Selling the bike sounds pretty drastic... I bought a Trek 8.5 DS ten years ago when I retired. I didn’t ride it as much as I thought I would, so last year I converted it to eBike with Tongsheng TSDZ2B with Open Source Firmware. It’s the perfect bike… I put 1300 miles on it last year at 70 years of age. I raised handlebar and brought it backward so posture is more vertical. I also added an Aaron Suspension Seat Post and a Serfas Gel Saddle. I like the steering geometry on this bike – very straight-line stable.

This forum won’t allow me to post photos or use private mssg because I don’t have requisite number of 10 posts. Whatever….

or get on to awow, to be honest, I didn’t know you could do that much to these bikes ! Sounds like I need to do more research or get on to a good bike shop to see what’s possible. Thanks for the input.

Shame we can't both pvt mssg. Neither of us has 10 posts in this forum. Dumb forum rules. If you are even slightly mechanically inclined, I could talk you through conversion. The TSDZ2B conversion with high-quality battery ~ $1000. Makes Trek DS a real nice eBike with no compromises....

Even with max tire size is at 700x45c, it's still a far cry from MTB tires. It really comes down to how you want to use it, on gravel DS is arguably better than a MTB, but on MTB trails you definitely want a proper MTB.

Just found this DS forum. Looks like it’s a good resource for DS owners. Have had my DS2 since 2018. Been riding road and gravel for a change of pace from my weekly mountain biking.
Now I am looking to upgrade some components. I’ve upgraded my tires to Teravail Washburn 700 x 38. Really helps with grip on gravel trails but still quick on the road.
I find that the front fork does not do much to suck up the bumps so looking to the Rock Shox Paragon Gold RL Solo Air A1 that others have talk about. Any one have experience with this fork? Does it change the geometry much? How does it preform compared to the stock shock (SR Suntour NEX coil spring]?

I upgraded my DS3 2020 with the Paragon Gold. It's definitely a major upgrade: almost 1kg lighter and much more responsive, and because it's an air-sprung fork, you can tune it better to your weight (maintenance requirements are higher though...). About the geometry change, it's in practice insignificant.

sounds like it will be worth upgrading. Thanks for the info

DS 2 2018 Head tube size
 

Any one know what the head tube size of the frame on a 2018 DS2? I know the NEX fork on it has a 1 1/8 steer tube, but wondering if the head tube might be 1 1/2 with some head reducers in it?
Lots of good deals on gravel forks but the one I want (fox 32) only comes in 1 1/2 inch

I'm almost certain it does not have a tapered head tube, even spaced back to a straight 1-1/8" steer tube. Do you have access to the bike? It shouldn't be difficult to loosen the top bolt just enough to loosen the fork in the head tube, slide it down a bit, and have a look at the lower bearing. If you don't have access to the bike...I'm almost certain it's not tapered.

Hokeyfyd is correct, it's straight tube: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b.../ds-2/p/17306/

You can install a headset lower extender, think 10mm to install a tapered fork such as these:

Woodman extender

WorlfTooth Lower Headset

There are also straight tube air forks available:

RockShox Paragon

Suntour Air Fork's for Hybrids. Think these are what Canyon bikes use.