bike people

[funkymatt]

looking to get a newish mtn bike, mostly for casual riding with the wife and kid, but there are some decent trails locally that i may do by myself.
I Found a Trek 4500 for $165 on craigslist. Is there anything that i should look for when i go to check it out? Any other brands i should be looking at?

 

[Safeway]

Don't buy a cheap bike retail. They will break and potentially hurt you in the process. Trek, Specialized, Scott, Cannondale, ... there are loads of reputable manufacturers.

Try to get something with Shimano Deore or better components. Shimano components worth buying are: Deore, LX, XT, XTR.

 

[funkymatt]

thanks for the input!

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: funkymatt
looking to get a newish mtn bike, mostly for casual riding with the wife and kid, but there are some decent trails locally that i may do by myself.
I Found a Trek 4500 for $165 on craigslist. Is there anything that i should look for when i go to check it out? Any other brands i should be looking at?

That's a good deal on that bike. I have one hanging in my garage right now actually. I bought it for my wife a few years ago used (it looked brand spanking new-like it had never been ridden...not even once) and I paid $200 for it...it is pretty much bomb proof.

 

[funkymatt]

ended up getting it. the after market seat that was installed was a real pain (pun intended). surprisingly the stock seat is much more comfortable. i've gained quite a bit of weight since i last rode a bike, so my perceived center of gravity was off. almost ate it braking around a turn on dirt.
thanks for the info guys, this seems like a nice bike!

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I have a trek 4500 I just bought a month ago brand new. It was $650 but on sale for 550. I love it. I ride mine mostly on some trails around downtown Ft. Worth. I also take it around a park by my house which has some hills and dirt trails. Like being 10y/o again. Is it hard to ride a bicycle for someone in your situation? Meaning your just trying to get back in shape? I always keep myself in great shape and riding a bike seems really easy. I'm just wondering if thats the norm?

 

[funkymatt]

it's been about 5 years since i've even been on a bike, in that time period i've gained about 40lbs. I went about a mile on a paved trail and was pretty winded, so i definitely need to keep at it. For reference, i used to be able to bike 10+ miles to college and back without a problem. I also got a back rack so hopefully this will encourage me to take it to the market and on short trips rather than take the car, i just need to attach a crate.

the actual model i got was the 4500 alpha.