BiciMan

Buen viaje, enjoy your new bike, and will we hear about your Patagonia trip anywhere on these fora or elsewhere? Gracias.

minder02

Muchas gracias a ti! Thank you! I'll post some photos!

FireFeature

Hey everyone!

Last week I managed to find a DS4. It has Bontrager Affinity Disc TLR wheels, which seem pretty nice, but for some reason it came with Bontrager GR1 Expert tires, which are not TLR. Can anyone provide a recommendation for some great TLR pairings for this wheel?

I do a 50/50 split of riding on paved asphalt trails and crushed limestone trails. I think the current tire is 700x40c, which seems like a nice size but I'm not necessarily married to that width, and I'm running them a little soft right now at about 60 psi. I don't think I'd go much softer than that, as I have plenty of grip and comfort for the trails I ride. My main concern is tire quality and flat protection.

I would be extremely grateful for any and all recommendations!

Karmajack

Consider something like the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 42's or WTB Byway 40's.

FireFeature

Thanks, Karmajack, these both look like a perfect blend of what I'm after! I'm not super familiar with WTB as a company. Does either one of these brands have an advantage over the other? I don't see the Pathfinder Pro in a 40 (probably hence the 42 suffix), so I'm wondering if the Byway gets me a pretty much perfect fit...

hokiefyd 

WTB has been in the mountain bike game for several decades now and have recently gotten into the "gravel" market as well. Though I've not owned the Byways, I have several sets of WTB Nano tires and I wouldn't have any hesitation at all with buying another WTB tire.

FireFeature

Great, thanks for the confidence. I think I will grab a pair. Thanks all!

wkc

And I have assumed that this thread is for new and used DS owners and riders. 🙃

I bought a used DS 8.5 2015 a few weeks ago, paid about 1/4 of the original retail price and I’m loving it...after adjusting cockpit/brake and gear lever position, and some basic maintenance. The seller had not serviced it at all. The chain was totally clean of dirt and grime — it was so dry that *nothing* was stuck on it or the cogs!

So, I’ve topped up lubed the drivetrain, brake fluid, adjusted the brake pads and pistons, trued the wheels, and adjusted the limit screws. Then, I gave it a wash and quick polish. Followed this up with a touch of “paint“; mixed up two bottles of nail polish (unused bottles from my daughters) to get a close match of colour and metallic “sparkles”.

To do: maybe chain replacement, definitely BB service (at LBS), maybe more paint and polish, replace torn seat, install pannier racks.

It’s an easy and fun bike to ride. I couldn’t be more happy. The Deore gear ratio is wide, so flexible and pretty precise (not as good as the 105 on my RR but pretty good). The front Suntour NRX suspension is a bonus for a bit of off-roading and local street speed bumps.

So happy to join this forum/thread.

I was considering MTB vs Hybrid, and then Trek FX vs DS. The front suspension with remote lockout is just a brilliant solution to my dilemma. A MTB with rear suspension would have been an overkill as I don’t ride MTB trails and I don’t do jumps or acrobatics. Mostly groomed/graded trails and a little bit off-trail (5%??? of my mileage). Also, MTBs tend not to have lugs and points for mounting pannier racks.

wkc

Is that a 2015 model? Per my post, I bought one almost exact same colour, decals as yours and seller told me 2014 but from what I could find, I think it’s actually 2015.

Yours looks nice.

wkc

I like your new crankset. Definitely looks nicer than the all black FSA on mine. I assume the black FSA was stock standard.

I’m hearing/feeling some issues with BB, so I may follow your lead and replace crank set and BB. 👏👍👏 Will discuss with LBS.

Gianlucahead

I honestly think that stock tyres are really cheap and low quality, especially considering I managed to get a flat after the first few miles from the shop.

I strongly recommend Maxxis 29 x 2.0 Race TT. I love them on my Ds2, they are incredibly strong but fast rolling at the same time!

Durde_cecof

I just swapped my tires out for Schwalbe Marathons and love them.

Gianlucahead

I am glad to read you enjoy your Ds! I actually do some MTBiking with mine! But after having upgraded to 29x2.0 tyres from maxxis. Now as I am gaining confidence I was wondering if would be the case of changing suspension fork, check iut some of my riding😂👌🏼

qrtzoj

Normally the ride from Columbia, Pa to Bainbridge is 11 miles of paved path and then you could go a mile or two more on an unofficial gravel trail. However, the county has now paved and officially opened that section for a total of 3.5 additional miles, ending at the Falmouth boat launch, just off of Rt. 441/River Rd. Had a very pleasant ride on it today, a most perfect Memorial Day outing. There were lots of other folks enjoying the trail too but overall it wasn't too crowded.


On an unrelated note, why do some people on the trail feel that they need to make their musical preferences known to everyone who passes by them? There was one biking guy today that I passed who really had it cranked up. Can't those people just use earbuds? Call me a cranky boomer but I'd just rather hear the natural sounds around me.

Durde_cecof

I am totally guilty of this. I listen to my music with a speaker for 2 reasons. I can still hear what's going on around me, and I don't have to keep yelling "ON YOUR LEFT!" all the time. Now they hear me coming?

Sturnage 

Hey guys. I’m new at this, so I apologize if it’s a ridiculous question. I have one 2012 8.2 that’s very clean but too big (21”), and another that’s my size (17.5”) with some heavily worn components. I’ve been looking for specs to see if I can switch out the components and if any switches would require that I purchase new parts. I won’t know until I actually break the 17.5” down how much will actually need to be replaced. Thanks!

Rick53

Sure : Components have nothing to do with the size of the bike as a general rule . Is it the same number of gears ? There's no reason I can thing of .

Sturnage 

Everything appears to be exactly the same. Thank you!

Rick53

Yeah it can be changed and used. Even if it wasn't exact. You should change out the chainrings along with the rear cassette ETC. Should be pretty straight forward. You might even be able to use the same wheels if they are the same size or close . Usually if it's the same bike in a smaller frame . It's GTG

Antonious

I’ve had my DS 8.4 since ‘15. Have recently been intrigued by the bikepacking scene and was wondering if anyone uses their DS for for it. Thanks in advance.

wkc

I now enough posts to post a picture! Here’s my beauty.




Added rear rack for convenience.

wkc

I’m new to the “off road” scene myself and like you, hope to do some bike packing. I look forward to any replies you receive.

hokiefyd 

The Touring subforum may be a good place to ask (though they likely do have more of a focus on traditional touring). They'll likely say that the most important thing to do is to just get out there and start doing it. A lot is made of the right gear and this and that, and it's certainly good to have good stuff, but I think most will advocate with taking the equipment you have (bike, packs, tent, etc.) and start with small trips and build from there. The DS may be a good platform to start with or you may find you want to change some things up (perhaps even enough to where a different bike is justified). Some of that will probably depend on the type of terrain you expect to ride. The DS comes with 38mm tires, though it can support wider. If you're truly out overlanding with your bike, larger tires may be a good idea. To reduce the chances of equipment failure, a rigid fork may be a good idea. Some of that may depend on how far you'll be from civilization or how close you'll be to tools and repair facilities.

I bet the folks in the Touring subforum will have some good input on this.

Antonious

Thanks for the advice hokiefyd. Rail trails, dirt roads and the like are the majority of what I’d want my tires on. I’ve been on paths where full-on mountain bikes normally go and I’m glad to know my DS can handle them. I will check out the Touring si forum for sure, thank you!

gpburdell

Hey folks. Been a while.

EDIT - received the 830 and tried the included mount - seems to work okay with the exiting Blendr mounted Trip100. I'm still interested in hearing if anyone's found mounting solutions they liked better. Thanks.


Original:
Any recommendations for mounting a Garmin Edge 530 or 830 on an 8.6 DS (2016)?

Outfront mount vs MTB mount vs the Blendr mount? Something else?

I'd sorta like to keep the existing Bontrager Trip 100 for when I don't want to mess with the Garmin, but it seems the usual Garmin mounting would interfere with where it sits on its little Blendr mount. Maybe move the Trip100 to a handlebar mount for when I'll just have that?



All input appreciated!