[Closed] Specialized Tricross

18 months or so on mine - it's brilliant.

comfy [i got the comp] with carbon + zertz and rack / guard mounts. what's not to like ?

go for it ¬!

I love mine and it is the singlespeed version.

Full mudguards fitted straight on and so did the schwalbe marathon 700 x 35 tyres for commuting. I went with them for more comfort as I have a road bike already but if I did not then I would probably have fitted a narrower pair.

So is it a good buy for a commuter or not?

Yes

But if you aren't going to ride it off road, get a road bike.

^ Not 100% sure if it will be 100% road to work.

The option of going off road is tempting, but might be defeating the purpose of a commuter.

Will I notice a massive difference between a road bike and the tricross?

Are we talking 20 minutes different in ride time or just minutes if I was to go on the tricross to work?

Quirel

Ive been looking at getting something for road only. 500 quid seems to get you a road bike weighing about 10kg. Not bad at all. Some of which are ready for guards to be fitted. Others appear painful to fit guards.

I will not be using be using it off road. The only advantage (of a CX) for my usage is that the CX bikes have disc brakes and give you the option of going off-road - but I'm fairly sure I wont use that option.

^ That is what I'm stuck on.

If I pop over to my folks flat I would be taking on and off road for the more direct route.

TO work I'm pretty sure it's all road and cycleways.

The bike would be mainly for commuting, but I like the idea of being able to use for other uses.

THen I have my HT for general duties and my FS for fun on the hills.

I could quite easily buy a CX and put smooth tyres on it for road duties, knowing that they can be changed. Whereas the other way around probably isn't so doable with the thinner wheels.

Maybe I should just ride my 1x8 Wanga to work instead and man up.......but then again possibly not.

I had that thought recently as well. With the recent winter wrecking roads and trails I thought about a CX bike for riding forest roads around here and commuting the short ride to work.
Having had a go on a Tricross I have since changed my mind and will be keeping my Raleigh Ti road bike and using mtb.
The Tricross just felt dull compared to my road bike, not surprising really. They are probably quicker offroad on forest/rough roads thatn an mtb but not convinced I could justify it. Would also mean going back to cantis or V brakes and the constant rim changing of old 🙄

"constant" rim changing. Really ? A tad dramatic 🙂

What is the difference between an audax and the tricross?

Not a Tricross, but I brought a CX last week for my road/canal path commute (14 miles). I Decided to take the slightly longer way home on Friday, the CX was not as quick as a HT on the tech stuff (well for me anyway) but quick on the fire tracks.

So far I found it to be quicker than a HT on the road but also nice to have the option over a pure road bike on taking a scenic route.

Anyway this gives me a reason to post up my pics from Friday's commute home;
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14 miles one way or both ways?

each way, do it twice a week at the moment, part drive/ride the other days and just ride the last 2-3 miles. Plan to slowly build it up to 3-4 times a week for the summer.

The Tricross just felt dull compared to my road bike

try an 's-works' tricross. very definitely not dull. compared to my road bike (scott cr1 sl).

They are good bikes, it will be slightly slower than a road bike over distance but given the state of the roads then with slightly more volume in the tyres and more robust wheels it's a much better bet. I've a Tricross Comp and a Roubaix expert and the Tricross gets ridden a lot more, on and off road. Over a 30 mile hilly Dartmoor ride the Roubaix is a few minutes faster.

Only drawback, the 2x10 gearing on the comp is a little high for me off road, a mate with the next model down has a triple and 9 speed which gives him a more usable range.

What are the other brands cyclocross's at the 750 price range like? Much in the muchness or does the tricross really stand out?

I didn't really look at any others as was offered a really good deal on mine, there was a Ridley Crossbow (?) in the shop but luckily too small for me. If looking now I'd be sorely tempted to get one with disks just for the benefits when it's really muddy, but someone will be along in a minute to say that's part of the fun on a CX in the mud. And they do have a point. 😉 I think that the Tricross is more a utility / CX bike as they do the Crux as a full on crosser, no rack mounts etc. on that one.

If you've not had a road / CX before then fit is more important than on an MTB, you'll be sat down a lot more on the road so if you've a good LBS I'd see what they can do for you.

The XL I tried today was fine, but I'm 193cm so really should have an xxl, but I guess I'm not going to know until I'm on the road properly if it is too big or small.

6'4" and an XXL here if that helps.

Same as me.

I've spotted a 2010 model for 599 on sale. I think it has cantilever brakes though

My Focus Mares has Canti's but I've not found them a problem, powerful enough to endo, fine on the road etc... and were just about ok on some steep singletrack. But obviously disc's are much better offroad.

I think the canti's are standard. I was confusing them with v-brakes.

594 quid is a decent saving on the 749 retail.

Nothing wrong with cantis. Mine came with Mini-Vs and when paired with road levers that was a truly terrifying braking experience in the wet!