Trek DS as Tourer?
 

Hi all,

Looking for what people think about using this bike for some touring? Sure it would probably be fine on road but looking at gravel roads and basic fire trails. I'm only looking at the 8.5 and 8.6DS

Notice the suspension on the rear, is this just an added risk when riding with racks? It looks like it could take a wider tyre than the 38mm that it's fitted with.

http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes..._series/8_6_ds

So people let me have your thoughts/experiences, good or bad.

Many thanks

Gary

We see Hundreds of riders passing down the coast in the summer,

Touring is the activity , any bike you are OK with riding all day and getting up the next morning
and doing that for a week or more, is good enough. for you.

the Incompatible rack issue is resolved by putting your whole kit in a Bike trailer ..

If its your favorite bike , go ride it for a few days ..

Doesn't look much like a touring bike to me. Hard to mount racks and fenders, unnecessary front suspension, hydraulic brakes to leak, Disc rotors to bend, aluminum frame hard to repair if damaged. Other than that, go for it ;)

Dont already own it? this is a lot less money and already has a rack and mudguards.

change bars and saddle, etc. to suit your preference.

http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes...llant/allant/#

seriously, as an all around bike, it would work and also work as a tourer, except there is no rear suspension, only front, which would limit you to putting certain racks on it.
Pluses-great stock gearing, would be perfectly suited to carry stuff on it in hilly terrain.
I dont know front suspension, so have no idea if this is crappy or not, ie all loosey goosey and slack all the time. If you could lock it out it would be a plus, but you would still be limited to what front racks you would put on it.
If you only go rear racks, the weight could get too much for the 32 spoke 700 wheels on it.

Thanks for the feedback all. lhendrick mentioned some the potential issues.

Id only be looking to put rear racks on which it has mounts for, also considering a 36 spoke wheel whatever I end up with. The front suspension would certainly smooth out the bumps and has remote lockout. Im trying to limit my spend as this is a bike which would only be ridden once a year for a tour and maybe the odd commute and trip to the shops. My preference is an ogre but that involves a bit more $$.

I had originally discounted the DS range as a viable option but having ridden one I thought Id seek further opinions.

Cheers

1500 Aussie dollars is about the same in can. Dollars, without knowing your bike market, it seems kinda high. A comparable non disk brake bike here could be in the 1k range with a non suspension front fork.
Given how little you plan to ride, I wonder if you'd be just as happy with a bike costing 500 less, you could buy other bike or touring stuff with the saved money. Only you know what bikes are in your area and at what prices.

The "ISO-zone" with 20mm rear suspension has me wondering what happens once it's loaded with panniers. Definitely looks like a comfortable ride but it sure would be nice to know how it rides with rear panniers before you buy it.
Fire trail touring on a budget for occasional use. Hmm, If there's any doubt about the isozone I'd go for a solid rear triangle and look for a bike that can take 45-47mm tires

Thats one of my concerns, looks like a potential weak spot. It does look like it can take wider tyres but 45-477 might be pushing it.

The other option is the Trek x-caliber 8 which again can take racks and can be had for 1k locally. Decent enough spec.

Oops, sorry didn't see that rear frame rubber looking insert thing.

Here is one of the N American models of the same bike. This one is about 900 can. and there are a whole slew of diff models and price ranges depending on the parts.
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes.../7_4_fx_disc/#

A friend of mine got a v-braked carbon fork version of this bike a few years ago and its a good bike that will give good service for years.

Ps re the rear "suspension", with weight on the bike I guess it depends on the weight of the rider in terms of how much this presumable rubber or spring thing gets compressed. It says up to 20mm of "travel", who knows how it feels riding with weight.

Im light, under 70kg but I wonder about an additional 15kg or so bouncing up and down on the back! The FX is a nice looking bike but might be a bit uncomfortable on long days on gravel etc.

Re long days on gravel roads, no clear answer IMO given how gravel roads vary so much. I've ridden gravel on 28mm tires and on 26inX1.5 tires.
Wider is certainly more flexible for varying "gravel" especially with lower pressures a help along with wider when stuff is softer and loose.

Good luck looking at diff bike options.