Southern California - New to BF...may I have some of your advice?

Hello all, I’m fairly new to BF in the respect that I rarely post and lurk through the forums every couple of months or so. I have recently committed myself to getting into cycling and have been trying desperately to figure out which type of bicycle I should get (making a decision can be maddening with all the manufactures for bikes and components there are). I have been borrowing a friend’s 06 Felt F75 with a full Ultegra drivetrain setup for the past couple of weeks to get saddle-ready and to learn balance and safe cycling practices. I’ve got a pretty decent grip on shifting, stamina maintenance, and balance. I’ve finally decided that this is a sport that I’ll enjoy enough to persistently follow. I realized that I'd like something a bit more durable than the typical road bike (I rather enjoy going over speed bumps and road irregularities quickly). I have created a list of bikes that I think would suit my needs that I would appreciate some opinions on. Before I go into that, I’ll briefly discuss what I require from a bike.

My main concern is to find a bike that is fairly quick and as capable as a lower end road bike, yet durable enough to take on loose dirt/gravel type surfaces (definitely not looking for an elitest $2000+ bike). Ideally, 75% of my time on the bike will be in the city (unmaintained Silverlake streets) while the remainder of the time will be spent riding on dirt road/mud/grass type surfaces. Having done research for the past couple of months, I narrowed down my requirements to a cyclocross or hardtail mountain bike (my preferences lean more towards a cyclocross bike because I prefer the idea of better communication and power transfer in a setup that doesn't absorb shock). Listed below are the bikes I’m considering:



08 Trek X01 - $1400ish, lots of Bontrager and Shimano 105 bits, and it even comes with pedals! (this is my favorite of the 3 bikes). Crank 46/38

08 Cannondale Cross XR6 - $1250ish, proven CAAD9 frame that’s upgradeable later, mainly Shimano Tiagra bits…Will need to purchase pedals so I’m realistically looking at $1300 and change. Crank 46/36

08 Specialized Tricross Triple - $1100ish, lower end Shimano components when compared to the Ultegra stuff. (seems like a good route to save a couple hundred bucks). Crank 50/39/30



Each of these bikes sounds incredible but I’m concerned about durability of parts and the possibility of wasted money as a result of “outgrowing” lower end components. The Cannondale sounds nice but every bike shop worker I talk to mentions that I’ll be unhappy with a Tiagra setup after a couple of months. I’d rather spend a little more up front instead of spending way more money a couple of months down the line just on upgraded components.

Can anyone offer any suggestions to the novice cycling enthusiast? Part of me thinks that spending over a grand on a first bike is a mistake but I’d rather do it right the first time since I know I’m going to continue with this. On a side note, the urban bikes that I have been reviewing are marketed for their durability. I really like the Cannondale Roadwarrior 2 and Trak Soho 3.0 for their supposed durability and cheaper price tag ($900ish). If I could just slap on some fat, knobby tires without the worries of losing integrity due to riding abuse, I’d probably pick up one of these instead one of the cyclocross bikes. Any seasoned cyclists having any suggestions about which type of bike I should pick up? Would getting one of the 3 above be overkill for someone new to cycling?

Sorry for the super long post…any wisdom or guidance would be graciously appreciated. Thanks!
tony

Of those three, I'd get the Specialized Tricross Triple. The other two have cross specific gearing. I wouldn't worry about Tiagra parts. I've ridden my Tiagra equipped bike for over a year. I see no reason to upgrade it.

I would also look at the Surly Cross-check. It has gearing similar to the Trek and the Cannondale, but it's cheaper ($900), clearance for fat knobbies, and has rear rack eyelets.

I think that type of bike and that price range is a great way to start. I have a Bianchi Volpe (http://www.bianchiusa.com/08_volpe.html) which is similar and it is the do everything bike. I don’t know about the bikes you listed specifically but the comments Efficiency made about gearing is sound if you want it as a general utility bike.

My Volpe did come with Tiagra but I did change the brake/shift levers after 20,000 miles or so with 105’s. I would not hesitate to buy another bike with Tiagra.

Well Buck65,

You didn't mention your weight, nor the wheelset specs (I'm too lazy to look them all up) but the current trend is to sell bikes with low spoke count wheels. If you are over 200 lbs, these low spoke count wheels won't hold up. So I would also consider the wheelset durability perhaps before I'd make a decision based on components.

Of those three, I'd get the Specialized Tricross Triple. The other two have cross specific gearing. I wouldn't worry about Tiagra parts. I've ridden my Tiagra equipped bike for over a year. I see no reason to upgrade it.

I would also look at the Surly Cross-check. It has gearing similar to the Trek and the Cannondale, but it's cheaper ($900), clearance for fat knobbies, and has rear rack eyelets.

This is great advice; thanks for the tip on the Surly...I'll definitely have to go for a test ride if I can find one locally. I plan on doing a search, but do you think you can briefly mention what cross specific gearing is?

I think that type of bike and that price range is a great way to start. I have a Bianchi Volpe (http://www.bianchiusa.com/08_volpe.html) which is similar and it is the do everything bike. I don’t know about the bikes you listed specifically but the comments Efficiency made about gearing is sound if you want it as a general utility bike.

My Volpe did come with Tiagra but I did change the brake/shift levers after 20,000 miles or so with 105’s. I would not hesitate to buy another bike with Tiagra.

Nice! Good to hear that others are getting performance and durability out of Tiagra parts. It's a bit intimidating when in the LBS because the sales people seem to passive-aggressively push the elitest top end components.

I'll definitely try and find a Volpe; thanks!

Well Buck65,

You didn't mention your weight, nor the wheelset specs (I'm too lazy to look them all up) but the current trend is to sell bikes with low spoke count wheels. If you are over 200 lbs, these low spoke count wheels won't hold up. So I would also consider the wheelset durability perhaps before I'd make a decision based on components.

Sorry; forgot to mention some of the important stuff. I'm 5'10" and fluctuate between 165-170 pounds. I started swimming and running about a year ago religiously and have consequently lost 45 pounds. I was hoping I could tone down to 150lbs of lean....we'll see. Since I'm under 200, I'll assume it's safe to rely on the stock wheels/tires combo. Just for giggles:

Trek X01 - Bontrager Race wheels w/Bontrager Jonce CXR, 700x34x
Cannondale XR6 - Shimano WH-R500A wheels w/Maxxis Raze Foldables, 700x35c
Specialized - Alex ACE-19 wheels w/Specialized Borough CX, 700x32c

I'm not exactly sure what the numerical tire specs indicate but I was hoping that something meatier would contribute to a more compliant ride that would act as a damper to any kind of abuse that I may inflict on the bike (keep in mind, I won't be riding like it's a BMX bike). Also, my understanding is that the more tire I add will negatively effect city riding speeds (i.e. more pedaling required to go faster). Do the three wheel/tire combos seem decent enough?

Thanks again for taking the time to read and respond.
tony

This is great advice; thanks for the tip on the Surly...I'll definitely have to go for a test ride if I can find one locally. I plan on doing a search, but do you think you can briefly mention what cross specific gearing is?



Surly's can be somewhat hard to find in stock. If you mention what area of SoCal you're in, maybe someone can give you a tip. I would definitely try to test ride the Surly too, because the sizing numbers on it are somewhat strange.

Cross specific gearing is tipped off by the crankset. A 36 tooth small ring and a 46 tooth large is typical cyclocross double. A standard road double is 53/38 or something similar to that. A compact double is 50/34. A triple usually has a granny gear of 30. Note that the road doubles have a larger big ring, and the compact double and the triple have smaller small rings than the cyclocross crank.

What this relates to is your overall gearing range. The big ring tells you the highest speed that you can still pedal (usually downhill), and the small ring tells you how easy it will be going uphill. The cyclocross crank has a narrow range.

If you like one of those bikes that has a 36/46, but you want a wider range, you can ask the shop to change the crank or the rings to ones that are more suitable.

So the more teeth I have on the larger ring, that faster I'll be able to go (top speed)? While the smaller the diameter (and less teeth) on my smallest ring will dictate the ease I have when going up hills? If that's the case, then the Cannondale is looking a bit nicer than the Trek due to the smaller crank gear (36 vs. 38) in regards to ease getting up hills. I'm kind of wondering if those two teeth will actually make a noticeable impact on the amount of energy exerted going up a hill.

Thanks for the explanation; makes perfect sense to me.