I wouldn't buy the bike until the brakes meet your satisfaction with the tires you will be using. Sure they can be tuned and improved, but that can be a huge hassle and may never be totally solvable. I don't ride my CX bike anymore because no shop has been able to fix the brake issue (front tire skips on pavement with heavy braking) - it only happens with 25/28c tires on pavement. CX specific tires the problem is not there. New fork (no charge from Trek), new pads, multiple adjustments, new hanger, check headset, etc. I just got tired of trying new things and it felt very unsafe.

DOH!

I mean: "At 15mph good 32s will require less effort to maintain speed than good 25s - because the rolling resistance advantage of the wider tyre will outweigh the aero advantage of the thinner tyre until speed rises; RR being proportional to speed, and air resistance to the *square* of speed, so that aero dominates at higher speeds but may be disregarded at lower ones."

Weird. What do you mean by "skips"? An intermittent front wheel braking skid? And if it's CX bike and the problem only happens with narrow tyres then why not put 32/35s on?

To honest I'm not sure that you do have a problem - this sounds like powerful brakes are overwhelming an insufficient contact patch. Well, yes, that will happen with thin tyres and good brakes. The only puzzle is why the wheel turns again- are you releasing pressure, perhaps unconsciously? Or could it be that brake bosses are flexing?

Yes, by skips I mean bouncing on the pavement. I don't put 32/35s (I have 32 & 38) as they have a tread that does not give me confidence on pavement cornering and my intent was to use also it as a road bike with fast group rides when I was not on trails. I am pretty sure it is something flexing. I don't have any similar problems with front brakes on any other bike I've used with even harder front braking and even smaller (23c) tires.

No, but I do have his bike.


I actually have been thinking about it. Just yesterday I was trying to figure out what size stem I'd need to get the fit right. I'm not sure it will work if Marin's claimed effective top tube length is accurate -- 590 mm on the 17 inch model, which this is, vs. 543 on my cross bike. I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around the problem.

What are the rumored Salsa bars to which you refer? I've had my eye on their Short and Shallows.

The rumoured bars are to match the Salsa Fargo. Otoh, rumour != necessarily true!

The guy who designed One On's Midge Bars has gone solo - I believe he has a Midge replacement coming out.

Ok. But why single out cross bikes for this problem and special testing measures? Grip can very hugely even in tyres of the same width - any bike could have each its braking algebra changed, revealing a problem like this. I'd say return the bike to Trek, and be extra paranoid about their bikes, not all crossers. It certainly isn't relevant to a bike that is showing the usual symptoms of sloppy cantilever set up by the LBS.

All I suggested was that the OP ask to test ride the bike with the tires they intend to use before making the purchase.
I singled out CX bikes because there have been dozens of threads about CX bikes with squealing, jumpy, chattering, weak, etc. cantilever brakes and how to correct and the OP wanted to use as a road bike which most commonly leads to using road tires.
I wouldn't single out CX bikes if the intended use was CX. I wouldn't single out road bikes if the intended use was road - in which case the bike will be test ridden configured pretty close to how it will be used.
Better to ensure it is right when purchased than later.

Did you try a different wheel? is there anything wrong with the rim where the brake pads contact it?

But these brake problems are just bad adjustment - as you should know if you've read "dozens of threads". They can be fixed in five minutes with an allen key and a spanner. Either what you are describing is this - in which case you and your LBS should learn how to adjust cantis - and trivial. Or it is something unique, and not a general cross bike problem.

There's nothing mystical about a cross bike's braking system - it's one shared with many tourers, tandems, and earlier generations of mountain bikes. As previously stated, your problem is either trivial and you and your LBS have botched a quite simple job, or unique - and Trek have probably fouled up, which logically should put one off buying Trek bikes, not cross bikes per se.

(My last post ignores issues with Tricross bikes fitted with Mini-V's as they are just an illustration of why you have to damn careful to look over a modern Specialized for overly marketing oriented engineering - if the Tricross was *more* like a typical crosser there would be fewer threads about its brakes!)

Not quite my size but I liked teh Fuji Cross Comp allot. Frame welding was sloppier but everything else seemed a step up. Brakes seemed better than the cannondale. LBS price is about $1250 OTD ordered. Performance bike has them for around $200 less ( plus points). That's also consederably less than the nice but lesser outfitted Cannondale .I'm really thinking I may pull the trigger ( even though I promised myself I would wait longer._) I'd like to give the LBS the buisness but I figure I can spend some $ to make us both happy.

I'd think buy the bike at Performance, spend the extra $200 at the LBS and everyone will be happy. It's my understanding that LBS margin is lower on bikes than anything else they offer. Plus, you get more goodies that way.

The 49cm Fuji looks like it has very similar geometry to the 47cm Canndondale (same effective top tube length, etc.) so I would expect that it could be adjusted to fit you nicely.

>Better to ensure it is right when purchased than later.

That is a very personal opinion. If I'd followed that advice, I wouldn't have had a bike for the last year and a half. Issues with brakes rate pretty low down on my personal unhappiness meter. And apart from switching to disk brakes, they're not all that expensive to fix.

Much better to get a damn bike, get out there riding, and fix whatever problems actually cause you grief in practice, rather than spend months agonising about potential problems which may not bother you at all on the road.

Steve

Specialized put these Mini-V's on I believe one year because of all the complaints. Specialized is a company that seems to really modify this particular line when they get complaints about it. Take the 2007 Comp which came with a triple. People complained about it and it was dropped the next year. Same thing with the Mini-V's. If people simply learned how to adjust them, they'd be pleased with these brakes. I've had 3 Tricross's and have yet to have issues with the brakes. BUT, each and every one was not adjusted correctly. 5 minutes later and everything is right with the world.

Well, there you. The idea that there is some sort of special non-trivial problem specific to cross bikes is even more absurd.

>I've had 3 Tricross's and have yet to have issues with the brakes.

Heh, two here and lots of problems with brakes! First one had v-brakes with too much cable pull (hence insufficient pad clearance). Had them swapped for cantis - worked ok. Until it hit a car, replaced with disk brake. Second one I fiddled with a bit until I eventually broke the front cable yoke. Still fiddling...

The real problem I'm having is that my LBS doesn't appear to understand/respect cantilevers. When my 12 month service contract runs out I'll go somewhere else. I tell them that I need more mechanical advantage and it's very hard to stop, and they tell me:
1) Cantilever brakes don't work very well.
2) The "safety levers" (he means the interrupteur/cross levers) are only meant to "slow the bike down", not "stop it". (WTF? That distinction doesn't even make sense. All brakes slow, then stop...)
3) The brakes don't meet the Australian standard.
4) Cyclocross brakes aren't intended for riding down steep hills. (Wtf...)
5) That I could improve braking performance by swapping out the Tektro CR720s for "Shimano brakes". ???
6) That they set the brakes up "nice and aggressive" (read, low mechanical advantage) and that that's as good as they get.

The real problem is that they mostly service disk brakes and calipers and have gotten into a lazy routine of recommending that people upgrade cantis to disk.

(Whoops, where did that LBS rant come from...)

Steve

Seriously: write to Specialized and discuss the above. They need to kick some ass before these idiots hurt their rep or their customers.

And start maintaining your brakes yourself! It's not hard, especially if you buy a "3rd hand" tool designed for the job.

Tricross Comp here. First - my cross levers work better that main brifters on stock Avids. Second - I am getting Tektro 720s next week - whoo-wee!!

Happy riding to me!!

SF

Well despite all this negative talk on cyclo brakes, I just dropped a deposit on a leftover 07' Giant TCX
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...llections_id=2
LBS had it (with factory upgraded 105 derailleurs) buried in the back on my previous trips. Just happened to spot it on an inventory list for a "end of summer clearance.".
Anyway, took it for an extended test ride down some pretty neglected streets and it fits and rides SWEET. Brakes worked well and did NOT squeak. 34/50 front ring seemed to have good range for my use. I'm a little sceptical of the rim/spoke arrangement but figure I don't really intend to race/beat it anyway. I just want better than "race bike" comfort and durability. What floored me was the weight of the bike. It weighed in @ 19.9 # with pedals on my (very accurate) digital fish scale. All in all just what I had been looking for in a "back roads" bike. Anyway, I was able to beat them down quite a bit off the "sale price" so this also turned out to be the least expensive on the cyclo's I was eyeing. LBS benefits are a nice to have too. I won't pick it up till Thursday but am really looking forward to it!

Thanks again for all your well thought out advice. It helped me out allot!

>And start maintaining your brakes yourself! It's not hard, especially if you buy a "3rd hand" tool designed for the job.

Did you not see the part where I broke the brake cable yoke attempting to fiddle? (I think if I'd just held the nut with a spanner, I would have been ok.)

Pretty!

I can see what you mean about those wheels - the look of them scares me a little. But if you've ridden the bike and they were rigid, that's what counts.

Two suggestions:

- Replace the brake pads with Salmon/Pink Kool Stops if it rains at all in your locality

- Go to Rivendell's site and look up the tyre width against weight recommendations.

And as a reward for my virtue, as shown in through the enjoyable practice of bike purchase kibbitzing , I just ebayed a gorgeous looking Paul Milne Crosser, to be delivered tomorrow - for about £200. About 21lb, not much used, Campag Mirage groupset. Paul Milne are a UK shop that specializes in cyclocross, so I'm hoping one of their own brand bikes will be pretty good...

Thanks for the input. I will surely look up those links. ( BTW, It's rained here 80% of this summer!!)
I'll post a review in teh spring after i've used it a good bit.

Congrats on your find as well! Nothing like self rewards! You're never disapointed!