2007 Trek 3700



RedRider2009 said:
My friend offered to sell me his lightly used 2007 trek 3700, does anybody have complaints about anything on this bike? Any success stories? Basically any thoughts about it would be handy. Do you have any clue what the original price of this bike was? Thanks everybody! The link to the trek archive is http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2007/archive/3700#
Well, if your friend is offering to sell you the bike for $100-to-$150, then it is a fair price ...

Much beyond THAT, it really depends ...

The original, retail price was probably ABOUT (but, not necessarily) just below $400 (it seems there was a time -- maybe one season, maybe more -- when you could extrapolate the retail price of a TREK from the model number ... so the 3700 might have retailed for $370). So, if there was an unsold 3700 from 2007 in a bike shop, they would possibly sell it for as little as $200.

The fork is marginal ... it's best thought of as a paved, bike-path fork UNLESS the rider is under 120lbs.

Heck, some people might suggest that all the components are marginal BUT they are fully functional for casual riding as long as you lube what needs to be lubed & and perform OTHER periodic maintainenance (e.g., adjust the cables, as needed). It is NOT a bike I would ride on anything marginally "technical" without changing the front fork ... it's probably fine for the time being for where you are (SE Wisconsin), but probably not for terrain similar to what you would find through a place like the Kettle Morraine.

Otherwise, all hardtails vary primarily in the frame material (which translates to the weight) & finish (quality of the welding) ... AND (of course), the components.

Less expensive components are usually designed to take MORE abuse, but those components will have a serious weight penalty as a consequence.

If you get the bike the frame will probably last as long as you want it to PRESUMING you don't crash it!

WHERE-and-HOW are you planning to ride the bike?
 
Thanks for all the help! I will probably ride mostly at Petrifying Springs, and I had planned on occasionally going to Kettle Moraine. I read some other reviews about this bike, which said that a suspension upgrade might be a good plan. Is the RockShox Dart3 a good consideration? Would that fix my problem? Another review said something about being upgradable to disc brakes, is that common or necessary? The last time I went mountain biking I was in 5th grade or so, and I have been road biking to fill my cycling addiction.
 
RedRider2009 said:
Thanks for all the help! I will probably ride mostly at Petrifying Springs, and I had planned on occasionally going to Kettle Moraine. I read some other reviews about this bike, which said that a suspension upgrade might be a good plan. Is the RockShox Dart3 a good consideration? Would that fix my problem? Another review said something about being upgradable to disc brakes, is that common or necessary? The last time I went mountain biking I was in 5th grade or so, and I have been road biking to fill my cycling addiction.
While the RST fork may be marginal, for riding on "normal" paths in a State Park it is probably fine.

You'll know when the fork isn't adequate when it starts bottoming out unexpectedly AND/OR the rebound affects your ability to control the front end ... which could happen right away, or never!

Check MTB REVIEW for some opinions on the DART 3 fork: http://www.mtbr.com/cat/suspension/2007-forks/rockshox/dart-3/PRD_414394_1550crx.aspx

In fact, when in doubt, check MTB REVIEW for feedback on other components you are interested in, too -- I'm always MORE curious to see if there are ANY negative comments just to see if anyone experienced any unexpected surprises.

BTW. The only reason I would shy away from RockShox [which means YOU and everyone else should probably avoid RockShox as an aftermarket upgrade OR on a new bike if one brand has a RockShox fork & another seemingly similar bike has another brand] AND (more so) MANITOU is because RockShox are now owned by SRAM (which has dubious/poor customer service in NA -- apparently, great designs, but getting spare parts may be difficult more than year after the model is produced) & supposedly Manitou forks cannot be rebuilt back to original spec (according to OTHER people). So, while there are OTHER brands, I would recommend that if you upgrade your fork that you opt for a MARZOCCHI fork as the "safe bet" amongst the big three brands.
 
That is good to know, my first choice of those was RockShox because it was the only name I had heard of, well manitou too, but those are very expensive it appears. Marzocchi products looked like they were quality, but I try to stick to name brands to avoid garbage...I will check into mtbr and marzocchi some more. THANKS!
 

Similar threads