Norco CCX 3 Compact 2012 Cyclocross - Triathlon

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 09:02

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!

cougie

pirate

13/07/2012 at 15:17

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 ?

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 15:50

Not mtb rough but muddy woodland, bridal path etc.

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!

fat buddha

13/07/2012 at 15:50

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

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 16:16

Hi fb, its the Norco CCX 3 Compact 2012 (on Evans cycles website) vs the specialized cross trail......

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!!

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 16:39

Or that same model of tricross but without the disc brakes....... As yet again I don't know whether disc brakes or canti breaks would be better!!

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 16:50

Ignore the genesis one..... Posted the wrong link!

fat buddha

13/07/2012 at 17:12

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

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 17:17

Ok - thanks for the info! So is it just the brand name that makes you favour the specialized or something in the spec? An extra 400 quid is not a small difference if they are quite similar...... But then again I'd rather get one that I can stick with rather than want to upgrade after no time at all!!

Edited: 13/07/2012 at 17:31

fat buddha

13/07/2012 at 17:45

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

forty_44

13/07/2012 at 18:42

Thanks again, just had a chat with a nice man in Evans who talked about this one

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!

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