Originally Posted by
mr,grumpy
Hello. Nice bike. Is there any chance that you would like to review it? I am interested in the Trek DS series but can't find any one who actually OWNS one. I'm particularly interested in how you find it for trails and if the wheels are strong.
I'm really happy with my Gary Fisher Utopia. It's the predecessor to the Trek DS bikes. I settled with it because it is a hybrid that's more mountain oriented. I do take it on some pretty difficult trails and have yet to break anything on it. The fork seems fairly strong, but they new ones all have different forks than what they had 3 or 4 years ago. I have some sort of Suntour fork on it, maybe an NRX or something like that. The wheels also seem to be fairly strong and hold up to what I've thrown at it. Now, I guess you sort of should take that with a grain of salt too. Even though I'm hard on the bike, I weight all of 150 pounds. I doubt me riding it the way I do would be as hard on the bike as someone 200 pounds riding it the same way would be. Whatever your weight is, keep that in mind.
As far as street use, the bike is great. The fork locks out, the tires are't too terribly noisy and they don't slow you down much, and the geometry is comfortable for long rides (one of the main reasons I got the bike). The bike is actually pretty quick too. The only time I have issues keeping up with people is when I'm riding with people who have expensive road bikes. Otherwise, I'm usually one of the front riders.
I'd recommend the DS bikes to anyone. I wouldn't say it's a great replacement for a mountain bike, but it works for me almost in that fashion. Find a shop that carries them, take it for a test ride, and I guarantee you'll be happy with it.