Trek 8000 ProGram Easton EA60

[Tsundere]

I assume it's a 96 going by the frame number, but I know very little about Treks and even less about aluminium frames.

Bought this on a whim for £50 simply because I've never had an aluminium mtb and my ultimate unicorn is an aluminium framed bike, so I thought it was about time to at least meet the material.

Any info would be much appreciated, either about this bike specifically or about aluminium in general, how best to care for it, what to look out for etc. I was hoping to keep the aluminium raw and unpainted, is that wise?

 

[Tsundere]

Looking to get this frame prepped for painting, any tricks when it comes to painting aluminium or anything to avoid?
There's a tiny dink in the top tube which I'd like to fill, basically going to use this as a practise frame before I tackle a couple of nicer projects.

Also the assumption it's a 96 is incorrect as the dropouts have their own serial numbers, the frame number is pretty much impossible to read under the BB.

Vintage Trek Bicycle Frame Serial Numbers, bike

Trek bicycle frame serial numbers (SNs) are stamped into the bottom of the bottom bracket, or (more rarely) at the lower end of the seat tube. The dates coded in the serial numbers, or the dates inferred from the numbers, are dates of brazing or dates on which the new frames were stamped with...

www.vintage-trek.com

 

[Tedgey]

I have one of these frames that I was given .... An 8000zx bonded program eastern.
Been trying to decide whether or not I'm actually going to do anything with it