2004 or 2005 Trek
 

Hey guys,

I am looking at purchasing a used Trek bike. One is a 2004 Trek 4900 in very good condition and the other is a Trek 4900 in mint condition The difference is 300 USD versus 400 USD respectively. My question........is there any difference in components between the 04 and 05? I suspect they are the same bike just a year difference. Money is sorta tight so I am considering the 04 over the 05. Your thoughts are appreciated!!

Since both bikes are the same model, I am guessing they have similiar spec's. I would suggest getting 2004 one since nothing much would have changed (may be a paintjob). It is possible that Shimano and Bontrager may have changed designs of their bike components but the change is minimal. With that extra $100, you could probably spend it on some other bike accessory.

Actually, according to Trek's site, they didn't make a 4900 in '05 (?) Check the archive on the Trek site under '2003-2005' bikes.

Here's the specs on the '04:

'04 4900

If everything else is equal in terms of condition, save yourself $100 on the bike and spend it on accessories.

I can't speak for th 4900 series, but I have an '04 4500 and an '06 4500. Yes there are different components on the bikes like wheels, brakes, and crank. I personally haven't noticed enough of a difference in feel from one to the other to mention anything. And the parts move had to be fairly lateral since the overall cost of the bike didn't change much. I would think that this line of thought could be applied to other bike series as well. But I could be wrong.