Specialized Crosstrail - yea or nay?

MojoMaker

Hi, newbie cyclist with a couple of q's about the best option for riding round Dublin. New to the whole thing and anticipate doing largely road/cycle track miles - commuting and general buzzing around with the dog, nips to the shop and the odd (once or twice a month) longer run to clear the cobwebs (25-50 mls), with the flexibility to take some trails now and again should they present themselves

Am hovering between a road bike like the Sirrus Elite or a hybrid like the Crosstrail Sport. I expect as I said to be doing a mix of paved road miles and some parkland stuff - the odd time would like to be able to go cross country (cross field lol) without ruining the bike or pitching myself off it

So some questions to you:

Would a hybrid like the Crosstrail be considerably slower on the road than something like a Sirrus, which would end up making longer spins a chore. Is it the best of both worlds - the strength of a MTB with reasonable speed for commuting or is it the worst of both worlds - the slowness of a MTB on the road and utterly useless off road - i.e. a crap allround purchase?

Is the Crosstrail range, and specifically the crosstrail sport any use or is it strictly bargain basement dross that doesn't bear another look? My budget would be up to €500 to get going and I want to be strict on that.

Lastly, and just to confuse the issue, how would you rate the allround performance of something like a hardrock sport? The price seems pretty competitive - so guessing there has to be a catch? Again, don't want to be caught out with something too slow for reasonable commuting speed - will take the pleasure out of the cycle I think. A colleague mentioned the Globe range - a pick up & go bike - same criteria though??

Many thanks for some wisdom!

Mojo.

Lumen

You don't need suspension forks unless you're going over very bumpy ground (tree roots, big rocks) or going fast downhill.

For light trails and softer ground (i.e. muddy grass), the most important thing is wider tyres (perhaps 35mm) at lower pressure. This requires greater clearances than most road bikes have.

A couple of people on here have the Sirrus, and I think one might be for sale.

MojoMaker

I took a closer look at the Sirrus today and I jus can't see it going over trails at all. There are some good fields near me I can use as a shortcut and have a bit of fun so I'm thinking maybe the road setup just ain't appropriate.

So to get into all this and for reasonable commuting, and general toughness and ability over light trails would I be better off with a hybrid or a entry-level mtb? Crosstrail Sport vs Hardrock sport - advantages and disadvantages of either/both?

Hoping to utilise the cycle to work scheme but don't know if I'd use up the entire €1000 doing it.

SetOverSet

I have a Sirrus myself and while I would highly recommend it, I don't know how it would handle off road even with 32 tyres... Have you considered a cross bike like the Spesh Tricross?

MojoMaker

Nice looking machine and seems capable but price is out of my league, want to keep affairs in the €500 region. did you ever take your Sirrus off paved roads and what was it like?

Lumen

MojoMaker wrote: »

My budget would be up to €500 to get going and I want to be strict on that.

...

MojoMaker wrote: »

Hoping to utilise the cycle to work scheme but don't know if I'd use up the entire €1000 doing it.

That's the spirit.

Now buy this. Or this.



The problem with both hybrids and MTBs is the stupid flat handlebars. Drop bars are far superior.

Vélo

Now to throw a spanner in the works.:eek:

I bought a fixie a few months ago and took the drop handlebars off, I replaced them with flats and much prefer it that way. I rarely use the drops on my road bike also. I've nothing against drops, I just rarely use them and find the flats much more comfortable.


It's all down to personal preference and you won't know until you try it.

Lumen

Aquinas73 wrote: »

I've nothing against drops, I just rarely use them and find the flats much more comfortable.

You do realise that's the cycling equivalent of riding side saddle?

Vélo

Lumen wrote: »

You do realise that's the cycling equivalent of riding side saddle?

I'll change my signature to "If it can be ridden I'll ride it......side saddle and all":P

Vélo

done

DirkVoodoo

Nice!

Whenever I'm on the mountain bike I find I really miss the extra hand positions, I end up cupping the bar ends, grabbing the bars next to the stem, etc.

O.P. I really think that you need to compromise in some respects. You can pick up a cheap piece of junk with suspension forks (when I say cheap, it could still cost a few hundred euro, I mean quality) that will go both on and off-road, but I don't think you would enjoy it.

My advice would be buy a hybrid under the cycle-to-work for the majority of your cycling, and keep an eye out for a second (or third...) hand MTB that you can use for the trails.

TinyExplosions

@Aquinas - I also have narrow, flat bars on my fixie, and love them -very comfy, and don't miss the drops at all... it's nothing like riding side saddle. However, the roadbike will always have drops!

OP, the Sirrus can be taken mildly off road -our own 'man of steel' Blorg took his over the Camino de Santiago, w hich has some fairly rough sections with no ill effect (incidentally, he's selling it at the mo, and it's in your price range. If it fit you, I'd heartily recommend it)

MojoMaker

That seems to be a thumbsup for Hybrids, in paticular the Sirrus so. Now next question - punctures! I have bad memories of cyling to college in the 90's on a peugeot racer and constantly getting puctues on my 'skinny' wheels (in hindsight probably at least 35s if not wider) - how do you mitigate against this or has tyre technology moved on considerably that with a little due caution I sholdn't expect this too often?

As a hybrid how do you find the crosstrail range? Junk or fairly adept for the price? They look capable and seem to the untrained eye to have reasonable components for the price?

Edit: I had a look for Blorg's Sirrus ad but no luck, found one from a member called Tails - same person? If not maybe Blorg will read this...

Lumen

MojoMaker wrote: »

has tyre technology moved on considerably that with a little due caution I sholdn't expect this too often?

Depends on tyre selection and how much crap (glass, nails etc) are on your cycling route.

With tough tyres (Gatorskins, Marathon Plus, Armadillos) and a normal route, puncture risk drops to about the same as any other rare mechanical malady (e.g. broken chain), i.e. low enough for you to resent carrying the tools to fix it.

blorg

I am indeed selling my Sirrus (58cm) converted to drops. 9 speed 105, rack and mudguards, clearance for at least up to 700x35c tyres (did the Camino on 700x35c Schwalbe Marathons.) Looking for €475 but I am a bit flexible on price. The bike has pedals with toe clips included (not in the photos.)

Here's the bike:



Here's some pics of the Camino:

SerialComplaint

Hi Mojomaker - Just wondering if you went ahead with the Crosstrail purchase? I have similar requirements to yourself (street commute with some off-road stretches), and I've found most MTB & hybrid frames uncomfortable, too much pressure on my wrists.

I tried a Crosstrail last week, and it was a big improvement, so I'd love to hear your experiences before I purchase.