Tricross Setup

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tim Mullin on September 1, 2008 at 12:25pm

Triples and long-cage derailleurs aren't the best choices for cx, but don't overthink this. Working on you, and your skills are going to yield far greater results that any time spent dicking around with the bike. Worry about the bike stuff next year.

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Permalink Reply by Braintastic on September 1, 2008 at 6:33pm

That's what my focus has been. No gear IMO can substitute for the experience I'll gain from geting my ass kicked this season. Any tips about basic mechanical prep specific to CX so I can get smoked in the fall?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Hamilton on September 2, 2008 at 9:22am

Just make sure you break in your bike, if it's brand new. The shift and brake cables will stretch and so your brakes and derailers will need to be adjusted. It sucks trying to go up a gear to pass someone only to miss a shift. Can be especially bad if you're running a triple chainring as your ratios are different and you'll be doing a lot of up and down between the middle and big rings up front. Other than that, just make sure you have a little clearance between the brake pads and rim if there's mud and remove any bottle cages.

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Permalink Reply by Braintastic on September 2, 2008 at 2:24pm

I have close to 800 miles on the bike so far. Everything feels well broken in. The model I have is a double with 48x34 up front and 11-28 in back. I've been training just using the large ring like a single. Is a single more common or is it a preference thing?

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Bramhall on September 2, 2008 at 2:33pm

There's a number of threads on here about single vs double that get pretty in depth about the pros and cons of each.
If you have a double, train to use a double. Get used to shifting in the front under load, knowing when to power through in the big ring or spin hard in the small one.

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