Carley P.

I just got a Trek 2100 for (almost) free. I gave a relative one of my shotguns (because I have no need for them), and he returned the favor by giving me this bike. He said he bought it used a few years ago, but he didn't say the exact age.

It says it's part of the Carbon ZX 2100 Series, and it's black with bluish-purple decals. The fork on it is aluminum. It has Shimano 600 components (but with RSX integrated shifters). It also has a carbon fiber seatpost.

It's in great shape, and I really love the way it rides. It fits me perfectly.

I'd just like to know what year it came from. I've googled my heart out, but I can't find any of these with the same paint job. I'm thinking it might have been repainted, or I just haven't been searching with the right words. Do any of you all know around how old this bike is? I'd love to see an older Trek catalog with this exact bike in it.











Thanks a lot.

55/Rad

Is it truly black or really dark blue? Can you see a carbon weave anywhere on the frame?

Carley P.

It seems to be truly black. I can't see a carbon weave anywhere other than the seatpost, so it might have been repainted, I guess? The paint is pretty shiny with very few scratches, so it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if it was repainted.

Carley P.

I'm thinking it could have originally looked like this bike? It seems to have the same looking decals, but completely different paint and a different stem.

https://www.bikejournal.com/images/ta...myDSCN0003.JPG

I couldn't find any information on that bike, though.

And here is one more bike with similar decals. It also looks to be blue/carbon.

https://www.bikejournal.com/images/andresauaDSC01932.JPG

StupidlyBrave 

I think it may have been painted. Most of those bikes had painted aluminum lugs and clear coat "natural" carbon tubes.

It's in the 1990-1995 range. The 600 series stuff suggests older, but I know that the earlier models were full 105 (seven speed) and downtube shifters. The RSX brifters suggest 1995-95.

Ultimately, this bike was probably upgraded at some point in it's life making an exact match difficult. You can peruse vintage-trek.com to see if you can glean anything else. But I think you might have to call Trek with the frame's serial number to positively pinpoint the year.

StupidlyBrave 

Markj61

What SB said.
1995 (or 1996) methinks. (1993 had DT shifters, 2100 was absent from '94, and '97 would've been 8-speed)
https://www.vintage-trek.com/TrekBrochures.htm ('95 is last one they have)

RD and FD were probably upgraded to 600 (which I think = Ultegra of the time)

Definite repaint. Besides the unique color, from your pics it looks like the heavy coat of overpaint smoothed of the transition where the bonded tube meets the lugs.

Carley P.

That all makes sense. This has been really helpful.

Thanks a lot, you all!

Markj61

and try the C&V forum here if you haven't already.
This is borderline but Trek-heads there may know more.

ADSR

And here all I could think of is you asking someone to please wine and dine this beautiful Trek.

Hondo115

Wow. Small world. I just traded for a Trek 2100 frame to build up into a commuter... I was having the same identification problems... looking at Carley P.'s pics from above it is the same bike. Carley P. If you are still sround (I know this an old thread!) Give me a yell and (hopefully!) Tell me you bike wasn't stolen.... It was posted to cl and without wheels, bars, seat, and gruppo....

rpenmanparker 

Back in the 1990's Trek would repaint bikes for customers if the regional salesperson approved the deal. There was a charge of about $200. Problem was Trek had no library of reserved decals, so you had to take what you could get. You didn't always get a full set of decals with the model number, etc. Whether they painted carbon tube bikes that weren't painted originally I can't say. They repainted a 2000 glued aluminum bike for me.