Carbon or Alu crosser ?

frazered

Giant tcx slr 2
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/giant-tcx-2-14
Or

Planet X xls
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... cross_bike

Part of me thinks to go with alu as it can be knocked about a bit more maybe. I already have a carbon roadie. The crosser would do winter bike duties and mix up at trail centres and maybe a little racing. Will have mudguards put on for club winter riding, neither have mounts so raceblade xl will be needed.

Which would you choose ?

:-)

cyclingsheep

Me? I'd go down the PlanetX route. Nicer looking bike IMO, just don't like that small rear triangle on the Giant. I can't really talk though as my CXer is ali. Good luck choosing.

BillyMansell

I chose the PX, arrived yesterday so haven't ridden it yet but the carbon finish is unidirectional rather than 12K weave.

frazered

decision made, Giant Liverpool had a TCX SLR 2 in stock and freshly built. boom trigger pulled!

cyclingsheep

Congrats, now get it muddy

muttley_109

frazered wrote:

decision made, Giant Liverpool had a TCX SLR 2 in stock and freshly built. boom trigger pulled!

That's two of us now then!

frazered

showing off


now figuring what tyres to try for road and cross training, the 35mm tyres are noticeably slower

ugo.santalucia

frazered wrote:

showing off


now figuring what tyres to try for road and cross training, the 35mm tyres are noticeably slower

Now the stem is correct
Vittoria XN are pretty nippy on tarmac, as well as dry off road...

Monty Dog

Shame that the shop couldn't get the positioning of the bars and levers correct - the tops of the levers should be aligned with the tops of the bars - they're down too low and the bars rotated too high IMO.

frazered

will be back into Giant soon for the 8 week check, going to be raising that, thanks!

majormantra

In fairness it probably wasn't the shop since bikes like the TCX come from the factory with the bars taped. They are at the wrong angle though.

FransJacques

I'm glad others 'appreciate' that besides me.

I'd say the 'bars are not bad, maybe they could be rotated a squidge down but the levers look like they're doing a 'downward dog' at Yoga class.

They need to come up about 5 mm.

Do it yoursefl dude, don't take it into a shop a) life's too short to ride a sheit position, b) any man needs to know how to do this stuff themselves, and c) you can find nirvana when tweaking your position. It should not be outsourced to a 3rd party - they're not you and they don't know how your feel when you ride.