From Hardtail to Roadbike

mutantllama

Looking to get a Specialized Tricrosss Sport:

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=21639

But have a few queries about the riding style, in comparison to a hardtail

The gear shift is very different, you have to push the brake levers to shift up/down....how comfortable is this, how easy is it to get used to?

The relaxed riding position has your hands gripping around the top of the of the handle bars, with two fingers to pull the brakes...this looks like it could be uncomfortable over big miles, how do you get on with it?

Cheers!

mudslinger

The Tricross gets very good reviews but have you considered Focus Mares from Wiggle? It has Shimano 105 which is a step up from Tiagra.

I am a MTBer & was a bit concerned about the comfort of a road bike when I first got mine. My bike has Sora which you have to move the brake lever to the left when changing down. There is a separate small lever for changing up. I imagine the Tiagra shifters only have the one lever & moving left/right goes down/up. You'll soon get used to it.

There are more hand positions on a drop handlebar so you can get pretty comfortable.

I've never ridden a CX bike but would like one for my commute.

father_jack

I went for MTB to roadbike with new style shifters, Took about 2 minutes to get used to it. As for comfort I have two road bikes, roadie and a tourer and feel the tourer is more comfy...so probably recommend one with that type of ride position

There are also SRAM and Campag, Campag are similar to Sora (which I prefer than Shimano Tiagra and SRAM)

mutantllama

Thanks,

I was looking for a bike for occasional touring but regular commuting, the guy at the Specialized shop recommended this (it does have two levers, one up one down). It does look a little less relaxed than my HT, which was my main concern...

Can the Focus Mare be used for touring, attaching pannier racks and loading it up with bags?

soveda

What is your HT?
I got a Giant Defy (having been used to a hard tail/fully rigid bike) and it was easy to adapt to, longer but the saddle to bar drop is the same as my hard tail. (I have an old school XC MTB position- 23.5" top tube with a 120mm stem and a 2" drop from saddle to bars and bar ends- feels a bit short now!).

mutantllama

Currently have a Giant Rincon, several years old now but pretty reliable. Plan to keep this for practising maintenance and Canal rides. Always felt comfortable on this, but I would like a lighter and faster bike, but not at the expense of too much comfort.

soveda

Do you use bar ends? I found that the road bike hood position was similar to riding on the end of "ski" bar ends. You should be able to be comfy on a road bike, as you get used to it your position can change to more aggressive if you like!