"Bought this bike from the local bike store , staff talked me into it over the 3700 , I'm not an expert and my previous bike was a online brand hybrid . I bought the 22.5 bronze color , I was excited to ride and wanted to wait until may actual birthday to ride . Ooooh the pain from the seat was my 1st thought , my 2nd was is this really a 22.5 ? The bike felt compact and very uncomfortable to me . I was later told the hybrid bikes are a little long . The pedals felt like the we're from a kids bike and too small . I'm 6 4 " 195lbs and a 13 shoe , nothing abnormal but this bike was extremely uncomfortable and not or me , I'm a little disappointed but I'm going to trade it in for the Gary Fisher Kaitai ........"

"Exactly one year to the day I purchased my Trek 4300 orange and was impressed right off the bat. Now for the update.



The only components I have changed thus far have been pedals and grips. I replaced the pedals with Shimano PDM-540's and the grips with Odi Intense locking. Yeah and one other thing: just because of my arm length I replaced the 110 mm stem with a 125 mm which my LBS did for free.



For the price (was $100 cheaper a year ago, same everything as a 2009) this bike has outperformed many other name brand bikes that are of a higher caliber. When I ride I show no mercy, and has not failed me yet.



For an entry-level bike and even a little beyond, it will not disappoint. No comfort issues with the seat BTW but tires, well not really that bad if you stay out of the mud and even then its not that big of a deal. Builds character."

"This bike is my first (real) "mountain bike" purchase. Prior to this bike, I bought a Mountain Bike from[...] one word, the bike sucked! The TREK 4300 is like riding on clouds in heaven. I am so stoked I got this bike; however, I am still in shock over how expensive bikes are. They had a bike that was $5000. For that price, it should come with an engine. I guess if your an avid cyclist, then it's well worth it I suppose. I have to say that this bike is worth every penny spent! I have had it for about a week so far and it has well exceeded my expectations. It's matted black finish (anti-color) makes the bike attractive. I don't know very much about bikes, but I do know that this bike rides super smooth and the shifting is practically silent and effortless. It has ajustable front shock for riding different terrains. I bought this bike for exercising purposes, it works very well in acheiving its purpose. I so plan to use it off road sometime in the near future. For the most part, it's design really caught my attention not to meantion its brand recognition. Definately pleased with the quality of the bike and look forward to riding it for a very long time!"

"I've had my 4300 for several years now and quite frankly, I love it. It is extremely controllable on any terrain, and will perform any task you set before it. Although not the best mountain bike out there, you can't beat it for a mix of trail riding and hardcore off-roading. Comfortable and relatively light weight, it will both climb and descend with ease. The frame is one of the best out there. All of the components on it are good quality and durable. They have withstood a crash (or several) on dirt, pavement, and rocks. The only issues I have with the bike are not wide enough tires (although they aren't terrible) and a slow shifter (which may be fixed on the newer models). Overall, it's an amazing bike and a great all-rounder. I have put several hundred miles on mine.



*On a side note, I have modified and upgraded some of the components slightly, although this does not affect my review of this bike."

"I got my Trek 4300 about a year ago from my local bike dealer and I'll have to say that this is a very impressive entry-level bike. The front suspension and some other components are not efficient enough to fulfill the demands of a "hardcore" off-road cyclist but on the other hand the geometry and build quality of the frame is amazing! (nice sandblasted charcoal black paint) In addition the bike itself is lightweight and durable, allowing it to be used excessively throughout the day.



Overall when you pay for a bike like this you are paying mainly for the light and durable frame. The stock components and front suspension could pass for now, but LATER in your biking career if you are serious about this bike I would recommend upgrading the components."

"I bought one and for two years have loved it for casual use. It is pretty sweet. The bike stops and handles very well. Its ride is extremely smooth. The front suspension is nice, and has a lot of adjustment range. It also is great and fun to ride.



Recently though I have begun riding far longer on it (went from 75 miles in two years, to nearly 120 in a month)and I've found a few issues. While I found it riding smooth, the seat is very uncomfortable. I've also had issues getting it past 30 miles without the gears not shifting correctly and causing the chain to hop off the gears (yes I've had different people including myself set it up). The brakes and tread on the tires are also starting to look worn. Finally it does not shift smoothly into high gears at all, despite no issues at all with the others.



Overall, I like this bike, and think its well put together, but the stock brakes and tires wear rather fast, plus the gear shifters don't work as well as they could. I feel it is a good bike, but held back by the quality of some parts."

"I bought this bike the other day and took it on some intermediate trails. This bike handled everything that i could throw at it. I only ride on trails and about two times a week, and plan to enter a race with this bike. The brakes on the bike are fine without disk brakes. The shocks were good so far, and are adjustable. The tires worked good and are very durable and strong over rocks and rough terrain. The gears and derailleurs were better than i thought they would be and surprised me the most about this bike. The only negative about the bike is going up steep inclines, bc the bike being a little bit heavy. The amount of bike you get vs the money is well worth it, if your looking in this price range this is a perfect well rounded trail ready bike!"

"I purchased this bike from Bob's in Rome, GA about 2 months ago. I've had an opportunity to ride it a bit and find it to be an excellent bike. The stock tires and components are more than adequate for most cyclists and situations. The shifting is quiet and smooth, and climbing is a breeze. The appearance is excellent and the brakes are solid.



The only negative is the stock seat. I replaced mine at point of purchase with a better seat, and it's made a significant difference in comfort. I strongly recommend upgrading the seat as soon as possible.



Overall, this bike is very enjoyable to ride and is perfect for a casual/mid-level cyclist."

"Hello, when I started ridding I used my freinds bike which was a Trek 820. I wasnt sure if i would end up ridding much or buying a bike but after a dozen rides I was sold. I went to my local Trek Dealer and debated which bike to buy and how much to spend. I looked online and saw that the 4300 had great reviews and went and test rode it. I bought the bike which is a 2011 model and since then i have rode and conquered with it. For the price this is one of the best investments i have ever made. I have 'Tronched' Many trails and mountain bike at least 12 miles every day and on the weekends do considerable more. I knew i was buying a quality product from Trek but this is truly amazing.



I ride a lot of hard terain and a good ammount of technical. Roots,Trees,Rocks,Logs and loose gravel are all a breeze for this bike. I use the fork lock out alot, especialy when riding from one set of trails to another on road. Now that i have rode for awhile i do wish i could upgrade the bike with 29ers but that will be my next bike......in 10 years. I have just recently bought a bike repair stand and tool kit and started doing maintenience my self. I rode over three hundred Miles and have just started to perform maintenence on it, which has been a breeze. The tires are to weak for my riding and are going to be replaced soon. They seem more like light trail/urban tires which i dont do much of and is all personal preference.



I feel like i will have this bike for the rest of my life because it is so durable and easy to ride and easy to maintain. This is a Great mountain bike and for the price it is unbeatable!"

"This bike was my first mountain bike (2006 model) and was not at all disappointing, making sure the frame fits perfectly would have been something I would do differently if given the chance to re-do, and also save up and get the disk brake edition aswell if I had it to do again. The bike has plenty going for it as a beginner's XC bike, but will not handle dirt jumping, technical downhill, or north shore style riding. It's a great climber, and feels good on singletrack, rushes through fire roads, and stops for nothing on any trail intended for even above average riders. It's all the rider using the bike's light weight to get over obstacles on some trails rather than just rolling over things like on a full-suspension rig, but as a, once again, beginner's bike, it's perfect. Get the disk brake edition if you want a bike that's going to last as your permanent XC hardtail, and make sure you get it fit perfectly, don't do anything silly like expect that you'll grow into the higher standover. At some point you'll want a new bike, but a good hardtail like this one doesn't need to get thrown it. This makes a great relaxing challenging ride, even when the user now has a full-suspension bike, or dirt jumper, or downhill, or whatever they got into down the ride. Hardtails are always a fun thing to go back to and ride on the nearest scenic singletrack, or challenge on a climb, or just ride around town."