I'm looking for a bike to get under the cycle to work scheme (so £1000 or less), for my short commute (which sometimes includes going through the woods when I feel like it), and sometimes doing longer rides (50-100km). I've decided the best bike for this would be a cyclocross-style bike, and narrowed down my choice to two bikes. I discounted some bikes because of having the brake callipers in the 'wrong' place (i.e. in the way of putting on a rack), or for not having rack and mudguard mounts. Several bikes didn't have low enough gears (a low gear of at least 34/30 is a must for me at the moment). Some bikes were just too ugly for me.
The two bikes on my shortlist are the 2014 Specialized Tricross Sport Disc and the 2014 Kona Jake. (The 2014 Pinnacle Arkose 3 sometimes sneaks back on (due to its 105 componentry), but it tends to get kicked off the list for still being too ugly (or at least, looking rather boring compared to the Tricross and Jake)).
The Tricross sounds like it might be a slightly more relaxed and stable ride — better for the long distance stuff. It also has BB7 brakes, while the Jake has Tektro Lyras, which I keep hearing bad things about. On the other hand, I'm used to riding a mountain bike with a fairly high bottom bracket and reasonably twitchy steering. And the Tricross has Sora components, but the Jake has Tiagra, which some people say doesn't make much difference, but they do feel much nicer on bikes I've looked at (although not actually ridden). The Tricross looks like it might have better tyres for on the road. I have shorter than average legs for my height, so the Jake's geometry might be better.
From all of that though, it looks like the Tricross is probably the winner. However, I'd be buying the Tricross either from the concept store in Birmingham, Mike Vaughan in Kenilworth or Evans in Birmingham. Neither the concept store nor Mike Vaughan's were particularly helpful or friendly when I visited them. Evans seemed to do a better job, but if I was buying the Jake I could get it from The Bike Yard in Leamington. I have only ever heard good things about them, and when I went into the shop they were extremely helpful, and I think I'm more likely to get a bike which fits properly if I get it from there. The shop is run by cyclists, and I also just like the idea of buying from an LBS.
Is it worth getting the Jake just so I can buy from The Bike Yard?
(Of course, once the bikes get into stock and a ride them, I might discover I much prefer one over the other anyway!)
The two bikes on my shortlist are the 2014 Specialized Tricross Sport Disc and the 2014 Kona Jake. (The 2014 Pinnacle Arkose 3 sometimes sneaks back on (due to its 105 componentry), but it tends to get kicked off the list for still being too ugly (or at least, looking rather boring compared to the Tricross and Jake)).
The Tricross sounds like it might be a slightly more relaxed and stable ride — better for the long distance stuff. It also has BB7 brakes, while the Jake has Tektro Lyras, which I keep hearing bad things about. On the other hand, I'm used to riding a mountain bike with a fairly high bottom bracket and reasonably twitchy steering. And the Tricross has Sora components, but the Jake has Tiagra, which some people say doesn't make much difference, but they do feel much nicer on bikes I've looked at (although not actually ridden). The Tricross looks like it might have better tyres for on the road. I have shorter than average legs for my height, so the Jake's geometry might be better.
From all of that though, it looks like the Tricross is probably the winner. However, I'd be buying the Tricross either from the concept store in Birmingham, Mike Vaughan in Kenilworth or Evans in Birmingham. Neither the concept store nor Mike Vaughan's were particularly helpful or friendly when I visited them. Evans seemed to do a better job, but if I was buying the Jake I could get it from The Bike Yard in Leamington. I have only ever heard good things about them, and when I went into the shop they were extremely helpful, and I think I'm more likely to get a bike which fits properly if I get it from there. The shop is run by cyclists, and I also just like the idea of buying from an LBS.
Is it worth getting the Jake just so I can buy from The Bike Yard?
(Of course, once the bikes get into stock and a ride them, I might discover I much prefer one over the other anyway!)
