The $500 Trek

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland) 05/07/2020 at 21:50 • Filed to: Bicycle

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I bought this bike last summer off of craigslist in Bigfork Montana for $500. It’s a model year 2010 Trek Madone with women’s specific geometry. The previous owner used it for triathlons and said she only got to race it once and then she developed sever vertigo when riding and had to stop riding on the street. Needless to say other than being 9 years old it was in nearly new condition having only been ridden maybe 100-200 miles total. I call this a “garage bike”.

It was intended for my daughter but she ended up riding mountain bikes all summer and the trek got ridden maybe 4 times.

My wife finally decided to stop ridding her Aluminium specialized so I spruced up the Trek with some Mavic Ksyrium wheels with new tires off her cyclocross bike and new bar tape. So now I have  spent another $75 on the bike but it is crazy light and should be able to hammer with the best new bikes out there that cost 10 times as much.

bob and john > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:08

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thing I found with bicycles: (in my experience racing XC)

under 1K, yea, the bikes do suck and you will notice a big improvement  

in that 1-2K is when you will notice a lot of upgrades

2k+ it when the upgrades start to matter a LOT less and the rider becomes THE deciding factor.

road bikes, once you get into an actual road bike (a proper madone or something) then it alll rider. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > bob and john 05/07/2020 at 22:12

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We got the original bill of sale with the bike I think it was $2,000 out the door. These carbon frame bikes  ride so well and my god this thing is light, like 16 lbs if I had to guess.  

dumpsterfire! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:18

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there is something so elegant about a carbon fiber road bike frame. 

Old-Busted-Hotness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:19

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I remember when $500 was a lot to pay for a bike. But I was driving a $200 car at the time, so...

Chariotoflove > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:22

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That is a frame any racer would be happy to take to the start line. What a deal. I hope she uses it like it’s meant. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Old-Busted-Hotness 05/07/2020 at 22:22

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This bike was >$2,000 when new...

zipfuel > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:24

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I love bargain used bikes, I just drove a 3hr round trip to pick up this MEC Dash 20" for my daughter on the weekend.

She’s not quite tall enough for it yet but my son already has one and it’s a great bike so for $100 down from $360+ I jumped (2020 model is $475 with disc brakes which is a bit nuts ).

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > zipfuel 05/07/2020 at 22:28

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It’s great when you can get the kids on a real bike. They are actually fun to ride.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Chariotoflove 05/07/2020 at 22:29

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She hammers. I’m hoping to get out this weekend with her for a good 40 mile ride.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:29

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I believe it. I’m still riding my old Specialized Hardrock that was a $400 bike 20 years ago. My local bike shop has lots of high-buck bikes in stock; things cost more than a new Kia.

https://www.eddys.com/product-list/bikes-1000/road-1001/?&sort=pricedesc

Not for me. My knees ain’t what they used to be.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:30

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So after a few days of riding my mountain bike to worki figured out  i need a road bike

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 22:46

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Those wheels are sick

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 05/07/2020 at 22:54

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Lance won the tour of France on those wheels!

Nom De Plume > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:10

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Wife sounds like she got a decent sized upgrade over what had to be nearly twice as old Specialized . Very attractive carbon upgrade at that.

bob and john > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:11

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that sounds a touch light...maybe 20 with non carbon wheels on it.

but yes, the amount of money that goes inbto them is nothing short of stupid. I saw the 25K road bike when i w as at the bicycle shop.

I was not allowed to touch it LOL 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > bob and john 05/07/2020 at 23:15

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I need to weigh it on a proper scale. Ksyriums are 1500 gram wheels and I bet that frame is 1,000 grams. It’s much lighter  than my cannondale and that was 17.5 with heavy wheels.

Gone > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:20

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Nice - $500 is great for low miles/usage. Like the color combo - too much black/matte on new frames. Have an ‘08 Madone w/30k+ on it that I bought new. Fun bike, pretty snappy for the time. That 105 5600 crank will last forever and interesting it has a long cage Ultegra 6600 on the back with a normal cassette. 105 brifters and brakes too? It is a bit of an aero brick these days but no biggy . Those Ksyriums are pretty bomb proof, which is always a plus.

PowderHound > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:23

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Are road bikes on rim brakes solely for weight savings? The weight trade off for discs seems well worth it to me. I don’t road bike so I have no clue there. 

Nom De Plume > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:27

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Nice casual 100'/mile or will you be making climbing the purpose of heading out for a ride?

Nom De Plume > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/07/2020 at 23:34

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Cut through more yards and ditches.

zipfuel > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/07/2020 at 23:34

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There’s no paying of dues on heavy, crappy bikes for this generation: 6061 Alu frame from day 1 and good components that are dialed in.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Nom De Plume 05/07/2020 at 23:49

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It’s a 10 minute climb just to get back home, so climbing is always important. Probably ride from home to the end of the pavement on the North Fork road north of Columbia Falls, I think it’s a 40 round trip with around 2,500 feet of elevation gain.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Gone 05/07/2020 at 23:51

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My BMC is Matt black... but damn that thing rides well. Some of the newer bikes are getting back to using colors again. I added orange bar tape to my bike to give it some bling.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > PowderHound 05/07/2020 at 23:54

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Only recently have road bikes been equipped with disc brakes and most pro models still don’t have disc brakes. Good rim brakes work really well on a road bike. I would go either way and be happy. You don’t brake nearly as much on a road bike. I think I did my brake pads like once every 10,000 miles when I had rom brakes. I expect the disc brakes on my BMC to last the life of the bike.

Nom De Plume > PowderHound 05/08/2020 at 00:03

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Discs on road bikes is a considerably newer development than this bike would be eligible to have.

The key point to look at with regards to road bike braking is how bad rim brakes performed on carbon wheels. Wet or dirty aluminum wheels are another weak point. They could also fade on a long technical descent. Braking in the w et on carbon might happen eventually or it might not.

If you only ride on perfect flat roads when conditions are ideal they make almost zero difference. Further you stray towards lumpy technical terrain or speeds that justify deep section carbon wheels the more attractive they look.

Gone > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/08/2020 at 00:05

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Dig those BMCs. Just everyone went black years ago (my Madone is too lol) and it got a bit overdone. My TT rig (turning it into a roadie) has red on it at least. Really glad to see color come back though. New frames are slick in looks and aero. Also ride well. Would like a new TT rig but stuff is not cheap lol.

Nom De Plume > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/08/2020 at 00:08

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Sounds enjoyable.  Hope you get good weather for it.

PowderHound > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/08/2020 at 00:39

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I didn’t think of how little the brakes are used on a road bike. I go through at least  a set of pads a year on the mountain bike

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > PowderHound 05/08/2020 at 00:42

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I have sram guides, I go through two to three sets of pads A  year!

Nom De Plume > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/08/2020 at 00:59

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T hat under the top tube rear brake routing raised a question that is going to bother me. How much clear vinyl tape did you have to apply on a frame that tight to mitigate paint wear?

Then I started wondering if you were aware of the Shimano reach adjustment blocks that clip onto the levers just inside the shifter body.  

Bandit > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/08/2020 at 10:58

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Awesome! I always liked that generation of Madone, saw quite a few of the r un through the ProjectOne paintshop for touchups when I worked for Trek . The difference between the WSD bikes and mens bikes is pretty much just paint colors, handlebar width, and stem length so they’re not a bad option at all used.