Hi all,

New to the forums, so far I've found a lot of good reads on here in regards to facts about different bikes/components, as well as people's personal opinions of them.

In reading through some threads here - as well as on other sites - I've pretty much settled on a Trek 4300* mountain bike for my entry into light-mid trail biking (though mostly street/grass type riding).
I stopped by my LBS and had a look at the 4300 up close, gave it a test and it feels pretty good (the salesperson suggested a size 18 frame for me, which I'll get to in a moment).
Overall I feel the frame and components (from the little I know about bike components) are pretty good value for the overall price of the bike ($369 US).

While the salesman was showing me the bike, he mentioned that they had just (literally today) put together the first of the 2007 year of the Trek 4300 bikes they had received, and showed it to me. As far as we could tell from inspecting the components, it is the exact same bike as the 2006 model, aside from the paint job (subtle gray as opposed to silver/blue) and the handgrips were very slightly different. The price difference between the two bikes is twenty dollars, however.

I was curious whether anybody knows if there are anything other than superficial changes to the new 2007 model year of the Trek 4300 compared to the 2006? Their website doesn't even list 2007s yet, and I can't find anything about it via Google, either.

I'm also curious if anybody knows what "grade" of aluminum is used in Trek frames? Some other manufacturers list the aluminum in their frames as 6061 or 7005, etc. but Trek lists theirs as some proprietary "SuperLight Aluminum" without giving any other information as to the make up of it. I was just curious how the overall quality of the frame is compared to some other manufacturers. Also, a run-down of what the 6061 etc. rating means would be great

My third question is regarding general bike fit. The salesman had me stand over the bike and lift it up from the seat and handlebars until it was snug up between my legs in order to check the clearance the wheels had from the floor. I felt like the bike might be slightly too tall when I was mounting/dismounting (size 18, I'm 5'11" average) but he said it looked about right from his angle. I'm curious what guidelines there are as far as "quick tests" to check the general size of frame to get? As I said overall, the bike felt pretty good, but I am not sure of what details to keep an eye out for to determine the best fit.

Thanks in advance.

* Not sure if the link will work. It takes me to the main Trek page when I click it, but loads the bike if I paste it in the address bar.

Are you sure that the "new 2007" model wasn't simply a 2006 WSD? That's the color they are and I would think it's a bit early in the year for the 07's to be hitting the shops already. But then, who knows..

Re Frame question:

Dont worry about the 6061 or 7005 numbers. Some people think one is better then the other, or one is 'lighter' but that is rubbish. Its got something to do with the grade of aluminium in it, but you shouldn't worry at all about it. The SL or Superlight means that is is lighter then the others i can tell you that . It will have a 'grade' (6061 for eg.). I'm not sure what it is, but if they didn't list it i wouldn't be worrying.

DONT buy a bike on what the Sales Person thinks...they can help you along the way, but in the end its all PERSONAL PREFERENCE. Dont go buy any 'heigh to frame size' rule, no one should ever do that. Some people might prefer a 'higher' bike then others, someones inseam may be longer, it depends on your riding style as to which size to get. However 18" does sound a bit short if you are almost 6' but dont go buy what i say .

Can't comment on the 2007 range...i think its a bit early though.

Good luck

1. I don't know the differences but I am pretty familiar with the 4300's. I have two of them, one is 2003 and the other is a 2004. I've got about 14,000 miles between the two. Chances are the changes will be subtle and minor.


2. Don't know the "grade" of the aluminum. I do know that stock 19.5" 4300 will weigh around 32 lbs. So it's pretty heavy if you care. I've lightened mine up some. One is down to 28 lbs with a rigid fork. Don't worry much about the frame, it is fine. They use the same frame clear up to the 6500, so it is a good frame.

3. An 18" sounds about right for you. I ride a 19.5" and i am 6'2". I could ride a 21 but I really prefer to stay on the smaller end of the spectrum. For one the bike will be lighter, for another you can fall off the saddle and still have a love life.


Keep in mind that these are entry level bikes. You aren't going to go too terribly wrong, with the money invested. Most snobs look down on us 4300 owners. I couldn't care less. I've ridden mine more than most people who own bikes that cost 10 times as much.

Well it's definitely not just a stock WSD bike if it is one... The paint isn't the shiny gray/silver with baby blue lettering of the 4300 WSD 2006. It's a lighter matte gray with white lettering. The seat is definitely not the WSD style, but that could've possibly been replaced. I didn't (at the time) know the difference between the handlebars and cranks between the regular 2006 and the WSD 2006, so I'll take a look at that come Monday when I see the bikes again. If it IS somehow a WSD then it would have to be a WSD that was repainted, with at least some components from the non-WSD model. Seems odd (and I hope unlikely) that a bike dealer would do something dishonest like that and claim it as a "new model."
Is it possible/common for bike manufacturers to release items before announcing them? And what about "limited edition" bikes? I'm new to all this so I don't know what to expect. It's like buying my first car all over agian

I am still unable to find any mention of a 2007 model anywhere online, however, which does seem very odd.

To everybody else:

Thanks for the suggestions and info. I will be keeping all of that in mind as I continue researching this and (hopefully) preparing to buy my first "real" bike (my last one was some old steel behemoth from a department store ).
Keep the info coming. Any and all suggestions for this newbie are welcome.

If anybody else has any kind of info regarding a 2007 model of the Trek 4300 it would be really helpful. Has anybody else heard anything at their LBS?

Just a guess, Alpha aluminum= 6061
ZR 9000= 7005 Oh yeah Don't forget that it's hardened with Zirconium!
It's hard to get by all the marketing jargen used to make something sound more than it really is, and I'm not trying to suggest one company does it any more than any other, or tries to mislead. They truly believe their product is better, because of the extra step they take. To me it's six of one...........

It's not unusual that you can't find any info on the Trek 2007 model. They haven't been "officially" released yet. They slowly release a few and then "release" them in the Fall I believe. Happens the same way every year. So don't regard that as unusual, it is perfectly normal.

The thing that is unusual is that your LBS has one and can't tell you about the changes. Simply set the bikes side by side and look. Chances are that the changes are very, very minor.

hehe cool i have a trek 4300 too! blue n silver is supposivly the only model/color that trek made at the time. how old are you?

22 here, but just getting interested in biking on a regular basis. Trek's website shows different colors of the 2006 model 4300, but the bike shop hadn't heard of the alternate color on that model year at all, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

Since the LBS had just received the bike that day, I'm presuming the lack of knowledge on it was due to its newnessosityishnitude...ness... of the model ().
As of right now I'm leaning toward the '06 if they have any size 18 frames of it, else the 2007, although I do like the paintjob on the '07 better.
The 2007 looks nicer but when we looked over the components at the LBS, they all looked to be the same; same derailleurs, cranks, pedals, seat, fork, and pretty sure the frame and handlebars were the same as well. If there really aren't any better components, I don't know if I can justify the 20 dollar price difference for just a prettier paint job.
I'll be heading back to the LBS on Monday to check things out in a bit more detail and get some more test riding done to see how things feel.

One question I have is whether there would be any cautionary warnings against getting the newest model year before it's been out for a while so people can review it? As I mentioned briefly, this seems similar in some ways to car buying, and I know in general it's best to get reviews of cars before buying them, especially when they come out with a new model year. Are there any such worries with bikes?

Also, I'm curious what I should look for in regards to height and ease of mount/dismount from the bike. The size 18 frame had the seat up pretty high and was slightly awkward in getting on and off of it. Are there general rules of how high the seat should be in relation to the bars?

Again, any pointers are welcomed =)

Nope i wouln'dt worry. Its the same bike, just the newer model. It should be just as reliable as this years model.

It depends on the coniditon your doing the riding in. If you blazing downhill then you may want the seat lower so you can control the bike better, but if your blazing up hill a higher seat height will maximumize pedal effeciency.

I have markings on my seatpost, and i suggest you should put some markings on when you get your new bike. I have the 'maximum' marking for when i'm riding fast, seat is up high, higher then level to the handlebars. I have another marking for when i'm doing a bit of downhill riding, i put the seat down a lot so its easier for me to balance back over the bike and manovure without the seatpost getting in the way.

Also the Treks should have a lifetime frame warrently and 12months on parts, so if anything goes wrong it will be fixed free of charge .

i sure do love that warrenty i go in almost every month

I bought it

I went with the 2007 because they didn't have any of the 2006 with 18" frame in stock. I like it a lot and I'm about to go out riding with a friend of mine for my first lengthy ride.

One thing I notice is that I get a little bit of noise in certain gear combinations. Is the chain generally supposed to be completely silent after it shifts? The noise doesn't sound real bad, but it sounds like some part of the chain might be touching something on the down stroke of the right crank when I'm in certain gears. Should I get it checked out immediately for that, or just avoid that gear until I take it in for my free tune up?

Pictures! Post Pictures! I wanna see that 2007 4300.

And don't worry about that gear thing.

The chain rubbing against the front derillure cage (which is the problem your having) is normal in some gear combinations. You will find it rub when your in gear 1 (smallest chain ring) at the front, and your highest gear at the back (8 or 9) that the chain will be diagonally across so it could be rubbing on the deraillure cage at the front. Sometimes i put up with it, other times it can be slightly adjusted out by tenioning/untensioning cable, other times i just avoid that gear and use another one of my 28combinations .

I suggest you run the bike flat out for 3 - 4 weeks, then take it back for its free tune up. IN this time all the cables will have slightly stretched and they will need to be adjusted. Also you would have 'worn' in your bike and things will need re-adjusting/checking. Tell them about this chain rubbing problem also and they may fix it. After this service your bike should be performing just as good if not better then it was when you first bought it.

Whew, that was a good ride. The saddle is pretty firm on this bike, and I think my rear is gonna be hurting come tomorrow

Here are some pics of the bike. Sorry for the low quality shots, I just propped the bike up in my room (where I keep it, no garage =\) to take a few snaps. The new paint job is a bit more subtle than the 2006's blue/silver, but I actually like it better. I took a couple pics of the components, but they are all the same as the 2006. Kind of rough to pay 20 bucks more for just a paintjob, but I DO like it better, so it's for the best.

Besides, I got something brand spankin new

As for the rubbing sounds, I figured it was the front deraileur making the noise, but to clarify it, it doesn't only happen only when I'm cross-shifted like you described, blue_neon. It also happens in some gears, like when I'm in 2-8 (front-rear), or when I'm in the end gears on either side (whether both on the leftmost gears or both on the rightmost gears).
Also I've felt the gears skip off a few times, or shift late (click and hold, nothing happens, release, nothing happens, a minute later I feel the chain pop onto the gear when I don't expect it), so something definitely needs adjusting. I don't think the sound is bad enough that it seems to be causing any abnormal wear, and I don't feel that it's unsafe, so I had already planned to do as you suggest and ride the bike pretty hard and then go in for my tune up =)

One question: does anybody know if removing the rear wheel (via quick release) is likely to misadjust the shifters at all? I just wonder because to transport the bike, I currently have to take off both wheels to fit it in my car (Honda Civic 2-door) since I have no bike rack. If taking the wheels off hurts adjustment, I won't want to take it around much, but I really want to be able to take it places to ride on some trails a couple hours away.

Thanks for all the input, everybody =)

Man that looks neat, really nice looking bike, definitely worth the extra 20$, I'm also willing to bet there is an actual difference, maybe its geometry maybe you have a Shimano Alivio 2007 in there or some RST Gila T7 or something like that lol, I don't know but the truth is I would have payed the extra 20$ for the paintjob alone in a heartbeat too.

(THAT IS ONE FABULOUS TREK, IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER THEN THE '06 MODEL ).


Removing the wheel will not un-adjust anything, especially not the gears.


Removing wheel propably:

Deflate the tyre completley, un-do the v-brakes (by squeezing them together and pulling the 'silver' housing that is on the outer brake arm out and up), then slide the wheel out (you may need to loosen the quick release more to be able to do this). Now, a very important thing to note is when doing this for the rear wheel, follow the steps above but always shift the gear into your highest gear (smallest cog) at the rear. This will make it easy for you to slip the chain on afterwards when putting the wheel back in .

Re-Installing:

The most imporant thing to remember when re-installing the wheel (front and back) is to have the bike ON THE GROUND when your tightening up the quick release! You can put the wheel in with the bike off the ground (say on a stand), but you should always then take the bike off the stand, place it straight standing up on the ground , un-do and then re-tighten the quick release. This will make sure that the wheel is correctly in place (it's either seated correctly or it's not).

Also the problem you are experiencing with the rear gears not shifting smoothly is because of the cable tension, it may need loosning or tightening, but i would worry about it yet, that will all be fixed up in the first service .

You have a great bike! Ride it as much as you can before you take it in again! Enjoy

Good Luck and ENJOY!

(in time you will learn how to adjust brakes and gears yourself, they are quite easily and its good to know how to do this. www.parktool.com taught me from scratch when i was learning, in the long term it will save constant trips back to the LBS. https://www.parktool.com/repair/. )

This is cool. I'm right at 6' and have had my eye on this bike for a little while. In fact, my LBS has the flat silver 07's in. I'm planning to pick up the exact same bike and size this weekend. So now that you've had it for a few weeks, how do you like it? How is the 18" frame working for you now that you've been able to ride it for a while. I think that's what I'm going to end up on.

nice bike!

I absolutely love the bike. I ride it every other day and just go out and wear myself out having a great time. The size of the frame isn't awkward for me at all anymore, it just took me a bit to get used to it because I never rode a bike of the proper size before.
I can tell I really have a lot more power available with the height of the seat as it is compared to my last bike. My last bike I was much further down and didn't extend my leg properly on each down-stroke of the pedals.

I don't have a lot of experience with bikes, but I highly recommend this one. When I went back for my adjustment the LBS owner told me they were completely sold out of them, so it's pretty popular =)