Purchasing the right off-road bike or commuting bike can be difficult, especially if the terrain you need to cover requires performance on various road surfaces. Enter Diamondback’s Trace Series Dual Sport bike. With mountain bike-like geometry and the efficiency of larger 700c diameter wheels, these bikes are ready for anything from pavement to gravel and back again. Semi-knobby tires give you the traction you need on dirt and rocks yet roll faster than traditional knobbies. The Trace is our entry level model in the Trace Series. All Traces feature a 6061-T6 Butted Aluminum Dual Sport Frame with formed top and downtubes, forged drop outs, and an integrated chainstay disc brake mount. The component assortment for the Trace is well suited for the entry level or budget conscious rider while not sacrificing on quality. The Dual Sport fork dampens vibrations and hits from the ground, keeping your hands from getting numb as you maintain control on tricky surfaces. SR Suntour also provides a great crankset option with the XCT model featuring a chainguard and 28/38/48t rings. Drivetrain comes courtesy of a blend of Shimano goods including TX51 dual pull front derailleur, an Altus rear derailleur, Shimano EF-51 Easyfire 7spd shifters, and a Shimano HG-20 (12-32t) 7spd cassette. The wheels are a critical part of any dual sport bicycle. For the Trace we made no exceptions and spec’d this bad boy with 32h Weinmann SL-7 Doublewall rims laced to SL-7 Alloy hubs. Innova DualSport 700x40c tires are wide enough for the dirt and have a semi slick tread for variable conditions. Tektro Novela mechanical discs handle the stopping duties very well, with 6” rotors.