pward17

Hello, my name is Patrick. Recently I've purchased a older (actual model year unknown to me) Blue Trek 1000 (pictures included). After riding for a couple of weeks rather frequently and quite intensely i ran over a pot hold and bend my rear wheel. I brought my wheel to a local bike shop and got the wheel re-trued but, he regretted to inform me that the wheel has a kink or a flat spot and isn't able to be repaired with a normal truing method. The wheel is ride-worthy and i have been using it for a couple of weeks. The bump is starting to get very annoying and quite painful on my butt, i'm not sure if that could be a side effect of the bike wheels imperfection. I've been looking online at a bunch of wheels but for a newbie like myself it is very overwhelming. My questions to you fine enthusiasts are:

- For a ceiling price for a wheel-set being ~$400
- A clip-less pedal system (as i've been told this will improve climbing and i hope will be working more muscles during biking)

-Suggestions on maintenance and care would be very appreciated.
-As i said im a new to road biking and am clueless if i have factory parts on my bike still or if they are aftermarket from a previous owner i will post photos of all devices and will take photos if needed.

Thank you very much for any help and suggestions.

Here are some photos of what I'm working with.

Elvo

For $400 I'd buy a new bike.

pward17

Ok what sort of bike could i get for 400 dollars and would it be much better than the one i already have?

Elvo

No idea where you are but here's what I found on a CL search:
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/2492332609.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/2492727162.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/2492333999.html

All of those are much more modern than your 15 year old entry level trek.

I bought a 2008 Trek 1500 SLR with full Ultegra for $380 and a 2006 K2 Mod 3.0 with full 105 for $300.

StupidlyBrave 

Actually, there are a few choices available to you. I think one of the first things to assess is whether the bike is a good fit for you. If it isn't I'd go shopping... If the bike is the right size, you could still buy a new one...but you'd have a good idea of what size to look at.

Most of the entry level bikes will be pretty compatible to what you have weight wise and ride quality wise. To modernize, you would upgrade from steel fork to carbon fiber (and threaded to threadless). I would expect the difference to be largely a weight savings, and maybe not enough of a difference to worry about (YMMV). You would also upgrade from downtube shifters to "brifters". This, I think, is a pretty big advantage functionality-wise, and a bit of a liability durability-wise (IMHO).

Your front wheel doesn't need to be replaced. It looks to be 3 cross 32h. Compared to a newer low-spoke-count radial wheel, you old one will be a bit heaver, a bit more compliant (ride better) and more durable (generally speaking and discounting age/abuse). The rear wheel is for a 126mm dropout (more on that later) and is probably a HyperGlide seven speed. It may be a freewheel or it may be cassette.

If you buy a new rear wheel or rear hub, it will be 130mm (unless you buy NOS or used). Since you have an Aluminum framed bike, you cannot simply bend the frame to accommodate the wider hub. That said, many people manage to fit them anyway without issue.

One thing to consider is asking if a shop will rebuild the wheel (Many shops won't touch a used hub). If so, you can buy new spokes and a new rim and you won't have any issues with fitting the wheel. Even still, you could most likely find a NOS 105 7 speed hub (an upgrade for you) for $60-ish (I'm looking at one on ebay right now). I would assume it would be about $50 in labor to build a wheel.

Food for thought.

StupidlyBrave 

I think you'd find this book useful.

pward17

Thanks StupidlyBrave thats amazingly helpful.

cks

Frankly, I am completely digging your bike. Check out the following link:

https://www.vintage-trek.com/Trekpromoa.htm

In 1989, those wheels were OEM so they're about 30 years old. As one suggestion, I've been happy with the Neuvation M28's:

https://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html

Pretty decent bang for the buck at this price. I recently hit a pot hole that knocked the cover and batteries out of my lights and the wheels shrugged it off. Also, before you replace the rim, you'll need to get a chain whip and a shimano cassette removal tool (about $35 for both). There are several videos on you-tube showing you how to change the rear cassette/rim on a bike.

I'd also get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...x=bike+cleaner

It'll get the grime I see on your drive train off. They make a kind that you don't need to wash off with water if you don't have easy access to a hose. Once you get everything shiny, apply a little teflon lube of your choice to the chain and you'll be good to go.

Finally, and since you asked, the good thing about clipless pedals is that they keep your foot attached to the pedal when you're climbing. The bad thing about them is that they keep your foot attached to your pedal when you're climbing (i'll let you think about that for a minute). Either way, yes you need them. Go to your LBS and pick up a set and shoes of your choice and you should be good to go!

Remember, for 99.99999999% of us, it's not the bike but the engine.