Submitted by
Ammoforfire
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2009
Strengths: Tough as nails
Weaknesses: None, Maybe kryptonite
Bottom Line:
Man I loved this bike! Unbelivable quality that you really can't find anymore. I rode all over the mountains of N.C. on this beast after found in Dumpster around 2001. Cleaned it up, gave it new pads, tires, tubes and saddle and it was a dream. I rode it for about 4 years then gave to a friend to have a ride for school. Rides better than ANY bike I have had since. Currently I have a Jamis Ventura that I commute with 15 miles a day and still dream of how silky that 8000 was. The Matrix Singletrack wheels sent this things value over the edge. Even though I would blow by it now, that thing was a dream. If you ever see one, BUY IT!
Similar Products Used: Jamis, Raliegh, Specialized
Bike Setup: 1991 Treck 8000. All deore with in top tube rear brake cable.
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Submitted by
ldj
a Weekend Warrior
from Savannah, GA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2009
Strengths: Solid frame! Weight. Disturbingly excellent frame geometry for me (6'0, 190 lbs.). Stiffness! The bike transmits power well and goes everywhere you can can point and pedal.
Weaknesses: Weight. But play around ($) and you will get what you like.
Bottom Line:
I have put an ungodly number of miles on this bike. From Canada to Florida, it has seen trails, pavement, potholes, tree roots, sidewalks, parking garages, metal grating, wooden bridges, brick, sand and more. Before I bought a road bike, this was my road bike!
I am a firefighter and use this bike to keep my legs, lungs and heart strong, primarily using it on 15 miles ocean surf rides, and as an urban warrior/attack vehicle. The bike is great!! Just spray it off at the end of the day, hit rust prone spots with some silicon spray, and it will be ready and waiting for the next outing.
I would not hesitate to take this 10+ year old bike anywhere: Montana rivers, Nevada desert, or the Alps.
I hesitate not one bit to say that this is one of the best built frames and bikes of its generation. It is the Defender 90 or CJ-7 of mountain bikes in the late 1990s and it is as reliable today as ever, thanks to a few (<$900) upgrades over the past 10 years!
I will not buy or ride another Hardtail mountain bike until this one simply cracks, is stolen, or disintegrates.
Stock: Frame, RockShox Q21R, handlebars, seat post, reflectors and pedals.
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Submitted by
Joe Van de Velde
a Cross Country Rider
from London On Canada
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2008
Strengths: Super fast and climbs like a dream. Extremely light and very eye catching.
Weaknesses: Some stock parts just don't cut it in the long haul.
Bottom Line:
Just Can't get any better for an aluminum cross country race rocket. If you like speed and handling this is the bike for you. If full suspension and lazy handling is prefered than steer clear however you don't know what you are missing.
Similar Products Used: Raleigh, Giant, Wal-Mart special
Bike Setup: 19.5" frame.Full XT 9 speed conversion kit. Easton EA70 bar and seat post. Rock Shox Sid fork.
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Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Augusta,Maine USA
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2007
Strengths: Light, Fast, Nice stretched out frame, good component set
Bottom Line:
This bike is great!!! This is by far the best bike I have ever own. I purchased this bike brand new in 1992 for around $1000.00 and have ridden on and off for the last 15 years. It is super light weight and it's geared high so it goes like crazy. All I do is just clean and lube the drive train, and after 15 years I can it'll still go out and rip it up! I really love this bike.
Bike Setup: Shimano LX all around, except XT rear derailer
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Submitted by
brad
a Weekend Warrior
from buffalo,ny.....now winston, nc :(
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2006
Strengths: very comfortable geometry......parts are different, but the frame is still solid
Weaknesses: paint chips, so i took it all off.........now its nasty lookin....unpainted. i like that.
Bottom Line:
This bike is perfectly laid out.........nice and long profile for comfortable all day riding. I kept the lame stock stem just because it is so perfect for my size. Really responsive and builds confidence if u need it. Somewhat bumpy but it is aluminum. Its just what it is meant to be. If u got one, you know it rocks!!!!!
Now i just found a 2004 salsa bandito frame for half the price from a friend........i am very lucky. Salsa is a step up i hope. I'll still keep this frame though, love it. Maybe I'll make a frankenstein bike of sorts out of it.
Strengths: I have been riding and racing this bike for TEN (!!!) years. Granted, the only thing left original is the frame -testament to the quality. This bike is light, fast, and handles wonderfully. The aluminum ride is very stiff and took some getting used to, tho'.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
It will be a very sad day for me if the frame ever gives in to the punishment of regualr racing.
Bike Setup: Manitou Mars fork, scott liteflite handlebar, WTBspeedmaster rims with hoogi hubs, serfas ace seat
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Submitted by
Suzanne O
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2003
Strengths: Excellent good all rounder. Fantastic bike, no desire to change it/ upgrade it etc/ 100% happy with this bike. It's fast, it's strong, it's never been a problem.
Weaknesses: I cant think of any.
Bottom Line:
I do not desire another bike, this one is for life.
Similar Products Used: Old bike was a GT Timberline - the Trek beats this one.
Bike Setup: Trek zx8000, Rock shox indy front suspension forks, XT V brakes.
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Submitted by
Seth Weiner
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Strengths: THIS BIKE KICKS ASS. It can take anything. It climbs like a mountain goeat on coke. The geometry is perfect for me. Great yellow paint.
Weaknesses: chain sometimes falls off for no reason, the r derailleur is a litte mess up, 8 spd, I dont have two
Bottom Line:
Buy this bike! When I was buying a bike it was between this bike and a Gunnar Rock Hound. I lost the bid on the Gunnar and was pissed, so I bought this bike. At first I thought it sucked but then tuned it a bit. It goes. The gunnar is nothing compaired to this bike now. Just tweak it a bit. I also got a really good deal in this bike. AWSOME YELLOW PAINT. This trek can also take a beating. It may not have the carbon sids or XTR all around but this is a damn good bike. I wou
Bike Setup: XT all around, Chris King headset, Manitou X-Vert, System stem and handle bars, mavic rims,
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Submitted by
ian
a Cross Country Rider
from connecticut
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2002
Strengths: everything strong light
Weaknesses: just the lack of paint... parially my fault
Bottom Line:
nice hardtail strong and durable yet light. the only downside is i got he biek with just an aluminum color no paint was applyed so i have a silverish bike with yellow decales. it looks nice except the decales have begun to peal a bit... strickly cosmetic. also the indys crapped out on me so i had to purchase new judys but this might be my fault partially i took the boots off and road the !%@$ out of it. regardless the bike has stood by me and been a great ride....
Similar Products Used: trek 9700 trek 7000 trek 6500
Bike Setup: 97 trek 8000 xtr wheels, xtr rear der., xtr v brakes, chris king headset, xt front der. lx shifters and levers stx rc cranks(sux) judy sl front fork welgo clipless pedals stock trek seat, seatpost, handlebars, and stem.
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Submitted by
Doug Gangi
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Weaknesses: Ride can be a little punishing at times (not as bad as a Klein)
Bottom Line:
I have owned this bike for just over 3 years and I still love it as much as the day I purchased it. The frame geometry is just great for my body -- fits like a glove. This bike is quick, handles great, and loves to climb (featherweight bike - about 23 pounds). The build quality of the frame is fantastic -- even with all the punishment this bike takes from me I have had absolutely no problems with the welds, tubing, or paint. I ride mostly in the dry Arizona desert, so the frame takes a lot of abuse from rocks.
I can't fairly rate this as a "standard" Trek 8000. If you read through my bike setup you will notice that most of the parts on the bike were not included in the manufactured model -- the previous owner (who had it only 6 months) stripped off most of the parts and rebuilt the bike with custom parts. Over time I swapped out the fork (had a Rock Shox POS before) and saddle (tore it to shreds). However, most of the manners of the bike can be attributed to the frame...and this frame just plain kicks butt.
But be advised - hard tails aren't for everybody, especially stiff aluminum hard tails like the Trek 8000. This is a fast bike that loves to be ridden hard. It also requires a relatively skilled rider that appreciates such a bike. If you want a nice cushy ride or something that screams down rocky descents without bucking you like a bronco, then go find something that is sprung on both ends -- a hard tail isn't your bike.
I have ridden a number of other hard tails and nothing comes close in terms of quickness, responsiveness, and overall fun to ride. I have never tried the Schwinn Homegrown and I hear lots of rave reviews about that bike...but for now I am sticking with Trek. This is just a great bike and I'll never get rid of it, even if I upgrade to a full suspension bike in the future.
Similar Products Used: Specialized, Iron Horse, Klein, Gary Fischer
Bike Setup: XT grupo, Kooka cranks, Nuke Proof hubs, Mavic 217 wheels, Answer rocker seatpost, Serfas saddle, Manitou SXTi fork, Salsa handlebars, Chris King headset, Bontrager Jones tires
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Submitted by
Jeff Danault
a Racer
from Ft. Campbell
Date Reviewed: December 22, 2001
Strengths: Kick ass Frame, Good Geometry, great color scheme, comes with half way decent stock Components
Weaknesses: Frame could be a little stiffer, Shifter and brake levers are one piece, upgrade one and you must upgrade the other also fault by shimano though
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the money! The stock Components kick ass, I raced my first race completly stock (Nov 11, KY state championships) and took 3rd in my class. Weight is good, If you want a good bike to race without lots of upgrades this is the one for you! Or make it a real head turner and smoke everybody on the trail by making sweet upgrades on a smokin frame. Great job by TREK!!!
Bike Setup: 2001 Trek 8000, Mavic Crossrock, Python Tubeless, Race Face System, Easton MonkeyLite, Chris King Headset, Crank Bros egg Beaters, Race Face Stem,
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Submitted by
Josh Wagner
a Weekend Warrior
from Prescott, Az, USA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2001
Strengths: strong,lite frame, nice components.
Weaknesses: old school manitou front shock-kinda heavy and angular.
Bottom Line:
I bought it used. This is the nicest bike I have ever owned. It makes me want to be a better mountainbiker. I must confess I bought it mostly because I needed a commuter to get to school, and it was a really good price. I would upgrade the shock if I could afford to. I've heard people say they've gotten their bikes down to close to 20lbs. Make's me curious how they did it. Otherwise I'm putting a lot of miles on it, and enjoying them all.
Bike Setup: pretty much stock: different stem for a more comfortable riding position. All shifters LX, except the rear derailer: XT. Serfas dual-density seat. Manitou Magnum front shock.
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Submitted by
jake staron
a Cross Country Rider
from m'town iowa usa
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2000
Strengths: light, strong, lots of goodness
Weaknesses: my fork is heavy
Bottom Line:
im 16 years old and i bought my 96 trek 8000zx for 800 bucks a little over a year ago and ive upgraded nuthing except the crank, which sucked cuz it was suntour, but enough on that...and my next upgrade will be my fork, to whatever looks good and works good...but i dont think i will need anything after that for a while... and i will admit, its not as nice as my friends 9900 pro issue oclv with a sid, dolomites, raceface crankset, and kickass other stuff,..but it doesnt matter cuz hes fat and i can blow his ass off the trails anyway this bike kicks ass (PS), the yellow frame w/ red decals looks good as hell (even though it chips easily), but it looks badass with panaracer xc pros w/red sidewalls.
I am in the market for a MT bike. I want to get some thinking local so if there is a problem I can go back there. I am looking at the below bikes:
Stump Jumper
8000
Big Sur
Read More »
First here's my background.
This was my first season riding and started with a King Fisher Freeride bike. (had fun throwing myself of stuff). I also took a lot more of liking to Read More »
Last year I went through a divorce. Then I bought a new bike, Trek 4300, to replace my 15 year old $100 bike from Target. Which turned out to be some good therapy as I cranked out Read More »
Hi,
I am interested building my own road bike. I currently have a Trek ZX8000 aluminum frame that is really light and fits me well, so I would like to use it. I was wondering if Read More »
I think I know what many of you will say (by all means, they Yeti). But I want to know why. If I ask this same question on the Trek forum I know what most of them will say also, Read More »
