Beginner

Quoted message said:

Hi, I am new to mountain biking and I was wondering what Trek bike would
be
a good bike to start off on. I Have $400.00. I know that I could afford
the
Trek 4300. I wondered if the it a good bike for the money, is it a good
bike
for a beginner? Should I go with a different name brand, or should I save
more money(if so what is a better Trek model)? what do you suggest?

Within that price range, the 4300 is a very nice model, assuming you
actually want to do some off-road riding. It's also important that you find
a good shop that makes sure it fits you correctly (which is more than just
standing over the top tube) and will take care of it down the road. If you
want to get into more hard-core off-road riding, the better forks on the
4500 would be appreciated, but thats a more expensive model (running a bit
under $500).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"Kris Osborn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I am new to mountain biking and I was wondering what Trek bike would
be
a good bike to start off on. I Have $400.00. I know that I could afford
the
Trek 4300. I wondered if the it a good bike for the money, is it a good
bike
for a beginner? Should I go with a different name brand, or should I save
more money(if so what is a better Trek model)? what do you suggest?

Thanks,

kosborn_91

Kris Osborn said:

Hi, I am new to mountain biking and I was wondering what Trek bike would be
a good bike to start off on. I Have $400.00. I know that I could afford the
Trek 4300. I wondered if the it a good bike for the money, is it a good bike
for a beginner? Should I go with a different name brand, or should I save
more money(if so what is a better Trek model)? what do you suggest?

I bought a 4500 two years ago, have rode it off road a fair amount on
some fairly rough trails, have done almost no maintenance on it, and it
keeps on going. So, based on my experience, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a
Trek again.

I don't know how a new 4300 compares to a two year old 4500, but I'm
guessing you'll be happy with it.

My 2 cents.

Rich

Kris Osborn said:

Hi, I am new to mountain biking and I was wondering what Trek bike would be
a good bike to start off on. I Have $400.00. I know that I could afford the
Trek 4300. I wondered if the it a good bike for the money, is it a good bike
for a beginner? Should I go with a different name brand, or should I save
more money(if so what is a better Trek model)? what do you suggest?

Thanks,

kosborn_91

I bought one used when I started riding again and thought it was a good
bike for the money. I eventually converted over to just riding road
bikes so I don't have it anymore, but I put about 500 city miles on it
in the few months I rode it. Though it was really the wrong bike for
the kind of riding I wound up doing, it was a reliable ride. I'd just
try to be sure that a mountain bike is what you want. Trek's entry
level (road or mountain) bikes seem to be pretty reasonably priced.