new triban 3 red or old trek 1000

harrysadler

Had my heart set on the btwin red triban 3 (£300) for a while and was just about to go ahead and buy one however, I've been offered a trek 1000 and is a few years old but in relatively good condition.

Brand new the trek would be a better bike I believe and worth more than £300 however, it may not be the exact right frame size and I have been really looking forward to buying the triban. This would be my first road bike and I have limited knowledge and budget is also an issue and getting the 2nd hand trek would also be a lot cheaper so I was just wondering if anyone had any advice about this? Cheers

sphinxtus

Do you know the spec of the trek (does it have any carbon parts, what groupset is it running, double paddle shifters of is there a thumb shifter on the STI's)?
Then make sure it's not been abused (no dents in the frame, no bent derailluers)
Is the gearing well set up? (if it works flawlessly then you can bet that the bike has been treated well)

The bonus of buying new is warranty and decathlon will usually tune up the bike for you within 3 months of purchase, the upside of 2nd hand is you can find great deals... especially during the winter months when nobody wants to cycle much if you're dead set on cycling over the next few months (daily commute or weekly club rides) then the triban 3 is a classic first bike for many that is good value for money (for a new bike) if you're looking for the summer then now is a great time to search 2nd hand bike shops/forums whilst knowing that if you havent found anything come March, then that lovely shiny red triban will still be waiting for you

jameses

harrysadler wrote:

Brand new the trek would be a better bike I believe and worth more than £300 however, it may not be the exact right frame size

For this reason alone you should go with the Triban. On top of that, Trek stopped making the 1000 in 2007 (it became the 1.2 after that, I think) so it is at least 6 years old, and it was their entry level model. Unless it has had a complete overhaul in the past few years, I can't see it being much of a bargain.

As mentioned above, buying new you should also get a warranty, basic bike fit and gear/brake adjustment after a couple of months. All good things if you are new to cycling and bike maintenance.

glenwatt

It sounds like you already had your mind made up for the Triban, go for it and just upgrade bits as and when,

daniel_b

My GF has a 52cm Trek 1000, 2006 vintage, bought new as an ex demo for the princely sum of £300 - nice bike, carbon forks etc etc.

I recently picked up a 54cm (Tribans size up a bit small - the 51cm has 650 wheels for example) Triban 3 Red for my brothers gf, and imho it is a better bike that the 2006 Trek 1000.

As pointed out above they have not made the 1000 for several years, so the fact I got a virtually new one for £300 all those years ago, seems to make your offered one seem quite expensive - unless it has a series of upgrades, better wheels etc?

The Decathlon bikes now also come with lifetime frame warranties as well - may or may not be a selling point.

I was under the impression that almost all of the Red's were long gone now, and only the White's are available to buy new.
If you have found one for £300 I would personally snap it up.

I took the above mentioned 54 out for a 20 mile ride up in the Cotswolds, and once I had adjusted the gears, I soon realised it's a really nice responsive and comfortable frame, be it in the drops, on the hoods or on the tops.

Granted wheels and brakes are all own brand, but I have not heard anything bad about them, and in time you will probably want to get a nice set of hoops for the summer anyway, and relegate the stock ones for winter use only.

This part is all entirely my own opinion, and entirely subjective, but to my eyes the 1000 now looks a little dated, and I think the 3 Red looks rather sharper - I suppose there are 6 years between them.