Hi again! I'm totally uneducated in the bike world but I'm thinking of getting a bike to supplement my running, adding a bit of swimming and then having a go at a sprint tri next year! After a bit of reading and scouring the web I think that a cyclocross bike would be a decent option as it will be happy on it off road. I'd been looking at a specialized tricross online which is about ??900 but then saw the Norco CCX 3 Compact 2012 on sale much cheaper than the specialized....... So I was therefore wondering if anyone had any experience of the norco or could tell me anything about the difference between the two from the spec. Thanks!
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Cross bikes are brilliant - they can do rough stuff or road stuff really well.
But what kind of rough stuff are you doing ? You may be better off with a road bike and just wider tyres for off road. Most road bikes can do trails just fine - its just that clearances are a bit wider to allow for mud etc.
I've never heard of Norco though ?
I'd never heard of Norco either, that coupled with the fact that its half the price of the specialized makes me a bit suspicious..... Plus I can't find any reviews about it online.... But knowing nothing about bikes I can't look at the spec and understand what it all means!
Norco are a big Canadian brand - I've seen a few of their MTB's around but they're not that well known in the UK (I didn't realise they had a UK distro)
withot knowing which model of tricross you're looking at 44 it's difficult to compare the 2 but the Norco looks pretty good value
http://m.evanscycles.com/products/norco/ccx-3-compact-2012-cyclocross-bike-ec031686
http://m.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/tricross-sport-disc-2012-road-bike-ec030754
But then there is
http://m.evanscycles.com/products/genesis/day-one-cross-2012-cyclocross-bike-ec031843
too....... So confusing!!
disc brakes are generally more powerful and better at handling mud than rim brakes but at the price level you're talking about it's not a huge difference as they are mechanical (cable) discs.
nowt wrong with cantis though and probably easier to look after than discs
personally I'd be tempted to go with the Spesh but there's little between them
the Spesh tricross is probably one of the most popular ones out there - I know a few who have them and they come well rated. purely that I guess...
make sure whichever one you buy is the right size and fit and if you can get a test ride on both that may help swing matters for you - feel is important
http://m.evanscycles.com/products/norco/ccx-2-triple-2012-cyclocross-bike-ec031685
Which I had managed to miss!
Apparently it has better gear shifter thingys than the specialized...... I was very tempted to just order it in to have a look at but managed to walk away to 'have a think about it'. I'm indecisive at the best of times!