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Trek 970 Singletrack ZX 18"

Old 06-02-20, 05:20 PM
  #1  
charlesj
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Trek 970 Singletrack ZX 18"

any thoughts about the value of this bike? is it mid 90s? thanks!



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Old 06-02-20, 05:49 PM
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Nice bike! The jewel of this bicycle is the frame.

Values can be all over the place. I picked up my '96 Trek 990 (same frame as this bike) for $60, but was in worse condition, and not as original. I've seen these between $60-$200. This to me looks like a $120-$150 bike, but also depends on your area. If you throw an ad up, maybe list it at $200, and reduce by $20 every few days until it sells.
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Old 06-02-20, 08:43 PM
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Closest colorway match would be a 1995, listed on vintage-trek as being silver with "ice blue" decals. Maybe the white balance in the photos compensated for cloudy light or something, but your decals look more purple than blue. Look for two-letter codes on the inside of the drive-side crank arm, or the inboard sides of the derailleurs or brake arms; you can decode them on vintage-trek as well. Edit - presuming the fork is original, that would technically make it a "970 SHX". If the purple-looking decals are actually red (or red that's been in the sun, perhaps), then it might be a '97, listed as "dry titanium" with red decals.

Also look for a serial number and/or date code on that fork, as a number of Rock Shox forks from BITD were subject to recall, which would still be in effect.

Values mentioned above sound right, AFTER you get it REALLY cleaned up. Looks like it's been ridden moderately, definitely not "rode hard and put away wet", but more like "diamond in the rough".
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Old 06-03-20, 12:15 PM
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That's an attractive frame. I would dump those forks. Frame is definitely worth putting a better fork on.
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Old 06-03-20, 03:30 PM
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The more I look at this bike the more desirable I think it is. That's a pretty nice bike.

Last edited by StarBiker; 06-03-20 at 05:43 PM.
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Old 06-03-20, 03:53 PM
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Comparison data point. This bike is two notches lower on the totem pole, _appears_ to be very clean but is also very poorly advertised (single photo, non-drive side, uselessly bad lighting, zero detail text), and in a market that usually doesn't fetch much for old MTBs.

https://madison.craigslist.org/bik/d...135182249.html

Trek 930 - $250

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Old 06-03-20, 05:43 PM
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The 970 is a more desirable bike. I am familiar with the 930 bike and it's not comparable. And $250 is a dream. An early 90's 750 would be more comparable, and still not as desirable as the 970.
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Old 06-14-20, 11:41 PM
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Give it a good scrub, and I think you can get $200 for it in your area. I'm near Chicago, and have been looking for a vintage 900-series Trek lately (preferably lugged and rigid), and nice specimens have been priced anywhere from $175-400 and don't seem to last very long. Just a few years ago you probably would have been lucky to get $75, but between the COVID-induced bike shortage and a resurgence of retro-styled do-it-all bikes (see Crust bikes), they've been selling like hotcakes. Yours looks like it's in great condition and it's in probably the most popular size. Heck, if it had a rigid fork I'd probably give you $200 for it.
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Old 06-15-20, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by TheWanderer
Give it a good scrub, and I think you can get $200 for it in your area. I'm near Chicago, and have been looking for a vintage 900-series Trek lately (preferably lugged and rigid), and nice specimens have been priced anywhere from $175-400 and don't seem to last very long. Just a few years ago you probably would have been lucky to get $75, but between the COVID-induced bike shortage and a resurgence of retro-styled do-it-all bikes (see Crust bikes), they've been selling like hotcakes. Yours looks like it's in great condition and it's in probably the most popular size. Heck, if it had a rigid fork I'd probably give you $200 for it.
I sold a Multi trac 750 for $175 in 2010.

This is a desirable bike, It is not like that heavy 930 above, and it is not some low end standard bike.
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Old 06-15-20, 10:20 PM
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There was a red Trek 970 ZX with a rigid fork listed locally for $250. I assume it sold as the ad got deleted, but then it showed up in a different city for $400 and hasn't sold yet. It being the largest frame size helps the value of that one, as well as the rigid fork, but not sure about the new price.

Since yours has a suspension fork, and a more common size, I'd say anywhere between $200 to $300 in the current pandemic market.
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Old 06-16-20, 12:07 AM
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Originally Posted by katsup
There was a red Trek 970 ZX with a rigid fork listed locally for $250. I assume it sold as the ad got deleted, but then it showed up in a different city for $400 and hasn't sold yet. It being the largest frame size helps the value of that one, as well as the rigid fork, but not sure about the new price.

Since yours has a suspension fork, and a more common size, I'd say anywhere between $200 to $300 in the current pandemic market.
I do think that $300 seems to be about the reasonable ceiling for these. Although I would imagine you could definitely get more money in Laguna. I've been eyeing a 1995 990 ZX, which you don't see very often, in nearly perfect condition for $300. Full XT kit but with a Judy up front. If it were fully rigid it would probably be a definite buy for me, because I'm looking to build up a retro tourer/adventure bike (which is what I think many of these old steel rigid classics are being bought for). It's also about a 90-minute drive for me, which is the one other factor I don't want to deal with.
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Old 06-16-20, 01:44 AM
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I bought a Trek 970, $120, but sold to a friend., frame was small for me. I bought a mint trek 950 for my son $120. I got a 930 now for $50 , but ended up spending a lot on it. I also purchased a 950 for parts. They are wonderful bikes , made in USA, and make great commuters, touring, or trail bikes.
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Old 06-16-20, 05:42 AM
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Just picked up a 1990 Trek 970 with a rigid fork, in 7 or 8/10 condition, last week for $150. The parts (all original) look to have about 10 miles on them. It didn't have tires and needed a good cleanup. I would have expected around $250 if it had been gone through, lubed, and had some sort of tires.

It may be a size small for me..looking to do a drop bar conversion..but some riding will determine if it'll fit. Currently looking for some 2-ish inch, lighter weight, 60+ tpi, road/gravel tires...everything interesting seems to be sold out, so far.
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Old 06-16-20, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by fishboat
Just picked up a 1990 Trek 970 with a rigid fork, in 7 or 8/10 condition, last week for $150. The parts (all original) look to have about 10 miles on them. It didn't have tires and needed a good cleanup. I would have expected around $250 if it had been gone through, lubed, and had some sort of tires.

It may be a size small for me..looking to do a drop bar conversion..but some riding will determine if it'll fit. Currently looking for some 2-ish inch, lighter weight, 60+ tpi, road/gravel tires...everything interesting seems to be sold out, so far.
That's the year I'm looking for, black with white splash and green decals. Yours is not my size though (22in).
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Old 06-16-20, 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by katsup
That's the year I'm looking for, black with white splash and green decals. Yours is not my size though (22in).
Yah..you take large frames. In 1990 they were painted in either black/white with green decals or red with white decals..I picked up a red one.

I typically ride a 19-20 inch mtn bike(59cm top tube)..the one I got was an 18"..though the top tube is 56.6cm..the same as my road bike sizing. Given the additional reach inherent with a drop bar conversion..I'm hoping the 18 with fit right. We'll see..first time at this. I haven't gotten the bike into a ride-able condition yet..should giving it a spin in a couple days.

Thank you! for your contributions to mtn-->drop bar conversions over the years. I ran across your 950 conversion from a couple years ago..nice bike. I did some research back to 2005ish and your posts have been a great help.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by fishboat
Thank you! for your contributions to mtn-->drop bar conversions over the years. I ran across your 950 conversion from a couple years ago..nice bike. I did some research back to 2005ish and your posts have been a great help.
Your welcome, it was fun to play around with, but I ended up converting everything back after I crashed and badly broke my wrist (different bike). The reach on the 950 was always stretched since I was forcing myself to use a 31.8 bar. The shortest 31.8 clamp quill stem was 90mm and I didn't want to use a threadless adapter. I tried it with that 950, a Stumpjumper and a size smaller IBOC team and just couldn't get the fit right. I focus more on making the ride stable now, which usually means just wider bars.
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Old 01-11-21, 12:02 PM
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Did you ever end up selling the 96' Trek 970ZX?
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Old 01-18-21, 04:04 AM
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yes, and cannot recall for how much
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Old 01-19-21, 11:23 AM
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In socal there are inflated prices on Craigslist up to $600+ for bikes of this vintage, but don't know the sale price.
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