I have been riding this bike since I bought in in 2009. Mostly I ride it too and from work about 6 miles each way. I ride it in all weather conditions from extremely hot (over 100 degrees F) to pretty cold ( below zero). I ride it through the rain and snow. It has a good body and takes crashes well (when riding snow and ice). Shifting has been good for the most part. Generally I take it to the bike shop once a year for complete tuneup so it goes about a year without problems. I find it corners well for me, Brakes work good enough for me.

I have never found a bike that didn't have problems with the tube blowing out from something as simple as a goat-head thorn. I found through trial and error that the only way to prevent this was to take my flat tire tube and cut it to fit inside the tire. It is better to use two old tire tubes. Just cut the valve out and from the inside of the tube, then cut from the valve carefully along the inside of the tube until you reach the other side of where the valve was. Place it inside the tire and put your new tube inside the old tube. This will give you more distance from most thorns penetrating through the tire and into your tube. I've also tried Maxxis tires but I think they are too thin and wear out too quickly.

All in all I have replaced most of the components on my bike, but bear in mind I'm putting about 3,000 miles on my bike and have been doing so from 2009. The only thing original on my bike is the frame, handlebars, shifters and brake handles. I never liked the seat on this bike so I have experimented with several different saddles. I personally don't like a saddle that feels like one is riding on a stick. Some folks like that, but to each his own.

Frame isnt too bad, seat is comfy

Heavy, Terrible components, terrible value, breaks easy, cheap crappy parts

I bought this 2 years ago in 2011, at the time it suited my needs and I didnt know too much at all about bikes. So, I went with a namebrand trek. How could you go wrong with the gary fisher name? PRETTY WRONG. I started to get more into mtbing, and i also used it around town. The tires are crap for anything off road, dont corner at all. 15 dollar ones from the store worked far better. The front suspension is crap, cheapiest fork ever, it seizes up real fast and is pretty much a pogo stick. The derailer is terrible as well, chain fall offs, not shifting, shifting too much, all these problems and more are constantly a problem. The tires dont stay true, the brakes drag no matter how much tuning. They arent very powerfull either. The bottom bracket makes bad noises early on, its just a very cheap beginner bike, ok i guess for your first mtb to use mostly around town, on the trails forget it. Terrible value though no matter what the use. For the money you are far better off getting something off of craigslist or if you must purchase new go with something like airborne bikes, they have a bike with better components and a better fork for literally half the price of this bike!

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Other bikes in the price range, from name brands like trek, gary fisher, specialized, also lesser known but quality brands like airborne, kona, etc.

Great shifters

Brakes are awful, wheels break easily, tires pop easily, VERY HEAVY

I bought this bike thinking it would be good for around town and sometimes on the trail. I have had nothing but problems with it. My bike store, high gear, told me I would get free adjustment with their bikes, and they didn't stick by their word. I am never buying a trek bike again. specialized all the way

Strong, light, works well, no problems, just big enough to put a bike engine on it.
http://www.zoombicycles.com/eShop/Bicycle-Engine-Kits/ZB-80S-BK-Limited-Edition-ZB-80cc-Black-Slant-Engine-Kit.html?pop=0

Paint scratches easily, but that doesn't really matter. Shocks not big enough, but I don't really need it for my motor bike.

Great bike, with my engine on it, it feels like a motorcycle.
If I didn't put an engine on it, it would be a good trail bike, nice wide handlebars. Great for the price that I got it at $60.00 from some person on Craigslist :)

excellent entry level bike (for the price).

fork and tires are more for novice, and beginning intermediate

if you are thinking about getting into mountain biking, this bike will do because it won't break the bank and it is also adaptable to upgrades. it comes with a Suntour (like a Honda) 100 mm travel fork and tires you can use on pavement or trail with no problem.

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rock shox

Excellent Frame (same frame as higher GF G2 models). I believe the G2 Geometry was new to the 09 Models, mine is the latest 2010 model. The bike is fast and responsive, sturdy, looks good and rides well and is an overall good value for entry into the sport.

I would like to see an upgrade in components. Maybe Shimano Deores instead of Altus. The fork is adequate, but I'd like something higher end there too. The V brakes are good, but for this price range mechanical disk brakes would be reasonable too. The bontrager components are adequate but I will soon be upgarding the LT3 tires to velociraptors.

Bought the His and Hers Tarpons for my wife and I. Should have gotten a better deal on the Hers model as some of the components aren't as nice. The frame is not just a step thru, it's also a step down in quality (GF silver series). I think that since the bike was debuted years ago GF has increased the quality of the bike and gone up on the price as well. Overall it's adequate and since it's the same frame as the next few steps up, if you can't afford the full package, get this bike and upgrade the components over time. However, if you can afford it, it's worth it to spend a little extra and get the better components up front. It will save you money in the long run. Overall we're happy with these bikes and have found something we can enjoy together. The first things we'll be upgrading are to SPD pedals and grippier tires.

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n/a

Good, solid frame(a bit heavy)

stock forks (RST) are horrible, no even pre-load adjustments. But that was good for the time.

Overall a good bike for a beginner. It has been thrown into many trees and off multiple sets of stairs. This was basically my first real bike, so it has made it though the beginning of my biking experiences; As well as me taking everything on it apart to figure out how it all worked (after a few hours though I would always get it working again). Very good first bike, or just one to mess around with.

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Trek 4300

Great ballance, didnt break the bank

components are what you expect for the price

I bought this bike to get into mountain biking. I rode it on the local trails for a few years. I love this bike. It has been able to handle all the trees and stunps i havnt been able to avoid. it has done well with my learning how to maintain a bike. im not an expert so the bike has not been subjected to extreme conditions. i would recomend this bike to anyone who is not wanting to spend a lot of money to find out if they are interested in the sport.

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specialized rock hopper

cost, reliable even with somewhat crappy components, frame has some give especially near the bottom bracket, it has outlasted all of my expectations of how long it would last as I tend to abuse it more so than any other bike I have owned, somewhat light

the frame is somewhat flexible as stated above causing the tire to rub against the chain stay when i tried a 2.1 nevegal causing me to have to return the tire, plastic pedals broke within 6 months, grips literally decomposed after 1 year, RST fork is literally an iron piece of crap that lost it's rebound so for a year or two it was as good as riding a rigid bike (which was fine with me) until I got my downhill bike and realized how important suspension was...

I bought this bike as a freshman in college expecting it to last a year or two, I just graduated and upgraded the fork to a RockShox TORA sl (ebay) which costs almost as much as the bike itself and breathed a new life into the bike which I freaking love...

I literally neglected it for a year or two and have been using it as my winter/ice bike as Vermont winters are not forgiving but recently I have been riding it really hard as a xc bike... for some reason I just cannot get rid of it and I have grown to love it...

Bottom line, I went to the bike shop to buy a new pair of shoes and mentioned that I was thinking of upgrading my wheel-set, fork and drivetrain and the salesman instead insisted in me buying a whole new bike... I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth I love this bike no matter how crappy it is... allthough i only ended up getting a new fork I think ill wait till i destroy the other components and the frame before i get another hardtail...

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90's specialized hardrock SS rigid, 90's GT rigid (cant remember name) Specialized Bighit, (and am i allowed to say on MTBR that I own a raliegh road bike aswell?)

superb frame

cheap components

I love the bike ! although it came with cheap parts..... but I would say you get what you have pay