2004 trek 5000

nfeht said:

I'm looking into possible buying a used trek 5000, year '04. Im wondering if anyone knows the quality of carbon fiber in this model. From rowing I have seen very old shells that are practicaly brand new because of the quality of work put into the carbon however I have also seen a 2 yr old boat that has lost all stiffness and shows visible flex. This of course gives me some concern since I am not very knowlegeable about wear and tear on carbon bikes.

No warranty if something goes wrong. I think you would be better served by a new bicycle/frame with a warranty or a metal frame if used.

Lots of new carbon bicycles and frames all over the internet.

The issue you need to worry about is not the quality of Trek's CF frames, but the condition and wear that's been put on your used bike. Any lightweight frame, whether CF, aluminum, steel or ti is subject to failure with hard useage, and you often can't tell condition just looking at it.

Do you know the seller and useage history? Did he ride it gently for 2K miles a year, or did he hammer and race it for 50K miles? You also have no idea how many times the frame has been slammed over potholes, RR tracks, dropped or crashed.

Bottom line for me is that used is risky unless you know and trust the seller and can inspect and test ride the bike before buying.