Tricross v Roubaix how much quicker

[Lizban]

Was out on a 50 miler with a mate I was on my trusty tricross he on his Roubaix.

We were wondering about how much quicker his bike is than mine. So has anyone got any ideas in % terms how much quicker a Roubaix is than a Tricross?

 

[jimboalee]

Was out on a 50 miler with a mate I was on my trusty tricross he on his Roubaix.

We were wondering about how much quicker his bike is than mine. So has anyone got any ideas in % terms how much quicker a Roubaix is than a Tricross?

How big are the engines on the Roubaix?

 

[2Loose]

I think the closest comparison you will get is from Norm comparing the same road ride (and rider) on his Tricross against his Secteur.

Ultimately depends on the rider as I doubt there is much in it over 20 miles.

 

[jimboalee]

Seriously though....

What YOU will need to do is wait for a very still day with no wind.

Take both bikes to the top of a hill. Roll down the hill several times on each bike alternately and the one which rolls fastest down the hill will be the easiest to ride along the flat.

Make sure you are wearing the same clothes, have your hands in the same Hbar position and your cranks are kept horizontal.

Don't be surprised if the heavier bike is faster down the hill.
The lighter bike will, of course, be faster UP a hill.


Pro riders don't worry so much about weight on a 'flat' stage, as inertia helps them in a group.

My guesses are that the two bikes won't be much different. If the weights are similar, it will be the bike's aerodynamics ( sticky out bits ) that will drag it back and make it slower.

 

[Soltydog]

I have an Allez Elite & until recently had a Tricross too. There is quite a difference between the 2, but a lot depends on tyres fitted etc. My Tricross had marathon + tyres which are not noted for their speed & had full guards & rack fitted. If you had thinner & lighter tyres on a Tricross it may reduce the difference. In % terms I reckon the difference in my bikes will have been around 15%

 

[HLaB]

From my own experience, at most the lighter better tryed bike will be about 0.5-1mph (3-6%) faster given the same rider/ same effort but in the hands of a good rider either bike could be faster.

 

[Norm]

I think the closest comparison you will get is from Norm comparing the same road ride (and rider) on his Tricross against his Secteur.

[steps forward]

Indeed, I can meet that brief.

I've found the Secteur is about 5% faster, when measured over a 7 mile run on quiet, fairly decent roads. However, for my commute, which is 9 miles of the sort of crap which South Bucks CC consider to be a road surface, the difference is close enough that you could put it down to what I had for breakfast. The two bikes have proved to be within a few seconds of each other because the limiting factor is not the bike or the engine, it's the road surface.

I can ride the Tricross faster and more confidently across dodgy tarmac, so I just need to concentrate on the ride. The Secteur needs to be placed to ride round the worst of the holes, so I'm always watching my line, unweighting one end or the other and working harder to travel slower.

Hope that helped.

 

[l4dva]

I had a tricross it was a brilliant bike - it was my first bike so i had nothing to compair it too so i always throught it was fast. I now have a carbon boardmans road bike (similar ish maybe to the roubaix - well in weight at least)

I find the new boardmans a lot lot faster, esp on hills but even on flats im using bigger gears and reaching 20+ mph and maintaining the higher speeds for a lot longer as well, which i couldn't do on the tricross... I might of just gotten fitter but im sure the lighter bike helps too.

The tricross is a little heavy (compaired to other road bikes) but id try some road tyres on it first, the bike will feel lighter and quicker straight away. There are soo many variables like mentioned above that its hard to say i think for the avarage person either would do the job just as well as the other. Remember you might loose ride comfort and you will loose the ability to go on canal paths and other minor off roady type surfaces if you go for a proper road bike

 

[Brandane]

For what it's worth, I've got a Tricross with 2 sets of wheels. The original wheels now have Specialized Infinity Armadillo 700x38 on them. I bought a pair of Shimano RS20 wheels which have Specialized Nimbus Armadillo 700x28 fitted. Probably partly psychological, but I always feel as if I am going a bit faster on the narrower tyres, although my average speeds over a run are pretty much the same!