younvrknow

There is a pretty good possibility that I may be going on a three week bike tour along the West Coast this summer. I want to know now whether I should upgrade my current ride (56cm 2012 Specialized Tricross Sport--all stock components) or whether I should invest in a new ride.

I probably put a few thousand miles on this bike last season. I was never in pain while riding this bike, nor was I especially uncomfortable, but it did seem a little slow and slightly too large. (Especially in comparison to my former commuter, a 1991 Cannondale 54cm sh400 hybrid...sadly, that was stolen in the dark of night).

Some comments in the archive seem to think the Borough CX tires are pretty slow. AS for fit, I think I like the distance to the pedals, but I feel like I am stretching to reach the hoods. Because of this, I usually keep my hands on the flats.

I have a pretty tight budget, but I really should either alter this bike or find one that fits/feels better. Recommendations?

Also, I can only really afford one bike at this time, and I need it for both commuting and distance.

Doug64

I would suggest modifying what you have.

Try a shorter stem to adjust for reach. You may be able to pick up an inch pretty easily, e.g., going from a 110 to a 70 mm stem will shorten the reach by 1.6".- $25

Check the saddle position using normal fitting techniques, e.g., adjust fore and aft position of the saddle so that the lower part of your knee cap is directly above the pedal spindle when your foot is at the 3 o'clock position. Just google bike fitting and see how it is measured. It could work for you or against you depending on how it is presently adjusted.

If the above steps cure the fit issues, then I'd go to the following:

Get some more appropriate tires, many options, 28 or 32 mm slicks ride pretty nice.- $70

Get a long cage mtn rear derailleur, Shimano Deore if you can find one, and change the Sora cassette for an 11-34. $60

For about $150 you can get on the road with something that should handle the Coast.

If it doesn't work for you, even after the modifications, you can probably sell it and recoup a major portion of your investment. If you decide to modify the Tricross, do it early enough that you can put some miles on it prior to the trip.

forresterace

Another Doug checking in. I totally agree with Doug64 in every suggestion for your Tricross.

djb

As someone who once rode a bike for years with a bit too much reach, I agree 100% on the shorter stem. Some people claim that a short stem like a70mm will make the steering twitchy but from personal experience this is not the case, and the tricross is not a twitchy bike to begin with. As Doug says, you can shorten the reach by a good amount and a few cms will make a real difference.
My tricross came stock with 50/39/30 and a 11-32. For touring I changed the 30t granny to a 26t which works very well and 34t cassette will help a little bit more.
I like my tricross a lot and with about 40lbs on it, it handles as good if not better than my old steel tourer. Does your s have the aluminium fork?

They are good bikes and it's fairly inexpensive to lower the gearing.

PS dont forget to take some measurements before a stem change to know how much shorter the bars come and don't forget bar height too.

djb

PS with 28 slicks , the 26t granny and 11-32 I get about 21 gear inches as a low gear, your front derailleur should handle a26t with no issues, a good bike store can help.

Doug64

David,
I was hoping you would read this, and comment. As someone who has actually toured on a Tricross, you have a much better idea of what it can do, and how to do it. Heck, I was just generalizing; I have not even ridden one

djb

Hi there Doug, ya I kinda figure it's similar to your Volpe in how it rides. Probably better off keeping the load to not "really heavy" and being a light guy surely helps. With the cf fork I've been very wary of it and kept the front loaded lightly.

I'll mention that I had an issue with the 32 spoke rear wheel but this happened only after I had the wheels worked on and it seems the spokes were over tightened a bit too much.

Like I said, with about 40 lbs on it, I found the ride characteristics pretty good, not wobbly at all and for the west coast trip, if you take camping stuff and expect to be in the 40lb range of stuff, a low gear of a minimum of 21 g.i is what I'd recommend.
Look into getting charts if you are unfamiliar with "gear inches"

I'll stick up some photos of mine from some trips when I'm able.

younvrknow

Thanks for the input. Definitely leaning toward altering the Tricross. I'll know for sure after I switch out the stem.

Correction: Double checked model, and my bike is actually the base Tricross, not Sport. Specs here. 52/40/30 chainring with a 13-26t cassette. Aluminum fork--which wouldn't win any beauty pageants. And squishy brakes. Shudders to a stop sometimes, but I'm thinking different pads and adjustment at LBS might stop that.

@Doug64 Thanks for the recommendations. I'm eyeing this stem right now.

@djb The ride will be supported, but I'll probably still be packing loaded rear panniers and sleeping bag/pad. I'm relatively light, weight-wise. About 150# during summer bike season, more like 160# during hibernation season aka upstate NY winters.

10 Wheels

NY to LA, Summer of 2009, 4200 miles

djb

seems that it has a 52/42/30 and the rd seems to be more of a medium cage one rather than the long cage that mine came with--meaning there is more of a limit to how big a cassette you can put on your bike as is--long cage derailleurs can be had for a reasonable price and will allow you to put a much bigger cassette, a 32 or whatever.

your 52/42/30 crankset may limit you to how small a new granny gear you can put on, maybe a 26 might be a too small and the 16t jump from a 26 to the 42 is a lot--I rode a bike with a 16t jump and I find the 13t jump between my 26 granny and the 39 mid ring to be nicer than the 16t jump I had on an older bike with a 50/40/24, doable but not as nice for everyday riding.
In any case, changing out the rd and the 13-26 to a 11-32 8 speed cassette will get you lower gears, bigger jumps between shifts however but thats the compromise.

You may have to visit some shops and get prices for various options of changes,parts and labour if you dont do it on your own.

If your trip is supported, I'd leave as much as you can with the van or whatever, this will help with the west coast hills if you can keep your load down as much as possible.

re braking, I put kool stop salmon coloured pads on after the first season and found these softer pads to give stronger braking. The shudder may be some adjustment thing, as Im pretty certain that the anti-shudder brace thingee that they put on Tricross after 2009 would be on your bike too, mine is a 2010.

younvrknow

So, I'll be heading out to the West Coast next Wednesday. I've made most of the upgrades suggested (stem, handlebars, 11-32 cassette). Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the help. Super, uber appreciated.

djb

Have a fun trip. You will see loads and loads of other bike tourers along the way, so even if you are on your own, you'll meet some like minded bikers.
If you feel like it, pipe in afterwards with how it went with the bike.
cheers