Originally Posted by
knobster
I have a Comp and a Sport and agree with most here. 25's will be good and the wheels on the Comp will be fine. Wheels are a little wide for 23's. I use Conti Ultra Gatorskins and really like them. No sign of wear after 5k miles. Wheels are super tough. Specifically built cross wheels. Bulletproof. The Sport wheels are kinda crap, but the Comp is good to go. Other than that, the brake pads if about all I'd change. The stock components are pretty good, hence the price.
I have an '06 Tricross Comp and absolutely love it. I used it on a few nice trails last fall (when I got it) and have been riding this spring on primarily road rides. A friend gave me an old pair of conti GP 3000 tires which he mounted to my Pave wheels (23c) and they have been fine. I've done several 45-55 mile road rides with them and it's been great. I think this bike can keep up with most road bikes (with solid riders) if you put road tires on them like I did. What do you think the issue is with mounting 23s on the stock wheels?
I am liking the road rides so much I just bought a used pair of Mavic Open 4s to mount the Michelin cross tires I got last fall for when I want to go off road. I think this bike works really well for off road as well as road if you have appropriate tires. But I'll admit I'm new to this sport.