Brakes and things.

slowslowslow

Hi all,
Mountain biker at heart, just picked up a second hand Spesh Tricross to do some winter work and with intent of doing C2C next year and the odd sportive.
Considering its entry level brakes and 2300 shifters I have been well pleased and found it quite comfortable on three or so hour rides.
I'm no speed freak, ride for fun and not interested in weight reduction etc.

Couple of things:
I cannot justify a roady so planning on riding this all year. Can people advise:
1) Are avid shorty ultimate good? The brakes are the one weakness I have found and need replacing. i have had these recommended.
2) Can I just put slick tyres on in the summer or do I need road specific wheels for slicks as well. If I need different wheels any recommendations so I can be on the lookout. If its just slick tyres then again, any recommendations?
3) The tyres I have will need replacing at some point. Any recommendations for a half decent cross tyre for pottering around with?
4) any other things worth thinking about doing or looking out for on a cross bike (never had one before).......

any ideas gratefully gratefully recieved.....:)
Slow

chrisvanderkaap

1) Are avid shorty ultimate good? The brakes are the one weakness I have found and need replacing. i have had these recommended.

best out there. also check out trp. the traditional 'cross choise

2) Can I just put slick tyres on in the summer or do I need road specific wheels for slicks as well. If I need different wheels any recommendations so I can be on the lookout. If its just slick tyres then again, any recommendations?

you dont need to buy another wheelset to change to road tires unless you want the ease op swapping them. also cross wheels tend to be a bit weighty so upgrading to a road wheelset for sportives may be something to consider.

as far as tires go. id wholeheartedly recommend Durano 622-28 with kevlar bead for your purpose.

3) The tyres I have will need replacing at some point. Any recommendations for a half decent cross tyre for pottering around with?

cross tires is something altogether different. much more to consider like terrain and such. clement, again, for me is the traditional 'cross choice in wet and grimy conditions.

4) any other things worth thinking about doing or looking out for on a cross bike (never had one before).......

most important to get a good fit. get someone to help you look over your position on the bike. most people benefit from rotating the bars and sometimes shiftlever upwards to offer more controll on the hoods and a little more comfort. other than that its just down to your experience and fun you will have riding the bike.

good luck!

angrynortherner

1) - Have a look at the TRP mini V-Brakes as well, they are very powerful - as a MTB'er you'll appreciate them.

3) Clement PDX for the mud, MXP for Mixed. Also the Vittoria XG's are a good all rounder.

slowslowslow

Cheers guys, fit is fine, had a roubaix elite and a Defy 2 in previous lives so not an issue, but got from a decent shop anyway. shift levers already nice and high.
looks like brakes first then a set of slicks...

cheers to both of you.
Slow

Monty Dog

If you want absolute braking power, then TRP min-vees are the most powerful rim brake going - you also don't get the problem of squealing which is quite common with cantis, particularly with flexy forks like on the TriCross. They are very easy to set-up too. I have TRP CX950 carbon cantis on another bike, so can make a direct comparison

slowslowslow

cheers bud. i'll check em out.

MountainMonster

I am in the process of switching out frames so I no longer have road style brakes for off road. Those TRP Mini Vees look just the jobs for the brakes I want. Thanks for that!

slowbike

I have the tricross as my commute bike - I've done more on that his year than
my road bikes. I have 2 wheelsets - fulcrum racing for road tyres and the stock wheels for everything else.

It's a good all round bike - it's no quite as aero as the road bikes, but it makes up for it in versatility.
For road use in the summer I use 23mm gp4 seasons - standard road tyre - works well for me and I use the 4000s on the road bikes.
Winter commutes I've gone to some 32mm flakjacket tyres I had from another ride as there is plenty of life on them - otherwise is probably have got some wider 4seasons.

Brakes wise - I replaced the stock pads and that improved the braking but I'd like to replace the brakes at some point.

It is important to make sure the bike fits you - I ended up with a longer stem as I felt cramped on the road - off road it was fine though - all a compromise!

Clank

If you want a slightly more budget solution, I ran the Tektro RX-5 mini-vees on my CX. I sourced them from the Germans for about 35quid for the pair - best upgrade I made to the bike.

I wouldn't recommend them for racing (due to how close to the rim I had to run the pad), but for general riding, commuting etc they were just the ticket. Clocked up many a mile on them.

http://www.bike24.com/p212060.html

slowslowslow

Cheers guys. Brakes are defo the priority, will do tyres as and when shinny thing budget allows...:)

MountainMonster

Clank wrote:

If you want a slightly more budget solution, I ran the Tektro RX-5 mini-vees on my CX. I sourced them from the Germans for about 35quid for the pair - best upgrade I made to the bike.

I wouldn't recommend them for racing (due to how close to the rim I had to run the pad), but for general riding, commuting etc they were just the ticket. Clocked up many a mile on them.

http://www.bike24.com/p212060.html

Even better, thank you!

meesterbond

What's the mud clearance like with Mini-Vees?
I'm in the same place as the OP - the cantis on my CX bike are awful - they don't judder any more, but braking power is shocking, but inevitably the races I do are proper muddy. I'd like to improve the braking (for general use rather than racing) but not if it means I'm going to have to poke large clods out from the brake arms every other lap!

RolandsuperX

Used to run TRP CX8.4s and mud clearence wasn`t so good.... braking power was great but rim/pad clearance was minimal and still required near lever touching bars @ times... (using Ultegra 6700 levers)

Have since changed to DA 9000 levers with CX70 cantis (stock pads) and lever feel, mud/rim clearance is far far better, as for ultimate braking power I`d say there a good match!!! presume this is down to the 9000 levers having a higher mechanical advantage than the 6700`s....

meesterbond

Interesting - I'd assumed that it was the cantilevers themselves that were the problem - changed pads and fettled at length with minimal improvement. Maybe a swap of levers (which I was going to do anyway) and better cables / outers might be a good idea before ditching them completely.

asprilla

The CX9s were designed for the use with Shimano pull ratios for Ultegra 6700. CX8.4s were designed for use with Sram, Campag and newer Shimano pull ratios. That may have been your problem Roland.

RolandsuperX

Asprilla wrote:

The CX9s were designed for the use with Shimano pull ratios for Ultegra 6700. CX8.4s were designed for use with Sram, Campag and newer Shimano pull ratios. That may have been your problem Roland.

Tried both 8.4s and 9`s but the 8.4`s stayed on the bike ......

angrynortherner

I use 9's with Tiagra 4600 levers and they work fine, mud clearance has not been an issue so far either.

Monty Dog

I've ridden TRPs mini-vees in deep, sticky chalky-clay mud - it was mud build-up on the rest of the bike that was mainly the problem, particularly behind the BB and on the drivetrain. In fact my mate riding discs stopped first. Yes, cantis are marginally better for really muddy conditions, but it's only one factor.

MountainMonster

Thanks for the tip. Luckily the mud wasn't too bad around here, so it was really only the brakes that were the problem. I hope i'll have things ready for some decent rides in a few months! Or at least by next winter.