Submitted by
Gary Gargan
a Cross Country Rider
from Gloucester
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2003
Strengths: Value, looks, definatly head turner,
Weaknesses: Pedals, soon changed those, gears took a few months to get just right, headset rusted after one winter
Bottom Line:
Nothing but fun on this bike, sturdy, if you're not leaping buildings this is up there with the best of them, and in this price catagory i don't think there is a better deal
Bike Setup: new pedals, trek bottle, lightweight pump
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff Aubé
a
from Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2002
Strengths: Lightweight, good for recreation.
Weaknesses: Peddles, weak suspension
Bottom Line:
Good bike for the price. Good for recreation and thats about it. I have used it for racing and i feel like it held me back. I recommend the better models for racing.
Strengths: Perfect combination of a great frame with better than average components. Shifts nice, breaks nice, is light, and looks cool. At the price I got it for it was well worth it.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
If you think you might be into biking, but want to start out slowly, this is the bike for you. Perfect combo of parts and price to get you started. If you decide you really want to go all out, you can start replacing parts with higher quality, because this frame is really nice, or you can always trade it in on a higher end model. I highly recommend this bike, and also recommend any Trek bike, because they make a good product (no I'm not a Trek spokesman, just someone who likes good quality). Don't waste $100 on a cheap retail store bike, you'll replace it enough times that a nice bike would have paid for itself in 2-3 years.
Similar Products Used: Rock Machine bike bought at Shopko in 1996. Trek 800 in 2000 (really my brothers) and a handful of other Trek bikes that my family owns - road to downhill.
Bike Setup: I've added bar ends, a water bottle cage, a seat post rack, a GPS handlebar mount and also a headlight mount. Just ordered ritchey Logic comp v-2 pedals for $30! we'll see how those work out.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Otter
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2001
Strengths: Light Frame, Low Price
Weaknesses: Heavy Fork, Useless pedals
Bottom Line:
For the price I paid, I can't complain. I could easily overcome the Fork/pedal problems just by buying new parts, but since I commute on it, I don't want to worry about having top of the line gear. I hit trails on some weekends with some guys with full sus. and don't have any real problems keeping with them. Eventually this bike will be relegated to the commute as I plan to buy a full sus. in the future, but for now, it's exceeding my expectations for the price I paid. The light frame is a very big bonus.
Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Sherbrooke,Québec,Canada
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2001
Strengths: This bike is great for weight and strenght. It ride like a dream and handle like a pearl it is a good starter bike
Weaknesses: The heavy fork and stock pedal , they both are no good for anything
Bottom Line:
great bike for the price pretty lite frame 4pounds but the shifting is not precise the rest is ok and for the price i can follow friends whit lot more expensive bike. A great bike for starters and experienced people who are ready to upgrade the bike whit good deals part.
Weaknesses: Does anyone know this is double butted aluminum? Maybe not at this price.
Bottom Line:
I only used it to commute to University (via City streets and Campus). It definitly feels light and smooth. What count is the feeling for this bike. I had owned a few but this one feels like a real bike. A good break...
Bike Setup: Swap the tire with Continential Town and Country. water botter, etc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Wear
a Weekend Warrior
from Havelock, NC
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Strengths: light frame, solid ride
Weaknesses: none for what the bike is sold as....recreational riding
Bottom Line:
I am new to mountain biking and did not want to spend an arm and a leg on a bike when i wasn't even sure i would like riding. Went and saw Mike at the Bike Depot and he suggested the Trek. I demoed a few different treks and a couple Gt's. The 4300 seemed to be a good buy. The bike felt really good to me and the price was right. I've had the bike three months and ride almost daily. There aren't a whole lot of trails here, but the bike is great for what we have. Its light, fast, and strong. As i said, i'm new to biking and I've biffed quite a few times, but the thing keeps going. I really like this bike and have recommended it to others. Of course, i will upgrade as things break, but i think that this frame/bike is a great starting point.
Bike Setup: wellgo clipless pedals, wtb velociraptor tires, cateye enduro 2, rest is stock (for now)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Toast
a Weekend Warrior
from Powell River,BC,Canada
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Strengths: nica and light, quick,same frame as 4500, & 4900, right?
Weaknesses: stock forks and tires..but I knew that going into it.
Bottom Line:
Was time to replace the old Nishiki Rockhound...great bike with great gear, just old and heavy...by comparison...WOW!!!! First of all..best price I could find in BC was at Suncoast...that helped with the final bike choice, but after some test rides and knowing what I liked in my old bike..I chose the trek, lifetime warranty on the frame, knew I would have to upgrade the fork on any of the 4000 series.. so I went for the cheap model and upgraded...as the cheaper components break , will replace them wiht better parts...
Similar Products Used: Trek 4500, Giant ATX something...
Bike Setup: Stock with Bontrager revolt front and jones rear, with Marocchi Z5 4" to replace original shock, and Mosh platforms to replace the plastic cheese petals...
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ed Gay
a Cross Country Rider
from Osan, Korea
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2001
Strengths: Light weight, great value. Junk pedals out of the box.
Weaknesses: Weak front derailer especially, rear seems Ok so far
Bottom Line:
This bike is an incredible deal for the money. I commute to work everyday, and ride some trails on the weekends mainly. I put about 60 miles a week on the bike. The frame is amazingly light for the price. I had just put some new parts on my specialized, and when I looked at the cost of buying a front fork for it I decided to buy the Trek instead. Then I took the tries and derailer off the Specialized and swapped it. I liked the hardrock, but this bike rides like a dream. My only complaint is the lack of mounting holes for the rear rack. They are offset, and my Blackburn rack would not fit on it, so I had to go with a seat post rack. I really like the 2001 red/black/white color combo, but that is just me! Overall I would reccommend this bike to anyone that is looking for a good quality basic bike. I don't see the need to spend $2000 to have a fun bike, but I am not a professional competitor. The frame is excellent quality, and well worth upgrading later if you get more serious. It also has a lifetime warranty, so you can't go wrong with that! The bike draws positive comments where ever I ride it. In the future I plan on adding XTR components and I think it will be a top notch bike.
im new to MTB's and im looking for a good baseline MTB that i can do some trail riding on and hopefully upgrade some components along the way. I found a 2001 trek 4300 that looks t Read More »
