Bill1227

Update - I made / modified some changes to my Dual Sport / Crosstrail Class bike and thought I would share.

* I replaced the Suntour suspension fork with a carbon fiber Origin 8, Black Op's,Lever II. Reason = the Suntour NEXi fork was not worth it's weight (5#'s + ) for me. Dis-assembled it is a coil only and has no oil dampening. It was good on singular impacts one may encounter in a urban environment (ex. pot hole - curb - concrete side walk edge ) Ditto for singular trail encounters (ex. a singular root/rock). It failed miserably in multi, repeat object encounters as it rebounds to fast with out dampening causing more issues and bounce than benefits. This includes wash board, rough dirt to even hard pack, dry, non smooth grass short cuts. Combined with it's heavy weight = gone.
I lost 3.5 #'s + with the swap. My bike strip'ed of extra's, yet with peddles now is a respectable, for adventure/tour/DS class = 25.5 #'s
I researched all carbon forks prior extensively. The Origin 8 has been used many,many times by choice on the Grand Tour Divide. It came down to a Niner, Origin 8, White Bros, Exotic with the last three being very similar if not the same and less $$$ than the Niner. I would have opted for a steel cro/mo fork If I could find one with a curved rake and proper measurements, rake,etc. The Origin 8 Does take out chatter - I luv it and got it off ebay new for $199

* Besides my 38mm file tread tires. I have added 1.8" Specialized Renegade Control 2bliss , low profile knob, XC tires. I love them. They are light and fast on/off road with more cush via less air psi, as compared. The combo is excellent. Currently shown below with the Renegades for fall - spring if not the majority. I am not yet, running the Renegades tube less......."yet" anyways. Two sets of tires really show case the Dual Sport class well.

* I cut down my stock riser x 8 degree sweep bars, rotated the sweep to my liking through trial and flip'ed the stem. I also added bar ends.

My Specialized Crosstrail / Dual Sport Class ------ mutating into a Renegade ---- Dressed for late fall-winter / wet,cold.



Yes = I am still "luv'in the dual sport class bikes" very much. Taking notice of 14's I am intrigued with Trek's top line model and the rear dampening system. Like the Scott's too and obviously like (purchased) the Specialized which leans a bit more MTB geometry than some.

RaikageZero

Bought my Diamondback Trace Sport 2013 for $360 at nashbar.com since last month and this bike has been awesome... Well except when I try to sprint off from a red light to keep up with cars. I find myself bouncing up and down so I decided to switch the fork with a lockout. I got lucky and managed to snipe an SR Suntour NRX with remote lockout for $76. Used a few makeshift tools to switch out the fork and voila. I have a true dual sport that can be stiff for the road or with suspension for offroad with the flick of a switch.

I love this dual sport aspect as dual sport bikes are true hybrids. Also, the mountain bike geometry is more comfortable than road bikes while not sitting too upright like comfort bikes. I'm still thinking of getting another wheelset just dedicated for road use while switching out my tires with knobby tires. That'll be when I get back more of my scholarship and grants money. ^^

sfrank

I took my Trek 8.4 DS and went the same route as Bill1227. I replaced the front suspension fork with a Ultim8 carbon fork from Origin 8. I use 700 x 38 tires for the road and I have a second set of wheels with 29 x 1.9 tires for the trails. I now have it set up for the two types of riding I do. I don't need a full blown mountain bike since my ophthalmologist said I shouldn't be riding jarring trails due to my high chance of developing a detached retina.

Oldhead

Well I guess I'm considered a dual sport rider since I basically took a mountain bike and converted it to be more road worthy. Put ergo grips with the little handles, and some 1.75 tires that are more slick like in the center, and some pro grip straps on my pedals

jazzy74

THESE Posts made me smile!!!
After having weight loss surgery in February of this year and losing over 190 pounds I am now totally into biking...like obsessed. I'm so stupid I ride my bike to the gym, workout for 2-3 hours then ride home again...screw the oil companies!!!
I'm currently riding a Fuji with grip shifters(YUCK)...but in the next few weeks I'm getting an 8.5DS...it's on order from my LBS.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to a TREK demo day...yeah; like I will even own an $8,500 bicycle of any kind. They had NO DS bikes, but I also got a GREAT sense of enjoyment from a hardtail MTB...maybe down the road it will be bike #2

The wife is also having weight loss surgery...TODAY; so cycling is something we can do together, spend quality time and work toward our fitness goals.
Thank you to all the DS riders for posting their great reviews...makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing I'm making the right purchase.


Jeff

jazzy74

THIS bike is VERY appealing to the eye!!!

giantcfr1

can someone explain to me what a Dual Sport bike is?

side_FX

use it on the road and it will be better than a mountain bike, use it on the trail and it will be better than a hybrid

That's about the best I can come up with.

giantcfr1

So maybe an MTB with subtle tyres?

side_FX

Add a suspension fork of some sort and disc brakes and you got it!

giantcfr1

Ok got it. I'm supposed to be picking up a 2012 GF 29er on the weekend with road riding tyres. It should qualify as DS.

oot

LBS selling 2013 Giant Roam 2 for NZ$599(NZ$200 dollars off).Looked at other other bikes available for the same money and there was no
comparison.Been riding hybrids for 20 years.My riding focus has changed from exclusively road to trails and cycleways so the Roam
with 700x40c tyres and suspension(even if it is basic)is far more comfortable.Have changed the saddle and added grips with
intergrated barends(not shown in photo).

SHOFINE

Is it gonna be yours?

giantcfr1

Yep

My crapper rain / snow / commuter 1998 GF is on the way out and it's going to start costing money. I'm going to strip it and give the parts away to friends as spares etc.

A friend of mine's wife got a GF 29er WSD Marlin and crashed it on her maiden ride, and now refuses to ride it.
It's currently sitting on a bike rack. She bought a mini-velo, and is giving the GF away free. The 29er is a 15.5" (same size as my current MTB) and I'm a short arse, so if I give the saddle to my wife, swap the stem to slightly longer, (and maybe the bars) it should be dead-on the right size for me. Maybe a girly colour, but here in Japan, no-one gives a rat's, (or actually realizes) it's a WSD.
PS. don't laugh, I don't have thick skin.

badger1

Re. the term, I've always rather liked the vocabulary used in Germany. Instead of 'hybrid', which they use to refer to bikes with electric assist, they tend to refer to what we lump into the hybrid category in the following ways:

Fast City Bike = flat-bar road bike
Trekking = kind of like what we are calling 'dual sport' but with a rigid fork
Cross Bike = not cyclocross, but what we call 'dual sport' > kind of a 'twenty-niner light', you might say. Current examples here would be Giant Roam/RoamXR; Specialized Crosstrail; Trek DS series; etc.

Trekking and Cross bikes (so defined) have a major market share in Europe/Germany (not so much the UK); really high-end examples (e.g. with really good suspension and full XT or XTR level groupsets) are quite common/desirable.

SHOFINE

If it's that baby blue...not bad! One of the colors of the Farley is that color.

RaikageZero

With a pure black suspension fork (original), I think it would be better. Didn't even realize when I saw the picture of the fork off ebay that it was dark gray. However, it was very appealing to my pocket

RaikageZero

Or from what pessimists in other forums would say... Use it on the road and it's more sluggish than a road bike. Use it on a trail and it would be worse than a mountain bike, which would make it not good at anything.

But then again as my preference, I'd rather have a versatile bike that I could take both on-road and off-road without a problem much like SUVs were supposed to be. The only time I would consider buying a specialized bike (road bike or mountain bike and their derivatives) is when I consider racing.

I'm pretty sure it would be different for other people so whatever floats their tubes should be what they would ride.

giantcfr1

Bing bong that's the colour it is. I picked it up on Saturday night, so now to start adjusting things. Have to get a pic organized when the freekin' rain stops.

Hyper Ryder

I love my 8.4 DS. It works for me for the style of riding I do. Its quick on the pavement and pretty well off road on the lite gravel and mild trails I take every blue moon. Over all this is a great bike and anyone starting out this is the one to start out with, you will be pleased with it if your not looking just for a road bike. I havent done any upgrades as for now i just need some lights and a good lock. Was thinking of some type of bag for a poncho and misc items to fit my DS and not have it looking like some hobo's bike, lol. Over all I am very pleased with this bike.

willhenry

I'm currently riding a Norco XFR and it's a blast, especially in the city with trails nearby. The hydraulic brakes are awesome. Lockout fork is a must for this kind of riding, IMO.

I'll post up some pics soon, it's a looker.

I'd also say for anyone investigating the XFR, it's probably worth it to pay more for the XFR 1, the derailleurs are nicer. I'm riding the 3, and shifting is the only real letdown.

John Redcorn

Got my crosstrail disc 6 days ago, lordy it is fast and easy to pedal compared to my db 26er!

My 1st choice was actually an 8.3 DS but as a newbie i couldn't justify the extra hundred for the sweet army green color and acera rear.

If I go to stores and stuff around house I'll be taking the db. If if i commute it'll be on the crosstrail and only every once in a while, it's 16 miles and I need to buy a helmet and be able to get up early enough. I have a safe spot at work. I can get there by mup and through neighborhoods but there's 16 road crossings.

I like having the fork a lot even though its cheap, locking it out for half my ride today let me know that. It may have even saved me from bad injury already, I hit 28mph going down a big hill Friday and hit a decent bump that I saw too late (mup changed from asphalt to concrete, but not very well) I came off the seat a bit and the bike wobbled a few times, not sure what would have happened on a rigid.

Barrettscv 

I purchased a Trek "Dual Sport" while in Italy this spring, I am very happy with the purchase. With the standard 700x38 tire, it was great on both pavement and gravel trails. The bike will fit a larger 700x45 Mountain Bike tires and this would allow the bike to cover dirt trails with good results. See: DS Series - Trek Bicycle

I selected the basic model 8.1 with the rigid steel fork. It had a smooth and comfortable ride and was fast enough for longer rides. The saddle and pedals were well made and durable, I didn't need to upgrade anything.

My comments about the bike and cycling in Italy can be found here: https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...ile-italy.html

Striper4

Have a 2014 Dual Sport 8.5 and loving it. I am 6' and purchased the 21'' frame. Its quick, shifting is smooth, and the disc brakes are a nice feature. Clocked 120 miles in a little over a week, average speed thus far is a tick under 16mph and max speed 25 mph. Hope to bring my average speed up to around 17 mph. I am a 95 percent pavement rider however, I wanted the versatility to venture off road a little if the desire is there,,,

NormanF

A DS bike is a hybrid/29er that can go on both roads and the trails. As the name indicates, its a marriage of the hybrid with the mountain bike.