Hey all -

Looking at getting into biking as another form of cardio other than running. I want to be able to ride on sidewalks and paved trails in the park so I want something that isn't a full fledged mountain bike nor a road bike. I'm leaning towards the mountain bike side so that's what drew me towards the dual sports.

I went to the Trek store yesterday and rode a Trek DS 8.4 and 8.5 to figure out if I should be on a 17.5" or 19" frame. I'm 6'1" with a 32-33" inseam so the salesman said he thought I'd feel most comfortable on a 17.5"

Anyways, the 8.4 is a little more than I want to spend (I'm 24 and haven't rode a bicycle since about sophomore year of college, and even then it was a $100 walmart bike) so they are suppose to build the 8.3 DS in a 17.5" frame then call me so I can come in to ride it, and possibly buy it. I'm thinking this will be a better option for me than the 8.2 as the 8.3 has lockouts on the front fork and that will make it more like a roadbike if I'm just riding around the neighborhood/on sidewalks.

I also looked at the Specialized Crosstrail Disc and Specialized Crosstrail Sport... I didn't like the Crosstrail Disc because the front fork was too bouncy when all the way firmed up. The Crosstrail Sport was nice with lockouts on, but I think I'd rather have the Trek 8.3 DS over it.

Anyways, just wanting to get some input from people who are more into biking than me to make sure I'm looking at the right bike.

Welcome To Bike Forums, Eriley!

If you're riding on sidewalks (which you really should not be doing ) and paved park trails, why do you need a bike with any kind of front suspension. A bike without front suspension will transfer energy into forward motion more efficiently than a bike with a suspended fork. Of course, the lockout feature will make a difference there. Nonetheless, due to the suspended fork, your bike will be heavier. More mass moving forward, translates into decreased speed. Dual Sport bikes are for the cyclist who intends to go off-road occasionally. "Off-road", implies no paved trailways...

You haven't mentioned anything about being "off-road", thus far.

IMO, you'd be much better off with either a hybrid or a cyclocross bicycle. In the price range of the Trek DS 8.3, I'd recommend the following:

The Jamis Coda Sport ~ $560
www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/12_codasport_bk.html

The 2011 Absolute 2.0 ~ $600
www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1118664_-1_400316/

The Motobecane Fantom Cross CX3 ~ $550
www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross_cx3.htm

Good Luck!

Been lurking a while, registered to give you an FYI. I have a DS 8.3, am about 6' even, and have an inseam about 32". The DS geometry that is right for me is a 19" and I know 100% the the 17.5 was too small, for me. When I tried smaller frame sizes in Gary Fisher collection and Trek FX (I'm a 20" in the FX line) I felt shoulder and wrist discomfort even on the short test rides.

It sounds like our sizes are pretty close so make sure to try a larger size to make sure you get fitted well. Maybe there is some other significant difference between us, and I'm pretty new to cycling, so I could easily be wrong, but hopefully a quick test ride will give you some piece of mind.

As far as the actual bike, personally I love it. I wasn't sure if I would be all road, all offroad, or somewhere in between and wanted one bike to do it all. So far I've been over 90% road only, but just started branching out on some trails. I went with the 8.3 for the fork lockout, originally was looking at the 8.2. While I played with the lockout a few times, I now never use it and leave the fork working all the time. It is pretty flat here when not on the trails though, and I have back and wrist issues that the fork helps make things friendlier for. Many here will suggest to avoid the fork if you aren't going to spend a significant portion of your time offroad, depending on your age, experience, and general health, they are probably right. But I appreciate the suspension and find the bike to be pretty comfortable and fast, with plenty of utility on and off road.

But make sure to consider your own usage, and find what is most comfortable and fun.

My friend has an 8.3 DS and is thrilled with it.

If you are riding on paved surfaces, you probably don't need suspension fork at all. The DS is a popular choice as is the Crosstrail. You won't go wrong with either of these bikes. Have you considered the Trek FX 7.X series bikes? I recommend you give one of these a test ride to compare. I also think the 19" frame might be your size. If you have 1" between you and the top tube on the 19", then it's not too big. On the smaller size, you'll probably have more upright riding position. If that's more comfortable ride for you it might be the proper size. The LBS should be willing to change the stem for one that is longer/shorter to adjust fit.

My daughter has an 8.3DS and likes it. It is her first 'real' bike. I wanted to get her in an 8.4, but she didn't like the gold trim color and didn't want it. The components of the 8.4 are a big step up from the 8.3 and if it were me I'd want them regardless of color. YMMV

What is it with women and color? My wife won't buy a bike based on color either. It has to be PRETTY!

Get a trek 7.2 FX or a Trek 7.3 FX for your kind of riding. Skip the suspensions and fat tires. You'll find yourself slow and it will make it harder for you to pedal on pavement.

I bought the 8.3 about 2 weeks ago and couldn't be happier. I love the lock out fork and mechanical brakes. Wanted to go with the 8.4 for the hydraulic brakes but then I said to myself how much extra stopping power will I get for $200. The ride on the 8.3 is great and the bike looks great. I upgraded from a Trek Antelope 820 I bought in '91. What a difference between the cro-mol frame and the aluminum. Go for the 8.3. You won't be disappointed.

I recently bought a brand new 7.2fx, but don't feel comfortable with the ride, and it is not just the seat(even though it is "bad"). I am thinking to swap out with my LBS to the 8.3 DS. Am I sacrifing a lot of speed?

I test rode an FX 7.5 and felt the same way..i just wasn't comfortable on it. When i rode the 8.4, it opened up a whole new world for me. As far as speed...it really depends on the rider. I have sped up with both roadies and hard core MTBers and some would leave me in the dust, and other i would leave them. Most of the time, im just as fast road or even faster than some of my buddies with Fixies as well. Will you sacrifice a lot of speed...not as much as you might think.

I was in your position about a year ago. I was looking for a second bike to be used on paved trails, not for mountain biking. I asked the question in reference to a duel sport bike (with a suspension fork) and I got similar responses to what you are getting here. The majority of the responses were "you don't need a suspension fork for this application".

To make a long story short, I didn't listen to the advice and bought a duel sport bike (with suspension fork) and I have regretted it ever since!! For long rides, the extra weight REALLY makes a big difference!! Yes, the bike has a smoother ride, but it is HEAVY!!!!! In my opinion, for riding on paved trails, I would pass on the suspension fork!!! Again, this is my personal opinion!!!

One other disadvantage of a duel sport bike (in my opinion) is that with the wider tires (with more aggressive tread), there is definitely more rolling resistance on paved surfaces. This results in a slower ride! This is NOT just my opinion, it is pure physics. More resistance mean you need more energy to maintain your speed. As I mentioned above, on longer rides, this will make a big difference.

I am NOT apposed to duel sport bikes, as a matter of face, I like them, but for riding on paved trails, I think you might be happier with a bike without a suspension fork.

I would look at the Cannondale Quick 4, Trek FX series, or the Fuji Absoulte 1.0. These bikes are basically a road bike with flat bars and slightly larger tires. I am considering selling my Cannondale CX-3 (with suspension fork) and buying one of the the bikes that I have listed.

Anyone know what's the weight difference between the Trek FX and DS? These responses are making me confuse(sorry for being a newbie). I thought the tires are just a little bit wider in the DS vs the FX. They both have the 700C tires?

The DS series has 700x38c tires and the FX series (7.3) has 700x32c tires (6mm difference). Besides the tires being wider on the DS, the tread pattern is what makes the biggest difference. The FX series has a much less aggressive tread pattern then the DS series. This is mainly do to the environment that they are designed to interact with. The tires on the DS series are designed to work well in gravel and dirt, while the FX series tires are designed to be used on smoother surfaces, such as pavement and hard packed gravel.

As far as the weight is concerned, I couldn't find anywhere on Trek's site that lists the weight of each bike, but I would be willing to bet that the DS series bike is much heavier than the FX series. I have ridden both of these bikes (last summer) and there is a considerable difference between them. My advice would be to ride as many different bikes as you can before you actually purchase one. That way you will find the right bike for YOU. Not everyone will have the same opinion on any given bike.

Keep in mind I'm a newb, but...

The tires on the 8.3, Bontrager H5s, have a very flat center section, and nubs on the sides. In the flat section the "tred" is more academic than practical, smaller than the tred on some city style pavement tires. On pavement the nubs never really touch the pavement, maybe if you were cornering at very high speed, but you'd have to be way faster and better than I am (probably not difficult for many at this point).

The concept is that they will be decently fast on the road, and in dirt/mud/sand the tire will sink down and the nubs then will give traction. IME they are actually worthless in these situations as there aren't enough nubs and you still get very little traction. I'm sure other tires roll faster, but the H5s roll pretty smoothly on pavement.

There are a few reasons that the FX line can be a faster bike in the right hands. For me personally the DS was more comfortable. So for ecchan and eriley you probably should really test them both out, as you may find the DS is fast enough, or you may find you really love the FX. Also bear in mind the DS bikes have a longer effective top tube measurement than the FX, which leads them to have a different feel.

Hi everyone, first post and I will be posting about my purchasing experience soon because I pick my Trek 8.5DS up Wednesday.

However, I wanted to chime in and share that I had the same concerns as you. When I went back to my LBS and said I wanted to ride the FX series because I was wondering about a bike with no front suspension/mostly road riding, they gladly put me on the FX to try. He talked with me about my concerns and then offered up a perfect solution.

My LBS swapped out the tires on the 8.5 DS for a set of Ritchey tires which had a smoother inside for the road and more aggressive/knobby tread on the outer side for trails or dirt paths. He swapped them out on the spot just for me to try. Bingo! this was the perfect solution! The Trek 8.5 DS always felt amazing when I was on it and I loved the idea of the smoother ride of the suspension fork for messing around or the ability to lock it out for pure road /paved path rides. My sales person at the LBS told me that they all ride with this tire on their own hybrids.

I told them to keep the tires on the bike and he said it would be a wash with no further charges for the change.

So even though the Trek 8.5DS comes with a certain tire, it can be swapped out, even for just a test ride by a great LBS for you to test.

As far as weight goes, I'm a newbie at cycling and I'm getting into it for exercise and family riding so pushing the extra weight, if I could even tell the difference, will assist me in my exercise routine and build strength/endurance.

I told myself that if I do good and stick with it, that I can buy a Carbon Fiber bike in the future!

Look for my future post about searching for a bike and my bike buying experience....

Good advice. I am ordering the 8.3 DS and once it arrives, I will consider the same set-up. Is it the Ritchey SpeedMax-Delta 35mm tire? Look forward to your future posts about your experience with the 8.5 DS.

I'll ask tonight when I pick my bikes up. They told me the model of tire but only remembered the brand.

I recently purchased a Trek DS8.4 and I'm enjoying it so far. I had the LBS replace the tires with a more flat resistant style before I picked it up. Here's my first impressions after my first ride,

THanx for the write up Trailback. I made a write up too for my 8.4 and was curius on what you thought so i checked out your blog. Here was my write up..compare notes if you want. DS 8.4 Review

I purchased a Trek 8.3 DS a few weeks ago after test-riding a bunch of hybrids, fitness and dual purpose bikes, including Trek's FX series. Ultimately, I think I made the right purchase for the type of riding that I mostly do, which is really a mixture of paved road and off-road trails. Here's the problem: When I hit an off-road trail (grass, gravel, blazed hiking paths, etc.) this bike is a blast. If you happen to test-ride an FX along side a DS, you will be shocked by your good fortune in choosing the DS, especially if the trail you're riding on gets a little choppy. Then, when you hit the paved streets because it's 10 miles to the trailhead, you're going wonder why you wasted your money on the DS. It becomes pretty evident once you begin grinding away the miles on a paved street that the DS is really not well equipped for this type of riding.

It's funny, now that I have a DS, I realize that it is true what some poster said on a biking forum somewhere when I was researching hybrids: "The problem with these kinds of bikes is that they do not excel at either road biking or off-road biking." I now agree with that statement, wholeheartedly. Buy a DS if you want one versatile bike for fitness or recreational riding. Otherwise, you're probably better off buying either a dedicated road bike or mountain bike or both if performance and a good quality ride makes more sense.

I got an 8.3ds about a month ago. Initially, I took my Trek 850 (15 yrs old) to the local bike shop for a tune-up and after being inspected by the mechanic, realized it would be over $300 to get back in good shape, so I decided to just get a new bike. My intended budget was around $600. I told them I often rode from my house to the dirt trails. They suggested a dual-sport and I liked the idea. They had just gotten the 2013 models in, and had my size. On the test ride, I really liked the way the bike felt, esp being used to riding my 850 on the road to the trails. And, I still really like the bike, and overall am happy with it. I've found myself going for many more road rides, which was one of my goals with the new bike.

Some things a potential buyer may want to consider...and I've only had it a month:

The suspension lockout lever is already broken. Not sure how this happened, since it has been locked nearly the entire time I have had it and have not gone off-road yet. I went to unlock it, and it didn't move...several attempts, same result. Color changes from red (locked) to green (unlocked) but doesn't move. It worked fine for the first 2 or 3 weeks.

Pedals: Already broken. The pedals' outside is a metal piece which screws into the plastic platform. The plastic screw-inlets are definitely stripped as the metal screws won't screw tight. They look cool when buying it, but didn't last, and I haven't been off-road yet or scraped the petals on the ground.

Weight: I've definitely noticed how much heavier the bike is with the suspension. I'm fine with it, being as I am primarily using it for fitness, but for someone using it as a commuter, you should consider this.

After a month now, I'm planning on upgrading the front suspension to something lighter and more reliable. Oh, and new petals. I'll continue enjoying this bike for what it seems to be best at, which are casual rides with friends and fitness on my road rides. However, I do plan on buying a dedicated mountain bike and a dedicated road bike.

I was in the same boat but I purchased a Trek 7100 with the suspension forks and I wish I didn't because realistically 99% of my riding is on smooth, paved surfaces. Yeah, I "thought" I "might" want to go off the paved trails once in a while but it only happened once and I didn't even care for it.

Without getting all technical here I recommend you take a few moments, sit back and figure out how much time you will be riding and where. I personally think there isn't "one" bike for every application. That's more of a marketing concept for manufacturers. Buy something that you will get the most use out of. If I had it to do over I'd buy an FX.

BTW, I have the 17.5 frame and I'm only 5'8". You would need a something bigger trust me. Sometimes I feel my 17.5 is way too small, even for me.