steve_cay

Speaking of recalls, around page 11 of this thread some people reported that the matt (white and black) recalled forks were finally available, and matching the colour of their bikes.

Did any of the disgruntled people getting the original glossy ones, for their matt bike, bother trying to get them again swapped out for a matt one?

load97

If they were actually matching the colors that would be great. I doubt it though.

gpburdell

Picked up my 2016 8.6DS today. Sorry for the poor photo quality, losing the light and didn't have a lot of time.

The color is interesting, sort of a metallic slate more than a black. Specs/components all seem to be the same as 2015 at first pass. Rides like a dream, not that I'd know the difference at this point.

Stupid newbie question before I call the shop tomorrow and make a fool of myself. Was this supposed to come with any of the blendr mounts or just has the ability to use them if I go buy whatever mounts I need? Thanks.

GlennR

Nice.... much nicer than the 2015 8.6 color.

intransit1217

Bah! That big ole chrome machine is the sweetest ride ever. And If I wasn't already so far into my '13 model, I totally would have jumped on that.

ColonelSanders

Very nice.

What size is it?

I wonder if this colour was brought in early because the 2015 colour wasn't selling well?

Mind you if that is the case, the first bike they needed to change the colour of, is the FX7.4 Disc

gpburdell

Thank you. It's a 17.5, so no cage lugs on the seat tube part of the frame. I'd tried a 19 but it just was a bit too big for me.

side_FX

I just noticed today that the 7.4 FX for 2016 will have a color of "firebrand", which seems to be some sort of sweet orange. I was actually at my lbs and pondering the 2015 7.4 disc grey color. It does look much better in person than what I've seen before online.

load97

LBS emailed me back yesterday. Said that Trek is shipping out a matte black fork, with no graphics on it. I should be able to go see how it looks today or tomorrow. I think I'll be pretty happy with at least same matching sheen. My wife's fork for her Neko is suppose to arrive at the same time.

steve_cay

Is this the first resolution of your recall, or did you complain about the mismatched one and this is a replacement?

load97

I told the store employee a few days ago I was unhappy that I heard the recall involved a miscolored fork. I didn't do the recall yet. He wanted me to email the store manager my complaints along with photos and serial numbers. I wrote quite the polite, yet firm letter. I insisted on them sending it to Trek, with Trek to call me directly for a better resolution.

ROB DS

I got my bike back with the replacement QR, I thought Trek did a great job jumping on this recall. I'm not sure about the "stupid" analysis but my thoughts are riders do sell/trade bikes and a newbie could someday end up with my bike and not understand the dynamics of the quick release and the 180 degree + throw and disc brake danger. Bikes also get bumped in transport and angry strangers have been known to mess around with QR levers . The part is now safely/correctly designed; better safe than sorry and my thoughts and well wishes go out to those that were injured.

Sunsanvil

Quick photo if you get the chance please?

ROB DS

Here are the pictures of the new replacement QR, I'm sure some cycling purest will find that the color coordination doesn't fit quite into their Feng Shui color cycling scheme. I semi-gingerly (26 mph downhill) put on 12 hill sprint miles early this morning with the new QR, kind of creepy having a new QR so I stopped twice just to make sure all was well. Have fun, stay safe & ride spunky.

NOTE:The new part appears to be a tad beefier than the original with about 140 degrees of throw or so.

steve_cay

Ouch, my old one is all nicely tapered and rounded. That one looks like a brick from the side! Imagine the lateral aerodynamic turbulence that will cause!!!

jackmeister

Just retired and looking to ride trails at first and some road riding later. I rode a 2015 DS 8.4 and loved it. The LBS has it priced at $879. Fair price or can I do better?

swoodjr1

Any updates on your bike? Any more pics? My LBS ordered one for me to try out. Can't wait.

gpburdell

Unfortunately I was only able to do a short 7mi ride on Saturday and was busy with other stuff all weekend. I did pick up the Blendr mounts the LBS forgot to give me and moved my Trip300 to that mount. I also picked up a Mountain Mirrycle mirror and put that on as well.


So far I'm quite happy with my purchase. Hoping to get some more ride time later this week.

steve_cay

How do y'all lubricate the fork on our bikes? The Suntour manual sais to wipe stanchions with an oily cloth after every ride. The RST manual says to apply grease to stanchions every 10h of use. Neither specify what type of oil or grease. Reading up generically for bike shocks, there is a lot of "don't use grease containing lithium", "don't use typical grease that attracts dirt", "do not use anything with solvents", etc or your seals will be ruined prematurely. YouTube videos on the topic suggest "Fork Juice spray or oil", but that is not "grease" as specified in the RST manual.

So far I have been using a few drops of my "dry" chain lube on the stanchions whenever I lube the chain, which I read somewhere ... but then recently read a comment somewhere else not to use dry/chain lube on stanchions!

Not sure if all the "generic MTB" advice is the same for our forks, or just obsessing and recommending expensive specialty products that do the same as something standard.

gpburdell

Always worth asking but that's the price I'm seeing across several Trek dealers here for the 8.4 so I wouldn't expect much if anything.

BGBeck

I don't think you'll do any better until the 2016's are out.Even then it will be hit or miss depending of the frame sizes remaining in a dealer's stock and how anxious they are to get rid of them. Bicycles are very rarely discounted like other consumer goods.

BaBang

Proud new owner of a 2015 Trek 8.4 DS That being said, I've haven't ridden in years and had some questions.

1) I've been thinking about placing a simple computer to keep track of the time and mileage. First, does an odometer help with maintenance decisions? Secondly, any recommendations for a simple computer that will use the existing mount on the bike?

2) I've yet to purchase any repair kit, CO2 canister, etc. What should I be carrying on my rides?

3) For some reason, the gear mechanism seem counter-intuitive. On the right hand, you press the thumb-piece to make the gears shift down (aka... easier to peddle) but on the left hand you press the thumb-piece to make the gears shift up (aka... make it hard). I don't know why that bothers me but I would love to understand the reasoning behind it.

4) The seat feels uncomfortable. Now I haven't ridden in a decade and quite out of shape (5'10", 225lbs... bike size = 17.5), but I feel like I'm sitting more towards the front, which is digging into my crotch. I can consciously push myself back and lean slightly forward... and it's almost as comfortable... but wonder if I need to adjust the height of the seat and/or consider a different seat. Right now the seat comes up to my anterior superior lilac spine when standing next to the bike. My back doesn't move too much when peddling. It just feels hard/thin. And please be honest... it's probably that I'm fat but I just wanted to be sure that everything is the proper fit.

gpburdell

Congrats on the new bike.


#1 - I'd suggest the Bontrager duotrap S / trip 300 combo package for $99. It was $75 on sale a couple weeks ago and a smoking hot deal considering the individual pricing. The cadence/speed sensor is ANT+ & BLE so I'm using it with my Garmin multisport watch to track my rides and I have the inexpensive trip300 to display cadence/speed/etc. without messing with my watch. The Duotrap S should also be able to send data to my phone for apps like Strava, etc. but I've not tried it yet. Nice benefit is the duotrap S integrates very cleanly into the bike and the Trip300 mounts right onto the larger Blendr mount.. It'd be a good basis on which you can later build.


#2 - there's several neverending threads about co2 vs pumps vs both and best to go read those rather than start the debate here. Fundamentally it depends on how far from home you ride. Check out this write-up: Build a Bike Patch & Flat Kit | The Sweethome


#3 - agreed. I'm in the same boat trying to get used to it. On top of that I have a lot of (more recent) motorcycling experience so this left-lever brakes business is a bit odd.


#4 - store you bought bike from should have set it up for you. go back and get them to ensure it's at the right spot and angle. Generally speaking it takes a bit of time to get your sit-bones used to a seat, so after you've ensured it's set up right you may want to give it a bit before deciding on making changes. You should be able to work with your LBS on any changes needed later on.

steve_cay

Congrats!

Agree with gpburdell, but just to reiterate, even the best seat on earth with a perfect fitting will feel uncomfortable and hurt for the first couple of rides if you have not biked in years! Here is a good and lengthy writeup on seats:

A Comfortable Bicycle Saddle

A cyclist who is out of cycling shape from being off a bicycle for a few months or more, will start out strong, but the legs will tire rapidly. When the legs tire, the rider sits harder on the saddle, and that's when the trouble starts. Many saddle complaints are actually traceable to fatigue caused by starting out the season with a longer ride than you are ready for.

I feel just fine on my DS 8.4 saddle, and rather like it. The first ride or two every year however is not that comfortable, and there is some butt soreness! Perfect after that however, until the next season.

BaBang

Looks nice, but one review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm5T-AKYAvQ) gave a very mix impression for the DS and I'm not so sure I want to spend $100 when I don't care for all those bells and whistles. I was thinking something along the CateEye Velo 7... but really couldn't find anything specific with the DS model.


Yea I've been sitting on it like a seat =p. I'll definitely need to improve my posture so I'm not killing any future chance of having children.