Trek Question..

[Boon 51]

Two bikes here, but are they so much different?


1.. Trek DS 8.6. Tyres.. 700/ 38cc Gearing 48-36-26 F and 11-36 rear.
2.. Trek X Caliber 29. Tyres 29.2.2 Gearing 44-33-22 F and 11-36 rear.

About the same price as each other but what is the difference on the road or off the road. not too much or alot.
PS.. Dont know the bike weights.

 

[billy1561]

Don't know anything about the first bike but the xcaliber is a cracker. I got the Trek cobia 29er before christmas and it's brilliant. The only difference between the Cobia and the xcaliber is the quality of the components. the Cobia has first class components imo and the xcaliber is better still. Even lighter too but the Cobia is light and nimble.
I use mine mainly for commuting and its fast. Much quicker than my old 26" mtb. As for rough ground and trails it gets great write ups. Particularly good for clearance over tree roots and uphill riding. The gearing will get up most hills even with my fat arse on it

 

[Boon 51]

Don't know anything about the first bike but the xcaliber is a cracker. I got the Trek cobia 29er before christmas and it's brilliant. The only difference between the Cobia and the xcaliber is the quality of the components. the Cobia has first class components imo and the xcaliber is better still. Even lighter too but the Cobia is light and nimble.
I use mine mainly for commuting and its fast. Much quicker than my old 26" mtb. As for rough ground and trails it gets great write ups. Particularly good for clearance over tree roots and uphill riding. The gearing will get up most hills even with my fat arse on it

Hi Billy..
Just been down the Trek shop today and had a nose, the xcacliber is on order and will be in the shop next week, I'm getting hooked on the Trek's.. I was only going to use it on the road anyway my self..
They did show me an alternative which was the DS 8.6 both look good.

 

[billy1561]

I put my old hybrid tyres on the wheels (35mm) which are a big improvement on the stock bontragers. I was always attracting punctures on the bontis and these are a lot slimmer and smoother and obviously a lot quicker. I looked carefully at the xcaliber but in the end went the model down as the guy in my LBS said there wasn't a great deal of difference in the quality so i got mine for £850 instead of £1100.
No doubt the xcaliber is better Paul but i'm more than happy with my choice. Trek do make some good bikes.

 

[Boon 51]

Would you know how the DS 700 38cc wheel/ tyre combo stacks up to the 29 wheel/ tyre combo ... better, worse, or about the same?
PS.. The xcaliber is on offer over here at the moment at a good price.

 

[billy1561]

Would you know how the DS 700 38cc wheel/ tyre combo stacks up to the 29 wheel/ tyre combo ... better, worse, or about the same?
PS.. The xcaliber is on offer over here at the moment at a good price.

Well they are both the same size wheels 700 is road bike size same as a 29er is. as for tyres you can swop them for whatever you like. The original bontragers were 2.25 inch (57mm) if i remember and i've now got 35mm tyres on which are considerably slimmer.
So they will be much the same i reckon.

 

[billy1561]

The DS is a hybrid isn't it? the xcaliber is a 29er mtb. I suspect the xcaliber would be tougher but if your only on roads with it it won't really matter.
Better forks on the xcaliber imo
In fact i wouldn't bother with front suspension on a hybrid it just adds weight, but on the 29er you could still off road if the mood took you.

 

[Boon 51]

Well they are both the same size wheels 700 is road bike size same as a 29er is. as for tyres you can swop them for whatever you like. The original bontragers were 2.25 inch (57mm) if i remember and i've now got 35mm tyres on which are considerably slimmer.
So they will be much the same i reckon.

Morning Billy..

Great bit of info, I didn't realise the 700 is the same as the 29er.. Something else I've learnt
Thats made my choice alot easier the xcaliber looks good at the discounted price. Do you think you could get away with 32cc or perhaps 28cc tyres as I will only be using it on the road?

The bike prices are a bit odd over here in Spain, off the base price Trek give 25% discount and Giant dont so you have to pay full price.

 

[Boon 51]

The DS is a hybrid isn't it? the xcaliber is a 29er mtb. I suspect the xcaliber would be tougher but if your only on roads with it it won't really matter.
Better forks on the xcaliber imo
In fact i wouldn't bother with front suspension on a hybrid it just adds weight, but on the 29er you could still off road if the mood took you.

The DS is not looking as good now..

 

[billy1561]

You may possibly get 32mm on Paul but it depends on the rim width. Best to ask at the dealer. Like i say, I've got 35mm on mine which are quick and if you went to slicks or similar even on 35mm it would still be rapid.

 

[Boon 51]

You may possibly get 32mm on Paul but it depends on the rim width. Best to ask at the dealer. Like i say, I've got 35mm on mine which are quick and if you went to slicks or similar even on 35mm it would still be rapid.

Morning Billy..
Just been reading some more on the the Treks and it seems the DS is slightly more road bias...

 

[billy1561]

Alright mate. Yes it will be because its a hybrid. But don't think the xcaliber will be hard work because it isn't.
The xcaliber is good enough for road and trail. The ds is designed for road and light trails. If you were to put narrower tyres on the xcaliber i doubt you would be any slower.
Ideally take a ride on them both and judge for yourself. Imho the 29 er is the better bike but that's just my own opinion. Either bike will be good quality mate.

 

[Boon 51]

Hi Billy..
Bit of and odd ball question mate but I do have a reason..

My Trek Elite has 26 rims with mtb tyres on at the moment, if I was to change the tyres on the bike to some good road tyres which would make it faster would it be as fast as the 29er or will the 29er still have the edge.

 

[billy1561]

Hiya Paul,
If you don't go offroad then that's a very cost effective way to get a quicker bike. I think the 29 er with the same tyres would be quicker because its a road size wheel on the 29 er . Not quick enough to spend that much money on though just to be a little quicker.
As an extra bike the 29er is a good choice imo, but if you're happy to simply swap the tyres on your current bike then that's a big saving.

 

[Boon 51]

Morning Billy..

This is what I'm thinking about when I should be sleeping last night..

I really like the Xcaliber and my thoughts were to get one and use it as my main off roader which I could use on the road as well, then change the tyres on my mtb for some good road tyres to use as my road bike.
But then I keep thinking about the DS as its more road bias... then my mind drifts to a Specialized Comp and keep my mtb..

Do you have this problem as I seem to be going round in circles..