iamnotamerican

One bike I am considering is an '08 Trek Madone 5.2, but a friend has told me there is one part of the bike that cannot be repaired or replaced. Does anyone have any info on that?

Thanks in advance.

T

operator

Your friend has no idea what he's talking about.

AnthonyG

I think this is a case of the blind leading the blind and I don't really want to make it worse but I will weigh in. Various newer bikes have integrated headsets or maybe an integrated Bottom Bracket now we have BB30. This is not peculiar to Trek Madone's. Many bikes have integrated components. I don't think its anything to worry about but if you are still concerned you need to get better information on what your concerned about.

Anthony

wrk101

There is a bike made, that has a really rare part on it, can someone tell me what it is, as I want to buy one?

jsharr

the bike or the part?

LarDasse74

Find a new friend. That one is just jealous that you are going to have a better bike than him. It is called 'sour grapes.'

acuracing

Actually your friend is semi-correct. He must be referring to the rear derailleur hanger. It can be repaired if it isn't badly bent but cannot be replaced unless you send the whole frame to Trek. Most other modern bikes have a replaceable hanger.

Griffin2020

Actually, the RD hanger, the headset and BB can all be replaced. It requires replacing the frame, but replace the frame and you replace the integrated components.

operator

There is NOTHING on that bike that cannot be replaced.

BB30 is not a frame killer like standard BBs. 99% of the time the bearings come off with the crank, and NEVER get seized into the frame.

cycle_maven

Hard to believe that at least the bearings in BB's and headsets can't be replaced, even if they're integrated. And non-replaceable der hanger is just plain stupid- it's easy enough to make it replaceable. Hope Trek gets bit on this one, if true.

snotrockets

The rear derailleur hanger on new Madones is not replaceable (or at least, can not be replaced without sending the frame to the factory.)

MGtrack

The frame can't be replaced. If it is, it's a new bike.

operator

So either it's repairable or you get a new frame. Which is what I said.

Really? All a bike consists of is the frame? Trek doesn't make replacement frames? For ****s sake. Read what you're typing.

cs1

No, that's not what you said. You said:

I'm not seeing you saying anywhere in your OP.

operator

You really should learn comprehension and reading skills before contributing nothing to this thread. Those hangers are factory replaceable. It is not possible for any bike to have something that is not repairable, or replaceable. Replaceable always supercedes where repairable is not feasible or possible.

And since none of the parts on the '08 Trek Madone 5.2 are out of production. You my friend just wasted your time typing that post. Do me a favour and contribute some real, correct information to mech threads for once.

MCODave

I have had three carbon Treks, an 88-89ish 2500, a 1997 5000 and a 2004 5500. None of them had replaceable derailleur hangers and it was never a problem.

In fact, come to think of it, I have never had a bike with a replaceable one. I think that is an aluminum frame thing, and I've only ever had steel and carbon.

DiabloScott

None of the tubes can be replaced either, unlike steel frames where a builder can take out a damaged tube and braze in a new one and get the whole thing repainted.

Of course almost no one ever did or does this with a steel frame, but still...

I would have no issues with buying a Madone with or without a replaceable RD hanger.

LarDasse74

Odd... the Madone bikes on Trekbikes.com (which I assume are 2009 models) all appear to have replaceable deraileur hangers.

I do recall a particularily ugly moment from a few years ago when a local rider (who had a buddy build his bike for him) got his derailleur caught in his spokes and mangled the non-replacable hanger.

Moral of the story: Replaceable hangers are not really needed, unless you really need them.

LarDasse74

Except the dropouts and hangers on almost all carbon frames are made from aluminum and have the same potential to break as one on a full aluminum frame.

Metaluna

Also, with the possible exception of integrated seatmasts, there's nothing about integrated headsets or BB30 bottom brackets that are any less replaceable than traditional designs. The parts may be nonstandard, but you can still replace the bearings, seals, etc. with about the same level of difficulty as a regular headset or BB.

By the way, I don't think Trek uses BB30, but rather their own weird design (see https://www.bb30standard.com/ for more info). It still has replaceable parts though, AFAIK.

iamnotamerican

I spoke to my friend and she said she believed it was the deraileur, so it looks like you hit the nail on the head. Now it's just a matter of learning more about the irreplaceable parts - the other comments in reply to this topic have been helpful.

Thanks to everyone.

davidad

The der hanger on my 5200 is a very soft Al and is easily straightened if needed. If it happens too many times the hanger will break and Trek will replace the bike under the lifetime warrantee.

operator

This specific 2008 Madone 5.2 does not.

Chris_W

Trek says that the reason why the derailleur hanger on many Madones is only replaceable back at the factory is to make the hanger stiffer. Apparently, the extra stiffness improves the rear shifting.

timtak

I just bought one! It rides like the wind, so bouncy so, wow I love it (and yes I did take up riding watching Lance, so there is a bit of fetishisation going on here). But the reason why it was so cheap is probably because as is pointed out here, the rear dérailleur hanger is integrated and requires factory replacement.

It was bent when it arrived but I bent it out. I hope it holds out but there may be a crack in the second photo next to the seat stay.

This is why it was Cheap by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Integrated Derailleur Hanger by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr

Thank you. As a second (or third..) owner I guess the lifetime warrantee is no longer valid but it is nice to know it can be bent easily. The bike looks to be in excellent condition apart from a drive side scrape. Hopefully the here was only one crash and was sold even before its first bending.

I may get a tool since I may be bending it again, and I bent it too far with my spare rear wheel method and had to bend it back in, not realising at that point that I would not be able to replace the hanger myself.