u/ihatedaya

TLDR: bought a trek ds1 gen 5, not sure if it was right. feeling slight buyers remorse maybe

hello everyone!

i bought a trek dual sport 1 gen 5 from Cranky’s last week and am feeling a bit of buyers remorse and regret that I made a bad choice. I took it for 2 short rides and I don’t know it doesn’t “feel” right sometimes? it was $725. could i have gotten something better for the price? I want this to be my 1 and done bike. I bike on gravel & the road/pavement/sidewalk, I don’t do any hardcore mountain biking but do plan on taking my bike to trips to places like Banff and on other Alberta biking trails. I’m concerned now that the rigid fork is going to be an issue in terms of rougher gravel roads.

after my 2 rides, sometimes I feel the bike is a bit heavy, is that normal or is the ds1 unnecessarily heavy? I tried the fx3 + liv rove 2 and although I LOVED how lightweight it was, I decided it was ultimately too expensive and the tires it comes with are too thin for gravel/off road (I didn’t want to spend further $$ when the bike is already $1.2k) Now I’ve hit a wall because I went cheap and I feel like I should have just spent the extra funds for something that makes me happier.

I know this whole post is going to annoy some people so i apologize for my ignorance on the topic and my indecisiveness. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for to be honest, and just went with whatever was sold to me. I also strangely feel that the bars are kinda low? The bike was fitted for my dimensions so I don’t know if I simply am not used to the bike.

what do yall think? has anyone bought a ds1 and actually loved it or is the extra $$ on a DS2 or other model better suited for me?

Is the trek fx2 2017 with v brakes worth it for $200 in 2026?

visited united and crankys, left a little overwhelmed.
I’m a 5’2 woman, just getting back into cycling. I mostly ride pavement (running errands & general rides) and some gravel/trail rides. I’m on the Southside. I’d like a bike that i can also take with me on trips to Banff, Jasper etc so i need something versatile like a mountain bike, but im not doing anything crazy like jumping off hills lol.

I was recommended the following:
- Liv Rove 2 or 4
- Trek FX3
- Liv Tempt 2

Further research has told me that the suspension forks on some of these bikes are overkill and expensive to maintain. I’m super confused on what to move forward with. Again, i just want something that’s versatile and doesn’t require crazy maintenance. Preferable budget is $1.2k. I’ve been watching marketplace but again, i just don’t know what to look for.

Any thoughts or recommendations from you guys?
Thank you!