So I was at the LBS again, this time looking more into cyclocross bikes rather than road bikes. They carry mostly Trek and Specialized bikes. Road bikes, 60cm feels great for me, with 58cm just a bit too small.

However when it comes to cross bikes both Trek and Specialized seem to only go up to 58 or 61 while their road bikes are 62-64 or so. This leads me to the main question, do cross bikes typically run 1-2 cm smaller than their roadbike counterpart? ie if a 60cm is great for a roadbike for me would I love to rock a 58cm cross bike?


Side question: Trek/Specialized I'd have to special order, pay full price (about $1800-2200 for the ones I'm looking at), would it be looked down upon to hit up some place like REI (or Performance) and get one for $1500 with full Ultegra, etc? Their 'Rivet' cross bike looks decent, but I haven't heard much about their house brand. The LBS has a 1 year free fit guarantee where they swap components for free (or pay the difference for upgrades), but this limits me to more expensive brands like Trek/Specialized, and having to order them and pay full price. Can't discount on a model they have to special order


Thanks,

Bill