is it the bike or the engine ??

[colin jones]

sorry if youve already seen this post but i moved it into here to see if i can get some advice and i not too sure where its best posted

hi
since getting into cycling last spring iv be riding a specialized tricross 2011 triple and i would say ive always had trouble on and off selecting toe top rin its always in and out my l.b.s who is really good but it always seem to pack up after abit
is it worth changing it to a compact or would it be a waste of money??
turth is ive had enough of it i bought the bike as i didnt know what i wanted out of a bike but it soon become apparent that i loved road cycling and wish fairly early on that i should have bought a road bike
thing is the tricross will never be a road bike im wandering if its time to bite the bullet

i ride sundays with a group up to around 50 mile climbing around 3000ft ave for myself around 15 mph and to be honest i tend to drop of the back fairly easy everyone i ride will do ride at a better level and on better bikes but i can hold my own on the flat right in amongst em but if i drop off its rare for me to full it back my weakness is climbing being 15.8st at 6ft and 38 doesnt help iam dropping weight slowly and promised myself something nice when i reach 14st, would it help riding a better bike or is it all about the engine?
cheers for any advice as its getting a bit demoralising
col
(not sure if its in the right section sorry)
colin jones, Sunday at 20:46Report
Top#1

 

[oldfatfool]

Engine, sorry. Though narrower tyres might help a tiny bit if you are running 32c atm

 

[colin jones]

yea thats what i thought im running 25c gatorskins

 

[Broadside]

Swapping the triple out on the Tricross for a compact is not going to help - gears setup incorrectly on any bike will always be a 'mare to use. It would also be a surprisingly expensive change (bottom bracket, chainset and STI shifters, the latter are the real expensive bit). I would say learn to adjust the gears yourself so you can tweak them as needed, it is not that difficult and then you can maintain it yourself. You can build up the fitness on the Tricross and when you hit 14st buy something else; you will probably have a better idea of what you want when you have got some more miles under your belt.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SkzvfCaIbyQ


This video gets referred to often on here and it is how I learnt to adjust gears myself. The vid concentrates on the rear mech but the principle for adjusting the front mech (where you have your triple trouble) is the same. Good luck!

 

[Jerry Atrik]

I've Got a Tricross which I love and in the summer I put on Askiums with 23 tyres and I've just got a Giant Defy 1 . And to be honest there is no difference with my times , not that im any great shakes anyway . But I will always take the Tricross when heading up on to the moors because of the triple .

 

[colin jones]

great thanks for the advice ,
the gear change issue keeps happening and does spoil a ride having to limp home on the middle ring seem odd when back in my old falcon mountian bike days i cant really remember having trouble with a triple and that bike never got looked after