Trek 4900 Disc 2005

I was looking for a new bike to buy to last me a good 7 - 10 years for regular commuting duties, and regular trial riding.

I spoke to guys at Alpine Bikes (great Western Road, Glasgow) who were superb. They gave me loads of information, not treating me as though I were totally stupid, and when I made my purchase I got some freebies too (lights, mudguard's, lock, and a puncture repair kit).

The bike itself is everything I could ask for. Really solid but reasonably light (about 12kg). The bike looks really good, and has a great selection of equipment on it, Shimano etc... The tyres are slightly sloppy, but you could easily upgrade for minimal expense. The saddle is not practical and pretty poor, but again you can get it upgraded without breaking the bank.

On the road and pavement, the bike is smooth to ride, and it gets the job done. One small complaint is you that can't lock out the front fork, so you sometimes get a bit more give in it than what you want. Off the road the bike handles well. The gear shifts quickly when you need it, and the front fork handles anything you could throw at it. As stated above tyres are a bit sloppy, but more off road than on.

The bike has good components, but nothing too fancy; So if something breaks a couple of years down the line you won't have to hunt very hard to find a replacement unit, or if you want to upgrade parts (like the front fork) it wouldn't be difficult to find compatible parts.

Overall this bike is great, fun to ride, handles anything I put it to, and it looks fantastic.

Again, the guys at Alpine Bikes deserve real credit too.