premium dollar on places like ebay
are we getting the picture that paints a thousand words?
Darn! I forgot you wanted a bigger front chainring to make it more roadie $40
yours truly
Robert Paine

[eddieb4]

[attachment=2474]I have an early 1990's Trek 7000 that just started having issues with the rear derailer ... trying to fix it but have no experience. As you can see, bike has very little use over the years. Any thoughts on just changing out the derailers and brake levers as they are integrated into the Shimano Deore LX Shifters. This bike basically is unmolested and I'm not sure of its value.

(04-26-2011, 11:26 PM)painkiller Wrote:  Chain $30
cables, housing,cable caps,crimps,straddle cables $50
grips $15
Tires and tubes $60
wheel $70 Total $225 " or is it" Mmm lets see, oops
pedals crap $20
bottom bracket junk $30
shoot! shifters don't seem to work $90 Total $365
by the way this does not include shop labor
And I never even got the chance to paint it yet
I personally do not have to see the bike in person. you did a fine job with picture's
one other note: higher end 7speed components of that era command premium dollar on places like ebay
are we getting the picture that paints a thousand words?
Darn! I forgot you wanted a bigger front chainring to make it more roadie $40
yours truly
Robert Paine

[Painkiller]

looks like a great bike,I would jump on a find like that. what makes you say the derailers need replaced.they probably just need tuned. as far as a value I could easily get $300 to $400 us dollars for your bike if the paint looks as good as in the picture.good components and rigid frame mtb priceless to me

[RobAR]

(05-30-2011, 09:23 AM)painkiller Wrote:  looks like a great bike,I would jump on a find like that. ...good components and rigid frame mtb priceless to me

Right-on, pk! I wish the big companies would offer at least 1 or 3 models without a suspension fork. For example - Trek could easily do it with the 820 to get that one in the sub $300 range. The 4300 is another model where it would make sense. IME, people who buy this as a starter bike soon out-ride the fork or literally destroy it, leading to the purchase of a new fork.

You sound like u are in the bike biz?

eddie! You have a very fine specimen there! It's not anything but an old MTB to most ppl but, some of us might... oh, nevermind.
In that condition, I'm with PK that if it has set for a long time, your drlrs are okay. Sticky/Gummy cables, drlr pivots, etc etc can be a problem.

[Painkiller]

I used to sell off-road Pro-flex and mongoose before they sold out themselves.I still work on them and sell used bikes now and again. But like you I say make a higher end component rigid bike like they did in the 90s. Y put a garbage shock on a bike period!