Commuter Cast
04 Aug
Coming soon is another video featuring the Decade Tripster where with a change of tyres it becomes a road bike, rather than commuter/cyclocrosser. It really is a versatile vessel and I just couldn’t resist seeing if I could just go out and do a road century.
I’ve had great fun riding this “not a mountain bike”. It has certainly made a change from what I’m used to, so much so that I’m going to keep on riding it and will be on the Tripster for the “Get Cross” skills day.
There will also be more written reviews coming onto the site featuring some of the components and essentials that I’ve been using whilst riding the Tripster. These will include Continental ‘Cyclocross’ and ‘Grand Prix’ road tyres, Lezyne accessories, Shutt Velo Rapide jersey and BBB bib shorts.
Comments (4)
06 Aug 06:42
Hi Ed
This is a brill video, really entertaining and quite inspiring in terms of building a do it all go anywhere bike! Looks like it could be the thing I’m looking for for my second bike for when I’m over here in Bosnia where there are a lot of great loop rides that have quite a lot of long and steep tarmac climbs and descents to get to long dirt tracks over the tops of the mountains. At the moment I’m struggling to get up the road hills on my full suss and it’s a bit of an overkill on the rougher stuff too – would be great in a lot of the UK as well for long day rides to and from the trails etc – leave the car at home! Just shows that our preconceptions of what certain bikes are for are way off – some of the stuff you are getting over with drop handlebars and no suspension looks pretty technical! How are you modifying your technique to deal with the lack of suspension etc? Can you post a full build and any recommendations for how to tweak the balance towards off road or road.
I think you may have just invented a new genre of bike as cyclocross has so many connotations of muddy grass fields. The ‘Trip’ bike maybe!!
(p.s. the production qualities of this vid are really great, a good story, invoving narrative, well told and paced and filmed with great sound as well!)
cheers paul
06 Feb 22:11
I used to do some pretty big Calderdale rides (Gorple Road etc) on my cyclocross bike when I lived up there. It’s an adjustment, certainly, especially since your face is both a foot closer to the ground and inches away from your stem when you’re descending. I seem to remember that climbing was often quicker than a mountain bike, descending was almost invariably slower, but tarmac was usually quicker up or down.
The lines are blurring, witness such bikes as the Salsa Fargo and the Falcon Peregrine.
17 Mar 14:52
I’m after something like this and am thinking of the titanium version of it thats in development or a custom roberts or bob jackson amongst others. Being named Robert having roberts written all over it would be a factor but do I want to go to London and pay that for it even if its worth it especially when I’m from Leeds? I have an aluminium cyclocross and love its my favourite do it all bat bicycle but worry its not tough enough for heavy loads perhaps I should just get it a trailer. I like this site a good find the courses catch my eye.
17 Sep 08:12
Really enjoyed the video, very entertaining.
I added this style of bike to my ‘stable’ a while back when I bought a Specialized Tricross Comp as a daily commuter; had been doing it on my Allez but it was a bit aggressive for bleary eyed early morning runs into work. My LBS suggested the Tricross and I loved it, so much so that the Allez gathered dust and eventually got sold as I preferred the comfort, practicality and stability of the Tricross.
Much like the Tripster you could do anything on it, hoot along the road, explore a trail, tour. It had its limits, not a susser nor a pure road bike but it became the one bike I’d go to for a day out.
Sadly, it, and I were run down by a taxi on a roundabout. Annoyingly on the 100m road link between two decent cycle paths. It is totalled, not much at all that can be salvaged; I ended up under the bike which was under the front of the taxi. Thankfully, nothing beyond significant bruising, my poor bike took all the damage.
Have now got the insurance money and want to replace the Tricross. Unfortunately, the current Tricross Comp is a shadow of the earlier models, lower grade frame and fork materials, poor spec (in comparison). Not a bike I’d like or buy.
By happy co-incidence (well, sort of happy!) I am in the middle of upgrading my Roubaix Expert Disc to SRAM hydraulics. So I have a complete build kit of Ultegra parts and DT Axis wheels. The only thing I need to buy is a chainset (pummelled in the accident) and a frame to hang it all on….
This review has pretty much made up my mind on that decision. Video of the ride shows that this will happily do all that my Tricross did. Only reservation, and it is a minor niggle, it that the front fork hasn’t got rack mounting bolts. In fairness I ran my Tricross without the front rack fitted. It’s there, ready for a couple of week long trips that I’d planned for next year and I’d much prefer the weight distributed over the whole bike on a long ride. Might be able to source another fork…
Main decision, be sensible or go simply mad and buy the Ti version, it’s so pretty, lust, lust!