Tricross - ok for big guys?

Jamey
Jamey Posts: 2,152
edited April 2008 in Road beginners
Short version:
I'm 6'4" tall and I weigh about 20 stone. Does the Specialized Tricross come in a size that will fit me?

Long version:
I've been commuting to work on a Specialized Crossroads for over six months now and I love cycling. My journey is 14 miles each way and I keep thinking that it's time for a better bike. I've never really liked the look of anything with drop handlebars before (sorry, I realise this is a bad forum to be admitting that fact :) ) but then I saw the Specialized Tricross and something just clicked. I don't know why but I really, really like it.

My work will be re-launching their Cycle2Work scheme soon and I'm very tempted to get a Tricross sport when they do but I don't know if they're really designed for people my size.

Also, I haven't ever test ridden anything before - what's the normal procedure? Do you have to leave a deposit for the full amount on a card in the shop? Can you use your own saddle? Or is it best to try out different saddles at every opportunity anyway?

All help appreciated.

Oh, and one very noobish question... I'm used to the gear shifters on my hybrid so when I was looking at a Tricross in Evans the other day I wasn't sure where the shifters were at first. I found them after a few seconds of looking and pressed the lever sideways to shift but I couldn't see how to shift it the other way. Can anyone tell me in advance so I don't have to look foolish in the shop, should I actually go for a test ride? Thanks
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Comments

  • Eat My Dust
    Eat My Dust Posts: 3,965
    A Tricross should be capable of handling 20st. I know someone who was a similar weight and his done him proud. He looks like a different chap with the amount of weight he's lost!! I don't know about height, but I'm sure 6'4" can be accommodated for. As for the gears I believe that the Tricross has Tiagra shifters so you push the whole brake lever inwards to change up through the gears, and then there's a smaller lever attached to the brake lever, that you push the other way to go down the gears. Very easy to use after about 10 seconds of being on the bike.

    BTW some good photos!!
    SNAPS
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Ah, so the entire brake lever can be pushed sideways for shifting, eh? I see.

    Cheers EMD.

    Anyone know about test rides?
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  • Eat My Dust
    Eat My Dust Posts: 3,965
    Jamey wrote:
    Ah, so the entire brake lever can be pushed sideways for shifting, eh? I see.

    Cheers EMD.

    Anyone know about test rides?

    Sorry I missed the test bit. Whenever I've taken a bike for a test ride they've put my card details through their machine and taken a nominal amount off (£1) if you don't come back with the bike I'd imagine they just take the full value off for the bike.
    SNAPS
  • Eat My Dust
    Eat My Dust Posts: 3,965
    Eat My Dust wrote:
    there's a smaller lever attached to the brake lever, that you push the other way to go down the gears

    Sorry I'm being thick. Both levers are pushed the same direction!!
    SNAPS
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Cheers again... Might be time for a test ride methinks.
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  • BernieG
    BernieG Posts: 27
    Jamey
    Go for it..I got one and couldn't use the shifters either :shock: ..soon got the hang of it though.
    Nice bike ! I also got some road wheels so you can have the road look with the mountain bike gearing... :lol:
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Well my current wheels are 700 x 38c jobbies (with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres) and given my weight and the fact that there's an awful lot of broken glass strewn across my commute, I think the extra size has probably saved my bacon a few times in the past, so the 700 x 32c wheels on the Tricross are already small enough to make me nervous about punctures... I don't think I'd want to go any smaller.
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  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    By the way, anyone got any answers/opinions on changing saddles for test rides?
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  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    it's not particularly 'common' to change saddle for a test ride, but your shop might let you - it;s a bit of a faff though unless you are planning a 20mile test ride or something?

    It's good to test other saddles - specialised make the body geometry range of saddles which are thought well of so you might even like it!
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Cheers.

    Getting more and more tempted now.
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  • GrumpyBear
    GrumpyBear Posts: 45
    Jamey, I'm a good 16.5 stone and have had a Tricross for 9 months, no problems. I changed the Spez tyres for 700x32 Marathon Plusses which has worked fine. Spookily I had a Crossroads before and also worried about the gear shifting, believe what everyone says you will get used to it quickly. Make another leap when you buy the Tricross and go clipless in the pedal department, it really gives you a few more mph.
    Mine is set up with SKS guards which does cause a little bit of toe overlap, but you soon get used to it.
    Buy!
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Hmm... Clipless... I just dunno if I can go that far yet. I own 60+ pairs of trainers and I like to show 'em off ;)
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  • Stuck on a Giant
    Stuck on a Giant Posts: 256
    Jamey,

    I don't know why you'd want to change the saddle either - I've got a Tricross and I'm sticking with the saddle for a touring holiday in France - it's got a lot more padding than on my other road bikes, but I'm confident it will be fine.

    Try checking out the brakes on a good downhill road - I've heard of some people having front brake/fork judder in the larger frame sizes although this was when the bike was first launched. Also, our bikes came with mini-V brakes rather than the cantilever brakes stated on the spec list which may be part of the solution.
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Next question...

    If I take a Tricross out for a test ride, what other bikes should I compare it against? Should I compare against other cyclocross bikes or should I compare against some road bikes?

    I'll probably be doing my test ride at Evans (I know, but I won't be buying from them) so I'm semi-restricted to the brands they stock. Maybe the Kona Jake and the Ridgeback Genesis Vapour would be good bikes to compare with?

    What do you guys think?
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  • Stuck on a Giant
    Stuck on a Giant Posts: 256
    Um, it depends what you want to get out of the bike - for commuting what you suggest sounds reasonable. You could even consider a Dawes Galaxy of some description at that price point - a tourer should be suitably robust and although the published weight is significantly heavier than the Tricross, by the time you've stuck mudguards and a rack on the difference won't be so great. But I have to admit I feel I'm too young (40+!) for such a 'old' style bike, hence the Tricross.

    If you think you'll get into sportives and more road riding, then there's a whole wide world of bikes to think about!
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    I guess my number one priority is that I need a bike that can do it all... I live in a one bedroom flat and only have space to own one bike so whatever bike I buy needs to be good for everything, all year round... Commuting in the winter, road rides in the summer, the lot.
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  • Stuck on a Giant
    Stuck on a Giant Posts: 256
    Jamey, sounds like you're making a pretty reasonable choice to start with. Make sure whatever you go for can take mudguards - including the front fork. Raceblades are better than nothing, but not as good as the full-length ones.
    I think the Tricross has a reasonable weight frame but the wheels/tyres feel a bit heavy and slow to get up to speed - I'm not sure whether it's the rims or tyres causing the problem. At your weight, if it's the rims, I'd stick with them, and the tyres can be changed easily enough if you want to - ideally 2 sets of wheels, one for commuting, and a best set for the summer rides.
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Cool. Well I'm pretty smitten with the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres I've been using on the hybrid so I'd probably get a pair of them thrown onto the Tricross (or whatever I end up buying) at the time of purchase. I know they're not going to help the rolling resistance but I got so sick of punctures that I'd rather have the reliability than the speed.

    Just booked a test ride for this evening, after work. At this rate, I can see myself buying a new bike outright and not bothering to wait for the next Cycle2Work window (which looks like June/July but not confirmed yet, according to the HR dept).
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  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Just had the test ride, here are my initial thoughts:

    1) The Tricross weighs almost nothing compared to my Crossroads. To the point where I was actually worried whether something so light could truly support a big guy like me when it comes to commuting five days per week. If it can then I'm gonna be flying.

    2) You certainly have to lean forward a lot further than on a hybrid. I think this would take a little getting used to as it felt like the handlebars were a long way out in front and when I was in the drops, well, my gentleman's parts were a little squashed up, to say the least.

    3) The brakes are a little weaker than I'm used to but I think I can live with that.

    4) Apparently having 700 x 32 Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres as well as full mudguards is going to be pushing it a bit so I'll either need to choose another tyre (not gonna happen) or drop the size of the Schwalbes (might happen but will probably just live without mudguards tbh - the bike looks too sexy to go adding junk onto it anyway :) ).

    5) A braze-on underneath the down tube, you say? Why yes, that'll do nicely for my pump.
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  • CrookedCucumber
    CrookedCucumber Posts: 324
    FWIW I'm 6'4" and I ride a tricross. It's the XL model, unsurprisingly enough. There's plenty of height available for my legs but the reach down to the bars is long compared to a hybrid or a mountain bike. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing from an aerodynamic perspective, but I'm getting a bit old, and the thought of a stem extender has crossed my mind more than once.
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Oh, so it's possible to raise the bars?

    The guy in the shop said it wasn't possible to get any extra height on the handlebars at all.
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  • CrookedCucumber
    CrookedCucumber Posts: 324
    Jamey wrote:
    Oh, so it's possible to raise the bars?

    The guy in the shop said it wasn't possible to get any extra height on the handlebars at all.

    I don't think it is. I'd have to get an 3rd-party stem extender, I guess. I imagine there is one that will fit, unless the tube dimensions are way non-standard.

    So far the bar height hasn't been too much of a problem, and if it weren't for the fact that I also ride a sit-up-and-beg hybrid I perhaps wouldn't have noticed it.
  • Eat My Dust
    Eat My Dust Posts: 3,965
    Jamey, don't worry about the position, you'll get used to it. When I first bought a road bike I thought I had made a massive mistake as my body felt like I'd broken it after the first few rides!! Now I can sit all day on my bike without being uncomfortable.
    SNAPS
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Ok, cool. Cheers.
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  • Richard_D
    Richard_D Posts: 320
    I would throughly recomend the bike and replacing the tyres. I am about 100 kilos and my tyres wore out after about a 1000 miles. The default saddle is good. I have suffered jusser when braking. It does not seem to effect the stability of the bike but is quite offputting the first time it happens.
    Richard
  • Stuck on a Giant
    Stuck on a Giant Posts: 256
    Jamey, interesting how your reaction to the bike was so different from mine.

    I thought it was heavy, upright and with fierce brakes! I guess that's the difference coming from a fairly full-on road bike, rather than the other end of the spectrum!

    Check the saddle is level, and if you need to you may get away with slightly tipping it down at the nose which may help - don't overdo though or you'll be sliding off it, and putting more weight through your arms which won't be comfortable after a while.
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    Heh... It's all relative, I guess.

    Well that makes me feel slightly better about the long-term health of my privates if I were to buy a Tricross, anyway :)
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  • madturkey
    madturkey Posts: 58
    Useful to know about the perception of change in position - I'm planning on upgrading soon from a Globe hybrid to a Tricross and have never ridden drop bars. Thanks for the warning!

    Did you find that having the brake levers on top as well as on the drops made it easier to make the switch?
  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    madturkey wrote:
    Did you find that having the brake levers on top as well as on the drops made it easier to make the switch?

    I know you were probably asking the other chaps (who have owned their Tricrosses for a while) but speaking for myself, on the test ride the other day I really liked having the extra brake levers there. I definitely thought it felt a lot nicer, especially since I don't want an out-and-out road bike, which is why I like the Tricross so much.
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  • CrookedCucumber
    CrookedCucumber Posts: 324
    Since reading these posts I've started noticing how much I use the top levers. Until then, I didn't think I used them that much, but I do. I use them particularly in traffic, when I'm trying to sit up as tall as possible to see over cars.

    I'm sure I'd get used to not having them if they were taken away, but I do use them more than I thought.

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