BikeMan123

Hey, guys..!! New to the forum, and it's my first post. Been here a long time, and always seem to get the best info from everyone.. Thanks so much..!!

I was actually planning on doing a Cross Canada Bike trip from Vancouver to Halifax at the beginning of May this year... so 2-3 weeks to go...!! I'm so excited..!! I have been dreaming of this day to come for a long time..and soon it will be a reality...

Anyways, I need to get a new bike. I know they are not touring specific bikes, but I am stuck on the Rocky Mountain Solo CX and the Specialized Tricross Sport bikes, though I am leaning more to the Rocky. For those of you that have done the trip, the Rocky is a double compact crank...and I have heard that on this specific bike that I have almost the full range of low gears..? Is this true, would I have enough of a low gear to climb the mountains or should I get a Tricross with its triple crank..?

Here are the specs of both bikes..

Rocky Mountain Solo CX--
Frame RMB Triple Butted 7005 Series Custom Shaped Alloy. Rack And Fender Mounts
Fork RMB CX Alloy With Rack Mounts
Front Travel N/A
Rear Shock N/A
Rear Travel N/A
Head Set Cane Creek 5 Series External Cup
Stem RMB L7 7° x 90-130mm
Handlebar RMB RD Ø31.8mm x 400-440mm
Brakes Kore CX Cantilever
Brake Levers Shimano Tiagra / Tektro RL721 Top Mount
Shifters Shimano Tiagra STI 10spd
Gearing (FR) Shimano Tiagra 34.9mm 10spd
Gearing (RR) Shimano Tiagra 10spd
Cranks & Chainrings FSA Omega EXO 170-175mm 50/34T 10spd
Bottom Bracket FSA Mega EXO
Pedals N/A
Hubs (FR) RMB Glide CX
Hubs (RR) RMB Glide CX
Cassette Shimano Tiagra 12-28T 10spd
Chain KMC X10
Spokes Stainless
Rims Alex ACE 24


Specialized Tricross Sport
FRAME
Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, fully manipulated tubing, semi-compact Freeroad design, rack and fender fittings
FORK
Specialized FACT carbon, carbon legs, aluminum Steerer, Speed Zertz inserts, rack and fender fittings
HEADSET
Specialized Mindset, 1-1/8" integrated threadless, steel cage bearings, 20mm alloy cone w/ 10mm alloy spacer
Shimano Tiagra, 9-speed STI, flight deck compatible
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano Tiagra, 31.8mm clamp, bottom pull
REAR DERAILLEUR
New Shimano Deore LX, long cage
SHIFT LEVERS
Shimano Tiagra, 9-speed STI
CASSETTE
Shimano HG50, 9-speed, 11-32t
CHAIN
Shimano HG73, 9-speed
CRANKSET
FSA Tempo Triple
CHAINRINGS
50 x 39 x 30t
BOTTOM BRACKET
Sealed cartridge, square taper, 68mm x 103mm
RIMS
Alex ACE-19 double wall rim, CNC sidewalls, spoke eyelets, 32h
FRONT HUB
Specialized forged alloy, 32h, sealed bearings, QR
REAR HUB
Specialized forged alloy, 32h, sealed ball bearings, cassette, QR
SPOKES
Stainless 14g
FRONT TIRE
Specialized Borough Sport CX, 700x32c, wire bead, 60TPI
REAR TIRE
Specialized Borough Sport CX, 700x32c, wire bead, 60TPI


Thanks guys for all your help...!! See you on the open roads..!!

skilsaw

Test ride the Surly Long Haul Trucker and the Trek 520 up a hill that requires your bottom gear. Take the bikes you are considering up the same hill. Which is better?

If you can, test ride a bike in West Van and try riding up to Cypress Bowl.

Now think about how it would feel with 40 or 50 lbs of stuff on your bike.

They make touring bikes to tour on. Get a touring bike.

BikeMan123

I know that a tourer would be the best option, but the only reason I am avoiding a touring bike is for after the tour I would love to get into some cyclocross. I know its been done with both these bikes, but I am just not sure which one would be better of the two..?

BikeMan123

I am young, fit and crazy (at least a litlle), if that makes a difference!

BigAura

It makes all the difference. I'm sure either bike will do fine for you. When I was younger in the 1970's, I toured on even higher ratios, I did just fine. Try and keep your load as light as possible.

BigAura

You might want to look at Sheldon Brown's Gearing Calculator.

LeeG

$.02 reading stats wouldn't make the decision for me but the TriCross looks to be a little longer wheelbase and chainstay length. No idea if that translates to better riding with load. The SoloCX looks a bit more quick handling. I'd want to change the gearing on the SoloCX as the high gears are essentially useless robbing space for more useful cruising/low gears.

Whichever bike you pick keep to the spirit of the design with light loads distributed between the wheels instead of hanging off the rear wheel.
I'd want to get the bike this week then have two weeks getting it through an early break-in period. It's not just the bike/wheels that have a break-in period but your manner of securing gear to the bike.

nubcake

Why not look at the cross check, it is a pretty good compromise between a cross race bike and a touring bike. I have seen people race and do well on one and have also known people who have toured on one. Either way I would try to make your gear as light as your budget allows as any of the above bikes were not meant to carry a large touring load.

indyfabz

+1. And you can add a third chainring to the stock crank, although Surly says you will need a different FD if you do.

Spld cyclist

How about buying the Tricross and seeing if you can put a smaller granny ring and/or 34-tooth low gear cassette? These are relatively inexpensive modifications, and if they make the gearing too low for racing they are easy to change back after the tour.

bud16415

I think the triple Tricross Sport given the two. If you are young and strong ride it as it comes with a low gear of 25 gear inch. The next simple change would be to switch the granny for a 24t and you will have 20 gear inch widely accepted as a solid climbing gear for loaded touring. If you still want more low end change the cassette out for a 12-36 9sp and you will have a true mountain goat at 18 gear inch. Those changes shouldn’t cost that much and you can save the stuff for when you return and want a race setup just put it back on till your next tour.

You will need 3 special tools to do the job and they will be things you could need during the tour in case you need to fix a spoke etc.

Have you thought about racks etc?

nubcake

I would be more worried about the carbon fork and fairly light wheels more than gearing. I know first hand youth and enthusiasm will let you get by with too high of gear. One great thing about being young is you recover from the hills easily.

With that being said if you are still hung up on the two a lot of shots will let you swap the rear derailer and cassette for mountain stuff for a small fee if not for free.

fietsbob

Just have to be able to ride the thing all day and get up and do it again,
the next day, for weeks .
Touring is an activity rather than any given bike.

Hammer heads want to do it on race bikes , so they do.

BikeMan123

Thanks guys for all your help..!! Actually, I dropped by a few bike shops to check the bikes out (isn't it odd that they usually only sell one brand and not the other, and then push you into trying to purchase that particular brand while cussing at the other, I guess thats why a came hear for a neutral opinion..much appreciated!)...

One bike shop owner put it into perspective for me...Rocky sells one type of cyclocross, which is more geared towards a racing front, while Specialized sells two different cyclocross bikes...one that is more racing, and the other more for touring.

So after the afternoon mostly spent around the city I think I have narrowed it down more to the the Specialized Tricross. This particular shop really went out of their way to explain things to me, but I still got one more question..last one I hope..

They have a sale going on for the 'Specialized Tricross' for $950 (not the Tricross Sport, I gave specs before), this comes with a Shimano HG-50, 8-speed, 13-26t cassette, and 52/42/30 chainrings, which if I am correct, are lower end components.. Is it worth to switch over to the Sport model for $400 extra..? Is there that much of a difference... Now when I am looking at it, I am getting confused again...?? Would the standard Tricross, be Ok otherwise..? Sorry, I am still learning...!!

fietsbob

brands have sales territories .. here, small population, they are in different towns

what comes out of the box can be changed before you take it home,
so Gearing and just about any part, is something you can modify,
and the removed parts have value , more new than at any other time,
so you can get a take-off credit towards what you want.

Not every bike the dealer can get will be on the floor.

[Tourists ride thru here all summer , but they have their bikes,
so the LBS does not stock Touring Bikes ,But can order stuff from distributors
if required ..
broken tourist bikes sometimes get wheels off the bike on the sales floor ,
to get them on the road again, and the stock bike's wheel gets re ordered.

buy up the price point levels , package improves.
and change gearing to suit the need ..

Myself , any gear over 100" is silly , [52/14 with 700c wheel]
but climbing the Rockies
you will appreciate a lower gear than stock,
then the crank's 3rd gear bolt circle is the limit ..
24t if a 74bcd.. for example..

bud16415

I personally wouldn’t spend the extra 400 but then again your gearing is moving away from touring gearing and becoming for the most part a road bike triple. For me the difference between 8 and 9 in the back wouldn’t be a big deal but I would want something lower than the 26 / 30 combination for touring and mountains. On my tour bike I had the 52,42,30 triple and I lowered the granny to a 26t because I had fear of doing the shift off the 42 if I went lower. I found it wasn’t that bad. It is never going to be a shift that’s easy to switch back and forth at will like the 52,42 will be. You will want to do it as a soft pedal shift in both directions and with a little anticipation. Last week I ran across a 24t hanging on the wall at the LBS and as an impulse buy I took it home and stuck it on replacing the 26t. I found no difference in the shift. So in my case anyway I will tell you a 42 to 24 drop is ok if you want a quick fix to get a little more touring like in the gears. That will get you to 25 gear inch that will be better but IMHO still a little high for loaded climbing. Just for comparison leaving the 30t on would be about 31 gear inch. And I think most would agree that would be pretty high when fully loaded.

I don’t know what is available in 8 speed cassettes that would work with your RD that comes on the Tricross. There are cassettes that have a big jump to the largest “Mega Range” designed as a bailout gear to get around this problem. I have rode a few bikes set up that way where you just have this one bailout gear you can use off the granny when all else fails. I personally didn’t like not having a range of low gears to cascade across. For me climbing usually isn’t a constant incline and as the incline lessens if I stayed in my 18 gear inch low gear I would end up spinning my legs off. I have 6 gears I use off the granny gear giving me a range between 18 and 36 gear inch that are all easy shifts in the back under power.

It will all boil down to how strong you are and that the climbs won’t kill you for the rest of the days ride.

BikeMan123

Yes, I think that's what I'll do. I am going to pop into the bike shop this weekend, and just get the standard Tricross, and then change it to 24t. After all this I now seem to have gotten the hang of it..!! Hopefully, the gear change won't be to expensive?? With the bike, waterproof panniers, fenders, mirrors, racks and a couple other little nick-nacks things are starting to add up.., but its all for a worthy cause... If any of you are cross country'ing starting May 2-3-4, and see a young, crazy guy with a black Tricross, and yellow panniers, say 'Hello', the coffees are on me..!!

BikeMan123

The same bike shop has a sale going on for the Brooks B17 saddle, I've read many good reviews of it being a really good touring saddle. What do you guys think..?

LeeG

strongly suggest you restrain yourself from getting the largest panniers and piling everything on the rear wheel. See if you can confine your total package to one set of small panniers on front low riders then the rest on top of the rear rack. Or a mini-front rack for sleeping bag in compression sack and small panniers on rear rack.

Putting on a new Brooks saddle before a trip sounds like a great way to bust your butt. It might be broken in by the end of your trip. Stock saddle or Avatar saddle is a good beginning.

You might consider switching out the rear Borough Sport CX tire for one with more puncture resistance. Rear tires usually get more flats than the front. Check with the shop, I don't think there's anything special about the SportCX version regarding puncture resistance but I could be wrong.

BikeMan123

LeeG, I am going to be travelling as light as possible. I will buy the rear ones for now, and set up everything at home to try it out first, if all goes well, or not it will depend whether I spring for the fronts.

I have had some aweful experiences in my early years with cheap saddles (but I think it was more due to the layers of clothing I had on underneath, lol!)...It's just the stock seat feels so awkward, so hence, the willingness to splurge on the Brooks..

djb

In 2010 I bought a Tricross Sport, for me the extra expense from the Tricross was worth it for both the shifters and especially the gearing. That said, the gearing of 25 gear inches (do check out the forementioned Sheldon gearing chart) is not low enough for having 40-50lbs of stuff on the bike and mountains (and dont forget, northern ontario is an endless up and down slog)

we can give suggestions, but unfortunately you will only see about gearing by doing it on your own. As others have said, if you keep the weight down somewhat, and are young etc etc, you will have a good time (and will learn about weight and gearing)

I have not done it, but I of read on forums of tricross owners who have changed the granny from 30 to 26 (or 24 maybe), and that is exactly what I will do when needed, and yes, this will be the cheapest and easiest way to bring the gearing down (and you will need the gearing lower, really...) I seem to remember that down to a 26 will bring the gear inches down to about 21, which is what I have used in very hilly areas with four panniers, tent etc.

This final topic must be brought up, buying a bike a few weeks before going on a trip like this does leave you open to some issues, of bike fit, how the wheels are with stuff on them (and yes, the stock wheels may or may not be up to what you are planning to put on them, and yes, they will be new and will need adjustment, as with other stuff on the bike as it is new...)

this also applies to a Brooks saddle. I wouldnt go that route (and I own two of them) especially if you havent owned one before. The stock seat is ok, but again, a Brooks a scant few weeks before a trip....(mine generally took about 10 hours of riding for them to be alright for more than one hour at a time, but that was in hot sweaty weather, which helps with the breaking in.) plus one has to be aware of how to take care of them vis-a-vis rain, a regular seat you dont have to worry about riding in rain, or leaving it out in rain...

all the best with your planning and trip, last minute means you have lots to sort out.

Burton

Right ...... so why would Rocky Mountain put eyelets on the front fork of a bike suposedly designed for racing? Maybe that dealer was only thinking about the Solo CXR which has no eyelets on the front fork.

Have seen the Solo CX myself up close and personal and I'd buy it in a flash. Yup, its not a dedicated tourer, which means the chainstays aren't long enough to take the largest panniers without heel-strike issues, but for anyone travelling light with smaller panniers, the bike would be a really nice ride!

For touring with either bike you mentioned, I'd suggest swapping out the crankset for something more touring specific anyway (lower in all chainrings) so buying either one based on gearing makes about as much sense as buying one over the other based on stock tires installed. You have to buy racks for either so neither is a complete package. Buy what you want to live with afterwards.

BikeMan123

Just an update, but I went to the bike shop today, and placed a deposit and ordered the Tricross..!! The guy even gave an additional 10% off everything including the rack, panniers and some other smaller stuff. I asked him also to change the gearing from '30 to a 28 or 26', which I thought was the part where the pedals were...just to change the one ring. But he told me that is not what you are supposed to change and rather you need to switch it to a new 28t cassette. He sold me a new 'SRAM CASSETTE 11-28'.. Is this what I was supposed to do..? He charged me $25 for it, and free labour. Thanks.

BikeMan123

Actually, just going back a few posts, I think I made a mistake. It should be more like (13-26t cassette, 52/42/28 chainrings) from (13-26t cassette, 52/42/30 chainrings). But now I am going to have (11-28t cassette, 52/42/30 chainrings). Should I make it more like this (11-28t cassette, and 52/42/28 chainrings)..? Would that work..?

LeeG

It's not clear what the stock gearing was from your posts, was it 52/42/30 with 13-26 cassette? That is different than your initial post above. The shops recommendation for 11-28 doesn't make much sense for touring as it gives a MUCH taller high gear and only slightly lower low gear. It gets expensive changing chainrings but it's possible your front derailleur couldn't take a 26-52 jump and the rear derailleur couldn't take a 52-30 jump with 11-32 wrap up so the shop recommended the least expensive option for a lower gear.

Gearing is something one can spin wheels about but all you need to do is look at Sheldons Gear Calculator and see what you get with the combinations so far. For a touring bike you don't need gears as high as those used by Cat 1,2 racers. Which is what you get with a 52 chainring and an 11-28 nine speed cassette. What you'll get with that for the top four gears is 100", 108", 117" and 127". For touring you'll rarely use the 100" gear with most of your riding in the 50"-80" range on flats and gentle inclines. If you can get a 28" inner ring on the crankset with the 11-28 that will get you a decent 1:1 low gear.
If it was me I wouldn't bother changing the inner ring while carrying that big 52 ring for a close ratio cassette I'd consider swapping out the entire crankset for a mtn crankset. With a 22/32/42 you'll have all the high gears you'll ever need with all kinds of good close ratios for cruising and a decent low gear.

then again this could be too much to think about right now.