I am bit confused between DS3 and DS4. My requirement is to have a bicycle for weekend ride of around 50 km. I am getting back to cycling after 10 years.


DS4 is 250$ expensive than DS3. As an amateur rider, will I feel much difference between these two? I test rode DS3, it was quite comfortable, but unfortunately, there was no DS4 at my local dealer. So, I am not able to appreciate much on the difference between these two.

I usually ride in a tarmac with an occasional mild off road, I was using an entry level hybrid bike without front suspension and I feel the need when I ride in a off road or broken road.

The main differences are:

1. DS4 gets suntour NRX suspension with remote lock out while DS3 gets NEX with no remote lockout but lockable at suspension.

2. The front and rear hub of DS4 have Shimano M3050 while DS3 have Formula DC20 alloy.

3. Thé shifter and dérailler*is a Shimano SLX in DS4*while in DS3, it is Acera in front and Alivio in rear.

4. The crank in DS4 is SRAM S1000 and DS3 gets Acera.

Besides, DS3 comes with blue which I like it while DS4 comes only with black.

I am a newbie to the cycling tech, your response will be a deciding factor for me.

Thanks,
Vignesh

I can;t comment on the Treks specifically, but I have a remote lockout on my Specialized Crosstrail and I use it surprisingly often. I mostly ride on rail-trails that are paved or hard-packed dirt/gravel and being able to lock and unlock the fork remotely is a great feature. I also have a 2x10 drivetrain like the DS4 and to be honest, I often wish I had a triple in front as I find myself changing between the 2 front sprockets way more than I ever changed when I had a 3x8 on my old bike. Tough choice - I think if I had to decide again, as long as the 250.00 difference in price wasn't gonna compromise a car payment or something, I'd pick the higher spec'd bike.

Hi, and welcome!

There are certainly differences in the equipment level of the two bikes, but I don't think any would appreciably impact your enjoyment of the bike. Save possibly for the 2x10 drivetrain vs. the 3x9 like CT_Sean said above. I, too, would prefer the the 3x9 drivetrain on the DS3 personally. I would recommend not discounting your preference on color, either. You're going to see the color every time you ride the bike and, if you really like the blue, you may end up thinking about that blue every time you ride your black DS4.

I'm no expert but I don't know that there's otherwise anything major between the two that makes the 250 worth it. I have the SLX rear derailleur on my Crosstrail (and actually ended up with an XT front) which are nice but I have no idea if they are notably nicer that what's on the DS3.

It's worth noting that even though the DS3 has more available gear combinations with the 3x9, "1st gear" on the DS4 is actually lower with a 28/40 ratio compared to the 26/34 on the DS3.

Hmmm, now I am more confused I want to do the test ride of DS4.

I don't think the differences will impact your overall ownership experience. In fact, it sounds like you prefer the 3x drivetrain instead of the 2x. You can easily replace the DS3's stock 11-34 cassette with a 12-36, which does make a nice difference in low gearing. Here's a picture of that 12-36 9-speed cassette on my MTB -- it's a very sharp-looking cassette (nickel-plated), and is available pretty cheap (25 bucks). Shimano HG400-9.

IMG_20180823_162746857 by jnjadcock, on Flickr

Thanks hokiefyd, I finally booked DS3