Raw Aluminum Bike Restoration - 1996 Trek 8500

[@chrisp9818]

I went for a run a few years ago, and someone in my town had the same bike out with the trash. I jogged it home, got a new chain tires, brake pads, some WD-40 and it’s been riding great ever since!

[@davidsaxby5400]

Now that IS a lucky day!

[@JogieGlenMait16]

Thanks for keeping it 3x, man. It will be awesome to ride.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@madrabbit64]

I’m rebuilding a ‘97 Klein Adroit with full XTR that I’m absolutely in love with….i always wanted one and ended up with this one after the original owner passed away. Just a couple more things and it’ll be ready to go. Great video, love to see the classics get a second chance at life.

[@calvinyoung4025]

I ride a 1998 version of that exact bike Hb in the rear 2 speeds in the front rigid fork. V breaks banana over twenty years

[@maxpetification]

I just restored a 1995 OCLV Trek with XTR, nice bikes

[@BīkeĄeön]

❤❤❤ ostad ..you are the unparalleled.. creating cycle art

[@MonkeyShred]

That opening track was a bop!

[@nicolaagostaro8474]

I'm in love with this XT set, specially those V brakes. I have a polished aluminium bike with a Jude fork and LX set and it's a pleasure to ride

[@oldshovel]

Agreed. My personal favorite retro kit

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

A "JUDY" fork .

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I have RSX 413 triples on my 2009 Trek 4300 custom build . 530 front derailleur .

[@nicolaagostaro8474]

@@robertmcfadyen9156 :-D Judy not Jude

[@ИванСоколов-л2х]

Scott Vail?

[@RobertRedneckford]

I have the Yellow 1996 8000 ZX has the Easton glued frame. Redid it all except for the paint. Hangs from my ceiling now. Sweet man when you don’t paint those frames it really shows how cool and unique the frames where. No welds just nice and smooth.

[@nosurfenougheddie]

Dang, Rob, watching you scrape that frame with a knife???!!!!! I"m thinking aircraft paint remover would be the ticket. I've used it on several bike frame restorations. Works great!

[@WorldwideDarts]

What an incredible bike! That thing was a beast back in the day with the full XT group. You finished it was some mouth watering parts. Those wheels!!! Great build!

[@oldshovel]

Thanks. It was spec’ed awesome

[@derkleinekerl8652]

Mountain bikes from the nineties are coming back. As always, a great video. Thank you very much for this and Ingo sends you greetings from Germany.

[@marcusathome]

They never went away! :)

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I have a 1994 Giant Yukon in gloss black and dark blue swirl head tube . Cr - mo steel frame . Warm lively ride feel .

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

​@@marcusathomeShimano's move away from mtb front derailleurs and associated cranksets are materialising gradually mid to lower level now .

[@73megalith]

I recently got an old riding companion out for a spin once i suggested we both use our oldest bikes, his trek 8500 still had a 600mm wide ti flat handlebar and a tiller of a stem on it. We installed a nukeproof stem and riser bar and some later rockshox judy forks and DMR pedals. Fitted some wtb motoraptor tyres ( new old stock ) the the frame was a metallic british racing green with purple decals and the bolts were all purple anno. Looks amazing. This rekindled his love for riding again and soon after he got a canyon spectral 125 which will hopefully be another future classic. That trek tho..gorgeous bike to look at 👌

[@oldshovel]

So awesome

[@MudmanDH]

Nice bike, nice trail, nice drone 🤙🏻🤟🏻✌🏻

[@uenh8447]

Extremely good job, hearing the screech of the chain ring bolts when you were tightening them in the crank, bring to my mind very good old memories of my cleaning my old bikes. Nice white industries wheelset. Beautiful bike

[@martiny3802]

Love this build and your videos in general. That saddle is stunning

[@eucalyptusregnans7741]

I love the raw aluminium look. That bike looks great! Well done! 👍

[@donaldfranklinjr7087]

Awesome build old shovel keep bringing the old mountain bikes

[@marvindaugherty5989]

That is so fitting....lol. We (central Maine) all sanded are bikes raw in 1996. My buddy Dave Auclair had a bike shop in Augusta. We built some cool bikes. I had the first carbon saddle, the SLR. Good times.

[@elias2338]

What a Beauty 😍😍😍

[@jackcarter233]

In 1991 I saw a RAW Cannondale mtb that just blew me away. Raw aluminum is just awesome.

[@oldshovel]

Agreed

[@aaronrobinson4519]

This bike is gorgeous! Excellent job!👌🏾

[@uncletone99]

I had this same bike back in 1999. Original owner who was a freind of mine sent it back to Trek for a very similar finish. He had it sandblasted and clearcoated over bare aluminum. Came out a very unique, silver grey colour.

[@JonnyNorthmore]

I'm currently working on converting an old GT aluminium frame to a gravel / cx bike. I've stripped the paint off and am in the process of sanding and polishing the frame to a mirror finish. Looks awesome so far!

[@paulwheeless1080]

spray a couple of clear coats over the decals to make the shine last

[@ericklaurila1293]

I have a 1996 Trek 990 Singletrack, which is the steel version of the 8500. A few years ago I stripped and repainted the frame. The components had been replaced multiple times so I turned it into a 1X. I also put wider bars and shorter stem. The 1996 rims and hubs were still good so they got relaced with new spokes. The bushings in the Manitou fork were too worn to salvage so I put a rigid fork on it. I rode this bike just this past weekend on trails. Such a fun bike. Love what you did with the 8500. Great work!

[@decentdad1160]

love this build wow. gorgeous ! so classy just like those jazzy jams. also thanks for showing the drone crashing and that it is great but not perfect

[@mattyfrommacc1554]

I have just purchased this very frame, same colour and size too, I already have most of the components from this period and I am looking forward to receiving and building it up

[@jrgenholmolsen4295]

Looks nice with you homemade sadel

[@germurphy4986]

I bought an 8500 Frame new at the end of 95 ( still have it). It's bonded frame, and Trek gave a lifetime warranty at the time with them. It was also the highest tier alloy bike in their MTB range at the time, although they did have some OCLV carbon frames too. I built mine up with XT 8 speed too, and Indy C forks. Great lightweight bike for it's era, but rubbish compared to modern hardtails (if used on proper MTB trails).

[@samblenkharn8099]

Sweet bike. The bare aluminium and the full XT make for a lovely simple look.

[@oldshovel]

Agreed

[@TeeLichtet]

This came out lovely. Never figured you for a non-grease guy when it comes to mounting cranks though.

[@komoonkh]

There are more types of spindle grease guys. I am the A little bit of grease but not much guy.😂

[@oldshovel]

Thanks. As to grease I love it and use it liberally. Not sure what I missed… I don’t grease the tapers on the cranks if that’s why I missed it can make it so the cranks press on too far… so I’m told/was taught.

[@LeFrere72]

Such a satisfying video! Have a 1995 GT Karakoram with more or less the same setup. That rear derailleur is legendary in its design.

[@rolfdabrowski8871]

Nice Job That what i like to see a Full restauration 👍🏼

[@ThomasDiFrancesco-Schäfer]

Oh man...what a bike. So nice, you returned all the parts from the last videos. And the clean look...it's hard to find a modern bike with that much style which is payable. Best whishes from Germany 🤙

[@marcusathome]

Beautiful race bike and a sensible restoration for a bike from that era. Some bling definitely is allowed here, love the result!

[@neilk22]

The welds are so well done on that frame

[@undrxpsd_]

Whoa I've never been so early

[@saipuakivikaupias]

Another fantastic build Rob! your videos get better and better. I am proud to wear my oldshovel hat!

[@garyhoffman1]

I have an almost identical ‘94 6500 that I upgraded to full XT from SLX back in the day. Same frame but a chromoly fork. I love it and chose it often over my newer builds. Super light.

[@WW226]

Love that you went with the raw aluminum frame on this one 👌

[@andor_yoko]

14:30 isn't the b-tension (way) too high here?

[@oldshovel]

Lol probably

[@MrRobbrag]

love that your video inspires, me greetings from Canada

[@fcradle1]

Very beauty build, xt 8s is the legendary ever, This frame is sensacional!!

[@oldshovel]

I agree for me it’s totally nostalgic and a personal favorite from the 90’s

[@IdonotGiveashiy]

I have a 6500zx 1999. And I love it .😊❤

[@rossbodenmann]

That Koski seat brings back memories

[@oldshovel]

Lol I had one to in the late 90’s

[@rossbodenmann]

@@oldshovel had it on my giant atx 850

[@thomassciaroni6942]

Now that is a bike I'd own. Prolly go with Hollowtech cranks, LX Servo-Wave levers (what I use now) and more modern 9 speed shadow derailleur. 10 sp gruppo??!!? But Aluminium frame definitely. It will prolly be an M2 or 4 or 5 Specialized Stumpjumper Pro. I gotta find someone like you who can rebuild the Millenial shock forks. A beaut!!

[@markgiles5426]

Appreciate your detailed videos sir. Really inspiring

[@rutikuiwa7133]

Excellent job

[@simonecozzini3318]

Spettacolare, riesci sempre a trasformare in opera d arte ,qualsiasi sia il modello o la marca che ti capita tra le mani Troppo bravo 🥇🥇🤙🤙🤙🤙👋👋👋👋

[@thomasschaefer9312]

awesome bike, awesome trail, awesome video.

[@mikejameshupfer]

Straight laced front wheel, nice.

[@georgeszaslavsky]

Great US Made Trek bike

[@Bikeops2021]

Love the old Treks. Not that easy to get hold of in the UK , when they do come up, they're pretty expensive! Very nice built & love the drone footage.

[@danyoung8707]

Those white industries hubs!

[@PixieDixie-r5v]

I have the same bike , Well, the 7000, waiting to be sprayed and build , for the spring seasson. I love 90,s MTB and R B,s

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@PixieDixie-r5v]

@@oldshovel I wiil send pics of the bike when ready. Your channel has been an inspiration for me, Thank you!

[@nickmassey9104]

It looks cool great build

[@nascarisawesome5018]

I bought a 7000 ZX a few months ago with all original parts on it, and wow did it impress me how agile and light it rode. I still don't know what I'll do with it, but it is in perfect condition for how many years it has and I intend to keep it that way.

[@mittemot4949]

How many bicycles do you have?

[@BanjoLuke1]

This bike is a wonderful resto project. Trek MTBs of that generation were remarkably well built and pretty sturdy for their weight. Also... There are quite a few around... For now. I did one of these for one of my kids a few years ago and he used it almost to death. We switched the forks for some light Onza rigid ones that were already set up for a cable disc and I made a couple of lightish 32-spoke 26" wheels. I wanted to go 2x8, but the front shifter was an issue.... We went 1x8 on track cranks in the end (it was an urban road warrior) and it was fine... But it niggles that 2x8 would have been lovely. I might still go that way... Grippy road tyres and flat bars finished it. My worry with these videos is that you are encouraging people to see value in older MTBs. This will make it harder to find them in junk shops. Please end all your videos by saying veey earnestly that the project was a disaster and you regret ever doing it and that nobody else should try. You and I will know that you're lying, but we won't tell anyone. So... Great video.... Excellent bike.... But Shhhh!! Stop telling people about this stuff.

[@PeterKingma-m2l]

You don't know me but you do some excellent work on bikes

[@oldshovel]

Thanks my friend

[@PeterKingma-m2l]

I've got a question for you do you have any 27 5 forks for sale and they have to have a disc brake mount

[@JohnPilling25]

The raw aluminium frame coupled with that beautiful XT group set is awesome - did you clear coat the frame to protect it? It will oxidize quite a bit a dull down. Do they salt the roads in winter in your part of Utah because the salt will attack the unprotected aluminium. Keep up the great work ❤️👍and a super👍👍on the decals - I presume you drew it all out and cut them on your cricut machine.

[@examinethose]

oh my what a beauty

[@mountainsnmoore256]

I cannot imagine the patience required to scrape that frame down to raw, but it turned out great! The HoverAir...You answered my first question; does it have any kind of obstacle avoidance? LOL! I would love to have one for canoe trips down small rivers, but would have to be extremely careful using it over water, as well as mountain biking on trails around our area. Most trails are deep in the woods on our area. Looks really cool though, I may have to check into one! Thanks for sharing.

[@oldshovel]

It does have sensory to avoid large objects but it does not do well with branches. It did really well with not getting damaged though because of the enclosed designs it’s light weight to survive the small crashes.

[@mountainsnmoore256]

@@oldshovel Awesome! It really looks like something that would make my videos that much better!

[@techstryker]

❤❤❤

[@javierrodelo7352]

Great restoration!! I have a 1997 GT Zaskar ball burnished that I got while I was in college that I want to restore. 1st question, I also have the Rockshox Judy XC, did you do anything to service it? 2nd question, when you changed 3x to 2x and put in new bottom bracket, did you use same type or changed with different spindle length? How do you know which Bottom Bracket to use when it comes to spindle length and chain line. Thanks..

[@Cmnore]

Samesies:I have a '98 Zaskar LE with that front fork and the XTR groupset. Fantastic bikes

[@oldshovel]

I would love a ball burnished or polished Zaskar. Awesome. As to the fork I plan on that next….

[@paulb432]

Nice build for sure, thumbs up, but, no grease on the spindle?

[@Nahtano7]

My god that green suede flite saddle 😮

[@Kesper_Matraggaz]

how will you keep it looking good?

[@vernerjuliussen2071]

OMG! Kudos going you're way. 👍 A really nice one-of build. With the Flite sadle, custom wheelset, refurbished SPD's, raw aluminium frame and the full XT groupset. A touch of modern day could be the one-by, a larger casette and a wider bar, but this is 100% 90's so everything is perfect! 😁🤙 My thoughts on builds like this, is that they are under appreciate by other then "vintage bike nerds". 😅 So what does bikes like this one sell for in you're area? 😃

[@paulstrong2210]

I really wish you had gone with cliffhangers and gone tubeless, hard to nitpick the build. I think my favorite part is that every time the drone caught your face you didn't look like you entirely trusted it. The saddle is incredible.

[@wilsentwins]

Can steerer tube restore? If too short?

[@ToddNZMTB]

Looks like _Cold Shovel_ up there in the mountains eh 🥶

[@oldshovel]

Lol it’s getting there.

[@subiemon]

what tool do you use for headset installing??

[@fernfloyd]

Very cool video! We were talking about you on Reddit and your content a few days ago, and then I just thought "speak of the devil."

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@chaseandersen3165]

Anyone know where to get that black Trek decal? Working on a 94 950.

[@alejandrofloresatilano7555]

Me too es hermosa, me gusta mucho el cromo, buenas tomas con el hover

[@a.l.alexander3668]

Hello, I have a Trek 8000 I wish to paint. Can you please tell me where to get the frame decals you used for your restoration?

[@zoobab28]

I have the same pedals, fork, vbrakes, dérailleur, levers on my 1995 Marin Eldridge grade. Which brand are those green bolts?

[@iantumulty4053]

Anyone know if its got a clearcoat ?

[@BigLubovski]

its bike so awesome

[@dadada435]

I have the same frameset and now I want to restore it as well. Could you please share the files for the Stickers, mine are pretty scuffed up and I am not as experienced with creating these?

[@currentlyidentifyingasfrom6667]

Gread vid, thanks. I have a question though. Didi you laquer the frame after you took it back to bare alu? I ask as I have just done a similar job with a 1998 Marin Full sus. I ended up deciding to laquer the frame as I was concerned about the impact that the elements might play on the frames integrity. It was a bit of a shame as I much prefered the look of the frame when it was bare. If you are keeping it bare, do you use any particular type of polish for protection? Cheers from the UK

[@rubendevereaux6086]

Why did you stop welding brackets for hydraulic brakes?

[@icantgivecredit871]

Is some part of the XT brake contacting the tire? I noticed toward the end of the video that the Bontrager word mark on the front tire has what looks like a scrape through it.

[@oldshovel]

The tire looked like it printed that way. It made me think the same thing when I got it but it wasn’t rubbing from what I could tell when it first got it.

[@nycmaverick]

Subbed!

[@mikejones420]

Great retro build, awesome bike. Hoverair? not so much from what I saw in the video, unless there is a setting where it wont try to fly through trees to follow you.

[@mrlaw711]

Did that bike come with 26 inch wheels and tires? Nice job.

[@BerserkerNick]

When I saw the green bolts I was really hoping the spokes were going to be green

[@prozacforall]

Why keep the brake cables so long?

[@StephenMolvik]

hello I have a 1999 trek 6000 should I restomod it.

[@BanjoLuke1]

Yes! That was an excellent era. Restore or modify or upgrade or downgrade to taste... But ride it! 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@matthewharrison8121]

Would love to see more tan wall tyres on your builds.

[@jeffrogers2180]

Did you weigh it?

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I might be best trying to keep my 1994 Giant Yukon original . Should I upspec it or not everyone ?

[@nelsoncastro4962]

que le pone para proteger el marco por que no tine pintura

[@gunnarkoss9262]

By the way, Aluminium-Dust is very very toxic! 😱 But the Trek is great - and the bonding technology a very interesting way of thinking and building Aluminium-Frames. These Treks are some of the best Trek ever has done.

[@DG-EditsYT]

I am surprised at this, why didnt you polish the frame but leave it scuffed, dull and scratched? It could of easily been polished, even by hand, you made the effort with the White industries hub

[@DM-yh6ok]

I can’t see the bike with out thinking about green grips and green gravelking.

[@samprevratil9734]

👍

[@oldshovel]

🙌😁

[@uenh8447]

even at this age i will buy this beautiful bike; i always wish it, in 96, but instead i bought a similarly priced Y11 , a mistake i always regret, caught in the OCLV frame bullsh..

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

Great bike, great looks and great components.. but it have been better with a clear coat finish to protect the frame, avoiding corrosion (yes also the aluminium corrodes), and fix tha stickers.

[@nicolaagostaro8474]

Stavo pensando la stessa cosa... e, sinceramente, quella sella rovina un pò tutto sto ben di dio...

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

@@nicolaagostaro8474 Molto particolare quel rivestimento di pelle scamosciata verde, però.

[@oldshovel]

This is something I debated and opted no clear for now…

[@nicolaagostaro8474]

@@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele Boh, da quel che ho capito, ha provato a salvare una sella Flite in condizioni pessime coprendola di scamosciato... per carità, lui ne andrà anche fiero, ma a me non piace per niente :-)