Touring - Specialized Tricross for touring?

We're headed for the UK in May, Land's End->John O'Groats and then Netherlands and Germany. Wondering if this bike would be suitable for the job? I'm mainly worried about the gearing. 12-25 cassette and 48x34 compact double. I'm kinda wishing it had a triple. Maybe switch to a 11-34 cassette to get that bail out gear? I'll probably end up pulling a Burley Nomad and wishing I had the granny ring.

What says the forum?

Probably would be ok, if the LBS is worth its salt it should change the cassette for you, so you can get that granny gear you're after. I'm not sure that I'd want to put too much load on the racks, but seeing as you will probably be pulling a trailer, you'd be fine, most likely. Heck, if I had the money, I'd seriously consider buying one myself. It looks like a sweet bike for touring, especially the lighter side of touring, commuting, or most kinds of riding, for that matter.

SW England doesnt have mountains but you will be travelling at 90 degrees to lots of rivers. Many of these have steep hills on either side, so you will want low gears.

It isn't clear to me if you already own the Tricross or not. If not, then you might want to consider other bikes that already have a triple or can easily be upgraded to one. I looked at the Tricross--nice bike, but I definitely wanted a triple and so went with a Surly--same sort of all-around bike, could be a bit cheaper too or at least spec'ed how you want it.

As people above said, you're kinda stuck: if you want a granny you'll need a new crank and BB. If you want an MTB cassette you'll need a new cassette and MTB derailleur. Personally, I use a compact crank and a 11-32. With <30lbs, this can get me up any hill I've enountered. I can't say I've ever rode those crazy British three-in-ones grades, though.

If you don't have the bike, as others have said, look elsewhere. A true touring bike will do everything the 'cross bikes will do and will carry a load better, to boot. Look at it this way: A cross bike is a road bike made for riding on the dirt. A touring bike is a bike made for riding on the dirt and the road and is designed and built to carry very heavy loads for days, weeks, months or even years at a time. And it is made to be relatively comfortable doing it.

If you have the 'cross bike already, it can be changed, rather easily, so that it has the proper gears. All it takes is money ;) . You will need a new rear derailer even if you want to change from a 11-25 to an 11-34. If you leave it as a double, it might cost less than $150. If you want a triple, you will need a crank. I'd use an LX mountain bike 44/34/22 which shifts well and gives you a good range of gears (a little over 100 gear inches to around 20 gear inches). You will still need a new rear derailer (and probably chain) and cluster. I don't know if the front shifter is compatable with a triple (I suspect it might be) but if it isn't you'll need a new shifter. If you don't need the shifters, I'd say you could get away with $200 to $300 (if you do the work yourself. Much more if you have a shop do it.) If you need the shifter, add at least $150.

sorry I didn't mention...I do not have the bike yet. I'm contemplating building up my Trek 850 or going with the tricross. I don't really want a touring bike as it's mostly gonna see commuting duty outside of the small trips we may take.

Found a better option maybe...both have triples in front. May not even need to get the megarange cassette with one of these. Work as touring bike?


'06 Bianchi Volpe

http://www.colonelsbikes.com/pics2006/bianchi_volpe.jpg


Kona Jake

http://www.colonelsbikes.com/pics2006/kona_jake.jpg

A friend has the Volpe and likes it quite well. I think the general sense is that it is a good all-around bike. I looked at one, but it didn't fit me. I've ridden the Kona and liked it--but not as much as my Surly. :-)

sorry I didn't mention...I do not have the bike yet. I'm contemplating building up my Trek 850 or going with the tricross. I don't really want a touring bike as it's mostly gonna see commuting duty outside of the small trips we may take.

But a touring bike is an ideal commuting bike. I ride one all the time. The bikes are built for toughness, they has lots of places to mount a rack and fenders, if you need them, and the longer wheelbase makes for a smoother ride on rough roads. And, if you want to load it up for trips from overnight to multiyears, it's ready to go. I've ridden centuries, club rides and multiweek tours on my touring bikes. I've also ridden centuries on race bikes and I can tell you that the touring bikes far more comfortable and nearly as fast. The geometry of most 'cross bikes is closer to that of a race bike then a touring bike.

Before you decide at least take a look at a Trek 520, a Fuji Tour, a Cannondale T800, a Surly LHT or even a Gordon BLT. You might be surprised by at what you'll find.

Found a better option maybe...both have triples in front. May not even need to get the megarange cassette with one of these. Work as touring bike?


'06 Bianchi Volpe

http://www.colonelsbikes.com/pics2006/bianchi_volpe.jpg


Kona Jake

http://www.colonelsbikes.com/pics2006/kona_jake.jpg

The Kona has more road gearing and the Volpe more MTB range. You probably won't need to change the gearing much on the Volpe. More likely to have gearing problems on the Kona.

I owned a Volpe. It was a nice bike but may be a bit wiggly under load.

I OWN a Tricross Comp. I understand your concern for a granny gear. I went from a triple to the compact double. Definitely not as low as I'm used to. Can't speak for touring, but maybe switching out the cassette will get you what you want. I haven't put a rack on it yet, but trying to put fenders on the bike has been PITA. The seatstay bridge uses the same eyelets. The cross carbon fork is really thick, and the center mounting hole requires longer hardware. No biggie, but something to consider. SKS fenders do not fit in the rear. The fender stays provided are too short!

The Tricross has complete eyelets front and rear racks, plus bosses for a third bottle cage underneath the downtube. You can also fit tires up to 38c. I love it in the short time I had it, and I think you should really give it a good look over. If you can get the gearing you like, let me know! HTH :)

Rather than the Jake - how about a Sutra?

Rather than the Jake - how about a Sutra?
Um no. I and several other Sutra owners have had several common problems with the Sutra, including rear rack braze-ons falling off. I use mine for commuting, and have just built up a LHT for touring.

See the following threads for more info on the Sutra.


http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=175876&highlight=sutra

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=141678&highlight=sutra

The '07 Volpe does not have braze-ons for racks on the front fork. I don't know why they did this. I guess they are moving the Volpe to a tri-cross bike instead of a touring bike that people used to use it for. Also, the chain stays on the Volpe really are too short for a touring bike - 42.5 cm. I think 44 cm chain stays should be a minimum for a touring bike.

Um no. I and several other Sutra owners have had several common problems with the Sutra, including rear rack braze-ons falling off. I use mine for commuting, and have just built up a LHT for touring.

See the following threads for more info on the Sutra.


http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=175876&highlight=sutra

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=141678&highlight=sutra

That'll be you and ONE other owner then?

I have a Flyte cyclocross bike with a full Campy Centaur group with a compact double crank (110 BCD). To cure my triple ills I'm installing a triplizer from Interloc Racing. I might have to change the bottom bracket, but that's cheaper that a crank AND a bottom bracket. This will give me a 46-36-24 crank which will work the hills with the 10-speed 12-25 rear cassette.

If you want to do this, you'll need the triplizer, a 24-tooth 74 BCD inner chainring, which IRD also sells, chainring bolts and some 3mm chainring spacers from Harrris Cyclery.

http://www.interlocracing.com/triplizer250.jpg

http://www.recumbentblog.com/images/centaur-ctt.jpg

My friend just bought a tricorss and it came wirth a triple..... maybe ask the dealer?

~Steve

I own a Specialized Tricross Sport '07. It is capable of carry racks and panniers. Mine was a triple though, i wasnt given the option of a double. For touring, the gears work well, especially on hills. However, in comparison to a pure tourer, the riding position is not as great. I attached aero bars and the experience was much better. If you are planning on lots of longs tours with heavy loads, i would advised against the tricross, purely for the riding position. the gears you can change, but the frame you cant. if however, communting and middle distance rides are both on your agenda then the tricross is an obvious bike. Just make sure you get the triple, they made the 06 model only a double but change the 07 to a triple for range.

hope this helps

tom

Hi all,
Wonder if I could resurrect this thread to see if anyone else had done much touring with this bike. I test rode one today and really liked it. I'm probably unlikely to do more than, say, 3 four day tours and maybe a week long tour per year, but lots of commuting and maybe the odd stupidity (eg, riding down stairs). This is likely to be the only bike I own for a while, apart from my current ancient suspensionless steel frame MTB, which is likely to go into retirement.

It felt light and comfortable, and being unused to drop bars, the extra brake levers were reassuring. I'm mostly concerned about the frame being rigid enough to support big loads at speed, and these apparent problems with the fork shudder.

AFAIK the model I saw was this:
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32209

So, 30:34 lowest gear - should be enough?

Steve

I have two friends who did a four day tour with me last year on Tricrosses. They seemed OK. I told them my worries about gearing, spokes, and carbon, but they got them anyway.

Anyway, they had no problems. One had rear panniers only, the other had a trailer only. It looked like some of the hills were rough, but they didn't complain :^)

They seem to me like a really nice ride-arounder, a not-bad commuter, and an adequate-but-not-ideal tourer.

What were your concerns about the gearing? I notice the 06 model had a double chainring, but since then they're triple, and should be adequate?

I think your description of "really nice ride-arounder, a not-bad commuter, and an adequate-but-not-ideal tourer" is probably right for me. Considering that my current, beloved, ~1994 steelframe suspensionless mtb has been doing all this stuff (commuting, touring, bike polo...) ok, this should be an improvement in every direction. Maybe not quite as perfect as a surly LHT or Trek 520 for serious long distance, but I don't know if that's really in my future anyway: I'm thinking more 200-1000ks, not 5000-20000 ks.

I wonder if I can get vbrakes rather than cantis here though: seems like some shops around the world have been selling them that way. Should reduce this chatter problem.

Steve

I read this thread with great interest about a year ago. At the time one of the only bikes that I could find to test ride was the Specialized Tricross. I was looking for a bike to do it all - daily commuting, trails, grocery getting, tours, and other random adventures - since my last bike was doing it all (Trek 820 mountain bike). I didn't see the need for a special bike for every pursuit. I bought the Tricross because it felt right, and it was available at the bike shop that also "felt" right.

Since then I've put over 3000 touring miles on it, and a few thousand more daily ride (commute, etc.) miles on it. It's a great bike, but I'm still curious about a pure touring bike, so I keep searching in hopes of finding one to ride. I don't think I'll really know the difference until I can make a direct physical comparison over hundreds of miles of ride time.

To directly address some of your comments:

After about three days of riding the drop bars, I never used the extra brake levers again. This was a big selling point for me because I had been riding my mountain bike for so long, but I acclimated to the drops so quickly that now I actually wish the extra brake levers weren't on the bike so I could easily mount a handlebar bag.

I had problems mounting a front rack to the bike, so I gave up. However, if you go to CrazyGuyonaBike.com, and search for Tricross, you will find a couple people who did mount front racks. They also have extensive tour diaries posted, so you can get more info on the Tricross for touring there.

I crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains without any problems - I thought the gearing was fine, but again, I have nothing to compare it against.

Basically, it has been a great bike for me. I would be happy to share all the positives and the little drawbacks that I've found, but really, the more I think about gear ratios and chainstay lengths and everything, the more I wish for that level of ignorance that allows one to pull his bike up off the lawn where he dropped it yesterday, to get on and ride and ride. You know, maybe banana seats are ideal for touring, but we'll never know until we postulate about it for hours in internet forums. (and then someone will have to actually try it)

You know, maybe banana seats are ideal for touring, but we'll never know until we postulate about it for hours in internet forums. (and then someone will have to actually try it)

Unless it's a Brooks banana saddle, and then it's a sure two thumbs up :D

If you've done 5000 touring ks and crossed the Sierra Nevada then it's obviously good enough ;) What problems did you have mounting a front rack? Considering the effort they've gone to to add mounting poinst to the carbon fork, it seems a shame if it doesn't work well?

Re: extra brake levers, do you ever do any kind of rough off road riding? Are they not removable? Maybe they are a gimmick after all...?

And I know what you mean about ignorance. The best tour I ever did was the first: took my untuned, unprepped, rackless mtb for 4 days through the Loire Valley (France), slept under a bridge in Paris etc. Carried everything in a massive backpack. No helmet, no lights, no reflectors, even when riding in the emergency lane of a major highway. Carried no tools, no tubes, no pump, no patches - and got away with it. Come to think of it, no water, no tent. Stopped and got help when my rear derailleur let go, and borrowed a file off a construction crew when my seat post bolt wore out. Now that I think about it, only one brake was working too. Hmm, maybe I don't need a new bike at all ;)

One last question about the tricross: I noticed when I road it that the steering felt slightly 'twitchy', especially compared to a cannondale t800 I tried earlier. Supposedly you're meant to have "stable" steering for long distance touring - never a problem for you, I gather?

Also, at the risk of opening pandora's box, and other drawbacks you could mention would be great, even if they're minor. Have any problems with fork shudder, for instance?

Steve

My 2008 Specialized Tricross Sport. This one has a triple. I've only taken it about 300 miles so far, no tours. I use Novaro panniers, and the racks are the specialized brand. If I were to do it again, I would not by the specialized racks, I would get something like a Tubus.
The Specialized racks don't fit my panniers right, they feel loose, but they don't fall off.



http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa177/nasiralpharia/bicycles/102_0210s.jpg

According to my LBS they were shipping with canti's at first, but now they have switched to V-Brakes and thats what I have. No issues with fork shudder. I'm not a weight weenie, but I have to carry this bike up and down stairs, so the difference between this bike and my others is greatly appreciated. It has a carbon fork, I believe that if it can handle a cross race, then my commute should be fine. It also has the Low-rider mounts on the fork, I don't know if I will ever switch this rack for another though.

For now, this is my "Dream Car", so I didn't cut any corners... I bought the expensive water bottle holders:beer:

I don't mind the extra brake levers, but I only use them when I'm already stopped and just holding the bike, or to mount/dismount. The levers work fine, but I'm always in the drops or brake hoods, never on the tops.

I bought the bike mainly as a commuter, and I love it. I will use it for long rides, and maybe an occasional overnight tour.

Here is the Tricross underneath the Trek 7.2 FX, another great bike.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa177/nasiralpharia/bicycles/102_0213s.jpg

And I know what you mean about ignorance. The best tour I ever did was the first: took my untuned, unprepped, rackless mtb for 4 days through the Loire Valley (France), slept under a bridge in Paris etc. Carried everything in a massive backpack. No helmet, no lights, no reflectors, even when riding in the emergency lane of a major highway. Carried no tools, no tubes, no pump, no patches - and got away with it. Come to think of it, no water, no tent. Stopped and got help when my rear derailleur let go, and borrowed a file off a construction crew when my seat post bolt wore out. Now that I think about it, only one brake was working too. Hmm, maybe I don't need a new bike at all ;)

Now that sounds like an adventure.

I tried two different racks, one from REI and one from Performance Bike. Both were supposed to be universal fit, and I think that might have been part of the problem. The Performance rack had U-bolts that wrapped around the forks. It was a mess trying to get them around the shape of the carbon fork. Given more time and some alterations, I probably could have mounted either rack, but I was trying to do it all in some airport landscaping before a rapidly approaching sundown.

One of the riders on CrazyGuy went through two racks also. The one that he started with mounted at a pretty steep angle. Add in a steep mountain grade, and he might have been dodging his front panniers. The rack that eventually worked for him was the Jandd Low Front Rack. Here's a link:

http://www.jandd.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=&txtsearchParamCat=3&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&iLevel=2&subcat=13

I haven't done enough rough off-road riding to comment with authority on using the extra brakes, but when I have done off-road I felt most secure on the hoods. My brother has the same bike and he uses the extra brakes all of the time. He is just getting back into biking and prefers the more upright position.

When I first rode the Tricross I also noticed the extra responsiveness in the steering, and a new intimacy with the road that the aluminum frame transferred to my body. I just thought that was how a bike with drop handlebars felt. If the Cannondale offered a smoother ride, that may be worth considering more closely. Again, I have nothing to compare the experience to except my mountain bike.

The bike is more stable with a load attached to it. The load also dampens the bumps. My gear has always been on the rear so far since I haven't gotten a front rack. I'm still a little iffy about that setup, but the only time I've felt "uncertain" on the bike is during mountain descents (because of my inexperience) and when snaking through sand dunes that were creeping out onto the highway. There is some shudder in the fork when braking hard and suddenly. I'm keeping up with a post on the Tektro brakes to try figure out the best solution. It looks (according to the post above) like Specialized put different brakes on this year.

One of my mini-tours this summer will be to a dealer that sells the Surly LHT. I want to ride a "real" touring bike to satisfy my curiousity and to see if I can feel the difference. It sounds like you already have the luxury of riding some touring models.

Holy crap, I'll have a whole page covered by the time I finish this post.

Little (or big, depending on how you look at it) negatives:
- paint seems a bit fragile compared to my old $200 mountain bike (if it gets chipped, I add a sticker)
- at slow speeds, when making tight turns, my toe rubs against the front wheel

Small positives to even it out
+ the Avatar saddle that it comes with worked well for me
+ if you compare it to the Bianchi Volpe, which many people suggest as a touring machine, the geometry looks better for touring to me (at least to my eye and understanding)

Thanks for reviving this thread. Hopefully it will keep going, and some more Tricross owners will add their thoughts. I'll be happy to continue to contribute.

Thanks for the infos. Yesterday I test rode the Kona Sutra, but sadly the derailer wasn't seated right and caught itself in the spokes, mangling itself horribly, so it was a very short ride. After trying that and the Cannondale T800, I'm pretty sure I don't want a "proper" touring bike - they're seriously heavy. Carrying the Sutra back to the shop wasn't fun. I can see why they'd be the way for a massive "cross the himalayas" type tour, but for short-medium tours, commuting and just getting about, I think I'd prefer something nimbler and, er...more "fun". Also, and this could just be how they set it up or my unfamiliarity, I didn't find the Sutra disks good at all - a lot of travel, not very responsive.

Then I got to try a Kona Jake the Snake that was on special: $1600 AUD rather than $2200 (compared to $1800 for the tricross). It would have been a great deal: very similar bike to the tricross, but with 105 derailleurs and shifters, though no front pannier mount. Sadly they only had one left and it was uncomfortably too big. Hideous colour though. Also I would have needed to swap the cassette and chainrings for something more suitable. And that probably would have meant a new crankset and possibly new shifters (LBS guy wasn't sure if they could do triples).

The interesting thing was I didn't notice any shudder in the Tricross when I tried it (though I wasn't looking), but the Jake had massive, horrible, intolerable shudder under even modest front braking. So I'm inclined to think the issue is more about how the brakes are set up, the pads etc, than some fundamental design flaw.

I still don't seem to have heard from anyone who put a lot of weight on front panniers though?

Steve

Agony, the Australian distributors are all out of Tricross in 52cm. The one I test rode might have been the last one in Melbourne, but it's sold :( Dammit. I might go a 54, but I'm going to have to think about it (and apparently I have until May to do that anyway). Or I might end up with something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130210791800&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:AU:1123

Heh.

Steve

Weeks ago I bought the Tricross Sport Triple which was an 07 model. Since it was last years model, I got a pretty good deal on it at a bike show. I've only put on a few hundred km so far but really like the bike for it's intended use - mainly as a city commuter but also for some light riding off trails.

Having said that, I've always had the desire to do a cross Canada trip and thought that I'd better get it done before I'm too old. I've made inquiries about joining the tour for 09. The trip is a 10 weeks, covering 7750 km from Vancouver to St. John's Newfoundland, averaging 130 km per day. The trip is run by an organization which has been doing this annual event for 20 years straight and the big plus (for me) is that riders only carry daily provisions, as a vehicle is used to carry tents, food etc. So even though my Tricross has rack mounts (front and back), I don't believe that I will need them given that there is a mother-vehicle to carry the heavy supplies.

http://www.tourducanada.com/

I've compared some of the frame geometry to the touring Cannondale T800 (large) and can't see a great deal of difference other than it's wheel base which is 3/4" longer.

Tricross Sport 07
Chain Ring: 50x39x30
Cassett: 9 speed 11-34
Seat tube angle: 73.5 degrees
Head tube angle: 71.5 degrees
wheel base: 1030mm (40.55")

So do you think that the Tricross would be a good choice for such a trip?

I'm glad this has come up. I have a Tricross which I plan to take to France in the summer. I'm trying to fit racks on the semi cheap but it is proving difficult. Got a blackburn EX-1 but because of the wide rear dropout spacing did not fit well at all. So I took that in the vice and gave it a bit of a swan neck and seems good now but I hope its not weakened too much.

Thought that would be the end of my troubles till but the caradice lowrider front rack I got my hands on doesn't fit right either!! Rubs on the forks so looks like I'm going to find some spacers to lift it away from the fork abit. Anyway other than that it seems like a great bike, rides nice and no shudder, I think that is mainy down to people not setting the pads right and not undrstanding toe in, but then again there must be a reason they have changed brakes this year. I don't find the cantis great but they stop ok.

From everything I've read, it seems like you would be marginally more comfortable on a dedicated tourer like the Cannondale. Marginally. I've ridden it, and didn't really like the truck-like feel: it's big, heavy etc. Since your ride is going to be supported, you don't even need to consider load carrying ability nor the ability of the bike to sustain minor injuries (ie, bar end shifters on a steel frame are easier to repair in Mongolia than STI on alloy). So, IMHO, most advantages of the dedicated tourer are eliminated, and you'll do better with the faster, lighter bike.

Steve (about to buy the tricross, hence absolute certainty that it's the best...)

Thanks Steve for you comments. I had never test ridden the Cannondale but kind of assumed that it was the industry standard for touring bikes, so wanted to compare some aspects of the geometry against the Tricross. This was because it's also suggested that if one is going on an extended tour, a purpose built bike (i.e. a tourer) is the way to go.

I now have more confidence that my choice (although impulsive), turns out to be a good one after all; not only for my day to day use but for a possible long distance supported tour.

Leo

Industry standard? If anything, that would be the Trek 510, wouldn't it? Though judging from comments around the place, the Surly LHT seems to be the new "standard".

Steve (who is, any minute now, going to go out and buy the damn thing.)

I bought the damn bike. By coincidence, there was a girl there buying exactly the same one - the last two in stock. We both got the stems raised. We both have 18km one way daily commutes. We both like bike touring. We're exactly the same height. She got a 58cm frame, mine is 54cm. I guess we can't get married then.

Steve

One thing I don't care for the Tricross is how the rear rack mounts. The one Specialized sells bends back at the bottom to clear the seat stay. If you use a typical rack, it's a hard fit and you'll scratch the hell out of the frame getting it on. I ended up going with a Trek Interchange rack and I had to modify it a touch to get it to mount properly. Doubt I'd put much weight on it though. I've got the 2006 Comp model and while it does have a standard double on it (52/39) which I switched out for regular road riding, I do have a second wheelset that has a 11/34 on it for steap climbs or loaded touring. It's a good bike for a lot of different purposes, but not great at any of them. If I wanted to tour I'd get a Trek 520 or Surly LHT. My problem is that I ride all sorts of different ways and don't want a bike for each purpose. The Tricross fits this nicely.

Yeah, I see what you mean now. I managed to get my old cheapie rack to fit ok, but did scrape the seat stay a bit. Not that I care: with any luck, the paintwork will all be totally destroyed within a year or two. If not, I'm not using it enough ;)

Off tomorrow for a 40k scenic ride. Should be good!

Steve

Here’s my Tricross touring bike that I just finished putting together. It’s just less than 26 lbs, as pictured, including fenders, taillight, Brooks B-17, 700x32c Schwalbe Supremes, and Tubus racks. I’ll be using it this summer on a fully loaded tour from my home (in SC) to Key West, FL and back.

My goal has been to see how light a fully-loaded touring package I could put together without sacrificing MY personnel level of comfort, functionality, and durability. The bicycle will be carrying 210 lbs which includes all equipment, full load food/fuel/water, and rider.

I have used the setup for grocery shopping and it has handled very nicely. I’ll be doing a shakedown weekend camping trip in the next couple of weeks. I’ll post some action shots and report after that.

http://www.ziligy.com/images/tricross-touring-sm.jpg

Congradulations on your bike Steve.

Another thing that I wondered about was whether I got the right size Tricross for myself. A 54cm was the only one that they had in stock when I purchased. The standover clearance seemed to be about right and I'm about 5'9" (177cm). Since we both have the same size bike frame - would that be about your height? I realize that you were also limited to what they had in stock, so may have had to comprise a bit.

Please give us your thoughts on your first 40 km.

Looking forward to BigAura actions shots and report as well!

Leo

I'm 5'10" and I ended up with a 56cm. I test rode the 54 and it was too compact for my liking.

I’ll be doing a shakedown weekend camping trip in the next couple of weeks. I’ll post some action shots and report after that.
Yoo hoo. /me rings bell.

Off tomorrow for a 40k scenic ride. Should be good!
What's the news? How has it fared?

My wife and I are both using '08 Tricross sports for touring the northern US and Canadian Rockies- we leave in 3 days. It will be our first tour.

So far, we have put about 700 miles on the bikes, 500 of which have been loaded (~30lbs in 2 rear panniers/on the rear rack, 5lbs in a handle bar bag). Not having ridden any kind of loaded bike's before, I have to say, that the loaded tricross seems very comfortable. The bikes seem very stable at speed, and are easier to handle than I thought they would be. We'll see how the trip goes :popcorn .

[QUOTE=BlueDevil;7095995]My wife and I are both using '08 Tricross sports for touring the northern US and Canadian Rockies- we leave in 3 days. It will be our first tour.

Please, please do report back on your experiences...love to hear how you have faired. :D

Please, please do report back on your experiences...love to hear how you have faired. :D

Hi Leo-

There are a couple of threads here, the cliffnotes are basically here:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=452608

And we have our blog here:
http://jasperOrBust08.dobossy.com

The short version- it was insane, we didn't make it the whole way, but it definitely wasn't the bikes (TriCross Sports) that held us back. The bikes were real champs, and easily handled everything we threw at them. A couple wheels needed re-truing after shipping to MT, but other than that, there were no mechanical issues at all. :)

> What's the news? How has it fared?

Ok, I've had this bike a few months now, and I just love it. I think compared to a dedicated tourer like the LHT, it's obviously not the ideal tourer, but it's pretty good. I'm impatient to do some longer rides on it.

Apart from brakes (it was fitted with incompatible v-brakes, which I eventually switched to cantis) I've had no problems at all. Fitting a rack could certainly cause problems - I found that the Topeak explorer didn't fit, so I used the mounts off a cheap ("Bor Yeuh") rack that I had instead. Still haven't put a front rack on it.

Really love the grips. The seat's great. It's all great. :) (ok, I'm not really in love with the front shifting) Most of my touring is short trips with friends who are all on mtb's, and I feel totally spoiled to have drops etc.

Steve

If you would like the shortest. fastest (flattest?) route Google " Lynne Taylor bicycling " to get the detailed 840 mile route used by the Woman's Record Holder.

The answer is 'Yes'. Don't even think twice.

I have totally fallen for touring. I'm a big guy (6'6 and 106kgs) and I like to carry a stack of stuff on the bike. Used to have an old 80s Dawes Super Galaxy which is sadly now dead. Looking for a replacement I agonised for months about tourers and trekkers and wheel size and frame materials, and price too. I bought a new TriCross, biggest frame available - 2008 model I think and with a triple ring and v brakes off the peg at my LBS.

Look at the thing. It is not a fast road bike. It is not a crossbike. It's a perfect tourer. Big rear triangle, good clearance, loads of lugs, really comfortable ride and pretty much bombproof.

Sure, there's a bit of an overlap on the front mudgaurd- I've cut mine down after it sheered off and jammed itself under the front forks, throwing me off in the middle of the road. And yes, you've got to choose your racks carefully (I've got a Madison Summit http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=22653 on the back and a Blackburn mountain front rack http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=14121), and sure you might have to come up with something a little inventive if you want front lights or a bar bag, but it rides like a dream and is really, really comfortable. I ride mine everyday and I smile like a loon everytime I get it out the shed (I bought it last Spring).

Since buying the bike I've had to replace 1 spoke and retrue the rear wheel. Not bad.

I'm taking it UK to Istanbul next year.

And if you're going to do John O'Groats to Land's End the quickest, flattest, shortest way; do it on a road bike and shave your legs. There are some really cracking routes all over the country that are just a little bit further and go past some good pubs.

Just to keep people updated: I still love my tricross :) I'm actually on my second one now - my first got destroyed when some bimbo turned across my path at a traffic light. Her insurance paid for a new one. I've been on about five 3-4 day tours now, plus a few one day rides of 60-80ks. I'm riding to work every day (17ks round trip), and I even put knobbies on it and take it off road sometimes - doing about 120ks of mountain biking next weekend.

About the only issue I've had is getting front racks for it. The local bike shop, who consider themselves experts on Specialized, have a lot of experience on this and say there's only a couple of racks they can get to fit, and most of them are pretty expensive. I haven't quite got around to it yet. So I tour with panniers, rack bag (topeak), handlebar bag (topeak), tiny frame bag and two saddle bags. Fully loaded, it holds up well for everything except descents on dirt, where I find I take it a bit easy - or maybe I'm getting old.

The weird thing about this bike is how hard it becomes to justify a second bike. I'm considering buying a hardtail, and will see how the tricross handles next weekend to decide.

Steve