RideTheLion

First post here, but I've lurked thousands of posts to get information on biking/commuting. I decided I hate going to the gym, I want to stay in shape and I love riding a bike. 3 birds with 1 stone. I will mainly be commuting, but I live in Asheville, NC, and there are a lot of light trails around here so I made up my mind and went with the 2015 Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc. I love it so far (just got it today but rode a 2005 elite before). I've read a lot about hybrids being pointless, boring, grandpa bikes, but as a 27 year old musician who still feels young and "hip," I feel like I'm on an urban assault vehicle with the matte black finish and beefy build of the bike. That, and I have a lot of fun on it, so I have no regrets. I haven't seen many other people with Crosstrails on here, but I'd like some feedback on what you think about yours, modifications done, any long distance rides/touring capabilities, disc or other malfunctions, etc... I have been looking at the Origin8 drop bar ends for longer rides (30+miles) but so far have only added the CatEye headlight, taillight and computer package. Hopefully this will be a great bike to get around the city, and also go on weekend trail rides. It's pretty hilly here, but the Crosstrail seems to climb spectacularly (with suspension locked out) considering the weight of the bike. Well, cheers. (Hopefully this photo link works)

DBrown9383

Really nice bike!. I wouldn't bother much about what people say. I don't think hybrids are pointless, they are a compromise for sure but what isn't? I ride a comfort hybrid big box store bike, probably the most poo-pooed category of bicycle there is and it's all smiles every time I ride it.

RideTheLion

It's my first bike with hydraulic disc brakes. Is it normal for there to be a grinding (I know it's metal on metal but this can't be right, right?) sound with intermittent gaps in between the grinding? When I compress the rear brake, it sounds as if the teeth of the disc are clipping the pads and kind of like a powertool sound. Hard to explain. I don't know anything about them, but it sounds awful, although not loud. The front brakes sound how I think normal disc brakes would sound.

Do they just need to break in? Get it? Brake in? Ahhh... Well, I don't know but I was so annoying with dérailleur adjustments and my cranks needed greased and the pedals were loose, etc at the LBS that I'm worried they'll just cut the brake lines altogether if I go back.

MR BIG STUFF

Do your own work Lion. You can't tuna fish but you can tuna bike.

TEKTRO BRAKE SYSTEMS

RideTheLion

Pfft, I just gave them nearly $1,000 for a bike made in China. They can tune it until it's right. At that cost, if I give them a fish, then I expect them to tune that as well.

AlanManley

Actually just Lol'd so loud my staff came running into my office! haha. Brilliant!

JonathanGennick 

The Crosstrail is a nice bike. Rode one for awhile years ago until I damaged the frame. (My fault on that; not the bike's).

Disk brakes sometimes make noise. Yowling, screeching noises can be annoying and difficult to make go away. Sometimes there is a pleasant (to me) buzzing noise that might include some subtle clicking as you describe. Hard to diagnose brake noise on the Internet though.

bakes1

Cool bike, congrats!

RideTheLion

Thanks — yeah, I called the LBS and I'm taking it in tomorrow. I think they just need to bed, but I'm going to make sure before I cause further damage. When I was a kid, maybe 12, I went to pull my bike out from the storage beneath our house. It was stuck on something. I maneuvered and wiggled it, but alas, it remained stuck. It was dark in there, so I got frustrated from a lack of vision and bike riding, so I just ripped it as hard as I could until it came loose. A week later I found out that I had irreversibly bent the frame of the weedeater in my violent bike removal haste. My stepdad was livid. Probably the maddest I had ever seen him. More about my stupidity than the crooked weedeater. He sold my bike to buy another, and I resorted to rollerblades as even further punishment. So I learned that if something isn't right, to just fix it accordingly, and not ignore it or, conversely, not freak out about it. I'm going to go on a long ride today and see if it calms down.

RideTheLion

Hey, man, I recorded a video of the noise. It has nothing to do with the wet lot (it made the same noise in bone dry conditions when I got it home). This is at about 80% rear braking. Is this the sound that may be normal? I hope it's normal, but I kind of hope it's not, because it isn't pleasant to the ears. Sounds like my grandma's old Mercury. Eckhhh... https://youtu.be/NS1q9V3sRtI

JonathanGennick 

Sounds like what is known as "turkey gobble". Do you feel vibration in the bike?

RideTheLion

Yeah, for sure. Especially in the handlebars. "Turkey gobble" lol. Perfect name.

JonathanGennick 

I didn't come up with it.

Here's a thread (on another forum. Apologies for that) with tons of info on the problem:

The Juicy brake turkey warble/vibration MEGA THREAD- Mtbr.com

FWIW, I usually begin by wiping down the offending rotor with some alcohol or some brake cleaner. Sometimes I'll sand the pads, but I like to try just cleaning the rotors first and work my way up from there.

RideTheLion

Thanks so much. I'll check it out!

Doctor Morbius

Nice looking bike. Congrats!

I don't think hybrids are old man's bikes. I have one and ride it regularly at 55 years of age. Oh, wait ... I AM old!

RideTheLion

I don't think so either. I don't judge anyone who is enjoying life and trying to stay in shape. Although foldable bikes are pretty ugly...

BlazingPedals

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't think this one is very ugly... (it's not mine, BTW)

avidone1

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Crosstrail owners.
I agree that the LBS should be fixing the problem.
Your bike ain't no turkey so it shouldn't sound like one. LOL