# Trek 9000 Suspension Track



## Generalg (Apr 20, 2004)

I dusted off the old Trek 9000 full suspension last week. I've got the itch to start riding again and get back in shape. Trying to decide which bike I should go with to be up to date as the Trek is just plain old! This Trek I believe was one of the first suspension bikes that they produced/designed. This bike is in great shape! The bike has full Deore LX with the exception of the rear d. which is a Deore XT. What does everyone think this bike is worth?


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*Nothing as is....*

No offense but that is probably the worst suspension frame ever...just plain dangerous to ride on any trail. You could probably get around $200 for all the parts if you sold them seperatly. The frame belongs in the garbage.


----------



## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

while all the mags generally liked the bike when it was new, and panned it years later (when it was fashionable to insult past efforts of major advertisers), it wasn't a great design (and I owned one for 3 1/2 years) nor was it as shayne likes to make it out as, a terrible design either.

Considering what other brands were pushing in 1992-94 timespan, Mongoose Amplifiers were the only one to have an great design, unless you count boutique bikes like Mantis Profloaters. The trek 92-94 beam bikes were high pivot canti beams that exhibited drivetrain lockout (in every gear) and brake lockout also (course all single pivots get that). This was a time when suspension wasn't supposed to bob and be active afterall. This was when it was supposed to only work for people when they were coasting or riding downhill. Folks wanted their bikes to accelerate like a hardtail and various companies resorted to high pivots and chain torque to achieve that (GT, Proflex, Cannondale, Trek, Nishiki, Mantis, Boulder, and more). The 92 treks had a crappy shock with only the elastomer properties for damping. The 93 shocks got an oil-damper inside the shock body. The 94 bikes went to a Risse Air/Oil unit. The bikes also switched to better materials as they went along (the OCLV versions for example) and the forks improved too. Remember, 1992-94 Showa Air/Oil units had superior damping and suspension action to anything rockshox or marzocchi was flogging on folks, but they were only distributed thru trek, so they didn't achieve very wide aftermarket sales. 

If the bushings in the pivot are still sound, then I'd leave the bike alone and ride it as is. The geometry was VERY XC for the time period (11.5" BB height, 71/73 angles based on a 16.5" crownrace-to-axle length fork) and putting a modern fork on it will slacken the geometry (it would also however raise the BB height at least). About the only thing I'd say might be worth upgrading is the rear shock, and I wouldn't spend a lot of money trying to do that. If by some miracle you were to find a Fox propedal vanilla or romic twin-tube shock that just happened to be the right eye-to-eye length, for cheap, then that might be something to get (to tame some of the pedal induced bobbing).


----------



## Generalg (Apr 20, 2004)

Well I thought it was old but not one of the worst bikes to ride a trail with.... I'm not planning on putting any money into the bike rather I'm going to purchase a 2001 Boulder Starship LT and more than likely put the Trek on ebay. It was an ok bike for me back in 93, however it does have ALOT of bobing when pedaling. Hopefully the Boulder will be alot better bike.


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

I agree, a replacement rear shock would probably make the bike rideable.
In my opinion the doughnut stack rear shock was the whole problem with the bike. I never rode the last incarnation that had real rear shocks. The rubber doughnut made it ride like a pogo stick.


----------



## mtnwing (Jan 13, 2004)

*Showa fork*



DeeEight said:


> Remember, 1992-94 Showa Air/Oil units had superior damping and suspension action to anything rockshox or marzocchi was flogging on folks, but they were only distributed thru trek, so they didn't achieve very wide aftermarket sales.


As DeeEight points out these were pretty decent forks for the era. These forks were the same "Tioga" labeld fork John Tomac rode during much of his successful Raleigh racing days. Obviously John's fork had specially modified internals by the Tioga folks and Raleigh mechanics as all top racers seemed to do to get an edge, but it was based of this same air/oil fork that Trek marketed and Showa built.


----------



## Manicmtbr (Jan 26, 2004)

*Check This out*

A guy around here just brought his broken Trek 9000 into the shop. Trek replaced it with a Fuel 100 frameset since it was considered to be the top of the line FS bike back then as the Fuel 100 is now (for Trek). It was built back up with all of the cool old school XTR goodies from the old bike. The good part is all of the old parts had little use.


----------



## Generalg (Apr 20, 2004)

Manicmtbr, what exactly was broke on it? I need to brake mine to get a replacement frame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*LOL, good luck with that.*

A friend of mine crashed and snapped the headtube off of his 5 month old 9800 OCLV frame and Trek said 'that's too bad' so he bought a GT and we played frame toss for distance with his broken Trek.


----------



## Johnny Rocket (Apr 7, 2021)

Generalg said:


> I dusted off the old Trek 9000 full suspension last week. I've got the itch to start riding again and get back in shape. Trying to decide which bike I should go with to be up to date as the Trek is just plain old! This Trek I believe was one of the first suspension bikes that they produced/designed. This bike is in great shape! The bike has full Deore LX with the exception of the rear d. which is a Deore XT. What does everyone think this bike is worth?


* I just paid 280 for mine but it needs a rear suspension eyelet bushing. I'll give the same for yours, if you'd like.*


----------



## Johnny Rocket (Apr 7, 2021)

Johnny Rocket said:


> * I just paid 280 for mine but it needs a rear suspension eyelet bushing. I'll give the same for yours, if you'd like.*


Sorry, just saw the year. Lol


----------



## Rehab51 (Aug 21, 2021)

Johnny Rocket said:


> Sorry, just saw the year. Lol


johnny- are you still searching for the parts? I've just come into two 9000 frames, not sure what to do with them.


----------



## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

I might be interested in one to hang on my wall at the shop. All manner of tech oddities have wandered in and decided to stay, over the years....


----------

