Submitted by
Blaize
a Cross Country Rider
from Southportm NC
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2011
Strengths: Price... Even new, the price is pretty good for a mountain bike of reputable quality. It's also upgradable. The bike is built like a tank. I've been ragging on mine for several years now and have done some pretty intense riding with it, and it is still holding together with the original components.
Weaknesses: Weight... this is largely due to the front fork and rims. I have upgraded the rims to something lighter and replaced the pedals with shoes... I'll probably upgrade the fork to something lighter in the near future.
Bottom Line:
A solid bike for a beginner/amateur with plenty of room to grow.
Submitted by
joel
a Cross Country Rider
from HudsonBay Saskatchewan Canada
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2011
Strengths: everything but the tires and shifting
Weaknesses: Tire rims, gear shifting
Bottom Line:
This bike is good on the highway. Other than that it is not related for trails. Did a little 180 spin and bent the rim on the bike and i havent even had it for a month sadly. I recommend this bike just for highways. The bike shifts ok it sometimes does skip but doesn't do it to often.
Submitted by
AWDfreak
a Weekend Warrior
from SF Bay Area, CA (USA)
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2011
Strengths: The frame stays in one piece
Weaknesses: Everything else
Bottom Line:
If you want to get serious about mountain biking, avoid the 3-series at all costs. A 4300 is more suitable if you want to get into mountain biking.
Otherwise, the best a 3-series such as the 3900 will be good for is the occasional light trail use, but mostly paved bike path use.
For those who simply ride casually once in a while. I'm ashamed to call it a mountain bike with the components it has. Most ambitious and adventurous kids will outgrow this bike quickly.
This is a great entry level bike. I have flat out abused this bike for 3 weeks now and have only had to replace the bars. It does have week components, but I didnt purchase the bike expecting it to perform on the same level as a thousand dollar bike. I bought it to get me started, and I plan on upgrading to better components as the factory ones wear out. All in all you cant ask for much more for the money.
Weaknesses: Handle Bars, Stem, Grips are terrible. Rear Derailleur. Seat post slides down a lot.
Bottom Line:
I have had this bike for 5 years now, I have been riding it abusively as a trail rider for 2 years now. This thing is a battle tank. I did a good bit of modification to it because i can. I love this bike and the only reason for not using it anymore is i am riding a 29er now. This is a great bike for a beginner and will last through some abuse. I am 5'10" and 180 lbs, but the bike would fit someone 6'0" like a glove. I highly recommend new grips and a lighter and shorter replacement for both the stem and handlebar.
Bike Setup: Stock Frame, Brakes, Derailleurs. New shifters, grips, stem, handle bar, Wheelset, tires,
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln, NE, USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2010
Strengths: The Al frame.
Weaknesses: Components, weak fork.
Bottom Line:
I've been riding my road bike primarily for the last few years and a friend I ride with started to get into single track. I had hoped to find a cheap, decent bike with a broken fork or some other damage that i could fix easily. As it turned out, someone traded this bike to my brother for some work he did. He cannibalized the front wheel, handlebar, tires, and seat. I told him my plan and he gave what was left to me.
I was lucky enough to have an old front wheel from my 820 that I used as a stop-gap, found a used 620mm straight bar for 15 bucks, NOS (2009) BB7s for 44 dollars, a Deore RD-M770 for 60, and someone who would trade my wheels for a set of disc wheels that were on a non-disc bike that he was giving away. So, so far, this bike has cost virtually nothing for the quality that I'm left with. I plan on sinking a fair amount of money into a model year or two NOS fork of some kind very soon and it should be about perfect for what I want to do with it.
So that is a major advantage of this bike. If it can be had for very little money, it can be upgraded fairly easily! The stock rear derailleur is a crappy acera; when I had it off road the chain would slap like crazy and I even had it leap gears. since the frame can accept disc brakes, I replaced the cheap, cheap V brakes and it stops like a champ now. The front fork is also very weak on the 2007 model that I have (Spinner Grinder 1... I can't even find documentation for this POS) and it bottoms out on virtually anything I do (keep in mind that I have a road bike that i use for just about any road-like riding).
Now it shifts and stops like a dream and after I get a fork it should be ideal for anything but racing (it is not a very light bike). It's already been a blast for single track.
So, would I recommend it? If you have the money for something better, get it. But if you don't get this and upgrade as you go! If you can get one for free (or very nearly) grab it up and take advantage of the frame. In short, I recommend it, but my recommendation is heavily qualified.
Submitted by
Shredder
a Cross Country Rider
from Paranaque City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2010
Strengths: A good solid bike. If you like hitting the trails a lot but don't really have the budget, this is the bike for you. The fork is good for light trails but it tends to bottom out when the trail gets nasty. The tires are pretty good for both the road and dirt. The bike was actually designed pretty well and most of the components on the bike will definitely do if you are not looking for top performance. If you want to bring out the bike's potential, you might want to consider shelling out an additional $200 or so for upgrade parts.
Weaknesses: It's a little heavy for a hardtail. I have a full suspension bike that is a little lighter than this. That says a lot considering hardtails are supposed to be lighter. I have the white version of this bike and dirt sticks to it like anything but that's the price I get for getting anything white, right? Stock brakes are pretty bad so you might want to replace them with at least entry level Shimano brake calipers and discs like the Non-Series BR-M416. That will definitely help with the braking.
Bottom Line:
It's a pretty good bike. The stock shifters did a pretty good job until I decided to upgrade. The stock brakes are pretty bad. poor stopping power and I constantly had to adjust the setup. I think I would have been better off with rim brakes considering how bad the Promax disc brakes were. I decided to replace the braking system with an entry level hydraulic system from Shimano. That made all the difference. Braking power is fantastic and modulation is all there. Next project is to lighten up my front end by replacing the stock handlebar and stem to carbon fiber parts and perhaps replace the stock suntour front suspension to something with hydraulics. Bottom line is that if you want to get a good bike on a budget, this is the one for you. Shell out and additional $200 for upgrades and I can guarantee that you will be a very happy camper.
Similar Products Used: Mongoose, Cannondale, Merida and Giant entry level bikes.
Bike Setup: Stock except for new Ashima Airotors, Deore shifters, Deore hydraulic brakes, Viper pedals and bar-ends for climbing steep hills.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
pletang
a Cross Country Rider
from Gatineau, QC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2010
Strengths: Lighter then my old Norco hardtail.
Weaknesses: Fork is crap and heavy.The fork did not last the 2009 riding season.
Plastic pedals.
Soft rubber grips.
Tires are not for trail riding, Bontrager LT3.
Bottom Line:
I have 21", I am 6.3 215lbs. I love this bike it is light and fast and it did not cost two grand. Basic equipement on the bike is easy to maintain.
Strengths: Bike is like a TANK!!! Disk brakes are awesome... though i have to work on them because they don't stop the bike they i think they are supposed to.
Weaknesses: seats a little uncomfortable, but that might just be me. shifting gears isn't as smooth as other revies say. When in some gears it clicks a lot.
Bottom Line:
When i look at it, its like really pissed off bull that wants to kill me, but when i get on its like a bull that'll go through anything and then try to kill me. I LOVE IT!!!!!!
Similar Products Used: First mountain bike, used to ride dirt trails on my bmx
Bike Setup: pretty much stock i think. the company "bontrager" used a lot.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dale
a Weekend Warrior
from Virginia Beach, Va.
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2010
Strengths: Pretty lightweight for it's intended use. Sweet color choices for 2010.
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
Let me start by saying I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to mountain bikes. All I wanted was a good quality bike I could get some exercise with on both pavement and some light trails. If this sounds like you, read on. I bought the 2010 3900 disk and love this bike. I test road a friends 3700 and can tell you this much. Get the disk brakes. World of difference. For the price, you can't go wrong. I've tried some harder trails and this bike keeps up beautifully. I can't comment on bombing down a mountain or jumping off a cliff with it. Not designed for that so it probably won't take it. But if you want something like me, just to ride casually that you know will take some abuse, this is it. My other suggestion is to make sure you get it from a good shop. trek's warranty is awesome already, so all you have to really worry about is service.
Submitted by
nickav21
a Cross Country Rider
from Bartlett, TN
Date Reviewed: December 24, 2009
Strengths: Pretty light-weight frame, good component mix for the price, compared to other bikes at that price range, totally dominates when it comes to components, etc
Weaknesses: The tires SUCK, plastic pedals
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price. I've only had it for about 3 months but have ridden it pretty hard almost every day since I got it. It really impresses me every time I take it out! At this price it's easy to justify upgrading when stuff breaks too, so I'm not bothered by the fact that the components are not top of the line.
I gave it 4 flamin chilis for overall rating only because the saddle and pedals are junk! No biggie though!
Bike Setup: Stock except for WTB saddle and Mallet 1 pedals
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
febutterfield
a Cross Country Rider
from Havelock
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2009
Strengths: Affordable, Solid, Exceeded my expectations, The warranty is worth the price of the bike.
Weaknesses: Heavy, Fork isn't the best, Pedals suck
Bottom Line:
My van broke down so I bought this bike to avoid the immediate stress of buying a car. I've ridden it back and forth to work everyday except weekends and haven't had any issues besides a few flats from ridding in the gutters(stay out of these mine fields).
I bought the bike knowing it wasn't the top of the Trek line and really didn't expect much. I planned on just keeping it as a filler bike until it was in my budget to upgrade to something closer to my dream bike in the 2K price range. Yeah... guess I don't dream that big.
I didn't expect much, but over the last few months I've been pretty happy with what I've got for the amount spent. It's nice having the Trek warranty to keep your mind at ease also.
The bike:
Looks: I'm sure this is a personal taste thing and shouldnt' have much impact on whether you buy a bike or not, but I love the color scheme and hte attention to details is great.
Frame: Seems almost bomb proof. I've got a feeling you'd almost have to smash through the wheels to cause the frame much stress.
Components: I wasn't impressed with any of them from the beginining. Now that I've been ridding it for a few months straight I don't have any complaints either.
Weight: It's heavy. I don't think it'd be a great investment trying to lighten it up. If the stuff breaks I suppose you could upgrade to lighter equipment.
I took it down the local trail just to see how it felt off road. The trail out here is pretty beat up. Besides having a difficult time maintaining contact with the stock pedals it felt pretty good. Unless you just plan on ridding to the corner store changing the pedals is a must. I'm pretty sure they just stick them on there so you could test ride the thing.
It's been my main mode of transportation for the last few months. Around town it handles great. The ridding position is comfortable and doesn’t seem to take a whole lot of body English to navigate curbs etc. I ride up and over some pretty big curbs that on my previous mountain bike I would've been eating. When I first started ridding this bike I expected to eat rocks a few times but this bike seems to just roll up and over anything with out to much punishment. This probably is due to the ridding position. The down side. The geometry doesn’t seem to efficient for long haul rides where you want the more cross country racer position and speed. For the price and its intended use...I think Trek did a good job.
Who should buy it:
Somebody that needs a good bike and on a limited budget, or new bikers that want to try out mountain biking with out emptying the piggy bank.
Who shouldn't buy it: Anyone that needs more of a bike than $400 is going to buy.
The bottom line: For a few more dollars than your department store special, you get a solid bike with a great warranty and your local bike shop to take care of you and your bike. In my case; it's few hundred dollars well spent.
Bike Setup: Stock except Crank Bro's candy pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
danielnc06
a Weekend Warrior
from charlotte, nc
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2009
Strengths: DURABLE, controls easily on trails, rides smooth, wears good, fits pretty good, high and low gearing is good, shifts great once adjusted
Weaknesses: a bit heavy, but expected in this price range. i have some repeating flats with stock tires(25$ fix), stock seat is hard.
Bottom Line:
a 6'4" 240lbs friend gave it to me. his last wreck bent the handle bars and warped the wheel slightly. he rode this bike rough and it's still strong. i replaced the bars, seat, tires, trued the wheels and adjusted the derailers. and it shifts great. the derailers aren't bad components (shimano Acera, which are the same as a friends 1600$ Kona). They shift great. its a great beginner bike that you can't mess up. it could be lighter but its normal in this bikes class i guess. like any mtn bike, general maintainence and tune-ups are inevitable.
May order The Planet Bike Protege 9.0 wireless computer for my '09 3900 disc Trek bike. Everything is stock: Wheels= Alloy front hub, Shimano M475 rear hub; Matrix 550 rims w/brus Read More »
Might order The Planet Bike Protege 9.0 wireless computer for my '09 3900 disc Trek bike. Everything is stock: Wheels= Alloy front hub, Shimano M475 rear hub; Matrix 550 rims w/bru Read More »
I have a 2009 Trek 3900 with the stock Promax mechanical disc brakes. I was rotating the front wheel today inspecting the bike and heard a faint squeling sound. After closer inspe Read More »
I'm a newbie haven't really rode a bike in years and I'm getting the itch to start riding again, I'm not gonna be a hardcore trail rider but if I decide I wanna hop on a trail I wa Read More »
