che_lives90

I am thinking about buying this bike. It is 535.00 at my lbs and I checked it out and everything and it is really sweet.
So is it a good bike to buy for a begginer or is is a POS?

I want to ride trails with a tad bit of hucking and stuff of that sort...

Thanks and dont make fun o' because I start so many threads....I couldnt find any one this Trek...

snoopz666

on of my friends has a trek similar to that one and its held up really well to the trials hes started doing with it(has an 04 evolve now)but it got him going. all he did was get a zocchi exr and a front hayes mechanical. i dunno about hucks though.

lechwe

I hope you are looking at teh disc model for that price. I just bought 2 4500's for wife and I. We love them but we also got them for $399 each. I did get a substantial discount for buying 2 but MSRP without teh disc is $499 and with the disc is $599. My LBS will sell the disc for $539 and the others list them at $549. You aren't getting a deal but I don't think you are getting screwed either.

Good luck

shane45

My 4500 is three weeks old now. If you buy it knowing that it is not for jumping off cliffs or extreme DH racing, you won't be dissappointed.

The frame is strong - and lighter then I expected. The brakes are OK (I got the non-disc option). The stock platform pedals are pretty nice if you don't want (or need) to change them to clipless. I expected the stock Bontrager saddle to be an uncomfortable dissappointment - but it I was wrong. It is fine (for me.)

I find the bike very rear-heavy. It is a very frustrating balancing act that I need to perform when I go up a steep hill with any amount of rough stuff on it. I need to lean very far forward over the handlebars to avoid the uncomfortable feeling that this bike is going to do a wheelie out from under me when climbing. If I lean too far forward, then I lose all grip on the rear tire and spin and stall out. The stock Jones ACX tires may be partially responsible for this loss of traction. While they are not bad tires and I won't be replacing them until they wear out, I do have a set of Panaracer Fire XC Pro's on deck in my basement however. A bit of playing around with tire pressures may help too.

This bike is very skittish on the rough stuff at intermediate speeds. You need to slow down a bit and pick your line a bit more carefully then I would like. I'm sure most of this is to blame on the stock Judy TT fork. However, this fork does 90 percent of things fairly well, 90 percent of the time.

The shifters are fine, although I am very meticulous about keeping my der's clean, lubed and adjusted properly. I have never had any issues with the Acera front der. It is a very simple and effective design provided you keep it adjusted and lubed.

This bike has good gearing. The granny gear gets me up the big hills no problem and the big chainwheel allows for a decent amount of top-end speed. The stock chainwheels and cranks seem strong and flex free.

Over all, I think you will be very pleased with the bike, as long as you know what to expect from it going in. It is not for hucking or jumping. It will handle most intermediate trails fine - provided you slow down and pick a good line as I indicated above.

DK Drop

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che_lives90

Shane Thanks soooooo Much man that really made my day!! I think I am going to buy one.I probably wont huck at all or anything but I will be riding trails.Thanks to everyone for the replys.

iamlucky13

It's a great bike for beginners and a good learning platform. I've got a sense that a specialized might be a little better for hucking, but that's really only a gut feeling.

I've got a 2002 Trek 4500. It's been pretty good to me. I do an occassional drop on it and it's held up well so far (160 lb rider). The biggest has been 3 feet, but I definitely don't do that frequently

FreeFall

do you think that it would be better than a hardrock comp for hucking and jumping and such?

shane45

I would give the edge to the Hardrock, if hucking and jumping is your only criteria.

Drunken Chicken

I'm pretty damn sure the Hardrock is better of some hucks and jumping are included.

che_lives90

But I just want to ride some trails and stuff so yeah i am going to buy the 4500 thanks guys

Jason222

...the Bruiser 2 takes out trails and can be hucked...not much more expensive.

bruiserboy

yah the bruiser 2 is an awesome bike

OCTANE

Have u tried the 2005 GT avalanche 1.0 ?