help! is this bike O.K?
 

okay, i'm a roadie by heart, but i recently got into a pretty nasty wreck (invlolving a pickup, a frame broke in half, and an ER trip. long story.)and i found myself without a bike. i live RIGHT next to 93 acres of woods, including some nice looking riding spots. so i'm thinking...mountain bike!?!:D anyway, i checked out craigslist.com, and i found a guy with a Trek Alpha 4300. it's in good condition, no scratches, dents, front suspension, all gearing in good shape. is this cheap POS? or a good entry-level mountain bike? i'm not gonna be doing any downhill, jumping, just general riding.

it looks nice, but i have no expeiriance at all with these bike so dont trust me 100% on this. Looks good for just riding. What type of Brakes??

yea, alright. thanx for the input, it has Tektro V w/EF40 levers (brakeset)

Never imply that trek makes bikes out of poop. 4300 is great, i work at a bike shop and for an entry level, 3900 or 4300 is what i would recommend.

I have a 4300 and it still rides great after 3 years of road and dirt trails.

My friend has the same bike and has beat the crap outta that thing for years and it still holds up.

Yeah, it's a good beginner's bike. It might need some work though.

I have 2 4300's. One with 9000 miles and the other with 5,000. Most of these miles were on unpaved gravel and dirt roads. They are perfectly good bikes.

Treks make some nice bikes but before you invest in a used bike, I suggest going to all you local shops and test ride as many bikes in the same price range as a New 4300.

Through the buying/test riding experience make note of two things. FIT, i.e. how the bikes 'feel', the size of the frame, and the position of the seat and handlebars.

Secondly, the level of components. What type of fork, what type of shifters, derailleurs ....etc.

Then when you check out the used bike, you'll have a basic understanding of what you are looking for.

Out of all the bikes i look at, Trek seems to make some of the best all around bikes on the market. Everyone gets caught up in the names and what others ride and why but if you leave all that at the door and look at the bike for what it is instead of what it says on the frame, you will come to realise trek makes great bikes at all levels. I was never a fan of trek until I started trying them out compared to others in the same price classes. I found the Treks to have the best balance. I'm considering a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR but I keep remembering how good the same class trek Full sspension was...

Good luck with buying another bike, sorry to hear about your wreck.