Specialized Crosstrail Comp 2012

[Gadgetman]

Looking for some assistance.

I'm doing a coast to coast later this year, some of which is trail and some is road. 170 miles.
I have a road bike and mountain bike currently but want to consolidate to one bike. I also want it to be versatile enough for family rides with my young children.

My lbs has recommend this specialized crosstrail comp, 2012 model. Is this a good bike? I was thinking of a cyclocross but my budget is only between £500 and £600. I want an all rounder. The spec has hydraulic brakes and lockable forks, not that I know what the benefits of these are.

Any other suggestions most welcome along with advice.

Cheers
Mike

 

[vickster]

The forks will make it more comfy on rough ground, but heavier and slower on roads (although given the state of the roads at the moment, it's a bit like off reading often)! The disk brakes also add weight but are better for braking in the wet or mud

I think you need to decide where you will do most of your riding, whether speed or comfort is more important and whether weight is important. Will you be roof mounting etc?

And then test ride some different options

 

[Gadgetman]

Thanks. This is really useful. I think it will likely be a 50/50 split between road and family to be honest. Speed is not the most important to me as comfort is as long I can still reach a reasonable speed to keep up with others when on road.

Will this still be good for road riding at a good pace do you think?

 

[HovR]

As above, you need to decide where you do most of your riding. If most of your riding is off-road, in trails/parks etc, then a Crosstrail Comp may work for you. If most of your riding is currently done on-road, I feel you will be disappointed by the Crosstrail as it won't be as light or responsive as your road bike (and therefore a bit slower on-road).

If you don't do a lot of off-road, but just like to venture down a relatively smooth trail every now and then (or don't mind a slower pace when off-road), then I'd personally recommend a cyclocross bike.

A few members in the cycle club I'm part of have them, and occasionally they will ride to the top of a climb on the road with us, then bomb down a trail and meet us at the bottom - Looks like great fun! A cross bike will keep up with faster road club rides if that's your thing, whereas a crosstrail probably won't.

 

[WobblyBob]

Funnily enough i actually own a 2012 Crosstrail Comp, i bought it last July as my first bike since i was a kid (30 years previously !!) & i love it
I have mainly used it on the road which i think its fine for, i have commuted with it, i have used it on trails....i mainly lock the front suspension out on the road & keep it bouncy on the trails (you can even adjust the hardness of the suspansion).
The crosstrail is very comfortable & you can ride it for a long time without any niggles & you can definitely clip along on the road once you get going, i know its not the lightest bike with the disc brakes (which are fantastic !!!!) & the suspension but i think its a kind of go anywhere type of machine....& has definitely got me fit which is the reason i started cycling.
I have recently bought a Road bike aswell & obviously this is completely different to the Crosstrail....as you would expect !
To answer your original question about using it for the C2C, well i'm hoping its going to be just the ticket as that's exactly what i'm doing in June using the Crosstrail, my mate who i'm doing it with has done it twice before on his Crosstrail & he reckons its perfect for it with the mix of trails/roads.
If you need to know anything specific about the bike just drop me a line.

 

[vickster]

Perhaps look at a cx bike? Although it'll be entry level or used for £600. I can't see you easily matching a road bike on road unless you are fitter especially up hills. IMO