Trek 4500
 

I bought a Trek 4500 a few months ago and I love it. I was just wondering what some good upgrades would be for this bike? Thank you for any advice.

If you don't think there is anything wrong with the bike, leave it as is. Save your money for when you break something.

Better, sealed shifter cables help with the shifting.
Clipless pedals.

I also have a trek 4500 the bike is built pretty solid for the mostpart I have to agree wait till you start busting stuff then upgrade it. But if you just feel like a little change is neccasary tires are a pretty good start, maybe a set of pedals.

Oh... forgot... better brake pads!

Go for clips. Other than that, sealed cables would be nice. Everything else is fine.

The Trek 4500 is a pretty nice bike...I put some clipless pedals on (Mallet C's), new brake pads, and a seat. Along with a few basic accessories (seat bag, pump, headlight, tail light).

Runs great... probably not changing anything else.

In four years have replaced the V-brake pads and tires. Everything else works well!

May I ask what kind of riding you have put it through? I test rode one and it was pretty solid to my nubbish eye, but then I read a bunch of reviews on it they were very mixed.

I ride one and I ride aggressive cross country. It holds up through rock gardens and larger drops, creeks, and etc.

Yep. I've been riding mine for 5 years. The only parts I've swapped are the stem (lower rise for better XC geometry) and the pedals (for clipless).

I have about half road miles and half trail miles. I usually ride on the Cedar Hill TX State Park bike trail, it works pretty well over roots, rocks and logs without a lot of frame flexing. The Bontrager tires have decent grip on dirt and turf, they are not so great (vibration) for paved surfaces.

I have around 150 miles on the bike, it has been worth the money so far.

I have a 2006 Trek 4900 Disk, and I love it. However, after riding it for six months now- I have become a weight weenie. At close to 34lbs, the hardtail could stand to be lighter. The best upgrade I did was the clipless pedals- wow....what a difference the ride became! I noticed pedaling has become more easier, due to the pulling action of pedaling upstrokes now. Like I said, I am not satisfied with the Judy1 80mm forks, and the stock cranks kinda suck. Where else can I shave off more weight?

Got a 4500, love it... Of course I have to since my first bike is a wal-mart one. Anyway, the brake pads don't stop too well, and I'm too cheap to change them. The tires wear out very fast, the LBS repalced them for $15 for some Bontrager Connection Trail for the back. Plus they wash out on the slightest turn on tiny gravel. Dart 1 Fork isn't all that great, but it's a starter. Everything else is fine, the pedals are all metal and don't break.

I think the better question is: What do you feel needs to be upgraded?

New fork, wheelset, and crank/bb are good places to save weight (at least about a pound each), but are relatively expensive. Cheaper areas would be the cockpit, saddle/seatpost, and chain/cassette. You can maybe take off 50-200g around from each one of those. There are some tires out there that around a pound each (half the weight of wire beads, maybe?). Avid SD SL v-brakes are only about 150g and stop as well as most mech disc brakes (not when soaking wet, though), except for maybe the Avid BB7s.

Upgrade the wheelset, crankset, brakes, shirters, handlebars, seatpost, headset, pedals, the frame...and you will be good to go......it should not cost you more than $1500....and you will get a very light bike for riding around the park....

just kidding....

if you love the bike...why change? I know "upgrade" is an infectious word in bike forums or any bike circles. thats somewhat keeps the industry going. and highly effective marketing teams with thousands of dollars are doing a good job of making us feel inadequate. so, the moment you get a bike, you feel like you need to change things..you need to upgrade....while certain upgrades are necessary for comfort or performance, I would argue that most upgrades are overly costly and unnecessary. and they dont make real deference in performance.

Now, there are a few things that may make your ride a bit more comfortable......like a riser bar, saddle of your preference, a set of ergonomic grips - lock on grips make a huge difference in installlation and removal, pedals....and sometimes, tires - tires that suit your riding style and terrain......

you can do most of these changes yourself.....but, for the rest of the bike, I would change or upgrade as things break or wear out.

now, ride your bike and have fun. pay attention to your bike and your body and they will tell you what to change.