Trek is a premium brand and you’ll always pay extra for a top notch bike. Sure you can get a slightly better bike if you look around and get lucky, but Trek offers quality bikes and have quite a reputation.
Trek mountain bikes are a solid choice. Trek makes sure to pick the right parts that fit their MTB’s and offer bikes in several price ranges. They offer lifetime warranty on frames and several years on other parts of their bikes.
You always have other options and to be honest, if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, you might want to look into Giant. Trek mountain bikes are lookers though, I hate to admit it but I also care for design.
Contents
Are Trek Mountain Bikes Worth the Money
Definitely yes! You get top quality MTB and service from a company that just keeps on winning contests. Trek has been around for a while and I had my doubts at first. After riding Trek for a couple of years I know my next bike will be a Trek. That’s personal preference so take it with a grain of salt. I just love the feel of their bikes and durability. I make sure it gets proper maintenance and clean it when it’s been one of those muddy days.
Trek offers mountain bikes in several price ranges so be aware that a cheap $700 Trek MTB will have offer quality gear compared to a bike in the 1200-1500 price range. This goes for most reputable brands, more money means better quality parts.
Talking about money, Trek offers a zero interest rate finance plan. I’m the type of person that not buys something until I have the money but it’s a very appealing deal. The first 6-12 months you pay zero interest, but after that, it is going to cost you a lot! So careful, only do this if you expect to pay it off within a year.
Trek has a Great Reputation
Like I said, Trek has a huge reputation and they don’t like to squander. They’ve been on top of their game for years and the competition is having a hard time to keep up. Of course, this doesn’t really matter when you’re just out there looking for a decent MTB to get you going. One thing you have to keep in mind that all these contests require money and Trek has many pros riding for them.
Some of that money goes back into the price of your preferred mountain bike. There’s nothing wrong with that, all brands sponsor pros and events. It’s just how the world works, and it won’t take anything away from the fun you’ll have to ride a Trek. You pay a bit for the brand and help them continue researching and developing great bikes.
Gear and Quality
Not all parts of a mountain bike are straight from the brand. I’m sure you’ve heard of Shimano or SRAM and they have nothing to do with the brand. If the gear don’t have anything that has their name on it (or Bontrager), it has nothing to do with them.
You can’t really blame any brand if your fork, brakes or drive train fails. Gear usually come from other manufacturers. It’s all about the frame and quality of the materials used and all the R&D that went into it. They do select the parts and make sure that they work properly together, it doesn’t mean that if your Shimano shifters (for example) develop issues you can’t go back and claim warranty.
Customer Service and Warranty
I think one of the most important factors that come into play when buying a brand new MTB is warranty and customer service. Fortunately, I never had any issues with Trek bikes and if somethings up, my LBS will take care of it. Trek offers excellent customer service and unless you really screwed up big time they will cover you.
Frames have a lifetime warranty if you are the original owner. This doesn’t mean you can drop your MTB off a cliff and claim your frame. It has to be a production issue. Forks and other parts have a 2-year warranty (including everything from Bontrager, except the tires and tubes). Even paint and decals have a one year warranty if it came damaged from production.
I damaged my paint once after only a week and it kinda hurt. It was entirely my own fault and tried to fix it. I soon realized this would cost me a lot of money and you can’t really expect to have your bike in top mint condition because it’s a product you use and to some extent abuse. So warranty means warranty from production, not you damaging your bike (unless a part fails which really shouldn’t happen).
So how Does it Ride?
If you are riding an old bike, Trek feels like you just upgraded to a BMW. Your fist climb or downhill will make you wonder why you ever had to ride your old bike in the first place. I personally was surprised by the handling and feel of my Suppafly and wondered why I didn’t upgrade any sooner.
I’m an aged rider and still think I shouldn’t care about the bike quality and punish myself for being such a bad rider. I was wrong, I enjoy myself with every ride, the sound of the wheels, the acceleration and sometimes it even makes happy sounds when I push my Trek to the max. It holds up and I trust this bike, I do check when I decide to go downhill (just to be sure) but this bike never disappoints me and I feel confident.
If you’re coming from a 26er it would take some time to adept. These bikes are different and you need some time to adjust. I always was in favor of the responsiveness that a 26er offers, but I later learned my 29er does the same thing in a different way.
Other Brands Worth Considering
Trek is a premium brand, not only for road bikes but also for mountain bikes. Specialized is on par with Trek but they will cost you an arm and a leg for a really good bike. Here’s an article which compares Trek and Specialized these two brands if you’re in doubt. You can never go wrong with any of them, as long as you don’t go for a cheap bike.
One Brand you should consider to get the best for you buck is Giant. Sure their bikes may not look as fancy as Trek but you get better gear for the money. I had a Giant for many years and I still have a 26er in my garage, this thing seems to be indestructible and I still think it’s fun to take it out for a ride now and then.
There are other brands to consider like Kona or Santa Cruz (sister company of that famous skateboarding company). These are just a few, I probably insulted many mountain bikers out there by not including their favorite brand, sorry guys.
Design ads to Experience
This may sound weird but design motivates me to go out there and ride. I have a skateboarding background and I always look for quality and graphics (design) when I get a new board. It gets me excited to go out there and shred.
The same goes for mountain biking. Graphics and design just make a huge difference when it comes to motivation. If your struggling to go out there, looking at your Trek MTB will get you butterflies. Fanboy or not, it really helps you to refrain from being a couch potato.
Wrapping it Up
While there are mountain bike brands to avoid, Trek offers great mountain bikes but also lesser bikes. It depends entirely on your budget and if you’re able to get a good deal.
A good TrekMTB hardtail will cost you between 1000-1500 USD, if you want a full suspension you can probably add another 500 to 1000 to that. Buy a bike from your local shop and try to get one from last year. Make sure it fits and the shop has a good reputation.
Don’t buy a Trek just because it has its brand slapped on the frame, a bike should really go with your posture, length, and even your weight. I will go more into detail about Trek but I’ll save that for another time. Right now all you need to know is that a decent Trek won’t let you down!
I always had a thing for cycling sports and love almost anything that involves bikes and boards. I work part-time as a designer in the tech industry and work on my blogs whenever I can.