Hello!

I am looking at potentially buying a Trek DS 8.x. The main difference between the 8.4 and the 8.5 is the remote lockout of the front suspension.

When I'm thinking about these suspensions, the main thing I wonder is what the purpose is of having lockout if it is not remote, in the middle of a ride, how realistic is it that you would switch to a paved road, hop off the bike, and manually lock your suspension out? Is this something that would be worth $300.00 if I'm used to riding cro-Molly hard tails with no suspension?

Well my Fox fork does not have "remote" lockout but it is no problem to reach down and lock and unlock the fork while riding. At first I thought it was a little odd but now that I'm used to it I am glad it isn't cluttering up my bars.

Unless I am mistaken, the 8.3 has a mechanical locking suspension. You need to unload the front (by getting off the bike) to turn the knob to lock/unlock.

The 8.4 (at least the 2013 model that I have), has a hydraulic locking suspension, which means you can turn the knob at any time to lock it (since it just closes a hydraulic valve, and allows variable firmness). I just reach down while riding to twist the knob ... not hard to do. They did however switch from the to SR Suntour NRX to the RST Nova for 2014 so you may want to double check

The 8.5 has the remote switch.

I like it locked on the road, and unlocked on the trails to smoothen things out. Since I bike on the road to the trails, I do twist it while riding just before hitting the trails. You may also want to lock off road when power climbing to avoid bobbing the front. I don't think the avoidance to reach down is worth $300 ... then again you also get the iso-zone rear dampeners, and better crank and derailleurs as well for that upgrade price.

I was thinking that maybe the crank, derailleurs, and remote lock combo were probably worth the $300.00 but I sort of overlooked the IsoZone. Is that 20mm of travel in the back really going to make a noticeable difference? Or is that the sort of thing where after a mile or two it's not much, but after 40 miles when your tired and trying to push it out then you appreciate it a lot more?

If suspension is needed on your trails, then you don't need to worry about a remote lock-out switch. My reasoning is because you would have to stop anyway to deflate your tyres for the harsh trail which would necessitate suspension in the first place.
Beauty in simplicity. You don't want a bike looking like something Mr Gadget would ride.

I bought a Cane Creek suspension seat post ,, weight range tuned with Elastomers selection ..

I don't think the suspension is critical to my everyday riding experience, which also happens to be why I would want to lock it out. Most of my riding is going to be done on roads/paved trails and pea gravel trails (rails to trails project) which is why I want the hybrid, less resistance/more speed on the roads (tire design) and sturdy enough for the rough patches in the trails. There won't be any stopping to deflate tires, so a flip of the switch when I'm about to hit the gravel trail is pretty ideal.

Go go gadget bike!

I switched my Diamondback Trace Sport's fork with a remote lockout (Suntour NRX D-RL). I usually leave the fork unlocked even on the road except when I know for a fact I'm going to sprint and start bouncing up and down. Forks that have hydraulic lockouts usually have a rebound dampening which would absorb bouncing up and down better than a mechanical suspension fork. I suggest don't go for a mechanical suspension fork as they are usually heavier and bounce quite often when not locked(Suntour NVX). The NRX fork is approximately 1 pound and a half to 2 pounds lighter (even with a remote lockout) than the NVX. As with the remote lockout, I don't think that would make a great selling point. Reaching for the lockout is not hard and your decision is entirely on a matter of how you value convenience.

After riding a mtb with a front suspension and no lockout option today, I can honestly say it is probably not a bad idea to have suspension on Sheboygan roads. I bet the gravel trails are even better than the roads around here lol.

With my rockshox tora I can reach down, twist the dial and keep on riding without even looking. No gadget needed.

Gadget is a bit harsh, My bike doesn't have one but I can lock it by just reaching down and bingo. Having said that my wife's bike has one, and now I wish mine had one too... as for the difference in price, like others have said you get a lot more on the 8.5 than the 8.4 so that is why the wife bought the 8.5...

My fork came with the option of a remote, but it seems redundant. If I was going to spend another $300 it would be on a droppper seatpost. Now thats useful.

And I would agree with you... Except that, the 300$ isn't for the remote lockout only... There is a lot more that you upgrade from 8.4 to 8.5 for that 300$... JMO

So you think the IsoZone frame, slightly better fork, remote lockout, and what is the last thing, different gearing, are worth the extra $300.00??

Better derailers too... But yes, we went with the 8.5 instead or the 8.4 because all those things added up to a better bike...

I ask out of genuine curiosity not shock. Part of me thinks I wouldn't know a high end bike from a mid range bike if I get a mid range because I haven't had exposure and experience on high end bikes. Another part of me thinks that I should probably buy the best I can afford right now because it will last for ten + years provided it doesn't get ripped off or hit by a car.

I don't think you'll ever ride a higher end bike and wish you bought the lower end bike, but I can imagine riding a lower end bike and wonder could have been for just a couple of 100s more

Buy the most you can reasonably afford..... better is better, in the bicycle world. Lots of little things add up to big differences pretty fast.

I just made a purchase. I bought an Orbea Alma 29er. It has a black and red color scheme with white accents, it isn't a hybrid but I could switch the tires if I wanted. It is completely geared with Shimano Acera except for the front derailler which is Shimano Alivio. The front fork is a Suntour something or other with a remote lockout there are hydraulic disk brakes and the shop I got it from was going out of business so I was there at just the right time and am under the belief that I got a great deal.

It doesn't have IsoZone, but I'm alright with that

Holy smokes, nice bike ..... Is this the one? Alma H30 ? Orbea

That's a full on 29" mountain bike.......

Or, this one https://www.orbea.com/us-en/bicycles/mx-29-30/ a little bit lighter duty, but still a heck of a nice 29er..... more road worthy tires would be more efficient on the road. It's got nice, 36 spoke wheels, internal cabling, Shimano crank. Shimano hydraulic brakes. This bike is still pretty trail worthy, as that lockable fork is still pretty stout. It's still a full on hard tail mountain bike. Nice score!