I got rid of my trusty ‘ol Trek 7000 yesterday. š Now that Iāve built my custom cross bike, there isnāt much need for the 7000 anymore. Itās only taking up space, and as much as it hurts to let it go, I had to do it. Anyway, I rode it to the Goodwill recycling center near work, and then walked home. The two hour walk home was actually kind of nice, but it was kind of sad to walk away from that bike. I have been through a lot with that thing:
- Purchased in the fall of 2000
- I was living in downtown San Diego at the time, so I primarily used for urban rides
- I temporarily moved to Michigan in the summer of 2001, and this bike came with me.
- I rode it on trails all over southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana. I also used it to explore every corner of the small town I was living in (St Joseph).
- I moved back to San Diego in early 2004, and wasted no time revisiting some of my favorite trails (and urban rides) around southern California.
- I took it to Big Bear Mountain twice for fast downhill riding (once in 2004, and the other in 2005). The 7000 was a terrible downhill bike, but they were experiences Iāll never forget.
- I also used this bike to do the annual pre-marathon ride around the streets of downtown Los Angeles in March 2004.
I never kept accurate records of the mileage I put on this bike, but Iām guessing that it had to have been 10,000 miles at least. She was pretty worn out at the end, but noting that a handful of replacement parts couldnāt fix. Thatās why I decided to take it to Goodwill – that bike has a lot of life left in it for anyone who takes the time to give it some TLC.
I have been through a lot with that old 7000. It definitely served me well. So long old friend…
