'14 Trek 8.2 DS... possible upgrades?
 

Got a '14 Trek 8.2 DS a couple of weeks ago. I'm a new rider. Over the last two weeks, I've put on about 60 miles on mostly packed gravel trails. I'm just wondering about what sort of modifications or upgrades that are most typical with these hybrids or any bike, I guess? I did a search and didn't find anything specific to the 8.2 DS.

What sort of upgrades would give me the most bang for my buck? I don't know if that question is too vague (I'm a newbie, sorry!) And I'm not stating there's anything wrong with my 8.2 DS... but I'm now looking at Trek's website and comparing the 8.2 to the 8.3 and the 8.3 to the 8.4 and so on and so forth. With that, I'm wondering what I can do to make my 8.2 even better than I feel it already is... maybe lighter? more efficient?

To make it lighter, talk to your Trek shop to see about doing a Ghetto Tubeless Conversion.
Also (on the cheap), you could possibly cut some of your seatpost. The bontrager ones are usually very long.
If you don't use, or don't think you'll use your inner or outer chain ring, convert to a single chain ring and get rid of your front shifter, front derailleur and cable.
These small changes will be cheap and save a little weight.

While the tubeless conversion may save some weight and be beneficial in terms of mainentance, these are some pretty terrible suggestions, no offense. At most the weight savings of a front derailleur + chain ring + removed section of seatpost is << 1 lb, and probably less than 0.3 % of the total rider + weight combo. Not to mention a huge loss in functionality.

If there is nothing impeding the use, aka, too low of a high gear, not enough fork travel, ect.. I'd say upgrade nothing. If you're looking for something specific, ask away and we can help sort it out.

This question seems to come up a lot with new riders with new bikes. There's nothing wrong with wanting to modify, upgrade or just add a little bling if you are so inclined. But... my biggest suggestion would be to ride the thing for at least 3 or 4 months before you start thinking about what you might want to change. Like I said, there's no problem with upgrading, just get to know your bike for a little while longer before you start dumping money into it. You may find that many things you thought needed upgrading now really aren't such an issue 4 months from now.

The first addition to consider are bar-end: Universal Cycles -- Bar Ends

The second would be tires.

The third would be gearing.

What tires and what gearing depend on where and how you like to ride.

Often original equipment saddles and pedals are cheap, throw-away items. The saddle and pedals are better than most on the DS series. You might upgrade to clipless pedals and cycling shoes at some point.

If you read my post correctly, I suggested the removal of the inner and outer chain ring if he / she didn't use them or didn't think they would. If that is the case, there would be no loss in functionality as you stated. Note, those bikes usually have the Shimano Mega Drive cassette, which coupled with a 32 tooth front chainring, is usually more than enough range.
Not only would it be lighter (minor), many that have made this alteration actually believe the drivetrain is significantly quieter, if using a Raceface or Absolute Black chainring.

Also in relation to the tubeless suggestion, one can also run their tyre safely at a low PSI which is a benefit if one rides rough trails.

You might consider a set of spd pedals. Just ordered mine for my trek fx.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=391734 I added: Headlight, taillight, Flipped the stem & slammed the handlebars (feels great on this bike), swapped to Cool Stop MTB brake pads, 700X28 Gatorskins, frame pump, small handlebar bag to hold a tube & tools.

Thanks a lot for the replies, everyone!

I do know where a lot of you are coming from. I'm probably not asking the right questions. There's technically nothing wrong with the bike at all. It's flawless. Heck, I've only had it for two weeks now... going on three. Nothing is preventing me from riding. I was just wondering if there was something specific that a lot of avid riders/enthusiasts upgrade on the bike immediately?

I'm going to do as a few of you suggested and continue riding each and every day that I can. I think once I familiarize myself with the bike even more than I am now, I'll be able to better determine what it is (if anything) should be upgraded beyond stock form.

...same colorway that I have. :)

Not sure what you mean by "slamming the handlebars"...?

I am intrigued by the possibility of upgrading the tires, although I don't know at this point how beneficial it would be to me. I did see the Gatorskins are receiving positive reviews online and a co-worker mentioned them to me this morning. I am, however, doing the bulk of my riding on packed gravel + packed dirt trails with the remainder of my riding on the street. I've only got 60-70 miles on the bike thus far over the course of the last two weeks and thus far, I've not had any issues. I'm not certain if the stock tires lack efficiency and/or if there something better that I should entertain?

The standard tires are good quality. I would put 1000 miles on them and the change to an upgrade. Some tires are better at specific conditions:

Heavy-duty touring tires are flat resistant and durable, but the ride can be stiff and the rolling resistance can be noticeable.
Light weight performance tires can reduce rolling resistance and usually ride smoothly, but flats and durability can be an issue.
Knobby tires offer greater control in mud and soft earth but have higher rolling resistance on pavement.

Great tires often deliver a mix of benefits.