Commuting - Road bike verses cyclocross bike?

Hey I'm trying to decide wether to get a road bike or a specialized Tricross bike for commuting. I would like to still use my paniers so a bike with brazons would be best. I have found a Tricross sport for around $900 and am leaning that way. Any suggestions or ideas would be great. I would mostly ride on the road to work and occasionally a road ride with friends. I was told that if I replace the tires with 120 lb road tires there should be very little problem with keeping up with my road bike buddies. Any other Bikes in that price range that would fit my needs?

I am definitely no expert but I just got a tricross sport and really like it.

My main requirements were being able to put a rear rack, solidity and after all that, speed.

I quickly decided not to go with a road bike for the solidity aspect. I came really close to getting a touring but finally decided on a cyclocross. This way I can get fat mud wheels if I ever decide to go somewhere without a road on a weekend.

I can't tell if it's as fast a road bike would be. I intend to get small quick tires also in the future.

I was 50/50 deciding between a sport touring and a cyclocross bike.
Cyclocross was slightly heavier with the tradeoff of longevity.
Cyclocross took wider tires.
Both took full fenders and rack (#1 priority in my list)

I got a large pricebreak on the cyclocross so went that way. Kona Jake the Snake was what i ended up with.

A cross with a change of tires will keep up with your friends just fine. You may lose out by having slightly lower gears at the very top end, so that means on a 10 mile long all downhill full out sprint they have to wait 10 seconds for you to catch up :P

Cyclocross is my preference for a loaded commute. Fatter tyres smooth things out a bit, and mine just feels so damn solid (Surly Cross-Check). Nicest thing for me is being able to put knobby tyres on during the winter, and plenty of space for fat tyres and fenders.

Like Jarery said, gearing will be one of the major differences you'll feel on a road ride, but then it really only impacts you downhill. I think the Tricross comes with 48/34 chainrings with a 12-25 cassette. For road riding you'd probably do better with an 11-23 cassette, but if you've got any climbs on your commute you likely won't want to lose the 34/25 combo. I spin out my 48/12 gear on almost every slight downhill, but by the time I've spun it out it's not like I really need to be going any faster.

I run 700x28 tyres on my Cross-Check. 700x23s might give me a tiny bit more speed, but I doubt it's really all that much. (and as a side-note, only pump your tyres to 120psi if you're actually heavy enough to warrant it.... lighter folks are much better off with lower pressure than that!)

If you can't keep up with your mates on a road-tyred Tricross on a road ride, I wouldn't be blaming the equipment ;).

Most modern "road" bikes have short reach brakes with tight clearances. This results in a max tire width with fenders (if it has the mounts) of 23-25mm. A cyclocross bike should easily take 32-35mm tires with fenders. For a commuter I perfer 28mm or larger tires. The performance difference between an inexpensive roadie and an inexpensive cyclocross with the same tires will be < 5% (IMHO).
I'd go with the cyclocross. The biggest difference is the cyclocross will likely cost slightly more for the same components and you will have to replace the tires for road riding. Ofcourse you will probably want to replace the tires on a road bike for commuting any ways as the stock tires tend to be fragile (prone to punctures).
Craig

Last month I bought the Specialized Tricross sport and am really enjoying the bike. I commute on it on a combination or roads and dirt trails. The bike handles both very well. I've also ridden the bike where usually only mountain bikes go and it has been great.

The bike is not as fast as my road bike (Trek 5500) but I haven't yet tried it with different wheels and tires.

As you know the bike has eyelets for front and rear racks and a third bottle cage. I am currently trying to sell my touring bike (Trek 520) because I'll be able to tour on the Tricross (I'll probably need to change the gearing a bit).

The Tricross is an incredibly versatile bike and if I could own just one bike it would be the one.

A cyclo-cross bike will put you in a slightly more upright position which will slightly slow you down. I find that the needs of a road bike and a commuter are different. I have 700x32 tires on my Cross Check spring through fall and 35 studded tires when it's icy. Fenders are on all the time.

Please note, I am NOT trying to thread jack this with an argument about tire width. There are perfectly valid reasons to commute with narrower tires. But I find that the wider tires help my bike (and everything I have attached to it) deal with bumps better. The wider clearance of a cyclocross bike lets me use those wider tires.

I've given up on the "do everything" bike idea. I now have four type spacific bikes. There are no comprimises this way and the bikes perform perfectly for the type of riding I do that day, that being said if you want one "do it all" bike, the cross bike is it. And for my money, cross bikes make the best commuter bikes (but that opinion takes into consideration my commute and my riding style, not anyone elses') If I were you I would just consider disc brakes on it, you'll be better off when it rains.

Cross bikes make great all-rounders but do check the bottom bracket height. Some CX bikes are raised for clearance which makes them less good for loaded stability.
My own choice for all rounder is a sport tourer with long drop calipers. Its a rare style for big brands, check out the Soma ES for a nice example.
I prefer the bite and better modulation of calipers compared to the cantelevers of my full touring bike. In terms of absolute stopping power there is little to chose.

Unless that road bike can take 32's with fenders and is ready ready for a rack go with the cyclocross bike. I would ditch the stock Tricross tires if you're primarily riding on the pavement. We sell Specialized at my shop and I've taken a few for a test rides. Too much tread for pavement.


I would mostly ride on the road to work and occasionally a road ride with friends. I was told that if I replace the tires with 120 lb road tires there should be very little problem with keeping up with my road bike buddies.

I use my bike for similiar conditions. Mostly road commuting with a gravel road thrown in every now and then, some road rides with roadies. I use a 35mm Panaracer Pasela with 50-60 psi for commuting (depending on the road condition and surface) and 90 psi for riding with the roadies. I think a 32 or 35 with a little tread would best suit all the types of riding you're describing and you could also explore gravel or dirt roads if your heart desired. I'd stay away from tires with knobbies on the edges, even tiny ones, they're dodgy during road cornering.

So if you sell specialized bikes what is your opinion of the Tricross?

Almost brought one last week ago.....it's a real nice bike. But I opted to build up a new cross frame for this season as I had a lot of spare parts hanging around.

My Surly CrossCheck traversed the crappiest roads in both VT and Pa
and it performs flawlessly. The only thing that I might recommend with this
bike is that if you ride with 35lbs on steeeeep hills you might(?) want a lower
cog but I never had too much trouble with stock.