Keep old trek 7000 or replace?

[dirtydogg]

Hi,

First post here so sorry if wrong place (please be gentle).

I have had a Trek 7000 for years. I attached some pics of the bike and the components for easy reference. The primary use of it is for mountain biking (usually here: https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=los+gatos+novitiate+trail&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x808e360e451a801b:0xf0ee06f8089bab9c,Novitiate+Trail,+Los+Gatos,+CA+9​5030&gl=us&ei=T_bWUuGeI8X6oASJ24CYBQ&ved=0CCsQ8gEwAA).

I paid a couple hundred bucks to a local bike shop to have it tuned and some parts replaced (chain, one of the gear shifters, new brake pads) as I have been doing more mountain biking and wanted to make this bike work. However, the brakes are real bad and I am wondering if it is time to replace/upgrade the bike.

Should I sell this bike and replace, or invest in some good braking gear and upgrade this bike? If I do sell it, what would be a fair asking price? From reviewing other postings on trek 7000's on this site, it looks like there is a niche market that appreciates this bike and could bring in a couple hundred dollars to the right buyer?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I don't ride a lot and don't have a big budget. I would like to get up and down the mountain safely and efficiently, don't need to be the 1st up the hill and like the workout I get in trying to get this one up it now. I like to take small jumps but there is lots of traffic on my local tracks so don't really have the chance/need to cut loose.

I am new to bike maintenance, I have a garage and some basic tools. I don't mind getting my hands dirty but don't have much experience working on bikes. Which is how I ended up here on this site. Thanks again for your thoughts.

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[DaveM]

Answer kind of depends on your budget. I doubt you'll get a whole lot selling the 7000. And if you replace it with a new, entry level bike I doubt you'll be happy you made the change. The new, nicer suspended mtn bikes ride really well. But the lower end stuff isn't so great and won't hold up well.

There's a lot you could do to this bike to improve the braking, etc. (Looks like just some new cables and housing would help.) Looks like the frame is a bit big for you as an off roader unless you're really tall. But these were great, solid bikes.

[1FJEF]

If I saw it for sale locally, I'd give $80 max.
Keep it.
Sign up for the Repair Guide at the top of the page, $6/month, cancel anytime. Enjoy learning how to work on almost every part of the bike yourself. Accumulate some bike specific tools too.
Minimum fix?
IMO the straddle cable which rides in the yoke & joins the brake arms together is way too short. Buy new ones and try the brakes with them lengthened.
Service the brake pads, resurface & re-align. One step better is to replace with Kool Stop Supra 2 in Salmon color.
Clean the brake tracks on the rims.
Better fix
Disconnect the front brakes. Adjust the front handlebar height for a good fit or buy a new stem to get the bars how you like them.
If you get a new stem you'll need a cheap part to act as a cable stop. Like this or this.
Buy a MTB cable/housing kit. I suggest changing the brake & shift cables/housings. Some here like the cheap Bell kit from Walmart for $7, I don't, too sloppy/stretchy. An excellent Brake Kit will run you $20ish. Now you can plan it out & then take it to a bike shop & have them make the cuts for a minimal charge or buy a good cutter and do it yourself.
This is the minimum I would do to get the brakes better.
If that bike was mine & the frame fit, I'd jump in with both feet & fix it up
All new cables/housings. $7-$40 + $26 tool.
(I'd change it to V-brakes too, with new levers.)
If I wasn't doing downhill I'd change the stem ($20) or maybe the bars.
New Chain. New Cassette/Freewheel (some of your rear gears look thrashed in the pic). $30ish total.
Inspect & service every bearing set, $6 lube + possibly some minor money for bearings. A Crank removal tool, $20ish. Maybe $22 or so for a Bottom Bracket tool, but you might get by without it.
That looks like a nice seat you've got there.
Just starting with the brakes would be cheap & make a nice difference. That's a good frame, fix the bike up, ride it with pride. The scratches are battle scars. Who wants to ride a perfect bike that you're terrified of scratching?
Keep it. Never pay anyone to service it again, do it yourself.
Where are you? Maybe one of us can help with the cables etc......

[dirtydogg]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the honest info. Based on the replies so far I am leaning toward keeping it and learning how to make repairs/upgrades (looking into vbrakes for starters).

I also have a trek 800 and was originally thinking of selling it along with the trek 7000, but am wondering if there are any components on it that I should use in fixing/upgrading the 7000? I've included pics of the 800 below for reference. I see a trek 800 on craigslist in my area listed for around $125. Does that sound about right?

Some more info about the 7000: I measured from the center of the cranks to the top of the frame and it measured at 22". I think this is a little big for me and from what I have researched, an 18 or 19 would be more appropriate for me. The Trek 800 I have is an 18", but it feels small to me. I think for now I will work on getting the 7000 in good running shape, and look at swapping for a more appropriate size frame once I have a little bike maintenance experience under my belt.

Thanks again for the info. I really appreciate the generosity of the group and am excited about learning from all of you.

One last thing: I came across this group in Mtn. View (http://bikesiliconvalley.org/bikeex) where you can volunteer to fix bikes and the bikes are donated to needy individuals. Thought it would be a good way to get some experience working on bikes, and always looking to get some karma points. Thoughts on this group, or even better a similar group in the san jose/santa clara area, would be appreciated.
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[1FJEF]

(01-16-2014, 04:07 AM)dirtydogg Wrote:  (looking into vbrakes for starters).

Don't forget, V-brakes means new levers $15, cables and the V-brakes themselves. You have to change all three. Not super expensive.
The Trek 7000 fits your legs with the seat where it is? Just barely, or not really? The seat can go lower, you can change the stem to bring the bars a bit closer to you. You can slide the seat back & forth to find a sweet spot too.
I don't see how the same person could ride both of those bikes. My guess would be the 800 needs the handlebars up 2", the tail of the seat down an inch, with the entire seat raised 3 inches and slid a half inch forward and fine tune from there.
The two bikes seem worth about the same to me. I would keep both if the wheels are pretty true, that would give me a back up set of rims & tires (wheels), cranks, pedals, bars, shifters etc...
Unless the bike co-op is going to train you, some work on your own bikes might be a good idea first.

[nfmisso]

dirtydogg;

I am with Jeff on this one.

Another place in San Jose is Good Karma Bikes.
http://goodkarmabikes.org/

You can stop over my place on most Saturdays; a teenage comes over to learn about bikes on Saturdays. For his first project he built this: http://forums.bikeride.com/thread-4930.html scroll to the bottom for the finished pictures. PM me if you are interested.

[nfmisso]

dirtydogg;

got your PM, but you have it set so people cannot send you PMs, so I cannot reply......

[dirtydogg]

(01-16-2014, 05:07 PM)nfmisso Wrote:  dirtydogg;

got your PM, but you have it set so people cannot send you PMs, so I cannot reply......

Nigel,

Updated profile.

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks again.

[1FJEF]

Uuuhhh, yeah, if you can get with Nigel that would be a huge help to you.

[DaveM]

Just one note on replacing brake levers. Your levers are integrated with the shifters. To change levers you would also have to get new shifters or figure out a work around. There are adapters that go inline with the cables that will let you use vbrakes with old style caliper levers as an option.

The 800 is a lower end bike, but for offroad clearly fits you better. You might also consider upgrading that one a bit as your MTB and retrofit the 7000 as more of a transport bike. That idea would really depend on the quality and condition of the suspension fork on the 800 though. Good suspension can make a good off road bike, bad suspension can ruin any bike.