since197three

I agree, love the Matte White finish. I couldn't sleep thinking about this bike before I bought it.

intransit1217

Still having spoke problems with mine. They warranteed the rear wheel once already, and the replacement had a better hub and rim. But I'll be damned if I didn't pop one on the new wheel a few days ago. They keep breaking at the nipple. Is this because they're machine built or crappy spokes?

I'm working with my lbs to get this permanently fixed. We'll see what the new wheel looks like and probably put that as a credit towards a better wheel depending.

exwhyzed

Thanks for the weight info! It looks like someone bid too high for me, and i'm not surprised since these seem to be great bikes.

d2krulez

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and I'm very happy there is a place for DS owners to chat. =)

I have a 2014 DS 8.5 17.5 in size. I just LOVE IT. I've done so much homework on it and i pulled the trigger.

I do have 2 questions for anyone who could point me to the right direction:

1. I want put some road tires on my bike for a 100 Mile bike tour over at Highlands, NJ. Can anyone recommend a tire size for the stock rims? The bike shop suggested a 700 x 28 size tire but I didn't trust his confused voiced.

2. Can anyone recommend a good set of curved bar ends?

This bike has taken me through many fun times including the 2015 NYC bike tour. It's a great bike.

Thanks in advance...

-D

Ragriz

I don't know about the bar ends, but 700x28 sounds like a good size for a paved century.

d2krulez

Thank you. I'm going to order continental tires today. Can i keep my tubes? or do I need to buy new ones? Can anyone recommend good tires for a 100 mile tour?

I'll see if i could find some good bar ends.


Thanks!

-D

NormanF

You could keep the stock tubes. Continental Gatorskins offer a good mix between lightness and toughness on long rides. The last thing you want to do is fix a flat on the side of the road.

d2krulez

Thank you for the input!

DualRyder

Sharing a pic of my bike though it's fairly standard for now.

Still hoping someone can help with my previous stem question.

Dc6284

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I have a question. Just ordered a new: 2016 Trek Ds 6.8 should have it in a few days...

Just posted this in the commuting section thought I'd get more responses here.

Looking forward, to get back in to the biking community. When I was young... Was in to BMX freestyle. Miss my:Gt Pro, Predator, Elf...

I'm going to be for the most part, riding on the road. And wanted a little faster tire. Bike comes with Bontrager Lt3 700x38c and was thinking about upgrading tire to Continental Gator Hardshell.

Anyone know if, I'm better off with 28c or 32c? Also will the 28 look weird (small) on my hybrid?

Advise would be most appreciated!

Dc6284

I was thinking about buying Ergon Gs3 or Gp5 grips myself ... Instead of bar ends.

bald

Find your spoke issues interesting. What type of riding are you doing? (single track, double track, road, trail) Are you doing any jumping with the bike or anything you feel might be hard on the spokes? I seen a post your weight is only 210 now, so wouldn't think that should be a problem.

manc

I did exactly the same thing. I swapped the LT3 tyres for Gator hardshell 32c folding. The hardshells are far superior for the road.
By swapping the tyres and using slightly lighter inner tubes, I have saved half a pound of weight off each wheel.
Acceleration has been improved, handling is a lot better especially in wet weather on the road, and the ride more comfortable.
Also of course, puncture protection is amongst the very best.
The only negatives with them being slicks is that they are poor off road. Also top speed is virtually the same compared to LT3 tyre.
To me, the 32 hardshell looks slightly thin on a chunky bike like the DS, but perfectly acceptable.
Maybe size 28 would look slightly odd, but would fit fine.

dixosw

The Stem question. You can google "how to measure a bike stem" and find out how you are supposed to measure it. I was doing mine (DS 8.4) and then stumbled across the actual size/angle written right there on the stem itself. Kind of hidden. It's says "7 deg and 80mm" which matches the Trek US website - Bontrager Blendr Elite 7. Not sure where you are located, perhaps they use different stems in different markets.

DualRyder

That's fantastic. Now I know that mine is 110mm and only 10 deg. Never expected to actually find it written on the stem itself. Thank you so much.

Braddock

Hello guy,s
I am also new to this forum, read all you wrote ,saw all the pictures and like the dsforum .
I live in the Netherlands (Holland) am 56 yrs , 86 kilo and lenght 1.86 meter.
Was looking for a fitness/commuting bike for about two and a half year and finally bought a Trek ds 8.6 2016 with 21 inch frame.
Enyoing it for about three weeks now and must say i love the bike ,put some fenders, a rack, barends, lights and panniers on it together with the dualltrap s and tripp 300 and took it for it,s first ride out in the pooring rain and loved it.
Also replaced the pedals with the Shimano saints which i took off my mountainbike and put some spd pedals on that one.
Must say i did not buy the ds a year ago cause off not liking the silver colour meaning that it makes the change bigger that it gets stolen overhere.
Anyway, i would like to thank the forummembers for all their input, which helped me to decide and get a dual sport.
greetings from Holland.

Dc6284

I was kind of wanting to upgrade my fork. Not a big fan of Suntour. My question is anyone know what size ect. It needs to be.

So, I want to go with a Rockshox. Have always respected them. Want a Pargon. Would that be considered. An upgrade, compared to the stock Suntour that came on my 2016 Ds 8.6. Also I have no idea which remote, size ect...

So... Can someone enlighten me please! I'll owe you one.

Dc6284

Also my bike is being built tomorrow. So I would like to start ordering parts. Love building bikes up! And riding them down hard... Thanks

Jhoffman440

You want the RockShox Paragon TK Solo Air 65 700C Crown Adjust 1-1/8" steerer. Amazon has it for $207. The best upgrade I made, totally outperforms the Suntour. Easy to install too.

side_FX

Does it look like a stock fork? Did it have a noticeable effect on your sitting position?

Jhoffman440

Except for the lack of Trek decals and the addition of the RockShox decals, it does. Same sitting position, but the ride is much smoother. I'm 6'3" about 280 and the RockShox buffers the ride.

manc

The Paragon fork is a glossy black colour, it is a neutral colour that will look good with most colours.
The 65mm fork is pretty much exactly the size dimensions as a suntour fork found on a DS so the geometry of your bike will be virtually the same as it is now.
The major difference is that it is an air fork and is tunable to your weight. This is a decent upgrade for any DS.
It is also especially useful for heavier riders who find the stock Suntour fork too soft.

Country23141

Love it, I have same bike-same color!

side_FX

that looks sweet. I'm thinking this would look good on a red 8.4 that has been calling my name

Dc6284

Anyone know why it keeps says my upload failed. Just got my 2016 Ds 8.6. Rides much nicer than the 8.4 I returned. Just with the Trek branding wasn't so dark. Look forward to getting the Rockshox fork. I feel the Suntour is one of the only components that needs to be addressed asap. Slx shifts pretty smooth. Happy so far!