Trek upgrade advice...

jrdwthomas

Hi all,

I've just been given a Trek 7000 zx. Its about 10 years old i think and has a bonded 6061 frame. The guy who gave it to me said that its a decent frame to start with but could do with a few things upgraded on it. It currently has a rock shox judy t2 front fork and an stx chainset and cranks i think. I've not done much mountain biking before but live in the new forest so would like to get into it.

Could people please recommend some upgrade options. I hear a lot about xt cranks, hubs and chainsets etc. Is this a good thing to add to the bike? Would modern things like these fit the bike for starters?

Also with regards to the front fork, i don't want to spend mega bucks but would like something that is reasonable and doesn't bounce around like the current one.

Also the wheels are a bit of a miss match at present.

Basically i'll just keep the frame and overhaul everything else. Would would you recommend?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Justin

The Spiderman

I have recently refurbished a road bike that I was given for free.
Even by buying parts via ebay,Halfords bargain bin,and through cheap internet specialists,I`ve still managed to spend over £100.

What you need to remember on older bikes is that consumables like a new cassette,chain,tyres,bottom brackets,cables and pads add up before you get to buy any of the goodies.That lot could add up to £100,before you buy forks,which will be over £100 for anything worthwhile,plus £40 or more for a chainset.

Very suddenly you are looking at the cost of a new bike.

Older bikes tend to have 1" steerer tubes on the forks,unlike more modern bikes which are 1 1/8".and you will have no provision for fitting disc brakes.Upgrading to 9 speeds will require new shifters,levers,cassette and chain.

Bear this in mind,and balance that against the fact that you could buy something quite reasonable for £250-300,these days,before you start.

cunning-stunt

The 7000zx has a 1 1/8" headtube,but no disc mounts.
I had a '98 model,(which I'm fairly sure was the last year they did the 7000 before discontinuing) and I rode it up until 3 years ago.
A tad harsh on the back end on rocky descents but all in all not a bad frame.

There may be geometry issues involved when it comes to fitting a new fork.My frame had Judy XCs fitted with a whopping 64mm of travel,and 100mm travel forks were only just creeping in back then (I remember drooling over the 8000LT with a 100mm fork).