After a long break from cycling I decided to get back into mountain biking. My budget was limited and I wanted something lightweight and durable.
After coming across the Trek 4300 my mind was quickly made up, lovely lightweight frame that wouldn't be out of place on bikes twice the price. A reasonable set of Shimano Alvio shifters and forks with adjustable pre-load.
Perfect for what I wanted, something I could commute to work on but also give a good thrashing around the local MTB routes.
The bike is versatile, the adjustable pre-load works well and although the forks aren't fantastic, they'll serve you well as long as you're not throwing it off 6 foot drop offs.
The only things really letting this bike down are the Suntour SR cranks. Mine were poorly fitted and the pedals had been cross threaded which meant that when I went to fit some SPD pedals it stripped the threads rendering the cranks useless. Que an upgade to a Shimano Deore chainset and the bike is now even better than it was.
One thing to note is that if you're planning on getting into mountain biking, I would seriously consider paying the extra £70 to get the disc model. I'm regretting it now as to fit disc brakes will cost around £100 if you do it yourself. So works out much cheaper to get the version that already has them. A lock out on the forks would also be a big improvement for on-road situations.
All in all, an excellent all rounder just as comfortable on the road as off road. But if you're planning on riding in the mud, shell out for the disc brake version!
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