merziac

According to Trek "if your aluminum bike is over ten years old, you should think about whether its time to replace it."

https://blog.trekbikes.com/en/2021/0...87abxi07lwowqh

merziac

Maybe if their aluminum bikes are over ten years old.

shoota 

Wow. Just wow.
Good thing steel is real I guess.

clubman 

My SM500 is 34 years older and coincidentally, I too was thinking I should get another, just like it...so I'd have two to ride?

clubman 

It's bloody irksome to be told to replace your fave vintage bikes, knowing fully well they'll outlast you and your progeny using your stash of parts and a little regular service.

Biketiger

What I find even more disturbing than Trek's suggestion that one should consider scrapping their aluminum bike after 10 years is their suggested service schedule.
"Most bikes need service for every 25 hours of riding time. So, if you ride about three hours each week, you should get your bike serviced every two months."
Based on this, if you ride 6 hours a week you should get your bike serviced every month. I doubt there is anyone who does that. The only Trek I have is from 1983. Thank Goodness its steel!

mstateglfr 

1 decade into use, look at your bike and ask yourself if the frame is still in good condition to continue using.
The answer will most likely be 'yup, it's good' and you can keep on riding.

Most cyclists, especially ones who are going to benefit from the info in that article, aren't c&v enthusiasts.
Based on the countless early pandemic stories I read, stores were flooded with bikes that hadn't been touched in a decade or more, much less ridden hard to the point of possible fatigue.

mstateglfr 

It's an article for beginners and/or people who shouldn't go near a wrench. I probably check over my bikes and adjust them within the suggested 25 hours of use and do things similar to much of the 'service' described in the article.
I bet many of us do- clean the chain and add oil, adjust brakes, clean brake pads, adjust brake tension, adjust shifting tension, etc.

flangehead

I had a Trek 7.3 which cracked at the bottom bracket at about 11 years as my daily commuter.

I did not replace it with a Trek product or an aluminum frame.

Russ Roth

I had to leave a response to it, their whole thing is just pathetic but I feel that's what the brand is becoming. My 9yo was in need of a new mtb. The workers at the actual trek store didn't know what they were talking about. First they tried to sell me a roscoe, nothing like a 35lb bike for an 85lb kid, but "the [extra heavy] 2.8 tires will give extra traction." Like that's actually needed for most XC riding or even for Long Island. Then I asked for an air shock, so the sales person pulled out a marlin 7 with a judy fork. I take a quick look, "where's the air go in?" More assurance its an air shock, calls back to the tech, "the jutty is an air shock right?" Tech looks confused till I tell him its a judy. He reassures me it is till I ask him where the air goes. Looks, determines its just a coil spring. When the sales person and the tech don't know what's on the bikes they sell, and they don't sell anything other than the one brand, it just isn't worth bothering with. Went to a real LBS and bought a cannondale.

merziac

I have truly never been a Trek fan, while I appreciate their early efforts and offerings that subscribed to the processes of the day and were genuine American quality products, their bankroll, steamroll process was evident from the beginning.

They rolled into PDX and with the good family Graves together launching Bike Gallery.

Great service and products centered in the affluent Grant/Hollywood district that was ripe for upscale retail cycling.

No less than half a dozen long standing bike shops including Schwinn dealerships folded in short order, next thing you knew there were far fewer Cinelli, Campy, 3ttt, Universal, Mafac, Mavic and many of the other traditional brands to shop for and look at in stock and in town.

Very sad times at the time IMO.

Now the factory itself has taken over all the BG stores and its the same all over, razor thin offerings instore now, almost all Bontrager with no other choices and no good deals whatsoever that I have seen.

fabiofarelli

These two are this year both 50 years old. Instead of building them it seems better to throw them away.

Kabuki12

Yea, I don't think so. If a person does his own work and regularly checks and maintains his bike(s) there is no need to replace. Unless you want a new bike , this is absurd. Being a vintage bike guy , this goes against every grain of common sense. I was given a mid eighties Trek 600 road bike and it was a very nice bike but too small for me. I gave it to my son-in-law and it still looks new and rides wonderfully, of course it is lugged steel 531c. It may outlast him!

bark_eater 

I know I'm just dogpileing.. but how much photoshopping did they do on the mechanic in the photo? It looks like the erased a set of ear plugs and 2 full sleeves of tattoo's.

steelbikeguy

It might just be a legal CYA thing. I recall Nitto making a somewhat similar statement years ago... something like "replace a handlebar after 10 years" or something. I don't think it made any reference to miles, condition, etc. My guess is that it gives them some protection in the inevitable case where someone is hurt on the bike and the health insurance lawyers go after any party remotely connected to the event.

One reason I suspect this is because of experience with a damaged carbon fiber fork on a 'bent that I own. There was some damage to the steerer, and the manufacturer said that the fork was warrantied for 5 years and should not be used after the warranty period. It's not a practical policy, but it certainly protects them. Odd that this didn't appear in bold text on their website.

Steve in Peoria

easyupbug 

To me this is all Trek marketing BS. The wimpy statement "if your aluminum bike is over ten years old, you should think about whether its time to replace it." is not going to protect them from a legal challenge and if written by a lawyer they would spell "it's" correctly. Also if you routinely need more than chain lube in 25 hours you are a lot faster than the average Trek rider or likely suffering a component in our nearing failure.

steelbikeguy

isn't the phrase "marketing BS" redundant?

yeah, there's an awful lot of "it's always time to buy a new bike!!" in that blog post. The idea of getting the bike checked routinely might not be a bad idea for a lot of recreational riders who barely realize that tires need to have air added to them now and then. It's even possible that these riders would tolerate the costs of routine check-ups and minor maintenance better than suddenly being told that they need to replace the cassette, chain, and chainrings and being given an estimate of a few hundred dollars. .... but... I don't think I've ever taken a bike into a shop for work, so I have no idea what they charge for this sort of stuff.

Steve in Peoria

repechage

Called CYA.

planned obsolescence?
Did they tell the buyers this when the bikes were first sold?

Mercedes was the only car maker I was aware of that had a sticker in the driver door jamb noting an “airbag” service date. I recently asked a MBZ service writer about it. Yes, it is there and most often ignored, the replacement cost is most often beyond the value of the vehicle.

shoota 

Do you like Specialized?

RayHenry

Maybe that's a typo. It's supposed to say "if your aluminum bike is over ten years old, and you haven't bought anything since, you should think about whether it is time to buy another". Because no such thing as too many bikes.

Mr. 66

I just looked and saw no comments posted.

shoota 

Ha, that's funny cause we just bought my 6yo a Roscoe 🙃

Wildwood 

Does Trek make good bikes?

tiger1964 

In the article; "Aluminum is an incredible material (snip) But it also has a limited safe life. The gradual weakening of aluminum (snip) experience over time is a process called “metal fatigue.”" which is what I think about every time I get on an airplane. OTOH, have not been in an airplane crash... yet.

jamesdak 

I hope so cause I'm fixing to get a brand new mountain bike from them. There maybe better choices but to me it's about paying back the LBS that's been so good to me for years and years and not so much about the brand. The owner, manager, and rest of the team have been so awesome taking care of me and all my old bikes. They've earned my business for my first new MB in over 15 years.

Oh and my Y-Foil is pretty dang good!