Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Louis
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2003
Strengths: Bike frame is solid, lightweight, and flexible.
Weaknesses: The majority of the parts that came stock, I think are decend, however I would reccommand getting some upgrades. Get a disc on the back.
Bottom Line:
For a weekand warrior like myself who does moderate downhill, limited ramps, and heavy cross country. It is great beginner bike for those who are getting into the sport. With some better parts, some stronger lightweight parts to go with it's indestructable frame, the bike then would be prepared for those adrenaline rushes you have in your mind to do ballistic biking. Bottom line: The VRX 400 can take brutal beatings and live to tell the tale.
Similar Products Used: Full suspension, non disc, cheap "Pacific Brand" bike.
Bike Setup: Good.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Wyatt
a Weekend Warrior
from stillwater, ok, us
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2001
Strengths: this is a great all-around bike, which is exactly what it was designed for. It doesn't do anything perfect, but it doesn't do anything bad. It just does whatever you put into it. If you want to climb, get off your butt and climb, and the vrx will do it. If you can go balls out downhill, then do it, and the vrx will stay right there with you. Decently light, and resonably priced...
Weaknesses: A bit flexy, but nothing bad. The Hayes cable brake didn't work, but mine was warrenteed from Hayes to a hydro, so I'm happy.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line: This bike works great for what it was designed for: To have fun! It can downhill, climb, cut up singletrack, and tear up urban areas. It has held up to everything I've done on it, and even finished good in the 12 miles of hell race in oklahoma. Some people have given it a bad review possibly becuase of their lack of skill or maybe they are comparing apples with oranges, but whatever the case, the bike is good. I'd buy it again...
It works great for those people looking for a good bike to do a little of everything on. It can jump, trail, trial, downhill, whatever, but can do it all decently. Like I said earlier, it doens't do anything great, but it does alot very well, and nothing bad...
Similar Products Used: Name a bike, I've at least ridden it for a few minutes. I have ridden alot of xc bikes, a few dh bikes, and a few other all-arounds like some of the fsr's.
Bike Setup: Stock except for protaper bars, hayes hydro front disk, and custom chainring guard.
Strengths: Frame is unbreakable went straight into a tree and not a scratch.Bontrager wheels are excellent not 1 buckle yet.Nice sus setup and really like the xverts.
Weaknesses: Crank is no good.Dereuillers are no good.Tyres are no good.Hayes cable disc completely no good.Always bottoms out on me.Crank is no good.Seat is no good. Alot of things on this bike is no good!?!?!?!? ;p
Bottom Line:
Bike is good but i think i was ripped off for the price. The only thing i like about this bike is the front shox and they are even going. The frame is excellent one of the lightest and bombproof i ever seen. I'd say once i get all my parts on it it will a klass downhill bike. First thing u should do when u buy it GET THE CABLE BRAKE OFF !?!?!?!?
Strengths: good value for the money. Adjustable 3,4,5 inch travel. Not too heavy. Quite plush
Weaknesses: Have to tighten the back end bolts up before every ride. Bolts have become warn.Manitou xvert sucks. Not really a shore bike.
Bottom Line:
When I got this bike I was smiling ear to ear. I live on the shore so when I bought it I was just getting in to the sport. The bike has treated me quite well but after a year I have simply outgrown it. I've broke the swing-arm, bent the dog bone and even with the new swing arm which took a month to warranty the bike creaks and growns every ride. At 160 lbs I can really notice the lateral movement of the rear on fast single track and the water bottle mount sucks for a light battery. I don't mean to rag on this bike because I've learned alot on it but if I look back on a year it sure was in the shop a lot. But if your looking to buy a bike at a decent price and your not planning to do big drops on a regular basis it is still fun and and there is value in it.
Bike Setup: upgraded to hayes hydro brakes, mavic d321 rims, 5inch marzocchi drop off kona buldge cranks, custom stem maxxis mobster 2.7 front and tioga 2.3 rear. XT throughout
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Submitted by
Mellow Yellow
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2001
Strengths: IMHO, it's a good beginner full suspension bike
Weaknesses: It was made out to be way more of a bike than it realy is.
Bottom Line:
I got the bike as a warranty because my Y33 rear triangle had a crack. I missed my Y33 because with the lock out feature, it was a great XC bike. When I got the VRX, Trek touted it as a great all around bike. With a simple adjustment, one could make travel changes to alow you to go from XC, to Freeride, to DH. "Wow!!" I said; then I road it. Ha! Yup, I've been screwed and didn't even get dinner or a movie out of it.
It is the heaviest bike I've owned since I seriously got into the sport. It also was the worse at climbing. Yes, even worse than the Y bike. At least, the Y bike had a lock out on the fly shock, so I was able to make the bike into a hard tail with a switch of a lever. The bike is not being made into a "Freeride" bike. I have broken 4 bikes in 5 years not because I ride big, but because I am. At 6'3" 240pnds, bikes react differently to me. The VRX also did not handle that well. With out me taking on any big jumps, the bike ended up being sent back to Trek due to a bent rear swing arm.
I've outfitted it with a Jr T, so it does do somewhat well on big bumps and drops. It's yet to be seen how well it will handle Vancouver, BC's North Shore. (Check "Passion" for a post about that some day)
Over all, I'm just not impressed. It seemed to me that the enginiers at Trek just stop trying when they came up with the VRX concept. There are several bikes in the history of mtb'ing that were made from this same concept; there is a reason why those are not around any more either. The VRX is a perfect example of a company charging way to much for a bike in order to give it the appearance that it's worth more than it realy does.
Bike Setup: LX/XT; Race Face seat post, KORE stem & handle bar; Marzoc Jr T
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Notts, UK
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Strengths: Good all round suspension bike, best suited to Free Ride. Good adjustability.
Weaknesses: Could do with a little more travel, but that's just my opinion as I mainly ride DH.
Bottom Line:
Top bike for all round free riding. Capable for DH. Suspension settings are adjustable. Plenty of stand over clearance. Looks pretty nice, not your usual looking machine.
I have a 1999 Trek VRX400 for sale as a frame only. It is in good condition, has a Shock Works adjustable RC piggy back shock on it. Contact me via E mail if you are interested. £275 ono.
Similar Products Used: Stab dee-lux, San Andreas, Bullit.
Bike Setup: Manitou's, XT, Magura's etc.`
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Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000
Bottom Line:
I Would just like to point out that a lot of these reviews are complaining about the travel of suspension, or seatpost problems and stuff of that nature. All of that can be changed with a few upgrades. Here is the bottom line: the frame is light and strong, it handles well in technical areas, and the bike looks sweet. What more could you want!
Submitted by
FAYNEY
a Weekend Warrior
from LONDON (ENGLAND)
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2000
Strengths: VERY STRONG FRAME GOS ROUND BENDS LIKE ITS ON RAILS THE BEST REAR SUS IN THE LAND
Weaknesses: SOME PLAY IN THE REAR SWING ARM CRAP PAINT JOB
Bottom Line:
THE STOCK BIKE IS FINE UNTIL YOU UPDATE IT THEN YOU FIND OUT HOW CRAP THE BIKE WAS BEFORE YOU DID THE WORK, BUT AFTER ALL THAT ITS GOT TO BE THE BEST FREERIDE YOU YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER THE MOTO ARE A BIT HEAVY BUT THE BEST UPGRADE FOR THIS BIKE ALONG WITH THE HOPE DISK FOX REMOTE REAR SHOCK & THE MAVIC WEELSET IM IN HEAVEN! THE BIKE IS SO MUCH FUN TO RIDE I EVEN TAKE IT WITH ME TO THE SHOPS AT THE END OF MY ROAD I JUST CANT STAY OFF THE THING HEEEEEEEEEELP!
Similar Products Used: CONNANDALE SX900 MARINE EAST PEAK GT LOBO TREK Y3
Bike Setup: MOTO FREERIDE FORKS MAVIC CROSSMAX WEELS HOPE SPORTS DISK FOX VANILLA RC-REMOTE
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Submitted by
Ben Snodgrass
a Downhiller
from Concord NH, USA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000
Strengths: The frame! I have completly tortured this poor peice of metal for almost 2 years without even a small stress fracture (that is a lot to be said of any bike I ride.) I also like Trek'schoice of handle bars on this bike. That is usually one of the first peices of equipment I replace but it has ended up being one of the last original pieces still alive on the bike (besides the frame.)
Weaknesses: Hmmmm... Lets see, where do I start? First off, I don't even know why hayes bothers with a cable operated disk brake. They work about as well as Clinton's health care plan. They were the first to go. Next up, the bontrager Maverick wheelset. In the first two months alone, I had about four flat spots per wheel, three bent spokes, and a broken cassete body. Need I say more? Finally we come to the frame. It's not too much of a problem, but there is a definite frame flex during take offs and landings. Other than that I had no problems with the frame.
Bottom Line:
The frame is pretty sick if you can avoid the components. If you are looking for a cool frame to do freeriding on, this is the frame for you. If you are looking for a low travel DH or a slalom frame look elsewhere.
Purchased At: S & W Sports, Concord Nh (603) 224-1441
Bike Setup: Right now my bike is setup with all stock components except, a XT front derailier, Hayes hydraulic disk brakes (front and rear,) a THE DH fender, A Marrazochi Jr. T Fork, XT disk hubs, Dt swiss spokes, Sun Big Mammoth Fat rims (36 spoke,) Salsa 30 mm Moto Ace stem, Oury Grips, SDG comp saddle (NOT that the SDG is better but I broke the other one,) and Primo Meat Tenderizer platform pedals.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Robert Caldwell
a Weekend Warrior
from Lahaina, HI, USA
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2000
Strengths: Looks great!!..... You'll get tons of compliments on it.
Weaknesses: Sloppy ride. Really bouncy on hard downhills. Front shock has very rough action.
Bottom Line:
I would not buy this bike again. It's not bad overall, but for he same money, I think I would get something else.
Submitted by
Bulent
a Cross Country Rider
from Venray ,Holland
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000
Strengths: The Frame and the independint link(tochange the travel on the back)
Weaknesses: Hayes cable Disck(very bad)Bontrager Rims and Hubs, X-vert, Icon Cranks and Chain rings(after 300 km the rings wearn off and they didn't gear well)
Bottom Line:
you don't look to te parts thats on it,the big mayority puts there own brand of his own taste on it. Butt where it comes too ,THE FRAME:TREK VRX . It's the Bomb, how i now created this mountain, it's shifts masterly,eats bumbs-rocks-jumps-drops...extra sexy,very fast and smooth in the corners,and when you fall ( like i do when i'm trying new jumps or drop offs) you don't have to wary it won't break. and the independint link WHY? you can select yuor own back travel lenght in 3",4",and 5 inch of travel, ingenius, The bottom line: if you want a frame for cross country,marathon,freeriding,down hilling - then this is your baby.
Bike Setup: Pace - rc37mx shoch,Chris king -Disco tech Hubs,Hope -Pro disck, XTR,......(see Dreambike Gangsta Mountain,septmbr 2000)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
ROB PASCO
a Downhiller
from WILLIAMSPORT PA.
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2000
Strengths: YOU CAN NOT BEAT THE WARRANTY,PERIOD!!!!NO FRAME FLEX IN THE FRONT HALF.LOVE THE MULTIPLE SHOCK LOCATIONS.I HAVE A 2IN.STROKE FOX RX THAT GIVES ME 8IN.TRAVEL.2 1/2 IN.SAG
Weaknesses: I HAVE BROKEN 3 REAR SWING ARMS,ALL CRACKED AROUND THE BOX SECTION AT THE SHOCK LOCATION.I AM NOW ON MY FORTH
Bottom Line:
YOUWILL ALWAYS GET A NEW SWING ARM .BUT I GOT TO TELL YA .THE REAR END IS SOOOO PLUSH .IT MAKES ROCK GARDENS LIKE A RIDE IN THE PARK!!!
Bike Setup: HAYES BRAKES AND HUBS ,7IN BOXXER SUN MAMOUTH RIMS
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
stephen
a Downhiller
from rochester ny
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2000
Strengths: for the price you get a super plush ride that w/ a few modifications can be thrashed jumped off 8 footers ridden 40mph downhill the fork is stiff you get decent cranks a good bar short stem and disk campatible wheels
Weaknesses: the rear brake sucks it wont work get a hayes or an xt or something anything,the stem was too long for any serious thrashing andn the tires were realy skinny
Bottom Line:
especaily now since this is last yrs model this bike you cant go wrong 5.6 inches of rear travel for under 1500 thats sick you get 9spd a smooth and sick ass ride this a very good bike for street riding freeriding whatever its tight on the trails and it can handle those 8 footers i encounter everyday
Weaknesses: cable-actuated disc bontrager tires no rebound dampening adjust on rear shock
Bottom Line:
this bike makes me smile.
climbs better than expected, even for it's weight. and if you're a reluctant hardtail convert, just put the rear pivot point on the "XC" and the travel drops significantly (but you won't keep it there for long 'cause plush is pleasure...).
downhills are super plush. the 5" of rear travel is more than enough, unless you're dropping off your dad's garage (which is what everyone in florida must be doing...). the bike feels and handles smoothly at speed, is indifferent to abuse (trust me...), and has the geometry to make sick, airy trials courses, well sick and airy - but dismounting is easy and it won't break when you drop it (the superb handling really does compensate for a lack of skill on downhills, but balance is your problem).
my complaints are easily rectified with a melted visa. get rid of the rear v-brake and go hydraulic - there's no comparison. the entry-level avid rig does a diservice to the performance of the bike. and if you have one of those gold-colored visas, replace the cable actuated front disc with a full hydraulic because IT SUCKS. word to the wise - anyone who tells you that a cable actuated will "get more powerful as it breaks in" is on crack.
i hate bontrager tires. their sidewalls are like cheap latex. the lack of rebound dampening on the rear shock is not really noticeable if, like me, you selected "weekend warrior" as your riding genre.
bottome line: the componentry problems are minor. this bike is brilliant.
