Going to pickup this Trek 1000 off marketplace tomorrow. What does it take to get this bike into riding shape?

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I’m going to go a little overboard and tell you what to check first, so apologies for how long this is.

If you’ve never done this before, probably best to hit up a shop and let them take a look. The internet can’t tell you if the headset and bottom bracket need attention, or if the wheels are super out of true.

To check those things yourself, squeeze the front brake and rock the bike front to back. If you feel clunking/play in the front end coming from where the fork passes through the frame, the headset needs to be tightened up (and if it’s been loose a long time, it could use a rebuild and I wouldn’t advise riding it until it’s been looked at). Same for the bottom bracket. To test, rotate so the cranks are at top and bottom, grab the top one and pull/push left to right (ie, not in the direction of rotation, side to side). If there is any clunking/play, then it needs adjusting similar to the headset. To check the wheels, lift the bike and spin them. If they wobble just a little, I prefer less than 1/8”, they are probably ok, but more than that and they should get trued up. Oh the wheel bearings can also get loose. Grab the rim and wiggle left to right. If there is slop in it, take it to someone with the right cone wrenches to tighten the axles properly. With all bearings, over tightening can be almost as bad as leaving it loose.

At a glance, that saddle needs to go and I’d do the bar tape and check the brake pads for life. I can’t see the tires from here, but hey if they air up and there are no bare spots, give it a whirl – but only if the headset isn’t loose! That chain is black and the wheel guard is looking pretty yellow, so I’d expect the bike has seen some use. While you’re at the shop for the other things, they’ll probably check the chain for wear, and hopefully the cassette/freewheel is good, but they normally wear together, so if you change one you’ll find yourself needing to change the other.

If the brakes are feeling crunchy, there’s probably rust in the cable housings, so replace cables. If the shifting is sticky, replace the cables – the difference new cables can make can be amazing.

I’ll say it straight up – you could be in for a bit of an investment to start if you want to bring it up to A+ shape. All those “consumable” parts add up, as does the cost of having a shop look it over, but I’ll also say I think you found a great bike if it fits you and you should really enjoy it. If money is tight, don’t spend it all at once. Replace what really needs replacing after a safety check and ride it to work until you can get the next part! I really love this era of road bike, and I really think it’ll be worth it.

If all the bearings feel tight and wheels feel reasonably straight, then you’re in good shape – air up the tires, adjust the cables and make sure the brakes work, and go!