BUILDING THE TREK 1000

Once my bicycle hunt was completed for the day, I immediately dived into examining the Trek 1000.  The bicycle was, indeed, an exceptional find for what I had paid.  The paint and art were almost perfect.  The 6061T6 aluminum frame set was near flawless in presentation.  Though I really don't like most aluminum bicycles, both because of ride and appearance characteristics, the 1000's frame set was a treat to behold.

As is the case with the one other Treks that I have owned, the 1000 was very well built, demonstrating very clean welds and all but perfectly finished.  It is difficult to see where the welds begin and end, they are that smoothly done.  The lovely blue paint on the Trek is about the nicest I have seen.  Shiny and sporting no hint of paint fade.  The finish is remarkable for a bicycle the Trek's age.

The fork set, a chrome moly assembly, is every bit, as cleanly built as the frame set.  I might add, the fork set appears to be identical to those used on the 1000's little brother, a Trek 400.  By the time I had finished looking the frame and fork set over, I was quite impressed.  Though aluminum frames are not my first choice, I must admit that I really did like the look of the Trek, and the cleanly built frame set contributed greatly to this appraisal.

Trek had even seen fit to include a wee feature that I really like - a head badge.  Though not all that impressive, it was a least better than a sticker.  Why did bicycle manufacturer's discontinue the use of head badges?

The component grouppo was all Suntour 4050 Edge.  All pieces, with the exception of the rear derailleur, were in excellent condition.  The read derailleur had suffered minor damage and was scuffed up somewhat.  Since this was the only indication of damage on the bicycle, one can only speculate as to what happened.  My guess is that the derailleur damage is storage related.  The bike might have fell over when parked or perhaps, the minor derailleur damage is a result of laying the bicycle on its side.  At any rate, though too bad considering the marvellous condition of the rest of the bicycle, the Trek was not perfect.  However, this minor bit of damage is, most likely, not crash related.

I have used Suntour components on many bicycles.  Rarely have they failed to impress me with quality of construction and appearance.  And their appearance is supported with their function.  The Suntour Edge components work every bit as well as they look.  The indexed twelve speed indexed transmission worked flawlessly, although I did a little tweak when test riding the bicycle.  Other that a half turn on the rear derailleur cable adjuster, no other transmission issues presented themselves.

The wheel set on the Trek 1000 was all but identical to the set used on the Trek 400.  Maillard 500 sealed bearing hubs, laced with stainless steel spokes to Matrix Titan" 700c rims, made up the running gear.  The tires, though old, looked good and held pressure with no problem.  I always caution myself, and others, when it comes to using older tires.  Though they may look fine, the material itself might have broken down.  Sudden failure could result at any time with old skins.  With that in mind, if I am going to spend any amount of time riding an old bike, I install a new or, at the very least, better set of tires.  I decided to go with the tires on the Trek since I had no intention of keeping the bicycle.  Do not take that the wrong way.  I always caution anyone who buys an old bicycle from me to consider the tire condition, warning of the hazards of using old tires.

NEXT - RIDING THE TREK 1000