# New Trek 3500 Questions...



## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Just purchased a Trek 3500 mtb last Sunday and I have a few small questions about it...

1. I noticed a small sticker on the back of the fork which reads "USE ONLY FOR: LEISURE CROSS COUNTRY. DO NOT USE FOR: FREERIDE / DOWNHILL, DIRT JUMPING OR ANY HARD RIDING". Is this true? I didn't plan on doing anything extreme but I did plan on taking it on some trails with some small jumps (a few feet at the most, nothing more than a 4 foot drop). Maybe it's just a liability thing where they need to put this sticker on it so just in case something does happen, it's not their fault? Or are these forks really a pos? I understand it's an entry level bike, but I would think it would still be able to hand some small jumps and what-not...

2. What are these bolts for? There's one on the bottom and one on each side...










3. How do I adjust the front suspension? I thought the plastic end caps were supposed to spin but I can't get them to budge. The fork is a Suntour M-2025.

4. Is it normal for a new fork to feel "sticky"? When I first got it, it wasn't really that smooth. I can tell it's getting better, but it still feels a bit sticky when I compress/decompress it. It also does feel a bit stiff so maybe if I adjust it a bit, it will feel better...

Thanks!


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## imspecial (Jul 23, 2010)

1. that is true. lower end bikes are not designed to take the hits that dirt jumpers/ freeride/ downhill rigs can take. on that note, i wouldnt mind riding the 3500 off a 3 foot drop.
2. those bolts are to attach a rack on the back of the bike
3. i have no experience with this fork
4. forks go through a break- in period


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## Adam_B. (Apr 7, 2011)

If I'm not mistaken that was the same fork I had on my last bike(gt aggressor). It always felt a little sticky and it also bottomed out pretty easily.


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Thanks imspecial, and mtbnoobadam, I haven't bottomed mine out yet, it's too stiff to do so!


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## Adam_B. (Apr 7, 2011)

I'm 6'2" 215lbs so thats probably why mine bottomed out so easily.


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

I'm 5'7" 245lbs, haha! I'm trying to lose some weight so I can start racing bmx again. I was at 265lbs about 3 weeks ago, and I was 245 last night! Yea baby!


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## Ice Cold (Aug 20, 2008)

I stayed away from the Trek 3500 I almost purchased that and or the 3900 Disc but I did my home work and at 5'10" 250lbs the Wheels and or Rims are Single Walled what that means is they are very weak. And any type of drop maybe even 1 foot or jump will Taco or bend the wheels immediately. 

For my type of riding 99% street I went with a Cannondale Quick Cx 3, one day I may get some 26" wheels and MTB tires right now I put Continental Sport Contact Slicks on it. 

And even did a light trail the other day. But definitely needed Double Walled stronger Maddux 3.0 Disc wheels for strength.


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Based on what I am reading here, you didn't really buy the best bike for what you're wanting to do with it. Sounds to me like you'd be better off with a dirt jump style bike. That Trek with you at 245lbs on 4 foot drops isn't a great combo. I would guess that the wheels will be the first thing to give you trouble.

That bike is designed to cruise XC trails. It will take a fair amount of abuse, but your intended use coupled with your size will eventually take a toll.

Bikes like a Kona Shonky, Stuff, or Shred, or KHS DJ bikes, Specialized P bikes are the type I would have steered you towards.

The fork on an entry level bike is never going to be smooth, but it will take the edge off of bumps. 

Hopefully, the bike serves the purpose of an entry level bike before it's reduced to rubble. That is, to let you see if you're definitely in this for the long run, and to let you gain insight into what your 2nd bike (the one you'll keep for a while and that is really the type of bike that fits your needs more specifically) should be, and do so relatively cheaply.

Losing 20lbs in 3 weeks is impressive, but it will likely get harder to shed the weight. The first twenty is relatively low hanging fruit in that respect. You'll still be losing/burning fat, but developing muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it's not always purely about losing weight. The fitness is going to make you feel better too. Keep it going.


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Maybe I should have saved up a few more hundred and gotten a better bike  I'll just not take it off any jumps until I shed a some more extra baggage I guess, haha! I mainly use it for road use anyway, so it's still a great bike for me. Perhaps I'll save up any money I make and upgrade some stuff on this bike (rims, fork, etc...).

What would you recommend for some good double-wall rims that aren't too expensive? Same thing with the forks, any recommendations?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Fork - sub-$300, get a rigid. More than $300, and your options are a lot better. Manitou Match or Minute, maybe at retail, RockShox Recon Gold or a used Fox from EBay.

Wheels - almost anything rim brake compatible. Unless you're up for a project, don't try to replace the rims alone, do the whole thing. It's hard to beat a conventional 32-spoke cross-three wheel for durability and weight, at a good price. It's hard to beat bicyclewheelwarehouse.com prices, but not impossible. If you're handy, though, just tension and true your current wheels yourself, and see how it goes. Single-walled rims are almost always heavy as sin, because the structure isn't as strong as a box section, but if you throw enough metal at a problem, anything can last.


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Thanks for the recommendations Andrew 

I have never trued a rim before and I don't have all of the proper tools to do so (all I have is the spoke wrench). But I have known an owner of a small bike shop for 10 or so years and he's great at everything when it comes to bikes so maybe I'll bring it to him one day and let him work some magic.


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## GOTA (Apr 21, 2011)

maxxdout said:


> Maybe I should have saved up a few more hundred and gotten a better bike  I'll just not take it off any jumps until I shed a some more extra baggage I guess, haha! I mainly use it for road use anyway, so it's still a great bike for me. Perhaps I'll save up any money I make and upgrade some stuff on this bike (rims, fork, etc...).
> 
> What would you recommend for some good double-wall rims that aren't too expensive? Same thing with the forks, any recommendations?


You don't need to jump to have fun. Just keep trying all sorts of trails and you'll have a great time. I have a 29er that mostly use on the road and a 26 hardtail for the trails. I have a great time doing both.


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

:thumbsup:I used to own a Trek 3700, which is very similar to the 3500. I wouldn't recommend doing a drop at all, especially for your weight. Instead, ride the heck out of it on pavement, dirt roads, and singletrack trails and keep losing the pounds! :thumbsup: If you do this, you will be in much better shape by the end of the summer - what you don't want to do is kill your bike!

Next year when bike riding season starts, you can sell the bike for $100 less than what you paid for it. Put that money towards a better bike. Better yet, start looking for a better bike around January when bike stores are trying to get rid of their left over inventory from the previous year - a lot of bikes will be significantly marked down!


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Sounds like a good plan. I've been at my job for only a few weeks and they already gave me a raise ($7.25 to $8.25) but I'm going to ride this Trek for a while and then I'll start looking for a better bike. 

And Gota, that's true, gives me another reason to ride my Redline bmx bike on the jumps and keep the Trek for light trails/road use 

One more thing: I own a 1997 Specy Hardrock GX and I beat the **** out of that bike (jumps, lots of jagid rocks, drop offs) and that bike has Weinmann 519 rims (Bontrager 550 come on the Trek) and they have never bent. Are they making rims cheaper and cheaper these days or is something else going on? I would think new 2012 rims would hold up as good if not better than 1997 rims. I even beat the **** out of my Walmart Honda Trail Pilot and those rims are still straight. It doesn't make sense that I can ride rough on older and cheaper components but the newer components won't hold up...


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

maxxdout said:


> Sounds like a good plan. I've been at my job for only a few weeks and they already gave me a raise ($7.25 to $8.25) but I'm going to ride this Trek for a while and then I'll start looking for a better bike.


Awesome on getting the raise! I'm sure you will enjoy the Trek 3500 and won't have any regrets in purchasing it. While its not "perfect" bike for you, no doubt you will have a lot of fun riding it this summer.

Also, I hope people reading this now understand why everyone doesn't have $400 to spend on forks or $1500 to spend on a complete bike! Some of us have to make due with what we can afford!


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## maxxdout (May 24, 2011)

Definitely! The bike works for me (75% road use) so it's all good


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