Trek 6500 upgrades

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Hey guys,
I recently got back into mtn biking and would like to do some XC sport racing once I get myself back into shape. I have a '99 Trek 6500 and was wondering if the bike is worth upgrading or should I look at buying a better bike/frameset. It has Trek's Alpha ZX tubeset which I believe was seamless, heat treated, 6061 T6 aluminum. I believe the 7000 used the same frame but with an LX/XT group set. Has anybody had any experience with these bikes? Also, it has an LX rear derailer and an 8spd cassette. The rest of the parts on the bike are either alivio or generic crap so I know those will have to go. The fork is a '99 Judy C which I have loved for the plush ride, but really makes the bike heavy. What areas would you guys recommend upgrading. I was thinking a set of decent, stiff cranks, an LX or better BB, a stem with less rise to spread the weight out a little better, and possibly a one or two year old SID, manitou, or marzocchi. Thanks for the help!

Hi,

I have a 96 trek 7000 zx and i love my bike. I actually bought it a couple of months ago used for pretty cheap. I think this bike is worth the upgrade. The frame is just so good, super stiff, lots of power and speed and control. For me the best way to upgrade is ebay.

For you fork, i'd recommend getting Englund's total air upgrade and not blow a hole in your pocket buying a SID. I'm slowly upgrading to a full XT set up. So far, i bought a new crank and derailleurs. Changed my seat, seat post, stem, bar, brakes. Basically, i'm gonna change everything except for the stem. hahahaha.... I think this bike has a 23-24lbs potential once i'm done.




Originally posted by Blake Gettig
Hey guys,
I recently got back into mtn biking and would like to do some XC sport racing once I get myself back into shape. I have a '99 Trek 6500 and was wondering if the bike is worth upgrading or should I look at buying a better bike/frameset. It has Trek's Alpha ZX tubeset which I believe was seamless, heat treated, 6061 T6 aluminum. I believe the 7000 used the same frame but with an LX/XT group set. Has anybody had any experience with these bikes? Also, it has an LX rear derailer and an 8spd cassette. The rest of the parts on the bike are either alivio or generic crap so I know those will have to go. The fork is a '99 Judy C which I have loved for the plush ride, but really makes the bike heavy. What areas would you guys recommend upgrading. I was thinking a set of decent, stiff cranks, an LX or better BB, a stem with less rise to spread the weight out a little better, and possibly a one or two year old SID, manitou, or marzocchi. Thanks for the help!