Specialized TriCross Comp - 2006 Model - good price?

Hi, I'm looking at purchasing the above bike. According to the seller it was purchased about two years ago, and never ridden. There is a chance it's a 2007 model, but from what he can tell me about it (craigslist / email), I think it might be a 2006.

He originally asked 1,100 for it, and has dropped his price to $900.

Any thoughts on what a good price would be for this bike?

Thanks, billy

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

Hi, I'm looking at purchasing the above bike. According to the seller it was purchased about two years ago, and never ridden. There is a chance it's a 2007 model, but from what he can tell me about it (craigslist / email), I think it might be a 2006.

 

He originally asked 1,100 for it, and has dropped his price to $900.

 

Any thoughts on what a good price would be for this bike?

 

Thanks, billy

Yeah, I would say go-for-it if it fits well. How do you plan to use the bike?

Here is some data from Bikepedia;

Thanks WC. After looking at the pics he sent, I now am leaning toward it being a 2007. The guy told me there are only two rings in the front -- but the pics appear to show a triple.  Have to go check it out.

 Oh, I plan to use it to commute mostly. 14 miles each way, pretty flat. Thinking I can find some creative shortcuts if I try, which is why a cross bike would be a nice fit. Will use it on rail trail type rides with the family until I get my old MTB built up as a SS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

Thanks WC. After looking at the pics he sent, I now am leaning toward it being a 2007. The guy told me there are only two rings in the front -- but the pics appear to show a triple.  Have to go check it out.

 

 Oh, I plan to use it to commute mostly. 14 miles each way, pretty flat. Thinking I can find some creative shortcuts if I try, which is why a cross bike would be a nice fit. Will use it on rail trail type rides with the family until I get my old MTB built up as a SS.

Here is the data on the 2007;
 

I would get him to drop the price if it's a triple. The 2007 is still a great bike for what you need, but the MSRP was much lower than the 2006 bike. Shimano Tiagra is solid performing, but is a level below 105 & Ultegra. I would offer $600 for the 2007 model. Show him this:  http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_cross.htm

It's a real alternative for $800.

Michael

WC - thanks. I looked on Bikepedia, and I think you had the wrong bike this last time -- the TriCross Sport was $1,100. The TriCross Comp Triple (which I'm looking at) was $2,200 retail

For $900, this almost seems like a no-brainer. Which is perfect for me.

Not being a real bike guy, why is a double preferable to a triple? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

 

 

 

 

Not being a real bike guy, why is a double preferable to a triple? 

 

It shifts much better, weighs less and is generally less complex.  Unless you do some monster climbs, you don't need the smallest chain ring anyway.

RR, thanks for the answer on the triple vs double.  Makes sense.  Since I"m buying the bike used, I guess I'm going to stick with the triple for now and see how it works out.  I have two route options for my commute -- one is about 8.5 miles, but has one really serious climb and a couple smaller ones (and three serious climbs going home). The other route is about 14.5 miles but generally pretty flatish (with one serious climb going home, right at the end!). I've only ridden the longer route -- partially because I perceive it to be a bit safer (decent shoulder vs no shoulder on the shorter route).

  Glad you caught the difference between models. Always check out if the components on the bike match your expectations.

Let us know what you get with pictures of course.

Michael

OK, so I went tonight and test rode the bike....and it's now sitting in my garage! 

It was a bit weird...definitely seemed like it might have been a stolen bike. The guy selling it really new almost nothing about it. Claimed he never rode it except once home from the bike shop. Doesn't live in a neighborhood where you'd expect to see a bike like this very often. It just seemed odd. So before I bought it I went over the to shop he said he got it at and talked to the guys there...they confirmed he bought it from them and said "Please buy it so he'll stop calling us and asking about his bike!"

So, for a 2007 Specialized TriCross Comp which he paid $1,700 for and rode probably all of 4 miles (there is not a nick or scratch or any sign of wear on the bike -- even the tires have those little hairs or whatever they are called still on them), I thought $900 was a pretty good deal.

Here's a pic -- it's dusty from sitting in a house that has recent sheetrock work. It needs the pedals replaced obviously. But it's the nicest bike I've ever ridden.  Most of the stuff on Craigslist seems pretty crappy, but I guess it pays to be patient.

Oh, and what looks like what scratches on various spots on the bike is actually part of the graphics. I had to look twice at that.

That is one kick @ss bike, congrats! The ride quality of the frame set is considered to be among the best on the market.

Is it a triple or double? All Shimano 105 or 105 & Ultegra? Which wheels?

Michael

Hey WC -- yeah, I've only ridden it a few miles, but I can't believe how good it feels to ride -- smooth and effortless. Front derailleur needs a bit of of tweak I think, but that could just be my shifting -- I haven't ridden a bike like this before. Rear shifted perfectly, even after sitting for a couple years unused.

It's 105 and Ultegra -- it's spec'd just like in my post above (Post #5) -- all stock except those rockin pedals.

It's a triple, with the Roval wheels.  I don't know if it's going to make me any faster (it feels like it will), but it will definitely  make road riding more enjoyable.

Oh yah, and it's got a bell.  Ha.  Mounted on the little secondary brake levers. The bell is what sold me ; )

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

 Front derailleur needs a bit of of tweak I think, but that could just be my shifting -- I haven't ridden a bike like this before. Rear shifted perfectly, even after sitting for a couple years unused.

Consider using the middle 39T ring about 80% of the time. The 10 speed 12-27 cassette will give you all the range needed from 8 to 26 mph. The larger chainring will only be needed if going downhill or riding with a very fast group.The smaller chainring is for steep trails, IMO.

You should try to maintain a cadence (rpm at the crank) of 75 to 100. 100 rpm cadence on the 39t and 12 rear cog is about 26 mph, that's moving along and usually the result of hills, tailwind or drafting in a group.

Michael
 

WC - thanks. Pretty cool info there.

I have never really done much to track my speed and such, but this bike has one of those little bike computers so I'm sure I"ll get obsessed with statistics now...ha.

I know that last summer when I was commuting to/from work, on the way to work I averaged about 17.5 mph on a rigid mtb with slick tires on it. I thought that seemed pretty good, but I was a bit slower on the trip home due to a fairly sloggish climb to get to my house.

So let me ask you this....I assume there are enough gears on this thing that I can get basically two equivalent gearing ratios using both the middle and the large chainring. Is there an advantage to one over the other, assuming the gearing ratio is the same?

OH, one other question. Are there any real disadvantages to using MTB pedals on a road bike (for recreational and communting)?

Thanks, billy

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

I know that last summer when I was commuting to/from work, on the way to work I averaged about 17.5 mph on a rigid mtb with slick tires on it. I thought that seemed pretty good, but I was a bit slower on the trip home due to a fairly sloggish climb to get to my house.

 

So let me ask you this....I assume there are enough gears on this thing that I can get basically two equivalent gearing ratios using both the middle and the large chainring. Is there an advantage to one over the other, assuming the gearing ratio is the same?

 

OH, one other question. Are there any real disadvantages to using MTB pedals on a road bike (for recreational and communting)?

17.5 is a solid commuter average
 

There is no mechanical advantage of one equivalent gear on one chainring compared to same gear ratio on a different chainring. Practically speaking, it's better to avoid "cross-chain", that is using the smallest rear cog with the smallest front chainring and vice versa. I also like to limit changes on the front chainring to as few as necessary.

Here is you gearing in each gear combination in MPH @ an 80 cadence;

50t  39t  30t

I color coded a few redundant gears, your gear set is relatively free of redundant.

The data came from this tool: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Enjoy!

P.S. pedals are personal, if you are using a mtb set you like and they fit your road bike, go ahead and use 'em.

WC - big thanks for all the info.  Now I need a tachometer so I can monitor my crank RPM's : )

I like that Sheldon Brown site -- I've seen it before. It's a bit hard for a newb to navigate around, but tons of info.

Going to go put on some different pedals, adjust the front brakes (canti brakes -- the one on the front left is about twice as far from the rim as the on ont he front right), check tightness on some bolts and lower the seat a half an inch....and then I"m ready to go in the morning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

WC - big thanks for all the info.  Now I need a tachometer so I can monitor my crank RPM's : ) 

They exist and are very useful!  http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/407
 

Don't be surprised to have added 5 mph to your MTB (with slicks) speed by the end of the summer. keeping a 90 - 100 cadence will give you added speed and the bike is more aerodynamic. the combination of a smart & fit rider and a good bike is tremendous.

 Shimano flightdeck is really cool if your shifters are compatible. (they probably are)

Ok, first I have to say, I love this bike. I've had about five rides on it so far including a couple commutes, and it's fast, smooth, comfortable. I even took it on some smoother singletrack for a bit to meet my wife at a park at the end of one commute and was surprised how good it felt there.

Second, my previous claim of 17.5 avg mpg on my old mtb with slicks must be wrong. Probably closer to 15 mph, maybe even under...I think the result of faulty memory on my times. I say this since my commutes on the road bike have been a couple minutes faster (legs and lungs not really in riding shape yet), and according to the little bike computer my avg mph was about 17.1!  And that's with the first mile being downhill (hit top speed of 42 going down that).  Assuming I set the tire size correctly, I"m slower than I thought! No surprise -- got some work to do. Would like to avg over 20 on my commute -- although the ride home will be harder to achieve that.

Regardless, this bike is fantastic. Assuming I do'nt get laid off soon, I'm goign to have a great summer commuting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

Ok, first I have to say, I love this bike. I've had about five rides on it so far including a couple commutes, and it's fast, smooth, comfortable. I even took it on some smoother singletrack for a bit to meet my wife at a park at the end of one commute and was surprised how good it felt there.

 

Second, my previous claim of 17.5 avg mpg on my old mtb with slicks must be wrong. Probably closer to 15 mph, maybe even under...I think the result of faulty memory on my times. I say this since my commutes on the road bike have been a couple minutes faster (legs and lungs not really in riding shape yet), and according to the little bike computer my avg mph was about 17.1!  And that's with the first mile being downhill (hit top speed of 42 going down that).  Assuming I set the tire size correctly, I"m slower than I thought! No surprise -- got some work to do. Would like to avg over 20 on my commute -- although the ride home will be harder to achieve that.

 

Regardless, this bike is fantastic. Assuming I do'nt get laid off soon, I'm goign to have a great summer commuting.

Well, if you get laid off you will have more time to ride 

Most fit commuters on road bikes are doing 14-19mph on the flat with calm winds. If you can average at the upper end of the range on a round trip basis that would be plenty fast.

My speeds were anywhere from 12 to 20mph depending on wind, nutrition and energy levels. Now I'm consistently in the 16-19 mph range. Not bad for a 52 year old Clydesdale.

You have the perfect bike for this event: http://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/69441/d2r2-version-4-0#post_1091291

Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDCAT 

Well, if you get laid off you will have more time to ride 

 

 

That's what I was thinking too.

Michael it's funny you'd say that about the wind. I rode a very windy ride yesterday. granny ring into the wind for an hour, spun out top gear for a half hour on the way back. Rode through a forest fire too. The wind was moving the flames almost as fast as I was going.

I was also thinking about triple vs (compact) double during the ride. All vanity aside, the triple probably is better. With the 16 tooth jump from the 34-50 I often find myself having to do a double or triple shift when I change rings. I also have a 130BCD D-A crank that I run with 39-50 rings. That would have been better to have yesterday. Lots of nice new 10spd cassette options now too. the 11-25 and 11-28 both look pretty tempting (not sure if that 28 will work with a 7800 RD though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by epic 

 

That's what I was thinking too.

 

Michael it's funny you'd say that about the wind. I rode a very windy ride yesterday. granny ring into the wind for an hour, spun out top gear for a half hour on the way back. Rode through a forest fire too. The wind was moving the flames almost as fast as I was going.

That must have been an interesting ride .

My winter speeds are 3-5 mph less than my warm weather speeds. Clothing that covers the legs and arms make a difference. Cold air is also more dense than warm air, maybe a 10% difference, this creates more air resistance too. Then that damn wind, 15-25 mph all the time. I got a wind gust boost that helped me hit 28 mph yesterday, and I was going up a very slight incline. Heading back, it was 13-16 mph all the way.

I have no real hills here to speak of. I need to move.

Michael

Wildcat,

Was looking at your gearing ratio to speed chart, and wondering about what my real life top speeds are, going downhill. 

I would assume it's a function of gradient and lenght of the hill...but havign forgotten all I can about physics, I really don't know how ot figure out how fast I could go on this bike.  I was out for a ride this weekend and wherever you go from my house you go downhill before too long. One hill I was able to hit 42.5 mph, and the on the other end of the road where it's a bit steeper at the top I got up to 44.5 mph.  I was pedaling pretty hard in my highest gear -- not sure of my tempo -- but didnt' feel like I could go much faster in unless the hill was even steeper...

Just curious...I'm not sure I want to go a LOT faster anyway...the bike was stable, but the fact that cars pulling out of driveways might not see me is more of a concern.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

Just curious...I'm not sure I want to go a LOT faster anyway...the bike was stable, but the fact that cars pulling out of driveways might not see me is more of a concern.

That's a very real concern! Steepness and aerodynamics (tucking) is what will make you go faster. Pro riders sometimes hit 70 mph on those log alpine cols. I've ridden down Smuggler's Notch at over 60mph and it's pretty sketchy. That's with a good grip on the bars. If I did the egg tuck with my chest on the bars no doubt I'd go even faster, but without a pretty girl waiting to kiss me on the podium and Bernard Hinault to hand me a giant check, I'll pass.

Sweet ride!

45 is about as fast as I've gone on pavement, uphill, holding onto the back of Mayor Barry's Mobile Headquarters, no shit! I've clocked 60+ offroad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

Wildcat,

 

Was looking at your gearing ratio to speed chart, and wondering about what my real life top speeds are, going downhill.

Glad your enjoying the bike  .

 

Discretion will limit your speed, as Epic said. Road bikes can get pretty bouncy above 40 mph and the brakes are not very certain at higher speed. It's flat where I live and I can hit 38 mph on the few hills here if I have a strong tail wind. I have no interest in going faster. Here is an updated speed chart using 120 cadence.

50  39   30

Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDCAT 

 

 

You should try to maintain a cadence (rpm at the crank) of 75 to 100. 100 rpm cadence on the 39t and 12 rear cog is about 26 mph, that's moving along and usually the result of hills, tailwind or drafting in a group.

 

Michael
 

 

Are you saying that 26mph is usually the result of hills/drafting in that specific gear? Or in general?

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDCAT 

 

Well, if you get laid off you will have more time to ride 

 

Most fit commuters on road bikes are doing 14-19mph on the flat with calm winds. If you can average at the upper end of the range on a round trip basis that would be plenty fast.

 

My speeds were anywhere from 12 to 20mph depending on wind, nutrition and energy levels. Now I'm consistently in the 16-19 mph range. Not bad for a 52 year old Clydesdale.

 

I was talking to a few of the guys at the shop yesterday and they were saying that this is easily their busiest season in 2 or 3 years. I wonder if this has something to do with it?

It is relativly flat around here with a few short intense hills and a few long drawn out hills. I find that fresh out the door I can easily rock 25 mph on the flats and usually around 20 on the hills, a little less on the longer steeper ones. Lately i have been doing a bunch of short 10 mile or so rides with a new rider and my averageg speed has dropped down to 14 mph. I like to give her encouragement by yelling out when she is cranking up a hill around 18mph or so .

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDCAT 

 

Glad your enjoying the bike  .

 

Discretion will limit your speed, as Epic said. Road bikes can get pretty bouncy above 40 mph and the brakes are not very certain at higher speed. It's flat where I live and I can hit 38 mph on the few hills here if I have a strong tail wind. I have no interest in going faster. Here is an updated speed chart using 120 cadence.

50  39   30

 

40.2	31.3	24.1
37.1	28.9	22.2
34.4	26.9	20.7
32.1	25.1	19.3
30.1	23.5	18.1
28.3	22.1	17.0
25.4	19.8	15.2
22.9	17.9	13.8
20.1	15.7	12.0
17.8	13.9	10.7

 

 

 

Michael

Yep, wind resistance is where it's at. My max is 32 mph or so, 45 is FAST!! maybe on smoother roads i would push it a bit more, but I like the wind brake effect on th hills around here, and i can catch a lot with my 200lb frame. Do I qualify for Clydesdale status?

Interesting. I"m definitely in the Clyde club -- although maybe not by the end of summer.

My avg speed is already increasing. Today on my 27 mile round trip commute my avg was just a bit over 16 mph.  I was actually averaging about 17.2 until the last 1.5 miles where I run into a hill that starts gradually and gets steeper -- and I lost a whole avg mph on that hill -- pretty embarassing.

I was also delayed when my buddy who lives about 1/2 way up saw me coming and came walking out with an ice cold beer. How could I pass that up? : )

Besides that hill, the rest of my commute is some small rollers and probably 70% that is mostly flat. Still consistently hitting 42 and change on the way down the first hill -- would like to get 45, just for the heck of it.

My goal is to put 1,000 miles on this new bike this summer. Add that to the MTB and the fun riding with the kids (Sat or Sun morning rides wehre we go about 8 or 10 miles in about...oh...three hours! Stop at the creek, at the park, at Grandma's house, etc -- but they love it).

I love this bike...I do have to investigate a creaky crank arm this weekend though...non-drive side.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

I love this bike...I do have to investigate a creaky crank arm this weekend though...non-drive side.

 

If you have trouble finding the creak, check the saddle.  

No joke.

Comprex - thanks, will do.