# What abOut this ?



## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

TREK 330 ELANCE 12-Speed Bike

I might catch a lot of heat for this, but here's what I read, and thought, from the catalogue:

This bike is made of Reynolds 531 steel and has steel wheels, yet it's listed at 24 pounds. That's just as light as an entry level road bike today

The bike has index shifting, it's just not Integrated. Someone on here was telling me a while ago that integrated shifting is very complex and doesn't add a whole lot to the ride.

I still have to find out how much this bike WAS worth, but this ad? I busted the price down to 130, and I have two new alloy wheels with good tires and tubes that I can put on. Assuming nothing else goes painfully wrong during the test ride, what do you guys think?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Accident waiting to happen: extremely dangerous down tube shifters (must remove hand from handlebar to shift), deadly steel wheels (no braking in wet weather), steel frame subject to rust-through (catastrophic frame failure potential). Bust the price down hard to a more reasonable $25 or so. Better yet, let it go.

More seriously: stop looking up bikes, stop busting prices down and just ride what you have now.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

Alright , well...right now I'm riding a 1980s Fuji Monterey. Strange, I thought this would be a big step up.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

jfd986 said:


> Alright , well...right now I'm riding a 1980s Fuji Monterey. Strange, I thought this would be a big step up.


More of a step sideways. That bike did not have steel wheels originally. If it does now, the prior owner replaced them with cheap steel ones, for some reason. Maybe a wreck, or bike left out in weather so the wheels corroded? Not a good sign. Actually, in the pictures they do not look like steel. Did the seller tell you they were?

Not a bad frame, but not really better than what you have now.

If I could get that bike for about $25, it would make a nice FG conversion.



> Someone on here was telling me a while ago that integrated shifting is very complex and doesn't add a whole lot to the ride


I don't know who told you this, or what it means. Downtube shifters are fine, and anybody can learn to ride with them (there wasn't any other choice for the first couple decades of my riding), but integrated brake/shift levers are a real advance. You don't "need" them, but when you do eventually get another bike, you will appreciate them.

In the meantime, follow wim's advice.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

jfd986 said:


> Alright , well...


I hope you realize I'm just trying to be mildly funny at your expense.

That Elance 330 (probably a 1987) was a fine bike. Unless someone swapped wheels, it should *not* have undesirable steel wheels, but desirable aluminum-rim 700C wheels. The rear wheel dropout spacing should be 126 mm, so your "new" wheels (how new?) might not be a perfect fit. No problem though, you could just spread the frame a little when putting the new rear wheel into the frame.

Nevertheless, I stand by my advice: why are you looking at all these bikes? It's perfect weather to ride, so ride!


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

New like just bought a week ago new. They're aluminium 27s though, not 700c. Didnt realise that this bike originally came with that. 

I can't get out and ride right now because I'm operating all day today. Just jumping on here with spare time. Also I figured this would be a good buy but I guess you guys are saying that this bike is no better than my current one. I was looking to buy it because I figured the indexed shifting, downtube vs stem shifter position and lighter frame made with Reynolds steel might be indicative of quality. Guess not, can't remember what it said on my monterey will have to check when I go back to the parking lot.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Don't buy a new bike right now.

Wait until you move. Long Island Craig's List isn't going to be any worse than your current Craig's List, and you won't have to ship the bike. Did you figure out what it will cost you?

FWIW, the frame would probably be a step up, but I don't know that I'd want the drivetrain. Suntour's nice components were supposed to have been excellent, but good luck finding replacements. IMO, not worth the trouble.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Don't buy a new bike right now.
> 
> Wait until you move. Long Island Craig's List isn't going to be any worse than your current Craig's List, and you won't have to ship the bike. Did you figure out what it will cost you?
> 
> FWIW, the frame would probably be a step up, but I don't know that I'd want the drivetrain. Suntour's nice components were supposed to have been excellent, but good luck finding replacements. IMO, not worth the trouble.


I'm u-hauling all my stuff with me, so shipping makes no dff. as I see it. the same model listd on ny CL for 300, bt again I could be missing something.


So then guys, is it a better use of my $ to take my 80s Fuji bike and switch out the stem shifters for bar end shifters? Since I dont have $500. Or should I just ride It out and be patient until I accumulate 500 for a modern bike?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

jfd986 said:


> So then guys, is it a better use of my $ to take my 80s Fuji bike and switch out the stem shifters for bar end shifters?


Just keep you what you have for now. Moving from one place to another often changes your point of view dramatically.

Not sure why you'd want to switch out stem shifters for bar-end shifters. True, bikes with bar-end shifters usually were higher quality than bikes with stem-shifters. But that doesn't mean a stem-shifting bike will magically turn into to a high-quality bike just because you swap in bar-end shifters. And should you sell the Fuji, you'll either lose money on the bar-end shifters or have to take them off and put the old stem shifters back. 

Good luck on your move!


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

If I were to move stem shifters anywhere, it would be to the downtube. I found bar end shifters very awkward to use, and downtube shifters have the advantage that they eliminate some housing.

But a big +1 to don't bolt more money onto this bike until you move.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

wim said:


> Just keep you what you have for now. Moving from one place to another often changes your point of view dramatically.
> 
> Not sure why you'd want to switch out stem shifters for bar-end shifters. True, bikes with bar-end shifters usually were higher quality than bikes with stem-shifters. But that doesn't mean a stem-shifting bike will magically turn into to a high-quality bike just because you swap in bar-end shifters. And should you sell the Fuji, you'll either lose money on the bar-end shifters or have to take them off and put the old stem shifters back.
> 
> Good luck on your move!


I didn't think it would make it a "high quality" bike as such, just thought that those were better and more functional/reliable/faster to operate than downtube or stem.

You're right about losing money on them if I sell the bike, although I'm not sure if I ever would sell it. why sell a perfectly good beater? If I bought a better bike and locked it up, it would be more likely to be stolen and then I'd be all "why didn't I just ride around in my beater?" Ive only been riding since July though, so I guess I haven't really made up my mind about cycling in general. Not sure at what point I'd be able to justify to myself changing the shifters on my beater from stem to bar end, but I guess that, according to people on here, the answer is never. Too bad, I thought they would've been nice.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> If I were to move stem shifters anywhere, it would be to the downtube. I found bar end shifters very awkward to use, and downtube shifters have the advantage that they eliminate some housing.
> 
> But a big +1 to don't bolt more money onto this bike until you move.


Okay, so you're saying that the frame and the shifter position on the Trek would be better, but it's still basically no better than what I have now? And that I shouldn't do anything at all until I move, I mean, what if I told you this: The move is only for 3 months, and then I move somewhere else, then somewhere else, then somewhere else?

I'm doing another year of clinical rotations , each 3 month period is in a different part of the States, and then when I get into RESIDENCY i'll be in one place, and that's only until residency finishes, and THEN i may want to move again.

How does location affect the decision of whether or not to buy another bike if it seems like a good deal? 

I guess it's established already that $130 for a 12-speed 1987 trek 330 Elance is not a deal at all, but was just wondering how the moving thing factored in. By this logic, I shouldn't bother looking for a better/newer bike for at least 2 years, because when a deal comes along I'm not going to take it anyway.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I usually move with UPS and an airplane. If all of your moves are going to be with U-haul, maybe it's worth it to you to drag a bike or two around the country each time. If I knew ahead of time that I'd be moving to places for three months at a time, I'd pare down what I took with me to what fits in a carryon and a largish rolling suit case.

In fact, when I have moved places for three months, I've pared down what I took with me to what fits in a largish rolling suit case and either my snowboard or one bicycle, depending on the season and destination. And the bicycle has been a huge pain. If it wasn't an expensive bike and I wasn't planning to go on long rides, I wouldn't bother. Last time I moved, from NYC to Seattle, I sold my commuter and shipped (expensively) my two nicer bikes. If I had it to do over, I'd do it pretty much the same way, except that I'd ship them more cheaply. And I'd get rid of my extra books before moving, not after.

When I lived in Santa Cruz, I was happy to have both a mountain bike and a road bike. But if I had to choose one, it would have been the mountain bike. I was right on top of miles and miles of beautiful trails.

When I bought my current mountain bike in New York, I rapidly discovered that it was just too much of a pain in the butt to ride it much. I had to spend an incredibly long time on the subway to get to some pretty mediocre trails, or an even longer time on the subway and the train to get to some better ones. Unsurprisingly, I didn't ride it much. If I had it to do over, I would have broken up with the girl I was seeing at the time and dragged my lazy butt out of bed early enough in the morning to race my road bike in Central Park.

The summer I spent in Denver, I barely rode at all. I was close enough to the train between where I lived and where I was studying that I may as well have walked over with my roommate, I didn't have access to roads that would have been remotely fun to ride on, and I didn't have time or energy for it anyway.

The only riding I ever did on Long Island was mountain biking with my crazy girlfriend, so I don't know how the road riding out there is. You may decide it sucks and you don't want to do it.

Bottom line is that a deal is only a deal when it's on something you'd buy anyway. It's frustrating that it's difficult to fit training into a really unsettled lifestyle, but you knew (I hope) that you'd be making some sacrifices when you decided to go for your MD. Whenever a DDS whizzes by you on a carbon fiber triathlon bike, you can remind yourself that you're going to be a real doctor.


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## Natedogz (Aug 25, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> If I were to move stem shifters anywhere, it would be to the downtube. I found bar end shifters very awkward to use, and downtube shifters have the advantage that they eliminate some housing.
> 
> But a big +1 to don't bolt more money onto this bike until you move.


Exactly my experience too...bar end shifters suck imo. Just keep riding what you have and save more money for a real step up, not sideways as already said.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

That makes a lot of sense. When the brakes come I'll put them on my current bike, they work but they could technically break at any time.

What you guys are saying is that, until I settle down and have a steady job and schedule, I shouldn't bother spending any money on bicycle upgrades or new bikes, only repairs on my existing bike. That I understand completely. Also, it is noteworthy that I plan on at least commuting through the whole winter. When next summer rolls around, I don't care what bike he's on, no DDS is going to be zipping by me hahahaha


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