Mountain Bike Trek 7000

Pros
Light Frame, Generic componentry, not bad

Cons
Generic Geometry, not a standout in a price range of many bikes

Recommended Use: Daily Rides

There are a lot of mountain bikes in the $1000 range, nearly all of them with some form of LX/XT componentry and a smooth perofming fork with rebound damping. The individuality of each mountain bike in this price comes from the frame, and practically only the frame.
The Frame
In this respect, Trek has done decently well with Alpha ZX, giving the frame a weight of 3.63 lbs, which is actually very good for a sub $1000 bike. However, Trek misses out on something pretty important: geometry. The Trek has absolute standard 73 degree seat tube angle and 71 degree head tube angle, mated to a medium length top tube. Mind you, that is not a bad combination, but this bike is not specialized in any sense of the word. Thrashing around singletrack on this bike is nice, but so is every other mountain bike in this price range. Racing on Trek 7000 is another story: Fisher Big Sur, Klein Attitude Comp, and the like have geometries that are far superior for fast work. The Trek 7000 (and pretty much every other hardtail Trek makes) has middle of the road geometry, that is stable over everything, and not suprising over anything.

The Componentry
The Trek 7000 has no suprises, stable performer. LX shifters and front deurailleur, XT rear deurailleur. The Icon crank isn't Shimano, Truvativ or Race Face, but it gets the job done. Nothing here out of the ordinary. Judy XC (and for 2000, Manitou SX) gets the suspension down pat, with smooth stroke and rebound.

The Ride
Trek 7000 is not too fast in turns. But it isn't a slacker, either. It's decently light, climbing is good but not outstanding (Klein does better), decending is okay (Fisher does better). A pretty pleasant riding frame gives good comfort, but because of the geometry, hard cranking on climbs has a tendency to lift the front wheel, or if you lean too much forward by just a margin, the rear wheel will skip up on the Trek 7000.

The Verdict?
The Trek 7000 bike is not a bad pick at all if you don't intend on racing. It's built reasonably well, and it rides like most other bikes in this price. Nothing sets it seriously behind the pack, and nothing sets it ahead. One type of rider I would recommend this mountain bike to is a rider who does not know how he wants to ride yet, but he knows he loves the sport. And since the Trek 7000 can do everything, it would be perfect. I would give this bike a 3.5

Component Package: XT, LX, house brand
Recommended Use: Daily Rides