I bought this bike around 4 months ago, in this period it has done 700 miles without so much as breaking down on me, that being said I only use for commuting to work, even though the cycle is classed as a mountain bike, if used off road it would be in need of repair within a couple of hours heavy usespecialized stumpjumper for off road use> the 4300 is a really good bike for someone who is just getting back into cycling/exercising and does,nt want to buy a \"road bike\", I got my 4300 for £400 off the internet with free delivery, there are so many websites out there, so spend a few hours shopping around, you ll def get the deal your looking for, also in the winter months most bike shops online sell last years bike at knockdown prices, prob best time is jan, feb when only the select few are still bombing about/cycling to work when everyone else sees sense!
Right down to the specs of the bike, here they are
Frame: Trek Alpha SL aluminium
Forks: RST Gila T7 80mm travel with adjustable preload
Gears: Shimano FD-C050 front and Shimano Alivio rear derailleurs
Shifters: Shimano EF50
Chainset: SR CW7-XCT-T102 with 42s/34s/24s tooth chainrings
Wheels: Bontrager Camino rims built on Joytech front and Shimano RM60-8 rear hubs
Bontrager Connection Trail
Handlebars: Bontrager Crowbar Sport
Stem: Bontrager Sport 25d
Saddle: Bontrager Select ATB
Seatpost: Bontrager Sport mm
The only real downfall of the 4300 is the front suspension forks, these are of poor quality, if used in only moderate off road, its destined to break, I checked out forums before I purchased the bike, there were people who bought the bike after being away from mountaining biking for a long time, thinking they could hammer this offroad, no chance............
Everything else on the Trek is of good standard within this price range, it has a nice looking sliver/black frame, no fancy colours which I think looks silly on most bikes, the mechanical disc brakes are really smooth and easy to ajust, I ve had no problems in the time I ve had the bike, the only thing I changed right away on the bike was the pedals, I use click in pedals which require shoes, It adds to the smoothness of road use.
If you really like the bike and are tending to use offroad quite a look, you ll need to change the front fork on purchase the fork does not have enough travel and will break on even the smallest drops.
Bike sizes come in 13, 16, 18, 19.5, 21" in the mens sizes and 16" & 18" in the womans size.
Although I would say the bike is a bit on the heavy side I cannot fault it, if after a starter bike and reading this review, you prob have around 5 bikes in your head your mulling over, if its many road use/recreation your after, get round to your local trek dealer or search online, GET OUT THERE!!!!!!!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
The heavy frame would put me off too, I'm used to my Marin and that is so light. I do prefer bikes that are aimed at men as they are more sturdy. I like the way the frame lowers towards the seat as mine goes straight across and can be painful if you know what I mean.
pennywa 28.10.2007 18:16
Good review, enjoyed it xx
carly_pussycat 18.10.2007 12:59
Good review - you wouldn't often catch me out of my car though, so I'm not on the hunt for a bike!
Sep 13th, 2007
(Oct 17th, 2007)
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (91%):
helpful by (3%):
