Well it is almost 3 years ago to the day when i purchased my trek 3700 from my bike shop. I remember instantly noticing that it was way better than my old bike, a concept something which was frankly terrible! I ride my bike about 20 miles every weekend, and has now well exceeded the 100 mile mark. It has got to here with basically no faults atall! It got its first service last weekend, which was pretty impressive i thought as it had never needed it before (due to water getting into the back wheel bearing and the freewheel mechanism they both needed replacing-this is due to spraying with a power hose). The brakes are very effective, apart from as the other review mentions they do have a habit of loosening-if you go on any long cycle rides it is well worth having an allan key on you just in case. Also if you enjoy riding on muddy trails do not use this bike! Its wheels get clogged up incredibly easily, thanks to the V brakes. The suspension is fantastically tuned for road-going as it is very stiff and only has 63mm travel. However this is not ideal if you enjoy riding often on bumpy tracks or on rocks-it really has the potential to pummel your arms on even medium length journeys. Also the frame is quite heavy, not making it ideal for mountain biking, albeit it is built better than a brick! Never change gear going up steep hills as the chain tends to come off for me, however this has improved when one doesnt put a lot of lube on. The gear ratios are decent for all circumstances. However personally the seat is uncomfortable and a bit too hard-but this is a personal thing that you would really have to check for yourself. For the £230 i paid this really isnt a bad buy-its very good in its class (maybe the best), however if you want to do more than road riding, especially in winter or on rocks i would reccomend paying £100 extra and buying a bike with decent disk brakes and at least 100mm travel reasonably soft suspension, as it would make it much more comfortable and less stressfull. If you want something you can rely on though i would highly reccomend this bike!
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Mar 1st, 2008
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