hi all late comer to the post; seriously thinking about a 2010 tricross comp for winter road use and touring. anyone got this years model and any comments on brakes and general reliability?

trail-rat – impressed with your loch muick antics on the bike so assume it's up to the job off-road!

bought a singlecross cheap (£350) a couple of months ago. decent frame & fork. changed saddle, seatpost, bars, stem, tyres, pedals but allready had most of the parts i put on (and sold the others). wheels are not great, i packed the bearings with grease before riding and have re tensioned the spokes. brakes are o.k. so far. it fits the bill as a commuter (rough potholed tracks, kerbs and roads) and up to 2 hour road rides, and i think it will do well on smoothish off road.
have a good look at the spec before you dive in with what looks like a cheap bike purchase.

I have an 08 Tricross sport and I do like it despite a lot of fettling/changing brakes (no judder, just something that stops! ;))…Tektro CR720's on at the moment and I'm happy.

Would I buy again I'm not sure…there are other bikes out there that would tempt me, but if it was a good deal then maybe.

The Borough CX tyres are really good on the road/for commuting though in my opinion, zero punctures in almost 2 years (jinxed it now). It's not that heavy if you ask me and I assume the comp is lighter, it's no 'race' bike granted but it's a good sturdy frame if you ride everyday on crappy British roads.

Haven't need to change any bearings yet also and everything running smooth (jinxed it again now), did have the back wheel trued and the cones looked at and tightened up last year and the front could do with a tiny bit of truing at the moment, but again not sure if the wheels are better spec on the comp.

leaning towards the Devinci Caribou 2

http://www.devinci.com/bikes/browse#1_13_15

Lesser known in this country but looks a decent bike. Primary use will be distance / winter road biking and and some touring.

Anyone any experience of the brand?

I've got the 2007 model. IMO, it's a very comfortable and easy bike to ride long distances. I have commuted on it, the wheels have stood up to London's worst potholes and done some audaxes and long rides too.

The original brakes were total rubbish, so the bike shop changed them for Campag Mirage Vs, it stops now. I have full mudguards on it and Conti Gatorskins, it's a good bike.

My S-Works in roadie mode:

and off-road:

I had the 06 Tricross Sport (when it first came out) then got the S-Works. Aamzingly capable bike, both the ones I've owned have done the Three Peaks CX race as well as loads of off-road in the Peaks, Lakes and Scotland. It's quite happy on the winter roadie clubrun or weekday commute as well and (although not a specific 'race' CX bike), it's not bad for an hours thrash round a muddy field.
The S-Works one doesn't have pannier racks so not quite as versatile but when I worked in a bike shop we sold several Sport/Comp models set up for audax/light touring and they did the job just fine.

Karinofnine – just to confirm, you have a 2007 year caribou? Just want to check post not referring to tricross

Hi, sorry, I wasn't clear. My bike is a Specialized Tri Cross Comp. It's the brown and black one, with 3 chainrings. I think the newer ones only have 2 chainrings. I got it because I wanted something:

reasonably fast while still being comfortable and easy to ride
would take mudguards
would take racks