My very reliable friend is a hard-core bike rider. He bought this with the intention of reselling it (no it's not stolen). Retail on this '08 Trek is around $800. I sold my Centurion Lemans road bike to a collector in S.F. for $200 and had a difficult time letting it go as I'd had it since new in '88. I would have held on to it until I found the right buyer because Centurion Tange2 frames are usually turned into single-speed fixies. Given the condition that I keep my stuff in, I'd have waited it out for the "right" buyer. Meh, what can I say? Mark to market is one thing, but I'm sentimental too. The deal for the Trek was $400. Selling the Centurion brought that down to $200. The guy also has a Merc that he wanted detailed which we agreed at $100 for an exterior detail.
What the bike still needs: I bought new Look Keo pedals as my old ones went with the Centurion. They were original to when I bought them and the tension for their release was ridiculously weak, the cleats needed replacement anyway. So, I'm out the cost of new Look Keo pedals and the ones I bought are the low rent series. The saddle will probably need replacement, as this one is clearly supplied at a price point. The brakes are adequate but I might upgrade the pads. Since this is a triple, the cross-chaining is bad and for some reason I get the feeling the derailers will need fiddling. I'm not so sure I won't upgrade to a Shimano 105 group set.
Hence, a well bought bike.
The mark up on bikes is stunning. Buying new is worse than buying a new car given the depreciation. Down economies can be good for some things after all.
