Advantages: Top Quality, first class frame
Disadvantages: a few cheap components

...BEWARE: full of bikers stuff. A long long time ago I was an avid mountain bike fan. There were times when I was covering over 100 miles a day and clearing 10000 miles a year. So I ran quality bike s that would get me around quickly and with minimal effort. I was a cycle courier for a time whilst I decided what to do with myself and on starting a career jib stopped cycling and eventually sold my expensive bikes on. About 3 years ago I bought a Trek 8000 mountain bike. I bought this in a sale for £1100 pounds. I did my home work and came up with the 8000 as a good all round cross country bike that would give me all I needed for a lot less than I used to pay. FRAME. My bike has to be big as I am 6'3". So I opted for the largest I could get. They come in various sizes in inches which your local supplier can advise you on, which... Read review

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Advantages: Good Price, Quality Groupset, Reliable
Disadvantages: Poor Fork

...I bought myself a brand spanking new Trek 4500 2004 edition as a foot into the door of mountain biking. Since purchasing the bike I been out on regular offroad expeditions (some of which have punished the bike quite hard, in the lakes & peaks) and my 4500 has stood up very nicely. The groupset is all good quality stuff, deore rear mech & shifters, Alivio front mech - all Mega 9 drivetrain (i.e. 27 gears). The brakes are competent, ok promax affairs however the real problem is the fork. The supplied ROCKSHOX Judy TT is a spring/elastomer fork and whilst its fine for tow path riding and light mountain-biking it really does lack on technical downhill sections. The pre-load adjuster does next to nothing and travel is sticky and unpredictable. However it is better than no fork at all and you can always upgrade! Pretty much all... Read review

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Advantages: fast, light, high spec for cheap price
Disadvantages: None

...to be increased quite significantly to get anything that would last. I spent hours researching, joining forums (I highly recommend Bike Radar) etc in order to find the ideal bike in my budget. Whilst taking my trusty steed of a mountain bike to Pauls Cycles in Dereham I thought that I'd better have a quick look at the small selection of racers in the shop. It was there I saw it…… The Trek 1200 in black and red. I knew the Trek name and knew that they were generally a good, quality brand. That was it though. The price was £799 which was way over my budget, but because it was a 2006 model I could have something knocked off it. The bike was described as 'shop soiled' since it had fallen over and had a tiny scratch on the frame. If the bloke hadn't told me this I would never have noticed it despite looking over the bike thoroughly. This led... Read review

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Advantages: Good re-introduction to road bikes
Disadvantages: expense and pedals

...daughter finished her Istanbul to London lone cycle, she began planning an idiotic cycle around the coastline of India. Once that plan came to fruition at the start of this year, it was clear that any hint she gave of future cycling plans, should be taken seriously. So the planning has begun for her solo circumnavigation of the world by pedal power on land and sea, in world record time! Preparation for that requires some quick spins - so Lands End - John O'Groats and Belfast - Dublin are being suggested. Clearly, Dad needed a bike to keep her company. 2 The Frightening Choice Once a bike was a bike was a bike. Now there is a frightening choice of road bikes plus hybrids, plus tourers, plus mtbs and urban ones too. Since dear daughter has such vast experience of bikes, her advice led me in the general direction of the Trek brand... Read review

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Advantages: Great Price, Great Components, Super Reliability
Disadvantages: None whatsoever

...After 3yrs and 9000 miles of loyal service my original Trek 1500 road bike gave up the ghost after coming off second best with a battered old Nissan Micra!! I guess that proves that steel is stronger than Aluminium!! My insurance company were great and sorted me out with a replacement within 2 weeks. I was delighted to find that the actual replacement was going to be the new 2006 model which features several improvements from the bike that I had previously. The price of the bike is £1300 fully delivered and set up, but upgrades to components such as saddle / wheels and pedals can bring the cost up if you want. I booked a day off work to receive delivery of my bike, which arrived as planned and only required adjustment to the handlebars, seat-post and saddle. Berkshire Cycle Company who were the approved insurance dealers set... Read review

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Advantages: Lightweight, Durable, Value for Money
Disadvantages: No lock out on the forks, no disc brakes, poor quality chainset

...After a long break from cycling I decided to get back into mountain biking. My budget was limited and I wanted something lightweight and durable. After coming across the Trek 4300 my mind was quickly made up, lovely lightweight frame that wouldn't be out of place on bikes twice the price. A reasonable set of Shimano Alvio shifters and forks with adjustable pre-load. Perfect for what I wanted, something I could commute to work on but also give a good thrashing around the local MTB routes. The bike is versatile, the adjustable pre-load works well and although the forks aren't fantastic, they'll serve you well as long as you're not throwing it off 6 foot drop offs. The only things really letting this bike down are the Suntour SR cranks. Mine were poorly fitted and the pedals had been cross threaded which meant that when I went... Read review

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Advantages: Quality frame and finishing kit
Disadvantages: BB and crankset could be better

...Ok, if like me you are new to MTB and want your first bike, chances are you read the mags and believe that an every day, usable bike will cost £500 plus. Not So. I have just purchased a Brand new model trek 4300 for £299. It has the ASL frame from higher up the range, Bontrager finishing Kit, Cane Creek head set and Alivio Mechs. New style Bontrager Connection Tyres and good sturdy Matrix 750 rims and Grind 323 forks (same internal make up as judy tt and lighter into the bargain). Only downside is square taper BB and suntour cranks, but hey, what do you expect for 300 quid? I use this bike everyday, and as i weigh in at just under 16 stone, i put some weight on the cranks and they are still standing. This bike puts up with a lot from me as i ride some very rocky trails and it is still all in order ( 200 miles and 10 days) not long I... Read review

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Advantages: Best fun you'll ever have on four wheels
Disadvantages: Potentially dangerous if not handled responsibly

...your centre of gravity stable and to avoid taking a nasty tumble. But rather that “lean” as you do on a bike you have to shift your backside around on the seat. Over to the right if the bike is leaning to the left, (and vice versa) and forward and back on the seat when you are going up and down hills. A quick word on going up a steep hill. Avoid giving the bike too much throttle, as you are liable to flip the front wheels upwards, and end up with a heavy machine crashing down on top of you. (NOT recommended!) During this practice session, Andy kept a watchful eye on all the riders to assess their different levels of proficiency and confidence, and then placed the least proficient riders at the front of the line up for the trek, in order that he could keep watch over them more closely. Personally, I took to riding the bikes like... Read review

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Advantages: great customer service, great quality
Disadvantages: Matching accessories not available

...On Tuesday 27 March, my son turned three making him officially a "big boy" as he reminds us on at least an hourly basis. His dad and I thought it only appropriate to celebrate this graduation into "big-boyhood" by buying him his first "big boy" bike. Kyle is an extremely active and strong boy and the level of destruction he can cause is extraordinary to say the least so it was vital that we found a bike that could withstand the endurance test that is hurricane Kyle and unfortunately, it was doubtful that the Spiderman bike from Argos he had his eye on was going to do the trick. With this in mind I started to do some research online into different options. One brand in particular kept popping up in reviews and newspaper/magazine articles. That brand was Isla Bikes. Now, I am not particularly knowledgeable when it comes... Read review

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Advantages: It's Star Trek.
Disadvantages: It's Star Trek.

...One day last week i was in my local shop getting my usual daily stock of cigs and chocolate. I was just about to leave when it caught my eye. A very large piece of cardboard( about the size of 2 A4 sheets of paper) with the words Star trek on it and a magazine and a dvd stuck to it.It had grabbed my attention when i looked furtherer i noticed that it was a new magazine series about star trek. It comes with a dvd of a particular film or tv episode and a magazine about that dvd and it only costs £3.99 (after the first issue the price goes up to £7.99). So being a bit of a star trek fan i decided that this was too good an opportunity to miss so i bought it. For those of yous that don't know about star trek (where have you been for the last 40 years) here is a brief description of what star trek is. Star trek( this is now know as tos... Read review

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