n+1 winter commuter - Tricross single or Pompino?

Canny Jock
Canny Jock Posts: 1,051
edited November 2010 in Commuting chat
Decided to get a winter commuter capable of taking beefier tyres, and have settled on either a second hand Tricross single or Pompino (want it to be single speed). I've owned a geared Tricross before and loved it, happy with canti brakes, haven't ridden a Pompino. Any owners of either (or ideally both!) got any comments?

Comments

  • UndercoverElephant
    UndercoverElephant Posts: 5,796
    Haven't ridden either, but I love my Genesis Day One Cross. :D
    Sun - Rain - Snow
  • lardboy
    lardboy Posts: 343
    The Singlecross has v-brakes. At least mine did.

    Plenty of room for guards and a rack, and the carbon fork makes it pretty comfy. If you can find one on eBay for £200 or so, you can use it over the winter and sell it for about the same in the spring. That's a free winter bike!
    Bike/Train commuter: Brompton S2L - "Machete"
    12mile each way commuter: '11 Boardman CX with guards and rack
    For fun: '11 Wilier La Triestina
    SS: '07 Kona Smoke with yellow bits
  • Canny Jock
    Canny Jock Posts: 1,051
    ^^ did exactly that, got a Tricross single on EBay for £206, may well keep it as an all year round commuter and put gears back on the Ribble to use as a winter trainer.

    This one has been converted to mini-v's.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    A Tricross single stops my feet and bum hitting the tarmac over the winter and have ridden it since I got it in May 2009. Changed the gearing, now 44x16, and tyres, Gatorskins in 25, in the first 6 months and last month went down the mini v brake route with new brake levers.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • Canny Jock
    Canny Jock Posts: 1,051
    Going to get 28's I think, had them on my last one and don't remember worrying about potholes.
  • bmca2010
    bmca2010 Posts: 54
    ive a single cross and really like it, the main advantage maybe is the ability to fit 38mm tyres plus full guards, mine does have that annoying brake shudder tho from time to time.

    i'd buy a pompino as well tho if i had the dosh and space, heard alot of good reports, plus id like a steel bike
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/55549731@N05/8006960500/in/photostream/lightbox/
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    I'm a relatively recent Pompino owner, but I'm very pleased with it so far.
    They're still on sale (gone up a little bit to £430ish) but excellent quality and you can specify the build to suit you.
    Takes full SKS guards with 28mm Marathons, I reckon it's the ultimate wet weather commuter.
    Misguided Idealist
  • robni.s
    robni.s Posts: 12
    I have a bridleway/towpath commute, ad used to have a Tricross Sport (converted to SS) till it was nicked, now have the Pompino. Really like(d) both, honestly not sure which I preferred. That's not much help, is it?! I think I find the Pompino a bit smoother to ride, but my route changed around the same time as the Tricross got nicked, so I'm not really comparing like with like.

    Unless the spec has changed you'll get comfortably get bigger tyres in the Tricross - I've squeezed 35mm in the back and 40mm up front on the Pompino, but very tight clearances even without mudguards. The rear mudguard fixing on the Pompino at the wishbone seatstay looks non-standard, I think you have to drill through the mudguard to use it. I think my rack fitted a bit easier on the Tricross too, but I don't use it very often, and that may just be the geometry of my particular rack.

    fwiw, I didn't get on very well with the stock wheels on the Tricross, broken spokes all over the place, but Spesh were very good about replacing/upgrading them.

    I think, if I had to choose, I'd go for the Pompino, but I couldn't give you a good reason why!

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