Specialized Tricross

[PK]

OK!

After n years of only having 1 bike, currently a Marin Nail Trail MTB I'm
considering getting something more suitable for the road. Joining a cycle
club for their off road jaunts has been the prompter to join in on the road
too.

I'm not looking to race or go out with the fast boys, but am looking for
something comfortable on longer distances. I've done a couple of road
centuries (metric) plus other longish rides, eg C2C, days out in the surrey
hills and recognise that a road bike would make such rides easier.

The guys at the LBS are pointing me in the direction of a Specialized
Tricross sport triple - reviews on the web and previous comments here seem
to agree with that suggestion and that this is a good bike.

Any views/advice both generally and re the right size for me (6ft2, 100kg) I
have seen concerns expressed about front wheel judder on breaking with
earlier versions, is this still and issue?

pk

 

[Mark T]

PK writtificated

> Any views/advice both generally and re the right size for me (6ft2,
> 100kg) I have seen concerns expressed about front wheel judder on
> breaking with earlier versions, is this still and issue?

From memory, Specialized would say you wanted a 58cm.

The downside to it is that it's a little heavier than a road bike and this
is noticable in the ride - it's missing that little extra something when
you put the power down. At higher speeds you're noticeably slower on the
drops too - you can't get into a good a tuck. In addition, I fink the
triple has a (compared to the double) widely spaced cassette on the back.
This might not be as good as a road cassette. I might be talking balls
though - it's a while since I road one.

On the other hand, you imply that most of riding will be relatively slow.
If you aren't wanting to accelerate as fast as possible, or whizz about at
or near your limits then ignore the paragraph above. The tricross is comfy
and, whilst it doesn't have the keen edge of a pure road bike, it's a
revelation compared to 12-14kg of tourer/mtb.

Other things to look at are audax/sportive type bikes - think road bike but
with slightly longer wheelbase, higher head tube and slacker head tube
angle giving responsive steering without the twitchyness of a road bike.

If it were my money I'd prolly go for the Tricross. There'd have to be
something quite special to tempt me away from it (like the Tricross
double...)

Mark.

 

[TerryJ]

On 4 Feb, 10:43, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:
> PK writtificated
>
> > Any views/advice both generally and re the right size for me (6ft2,
> > 100kg) I have seen concerns expressed about front wheel judder on
> > breaking with earlier versions, is this still and issue?
>
> From memory, Specialized would say you wanted a 58cm.
>
> The downside to it is that it's a little heavier than a road bike and this
> is noticable in the ride - it's missing that little extra something when
> you put the power down. At higher speeds you're noticeably slower on the
> drops too - you can't get into a good a tuck. In addition, I fink the
> triple has a (compared to the double) widely spaced cassette on the back.
> This might not be as good as a road cassette. I might be talking balls
> though - it's a while since I road one.
>
> On the other hand, you imply that most of riding will be relatively slow.
> If you aren't wanting to accelerate as fast as possible, or whizz about at
> or near your limits then ignore the paragraph above. The tricross is comfy
> and, whilst it doesn't have the keen edge of a pure road bike, it's a
> revelation compared to 12-14kg of tourer/mtb.
>
> Other things to look at are audax/sportive type bikes - think road bike but
> with slightly longer wheelbase, higher head tube and slacker head tube
> angle giving responsive steering without the twitchyness of a road bike.
>
> If it were my money I'd prolly go for the Tricross. There'd have to be
> something quite special to tempt me away from it (like the Tricross
> double...)
>
> Mark.

I looked with interest at the Tricross.
I was a bit worried about a thread that discussed the geometry of the
front end.It does not look right to have the powerful brakes pulling
above and below the head tube and well ahead of it like that when both
those stress points are on the steerer. It seems likely to me that the
complaints of judder may have been justified. It might be that the new
bikes have the cable mounting attached to the head tube, which should
be a big improvement.
Specialised would probably not have made a big mistake and persisted
with it, so perhaps the rumours are ill founded.
I know several people that have giant scr's and are happy, including
me.

TerryJ

TerryJ

 

[Simon Brooke]

PK wrote:

> OK!
>
> After n years of only having 1 bike, currently a Marin Nail Trail MTB I'm
> considering getting something more suitable for the road. Joining a cycle
> club for their off road jaunts has been the prompter to join in on the
> road too.
>
> I'm not looking to race or go out with the fast boys, but am looking for
> something comfortable on longer distances. I've done a couple of road
> centuries (metric) plus other longish rides, eg C2C, days out in the
> surrey hills and recognise that a road bike would make such rides easier.
>
> The guys at the LBS are pointing me in the direction of a Specialized
> Tricross sport triple - reviews on the web and previous comments here seem
> to agree with that suggestion and that this is a good bike.
>
> Any views/advice both generally and re the right size for me (6ft2, 100kg)
> I have seen concerns expressed about front wheel judder on breaking with
> earlier versions, is this still and issue?

I'm about your size. My cross bike is a 60cm frame, and fits fine. It isn't
a Tricross, and has a horizontal top tube - so you might want slightly
smaller.

I really like my crosser - it makes a great general purpose bike, able to
cope with most things on road and off.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Human history becomes more and more a race between
;; education and catastrophe.
H.G. Wells, "The Outline of History"

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Simon Brooke wrote:
>Mark T wrote:
>> you put the power down. At higher speeds you're noticeably slower on the
>> drops too - you can't get into a good a tuck.
>
>Why not? Isn't that a function of the relationship between seat height and
>bar height, and nothing whatever to do with frame geometry?

Seat tube angle is going to change the angle between your legs and torso
for a given back position, so there's a potential difference there, and
top tube length will change the saddle to bars distance. To some extent
you can move the saddle back and forwards and change the stem until both
the saddle and bar are in the same position relative to the bottom bracket
as on another bike with different geometry, but there are limits to how far
you can do that.

 

[Mark T]

Simon Brooke writtificated

>> If it were my money I'd prolly go for the Tricross. There'd have to be
>> something quite special to tempt me away from it (like the Tricross
>> double...)
>
> http://www.bikes-dolan.uk.com/en-us/dept_92.html

Heh, not a patch on the Aria <www.bikes-dolan.uk.com/en-us/dept_15.html>
They look even better in real life, with the shiny carbon weave <drools>