ROB DS

ON THE ROAD AGAIN- Well I finally got my bike back (2 weeks & 1 day) and went out for a quick 15.8 mile hill (road) sprint this morning. The RST fork has a different feel, I don't know if there's a break-in period but I would describe it as being a stiffer ride.....Is that possible? I reached a top speed of 28 MPH (downhill...lol) and the fork didn't implode so life is good.

My 2013 8.4 is Lava Black which my brain/eyes actually process as more of a gray shade and the new forks are a midnight black color. I can see how some would be put off by the obvious contrast of colors. I didn't like the location (near the spokes) of the cable so I snugged/gathered it in a bit with a zip lock.

I ended up getting an adjustable Bontrager Stem, I believe this option will eventually workout best for me, this appears to have relieved some of my neck & wrist issues. I'm going to try the Specialized Contour Grip and will adjust/fine tune my stem angle for this new grip so I'm hoping for even more improvement.

OVERALL RATING- I wasn't very impressed with my LBS or Trek during this process, I thought that the wait was much too long to get the replacement forks. I really wasn't kept in the loop when the forks for the two bikes were actually ordered and when they eventually arrived at the store. I wonder if they could've sped the process up for the LBS owners by having a few parts already shipped & in stock before the June 25th notice was sent to the customers? Also, Trek should've released a statement that they wanted to correct the problem ASAP and that any paint/color issues would be worked out at a future date. If I were a Trek PR executive I would send out apology letters to all that were impacted and include a coupon (few bucks) for future purchases. I enjoy my DS bike but really wonder if I would buy another Trek bike again. Perhaps I'm just a whiny curmudgeon, regardless, this Shrek is happy to get back his Trek. Happy & safe riding.

limbot

Just took both DS for a ride. Did some snotty stuff which isn't just smooth gravel roads so the new shock did get a good workout Does seem stiffer than the NRX but then it's their first trip out. May loosen up a bit after a while. Nice way to spend an hour with the boy

parksie555

Just got my 2014 8.3 DS this weekend. Tried out the Trek Crossrip Elite but it felt a little flimsy to me, might be because I have only owned steel bikes. Was looking for something for offroading but wasn't sure where I wanted to be on the road bike - mountain bike continuum. We have a lot of good trails in this area but I like to mix and match offroad and road (nice thing about Newark is the city has done a good job laying out bike paths so you can get from downtown to the trails without fighting a lot of car traffic).

Bike shop suggested the DS and as soon as I got on it felt like the right choice. Was not sold on having the front suspension (thought it was a gadget) but what a difference on gravel/rocky surfaces! Disc brakes are nice as well. Olive green/gray color scheme with black rims pretty sweet as well.

Have not really had it on the trails yet but looking forward to a long ride in the Middle Run area once this weather clears up a bit.

PSYS

I'm not sure I want to go with the Ergon GP5's. Maybe I need to try gripping them again and see how they feel. There's something about them that felt odd to me.

For my '14 8.2 DS, does anyone know what other grip options I could try that might work?
I did a search and didn't even think to check the fact that certain grips are made for bikes with certain shifters.

Sorry for the newbie question, but how do I know what kind of grip will fit my 8.2 DS?
I don't necessarily need grips with incorporated bar ends. I figured, if I didn't - I'd probably have more flexibility to get a lot of other different options.

ColonelSanders

I believe on Trek's higher end hybrid handlebars, they use a non-standard diameter handlebar sizing at the ends of the bar for their grips, so the grips Trek supply aren't so easily replaced and to run any type of Ergon's require a new handlebar.

Not sure what the handlebar situation is on a 8.2 DS.

If you are able to take your current grips off and then measure the diameter of your handlebar at the grip ends part of it, I'm sure someone will be able to provide you with more info.

PSYS

Thanks much for the info!

ingenuitor

Really, the bastards just want more money? lol

ColonelSanders

Well they don't even get the money.

If someone decides they really want the Ergon grips so much that they will buy a new handlebar, they almost certainly won't be buying it from Trek/Bontrager.

cheezhed321

General accessory question, but since i ride a 8.3 DS figured I'd throw it on this thread...
my bike only has 1 set of mounting holes i can use to mount a bottle cage (on the top side of the down tube). I notice most bikes i see also have mounting holes on the front side of the seat tube for that second bottle cage.
Is there any kind of cage that can be mounted in this spot without the need for mounting holes? One bottle is not cutting it for me anymore.
On another note, i noticed 2 mounting holes on the bottom of the down tube covered by my brake cables... doesnt seem like i can mount anything here without interfering with anything during riding, but they're there. Does anyone know what these are meant to be used for?.. just curious.

steve_cay

Not too happy with the recall handling so far ...

Has been 3 weeks since I handed over my DS 8.4 to the LBS, and still no bike! LBS stated that Trek just sent them a quick release skewer for my bike, and they had to insist my bike requires a new fork. As of today, they are still awaiting delivery of a fork and state there is not much they can do to expedite Trek, but bike will be ready same day they receive parts for which ETA is unknown.

In retrospect, I should have insisted to keep my bike until they receive the parts from Trek!

Too bad I am not on the receiving end of their disorganization, like Sunsanvil who mistakenly got a remote lockout for his 8.4, instead of just a skewer like me!

blue_cheese

I just got my DS8.4 bike back yesterday after recall work... I was told 1 week, it took 2.5 weeks to complete. LBS told me same thing Friday last week when I called: "we got the skewer we are still waiting on fork." seems like it just came in.

I am not sure how much upgrade/downgrade the new fork is... looks wise it looks as good as the old one, the old one was black the new one is black but slightly shinier. Couple of scuffs and scrapes, throw in some mud and I am sure the new one will not be so shiny. Does not bother me in the least appearance wise, I think it looks as good as ever. The pre-tension and lockout knobs are definately better thought out than the suntour fork. the preload has a pop up knob and smoothly clicking easily as it loads up, the old one was wind up clicking and clunking almost seemed broken. The lockout knob is tons better. It is held on by a screw (no more having to glue it on so it doesn't pop out over bumps). The new fork is locked out when it is locked, the Suntour fork still had a small amount of spring in it (several centimeters), the new one is solid...

Other than the time it took, I am not complaining.

Sojourner62

Has anyone purchased an updated 2015 DS. I am especially interested in the DuoTrap S models and the 8.5-8.6 range. Looking to upgrade my current ride in the next six months or so and these models are on the list. Wondering how they perform compared with the current year's bikes.

ingenuitor

I'm looking to take a much anticipated researched ownership of an Trek 2015 8.6 DuoTrap S next week, with the DuoTrap installed and setup ready to go. I will be posting data, images and video after that.

Sojourner62

Outstanding! Looking forward to your reports.

Sunsanvil

Do a search for "clamp on bottle cage".

Think "mudguard".

Sunsanvil

Looks like a pretty short stem. Did you replace the stock part?

limbot

Sunsanvil, that's the stock stem. Might just be the angle

Only mods I've made are the three "touch points"
1. SDG Bel Air saddle (which just replaced a Serfas RX Performance, which replaced the stock Evoke 1 seat after having tingling nether regions for about a week after a 40km ride )
2. BBB Ergostik Bar Ends - love these and spend most of my time on them.
3. Wellgo MG1 pedals - a nice wide and solid platform for when I'm up off the seat compared to the stock 141s.

On another note who else has had their NRX forks replaced with glossy white or glossy black RST Vitas? Post some pics guys and gals

steve_cay

Finally got my DS8.4 back from the fork recall after a one month wait! Unfortunately, no mistaken upgrade to remote lockout like Sunsanvil!

After pick up and a brief ride, here is what I noticed:
- Technician stated this is a better fork, than the one it replaces.
- Glossy white fork does not quite match mat white bike!
- Those nice blue accents on the fork that matched the rest of the bike are gone.
- Metal screwed down red lockout lever, instead of the blue plastic push-on of the previous one.
- Better preload knob.
- Many have said new one is firmer than previous, I would not disagree. Being a bit firmer is good to me, since previous one seemed a bit mushy.
- If you lockout new one while loaded, it will raise to unloaded position and then lock there. Previous one would lock while down, creating an angled ride.

limbot

Think I've gotten use to the gloss/matte issue.

I'm debating taking off the black/red stickers RST Vita stickers on the forks but then again I've just thrown on my SDG Bel-Air saddle Black/Black (which has a red logo) to offset the red at the front

jimmyt5150

Just picked up my 2012 8.4 with the new shocks. Planning in a 20 miler tomorrow. I don't mind the gloss black. I do like the fact that the lockout doesn't pop off and the shock is completely locked out.... No movement unlike the Suntour.

Eagle1

Took my 2013 8.5 in to my LBS a couple of days ago, they took pics of the S/N and the forks. I wouldn't leave my bike with them, but they actually preferred that I not leave it...., they said it's taken about a week for the new forks to come in from Trek once ordered, we'll see. At least the glossy white replacement fork shouldn't be to much of an issue with my color scheme, although I would prefer the matte finish (I could almost get away with a black fork).

jimmyt5150

Oh yeah...it was about a 2 week turnaround on the bike.

When I dropped off the 8.4, they said they had no clue how long it would take. I encouraged them to fix my 6 broken spokes, true up the wheel and give me a tune up, release the bike back to me, then have me come in and drop it off again to swap out the forks.
That was a no go. They said I'd have to sign a waiver of liability because the bike was unsafe to ride. After 2 years and 2000 miles, now it was unsafe....

Mr G

Eagle1
I'm also in SE MI.
Where did you take your DS for the recall?

Eagle1

Mr G,

I took mine to D & D Bicycles in Brighton (near corner of Old 23 & Grand River).

lex22

I got my 2012 8.4 DS back. It was with the dealer for four weeks, although probably a week of of the four was waiting for the dealer to do a tune up after the new fork was installed (I figured it was due).

I can't really say that the new fork is better or worse than the old one. I liked the bike before and I like it now. I don't have any issue with the color (now shiny black instead of matte), but if you care about these things, you will probably not be happy.