Trek 4500 Vs. Giant Yukon

I am a new rider and am looking and these 2 bikes. Both are priced at $399. I see the Giant has disc brakes and looks nicer (to me). I rode both and thought the Trek rode a bit better but still am unsure which to get. Don't know much about the quality of the Giant (Trek I have heard good things). I was told the fork and some other parts are made in house by Giant as opposed to the name brand used by Trek. I want to make a decision by tomorrow so any help is appreciated.

Go with your gut,compare the components the,brakes the shocks,the gear/deralier system the frames are probably manufactured in the same factory in Tiawan.At the end of the day the colour of the bike could,be the deciding factor.
Good luck and let us know what you choose.

In 2004 I purchased the trek 4300. The front fork is crap but it's still a great bike for someone looking to get into mtb'ing. I put some serious miles on this bike and had such a great time doing it that this year I decided to buy a much better bike and go with a trek 6700. I say go for the 4500, or if you can afford it, go for the 4900. I saw the 4900 at my bike shop the other day and they were really nice bikes for the money. Whatever you decide to go with, good luck.

I just bought a 4500 about 2 weeks ago. I wanted the 4300 with the disc set up but I would have had to wait and the guy at the LBS that there were a bunch of upgrades on the 4500 and it was in stock so I took it. So far, I love the thing. I've done some really dumb stuff just seeing how it holds up and there hasn't been any problems except 2 flats that were no doubt my fault. Not to mention, I went with the gray/black and it just about matches my truck! I don't really thing you can go wrong with the Trek!

My personal opinion is that you can't beat Giant in the cheaper mountain bikes. The Yukon frame is exceptional for the price and the components are a good value. Personally I wish they would skip the disc breaks and upgrade the crank and other components, but as it stands, the Yukon is a great buy.

If you have a bit of extra cash to throw at a bike, the value you get in the upgrade to the Iguana is fantastic.