Hey yall,
My father and grandfather are big into cycling and have been since long before I was born lol.
My grandfather has had this Trek bike sitting in various storage units and garages for likely around 30 years, but he says he doesn’t remember the exact year it was bought.
He wants me to sell it for him as he can no longer ride it and I don’t have space for it and it’s just collecting dust.
It definitely needs a new chain, I tried riding it and while I technically can the chain gets caught a lot due to it being more worn in certain areas. It’s also very rusted and seems to have scratched the frame behind it.
I have looked up Trek 8000 aluminum and have found what I believe to be the same model, but I am yet to find an exact replica or really much info about it online. I have seen years from 1992-1999 (but I may just be looking in the wrong places)
The biggest thing I can’t find in similar bikes is the “Matrix equipped” that’s on the bottom of the frame. On other bikes I see it says “New Shimano Deore” or “Trek USA”. Does this hint at a specific model or year, or is it some kind of extra package that was bought at the time of purchase?
I did find what I believe to be a page from an old Trek catalogue that mentions
“Matrix ATB aluminum alloy tubing and Trek investment castings”
The photo was part of a website and the file said “catalogue 1987” so maybe that’s the correct model and year? It’s the only mention of Matrix and the Trek 8000 model I have found thus far. My grandfather thought he got it early 90s but doesn’t remember very well.
I also saw a “Vintage Trek Bike Worth” website that looked like it was made in 2009 and said the 8000 model was worth $925, but I find that hard to believe.
Any other info about this bike and its potential worth would be very helpful as I’m not knowledgeable on bikes. I do have a trek mountain bike myself but it’s less than 10 years old, and that’s the extent of my bike/Trek knowledge.
My other question would be: is it worth it for me to replace the chain to sell it? Or in general to try to repair it? I’m not exactly rolling in time or money but if it’s a significant amount I would definitely consider it. I also know that what a bike is “worth” and what a bike will sell for are two different things and want to be realistic here. I’m not expecting a fortune from this old bike, but mostly i’m just curious about it.
Thank you!
by Fireproof-cats