specialized tricross - sport or comp?

[anweledig]

Hi

At the moment I ride a Gary Fisher Tiburon which is a fine bike and has given me a couple of thousand miles of fun over the last year. But ... it's that time when something better is on the horizon (actually very near!). I am doing about 50-60 miles a week and am aiming to increase that and do a few audax rides and a bit of light touring later this year (overnight b&b type stuff nothing extreme). After looking around and at local stores I am pretty sure the specialized tricross is the most suitable bike for me but there is a problem.

I was looking to get the tricross sport (under £800), with a triple and a fairly light weight, it seemed to meet my requirements well and generally gets good reviews by those who have one. When I spoke to a local shop they told me they have a deal on the tricross comp (about £1200) but with £120 of accessories (that's my mudguards, rack and computer then) and with 0% finance over 12 months (I could pay outright but finance means I can get interest on the money somewhere else and so acts as a discount). The only drawback is that the comp has a double not a triple otherwise it is a higher spec overall. (the shop did say they would fit a triple for about £166 and I could sell the original on ebay for about £80 but I am not sure about that).

So, given that my budget would stretch to either bike, would not having a triple make a huge difference on the hills around mid-Wales and if I don't go for the higher spec bike will I end up regretting it in another year - there is no way I'll be able to convince my wife that I need another bike upgrade that soon!

 

[Soltydog]

Personally I'd go for the triple. If you are planning on touring & carrying extra weight you may just appreciate the granny ring on some climbs
There's plenty of threads on here re the Tricross & I certainly dont reget buying mine, just looking forward to touring later this year

 

[Tynan]

I looked at it and swerved it

it's a bit too much cyclocross for road riding I reckon, usual advice is upgrade the brakes, worry about the fork inserts and shudder under braking if it a bigger frame

out of the box gearing is a bit cyclocross too as I recall

the comp is supposed to be a lot more bike than the sport

triple is bound to help on hills

 

[Noodley]

..it's a bit too much cyclocross for road riding I reckon, usual advice is upgrade the brakes, worry about the fork inserts and shudder under braking if it a bigger frame

I have the largest size framed Tricross singlespeed and there are no problems with brakes or shudder. I love it.

I'd go for triple. Higher Spec is mostly not noticed apart from in the wallet.

 

[Tynan]

I was only repeating what an awful ot of people have reported, perhaps it's fixed now, lots said the right brakes sorted it

 

[Soltydog]

I do get the occasional brake judder & mine is a 60cm frame, but it doesn't really spoil the ride at all

 

[Noodley]

I was only repeating what an awful ot of people have reported, perhaps it's fixed now, lots said the right brakes sorted it

well, you could have said that

 

[anweledig]

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably get a 52 or 54cm frame as I'm about 5'7-8 but I'll try and go to the shop and try for size tomorrow.

Although I liked the bike my choice was definitely affected by comments on here and the ctc forums and getting the opinions of other cyclists is invaluable. For local lanes and roads and the (very) occasional towpath it seems more suitable than a 'pure' road bike - some of the lanes around here can have an inch of mud on them at times (and sometimes not just mud - very rural).

At the moment I am leaning towards the sport with the triple and the wider range of gears - I don't have to use them but it will be nice to know they're there.

 

[Randochap]

You don't have to use the granny often, but if you carry any weight and do some long, hilly rides , you'll appreciate lower gears.

Make sure the R derailleur is the right cage length for a triple.

 

[Ravenz]

Make sure the R derailleur is the right cage length for a triple.

..are yu hinting that some LBSs might bodge up some kinda mismatch...??

I have the triple... again after length of time... I would have tried to get the LBS to swap to a compact .. had I known at the time.. I live with hills and now try NOT to use the granny.. so its wasted.... but overall the SPORT hits the mark and extra dosh for the comp is prob not worth the money...

other than that .. long cage is an aesthetic thing .. some might find it unappealing.. but when yur riding yu cant se it
with the gearing I have, the 119" inch gear it's pretty useful for keeping the legs turning downhill

 

[Wigsie]

Cycling plus mag (or similar, cant remember which one) did an article on Cyclocross bikes and they recommended the Sport over the Comp for a general all round steed, the comp is a fair bit more and should only really be considered if your going to race in events (not that you cant on the sport though).

Dont think you can go far wrong with it to be fair.

 

[Tynan]

well, you could have said that

I did, more or less, nuff said

 

[anweledig]

Interesting visit to the shop today. The advice was to stick with the sport for the kind of riding I do as I will probably need the triple and the equipment upgrades on the comp wouldn't give me much benefit (it's always a good feeling when the staff don't just try and sell the highest value item). Sadly they only had the 56cm frame so I'll have to wait until next weekend to try the 52/54 options and see which size suits me.

The bike appears to come with cantilever brakes rather than the mini-vs that I expected which surprised me, I though they'd changed over for the newer models.

 

[Randochap]

..are yu hinting that some LBSs might bodge up some kinda mismatch...??

You never know; it's been done. I'm not sure what R derailleur is spec'd on the double (and I'm not going to check) but it's a thought worth pursuing if switching from double to triple.

I have the triple... again after length of time... I would have tried to get the LBS to swap to a compact .. had I known at the time.. I live with hills and now try NOT to use the granny.. so its wasted.... but overall the SPORT hits the mark and extra dosh for the comp is prob not worth the money...

Why neglect granny? Maybe the hills aren't really hills. I agree the comp will probably do the job.

other than that .. long cage is an aesthetic thing ..

Of course it's not. A long cage derrailleur is a mechanical thing, needed to take up chain tension w/ bigger spread of gearing.

the 119" inch gear it's pretty useful for keeping the legs turning downhill

Downhills are for resting. If you are pedalling downhill, you haven't been working hard enough on the uphills!

 

[Randochap]

Interesting visit to the shop today. The advice was to stick with the sport for the kind of riding I do as I will probably need the triple and the equipment upgrades on the comp wouldn't give me much benefit (it's always a good feeling when the staff don't just try and sell the highest value item). Sadly they only had the 56cm frame so I'll have to wait until next weekend to try the 52/54 options and see which size suits me.

The bike appears to come with cantilever brakes rather than the mini-vs that I expected which surprised me, I though they'd changed over for the newer models.

Sounds like good advice. One would expect cantis to be standard.