I am after a road bike to use when it is too muddy to mtb.
I am thinking about buying a second hand Trek Madone 5 series bike that is a 2008 model and I am after some advice. I have read on the internet that some of these frames had problems with the bottom bracket, i.e. the bottom bracket bearings could come loose or creak. Apart from looking for play in the bearings etc is there any way to tell if the frame bottom bracket cups are damaged or will cause the bearing to come loose or creak etc? I am not sure how trek got round this problem. On the newer models does Trek use an insert which gets round this problem?
It may be that only a small number of frames were affected but I need to be reasonably sure as I don't want to buy a problem frame and then need to replace it or repair etc.
Are there any other areas of the Madone 2008 frame that are prone to problems that I need to watch out for?
Hope someone can help.
Cheers
If it's a trek with bearings that press into the carbon then the only way you'll know is to physically inspect them. The bearings according to trek should be a loose press fit, if they drop in then you could try the V2 bearings that are slightly bigger. If the V2 drops in then Trek can fit a new Bb insert (seen it done to a newer frame under warranty, not sure of the cost or if they'll do a 2008 model).
My superfly uses the same type of bearing into carbon of frame arrangement and one cup takes a V2 and the other is a standard bearing (with a bit of bearing glue as well).
Really is a bit of a trek weak point IMO. My Madone so far is OK, but my superfly is a real Bb bearing killer (silly me to ride it all year).
^^ sums it up.
V2 bearings have green seals. They're not that much of a problem, but like all press-fit systems there's a bit of potential for play/weakness to develop. If there's no play in the cranks then they're definitely fine. If there's play then either the bearings are dead in the usual sense (bit daft if you're selling the bike), or the shell's a bit buggered.
My Superfly also eats bearings, Madones are generally longer lasting.
Not much else to check. The seat mast availability was a problem a couple of years ago - check you're happy with the amount of offset it has (5 or 20mm IIRC) as you'll likely be stuck with it! May have changed anyway now.
A bike of that ilk won't be worth all that much. 5-series wasn't the top of the line one.
Cheers for the advice. I suppose if I go for second hand if there is no play in the bearings when I buy it then I will just have to hope they are alright. The seller is asking for £700 for it with upgraded Race x lite wheels. This was a bit more than I wanted to pay but if he will do it a bit cheaper I might go for it.
What would you guys reckon a 2008 5.2 madone with the Race X Lite wheels, in reasonable condition, i.e with a few scuffs on the paint, would be worth? I was thinking if it has the original race lite wheels then maybe around £550, but I am not sure how much extra the upgraded wheels will add to the bikes value.
The RXLs are nice, but they went away from DT240 hubs for a couple of years around then, makes them far less desirable IMO.
The bike was £2300 new IIRC, £700 seems reasonable in good condition. The bike didn't really change until the whole new one in 2013(ish), so mechanically speaking it's barely any different to a 2012 5-series.
I can see what you mean as the DT240 hubs are top notch.
That's right it was £2300 new for the bike and the seller said the RXL wheels cost £450 in the sale, reduced from £550ish. I did read reports of the wheels cracking but these ones seem to not be as bad as the older race lites for cracking.
Seems like a lot of money for an 8 year old bike!?