osco53

I cannot give a good unbiased technical review of this bike because the closest thing I have ridden before was a 1974 Raleigh Super Course 10 speed,, 40 years ago,,

Spent some years on a Peugeot Crazy Horse,,, so that won't suffice,
I have a folding bike, 20" wheels, so that does not count,
A Tour Easy LWB recumbent so that definitely does not count,
And a full suspension MTB, again I have nothing to compare.. But another Forum member wanted my evaluation of this bike.
So all I can give Is what I observed.

1st ride was about 6 miles and still on the cheap flat pedals that came in the box.
The very good Shimano brakes are not bedded in yet but even so they are showing me a bunch of power.
One finger braking Is plenty now. My estimate Is a good 100 miles of normal riding will, 'Bed the pads' to the rotors.
The brakes are going to give me just what I wanted over mechanical brakes and that Is precise speed modulation with very little lever pressure needed and exactly the same predictable performance wet and or filthy and dry.
Just like my MTB hydro brakes.

The 105 drive train system,, again I have nothing of equal or better to compare them to,
On my Recumbent, Sram X7 and X9, gives me a noisy, harsh cheap shifting feel that I hate and plan to change out one day.
My MTB had SLX gear and I was perfectly happy with It Until I Upgraded to the XT M8000 system and Oh my ! I will never ride anything else off road. I am told this system shifts just as well as other $1000 systems,, for less than half the money.

Back to the 105 stuff on the Rip 3:
Super fast shifts up and down, Very Quiet, Very precise and should get better when I get all that sticky thick factory grease off of and out of the chain,,,why on earth do they do that ? I wish they would ship the bike with the chain In a bag almost dry.. It's a bear to scrub that dirt magnet grease out even with my park chain cleaner..

The VERY precise micro adjustments built into the shifter for the front derailleur enables me to eliminate chain rub on that derailleur when I am one cog off cross chaining at the top or bottom of the cassette.
So I can use 9 of the 11 rear gears on either chain ring with no noise,,wonderful !!
BUT, this bike,, It's a code of honor,, ALWAYS on the BIG RING !!! I will ride

Really, I guess the little ring Is for touring when your loaded, racks, bags and all facing a long climb..

I came home, made some fit adjustments, saddle back about 1/3rd of an Inch, Moved a spacer under the stem,
Dropped some air pressure and went back out for a second ride and forgot to put on my SPD's,, they will be on for the next ride.

I can feel the benefit of this Iso something bar and the thickly padded bar tape,, very comfy. The bar seems plenty wide, riding In the drops and on the hoods feels great. I really dig all these hand positions and yes going Into the drops really helps with head winds.

The slightly more relaxed Geo did not make the bike feel slow or cumbersome but remember I am a complete Newb to this kind of bike.
The Bike was not the least bit twitchy going slow or fast, U-turns were simple In the drops, on the hoods or on top.
The bumps were a bit harsh when I rode at max tire pressure (80psi) but seem to be gone when I got down to 65 psi rear and 60 front, I tried 60R and 55F also and It was all good.
70 psi Rear and 65psi front was the point where most vibrations and side walk crack bumps faded from the bike to a point of non Issue but lower was even smoother.

Work called me on that second ride at about 11 miles I think It was, I took It to the house.

I like this bike and am glad I did not pick one with more of a 'Race' Geo..

The 32c tires feel just right for my rides for now, I don't see any average asphalt crack grabbing my front tire,
I did not want to be limited to 28c or maxed at 32,,I think I can go up to 1.8" wide tires,,what 42,,47 c ? something like that,,,

Is It fast ? I have no Idea, nothing to compare It to.
Feels plenty fast, faster than my Tour Easy by a bunch and that thing can rip,
The Tour Easy Is 41 pounds with rack and bag of tire tools.
When we weighed the Rip 3 at the shop with the cheapo medal/plastic pedals, It came in at 23.08 pounds I think It was.

My stats:
57 years young, feel like 30,,except when I crashed at Alafia last week,, the family Jewels took a real beating, still sore. LOL
I am 5'11", 32" Inseam, lanky I am told and 170 pounds wet
I got the 56 cm size, Its a perfect fit, keeping a 90 mm stem In place with some rise.
I can tell the next size smaller would have made me pitch over forward more putting more weight on my weak wrists, a little arthritis, Way too many motocross crashes back In the day...,a smaller frame means a lower frame.
,,,,And the next size up frame would have stretched me out too far crippling agile bike control, making It very hard to move around over the seat,,,

I got the right size.

When we can get to It the Mechanic from my LBS will bring His Scott Foil along, and swap pedals with me, he will do a good 20 miles and evaluate the bike from a far more skilled rider perspective, He's done lots of cross, road and mtb riding, a much stronger and faster rider than I no Doubt.

I will take notes and post that here..

and,
I get to ride the Foil ,,Cool Huh ?

It's getting deep around here,,later peoples...

Outnumbered

Thanks for the review I am looking for a new bike that can tour, go on century rides, cyclocross races, commute and just plain fun rides at times. I can't find much on this as far as reviews so this is great. I too am like you slightly older (59) slightly taller (6' 2") and I don't want to be all stretched out. My current steel frame (32 lb) bike has the 10 spd, 5700 model of the 105's and has performed great for the past 7000 miles but I have a chance to get something new without breaking the bank. Please post any follow ups about the bike.

osco53

Outnumbered,

Most every one here kept pointing me at CX race bikes, or at bikes with racy GEO,

In my Investigations, 'keep In mind I know little about this area of bikes'. I found that many makers re badge a CX race type bike and call It a Gravel bike.

I copied down many bike frame specification, angles, wheel bases head tube heights etc and compared them.

I made a longer wheel base, a slacker head tube angle, more stack height and the ability to fit wider tires my top priority.
My second priority was simpler,, I wanted a bike I would not feel the need to upgrade, as you know that eats mucho dinero's real fast.

Mine Is more of a Urban commuter I guess,, Trek tries to sell It as a Do It All bike that can handle gravel.
The Trek Geo, components and the frame that can take really fat tires all, IMHO a complete lacks nothing ready to ride package Is what actually sold me.

It's my first Trek, been a Scott rider now for some years...

09box

Nice looking Swiss Army Knife of a bike you have there

osco53

The brakes are bedding In real well now, Speed modulation, trail braking all so very precise, such a light touch.
I could not Imagine better brakes. I did a 'stoppie', I held the rear wheel about a foot off the ground, brought the bike to a near stop and smoothly set the back wheel down. Kind of a spur of the moment thing, I won't make a habit of doing things like that

Using the drops Is great in the wind, and on fast corners I feel very stable In them, good weight on the front end gives me much confidence and good traction.
Slow U-turns In any of the three bar hand positions is perfectly stable and very confidence Inspiring.
I turned super tight coming off a sidewalk down onto the street, had sand, no problem, the 32c front tire did not slide,, but I just had to slide the back around just a little for fun.
Handling is really nice..

The 105 gear,,so cool, being able to micro adjust the front derailleur with the shifter is great, I can use 9 of the 11 cassette gears with NO front derailleur cage rubbing, I always hated that sound. Sometimes you need the fast shift of the cassette and It's range when dealing with traffic...

I got the, 'Dork Disk' off from behind the cassette and removed the wheel reflectors, looks so much better, wheels are far more balanced IMO...

Get This ! ,, The Saddle, a paradigm, lower end of the line I bet, It has just the right amount of give/flex In just the right place or places. It's a keeper and yes I know I just got lucky on this...

The Banjo Brothers seat bag, It does not hit my legs even on the down stroke with my heel down,, BUT I have skinny legs, If I were thicker It would make contact, still not a problem I would think,,, 400 cubic Inches, comes with a heavy duty water proof liner, too heavy duty IMO, I took It out and I bag the water sensitive stuff In a smaller freezer bag... I like hauling lots of junk with me,, tools, tire stuff, food, phone, wallet, rain jacket, oh and more food.:@)

The bag was at my LBS for less than $50 tax Included, Very sturdy, very well thought out but not for weight weenies. This bag will out live me~

osco53

I found a kink In the armor today.

Rode out early, going to the only few hills near me, they aren't much but I can get up some pretty good speed going down and make my legs burn going up the next one.

At 26 mph my bike got twitchy very suddenly, nothing dangerous but I had to keep both hands In the drops and be really focused. Passing through 27 mph It was time to get Into the binders just a little. The bike was over reacting to my commands.

Mid ride I ran across my LBS mechanic, he was out for a quick 33 miles averaging 19.2 mph.
Me, 18.8, avg 11.5 max speed 27.3,
My LBS wrench said I was over driving the tires, The Bontrager 700x32c's are just not happy going fast. The tread pattern and profile are for a more relaxed multi surface kind of riding.

ColonelSanders

A very attractive looking bike, this is the first Crossrip from Trek where I feel they have got it right.

osco53

Found a cool use for the third bottle cage holder, The 'XLAB Mini Cage Pod' stash box fit perfectly into the Bonty bottle holder, the top snapped right under the cage top.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u...g&gclsrc=aw.ds

Holding my multi tool, Co2 thing, two tire tools, a tube, and a shop rag with a couple three extra cubic Inches left over. All In a draw string cloth bag that comes with the plastic can to prevent rattles and It weighs nothing empty.

Crossing 300 miles on the bike now, everything is working perfectly, I know better Is out there but for me this 105 stuff Is excellent. The brakes are at full power and very quiet. Am so glad I held out for good hydro/wet brakes.

Got rid of the high speed twitch by Inflating the H5 tires to 80 psi rear and 78 front and re-checked the psi at the end of a hot day ride.
The tire pressures Increased from 80R/78F to 83R/81F

I'm going to wear out these H5's Instead of swapping them early....

jboivin

Speaking of the third cage holder, would put your pump there instead of a bottle holder, or is it too prone to dirt and mud?

osco53

It would not fit on the chain ring side down there and the Hydro brake fluid line and frame boss would conflict.

SoonerRider

My LBS said the CrossRip frame was made by Giant. I don't know if this is true or not, but the CrossRip 3 was one of the bikes I test rode and was seriously considering it. A very nice bike where the hydraulic disc brakes are awesome.

athrowawaynic

According to St. Sheldon Brown, that's actually the good stuff.

Henry III

What isn't made by Giant? They make a good majority of frames for most brands. I used to work at a Trek dealership and you can tell what was made by Giant as the packaging was different. You want a real Trek...you gotta pay for it or go vintage. I still like Trek as I'm originally from Wisconsin, have a friend who built frames at Trek when they just used a torch and lugs.

When I worked at the Trek dealership I really like the Crossrip line and almost pulled the trigger on one through with EP but got a Stache instead. I really like their 920 as it checks off a lot of things for me.

osco53

I dunno, It sez Trek on the frame, guess that means Taiwan or China, I don't really know or care.

All I know Is This Rip 3 was the right bike for me. If I could only have one bike I think It would be this one.

As for, 'Sheldon Brown' Yeah I bet, up north where they salt the roads, That thick grease would make a chain live longer I'm sure...
...
But Down here In the Florida Swamps our sugar sand grinds up anything it sticks to...

I see new riders on new bikes coming off the trails with that grease still on,,, I can hear the chains grinding themselves up as they ride by...

SoonerRider

This is strictly subjective, but....I test rode both the Giant Anyroad Comax and Trek Crossrip 3. The Trek Crossrip 3 was my first choice and I didn't even think about Giant. When I was younger, I always wanted a Trek and now that I can afford it in my 50s I was ready to pull the trigger on the Crossrip 3. When I test rode, there was a distinct difference in the feel of the frame and smoothness of shifting. The Anyroad Comax rode and shifted smoother than the Crossrip 3. I also moved faster on the Anyroad Comax, but I don't know why? The Crossrip 3 is the lighter bike by a couple of pounds and both have Shimano 105 groupsets.

The Crossrip 3 is a great bike and the brakes are the best and are superior to the Anyroad Comax. I may regret my purchase of the Anyroad Comax 2017 down the road, and if I do, I'll turn right around to my LBS and get the Crossrip 3.

osco53

No, I bet you will be fine. My bike got far better as I dialed in the fit and my body got used to the bike and so should yours..

The difference you noticed most likely was due to the wrench who built the bikes.

Even I could make two Identical bikes with the same components shift and ride completely different with nothing more than adjustments and different tires, pressures, frame fit variations, and saddle.

I too rode the Comax and It felt great, I must say I could not notice any difference In the ride that I could attach to the Carbon frame.

I did noticed some shifting differences,, that IMO I could change simply with the cable barrel adjusters.
As for the mechanical brakes, they also needed time to bed in just like my Cross Rip wet brakes did.

One other major difference was the shifters on my Rip 3, they are completely different than the Comax and they alone could drastically change the shifting characteristics. I found them quite complex when adjusting the lever reach, with the Hydro reservoir being inside and all that. It did take me some time to get used to the lever throw and the micro shift points to fine tune the front derailleur position so I could use more of the cassette with each chain ring.

For ease of maintenance and repair cable brakes are simpler, and the only time I feel Hydro's are better Is when things get wet outside or wet and muddy like on my Mtb rides but then again cable will get the job done.

I changed out a rather low powered rim brake to the Avid BB7 Disk brake on the rear of my Long wheel base Recumbent Tour Easy and got It to be very quiet and powerful. That's a 50 pound bike when loaded plus me and It's drastically weight biased to the rear, needed a bunch of brake back there, It stops perfectly now.

As for you moving faster on the Comax,, I seemed to remember thinking my Areo was better on the Comax, again It can be adjusted,, I have dropped my stem 5 mm on my Rip and may go lower..

Last funny thing,, I was told to get a Carbon seat post as It would be a nice comfort Improvement that would Increase my duration also..

I did, and It did...

salcedo

Any roadies here?

I've been commuting on a Specialized Allez for years and I love he geometry. But I want a new commuter bike with rack mounts, wider tire and fender clearance, and disc breaks.

I'm leaning for a CrossRip based on online research and talking with guys at different bike shops. But I haven't been able to try it, because my local Trek store doesn't carry it regularly and they would have to order it for me. Other candidates I have in mind are a Felt cyclocross bike, and a Specialized Sequoia.

My only concern is that the CrossRip geometry might feel awkward after riding road bikes for so long. Any advice would be appreciated

mstateglfr 

A riding buddy has a crossrip and used it for road rides all last year and some of this year. He came from a Scott endurance frame and this year he moved to a Domane disc.
The crossrip is for sure a more upright ride. Noticably so. Its more upright than my gravel bike that is hardly aggressive.

Just food for thought from someone who constantly looked over at a guy riding a crossrip.

DanPLC

I picked up a Crossrip 3 last month and love it. However this is my first road bike. But I did test ride a few before going with the Crossrip. My previous bike was a Trek FX hybrid before. My best advice is to ask your LBS to order it and take it for a ride.

Bike4Life1

Got a CrossRip 3 in May 2017.. had a 1000 miles on it by end of Oct .... great bike... I agree with all of the above... I'll have to look into the carbon seat post idea... This was my first new bike in 40 years.. so I had a lot to learn... Question for you folks... I ride on the Greenways here in Georgia...concrete paths interspersed with wooden board walks.... Soon will need to replace the tires... Looking for recommendation... should I buy replacements or are there better options... that said I have no complaints with tires that came with the bike...

ColonelSanders

There are unquestionably better options, but there are so many options out there, that budget is often the biggest decider.


Also there is the weighing up of flat protection vs more speed and the size of the tyre you want.


If you could expand more on what you are looking for, I'm sure you will get some good suggestions.

Bike4Life1

ColonelSanders... Thank-you for helping me out.. regarding expanding more on what I'm looking for and some background:

... Tires are getting worn.. so it will be prudent to replace
... My goal is fitness
... My regular rides are between 13 and 20 miles 3 or 4 times a week during Spring, Summer and, Fall months
... I average 15 or 16 mph
... As mentioned above.. I ride on Concrete and wooden boardwalks
... I avoid riding in the rain
... Budget... well I spent a good amount on the bike so I don't want to cheap out.. but there is always a point where spending more $$$ doesn't provide benefit. Where that point is I don't know
...Something that will provide good traction on surfaces mentioned
...Stock tires are Bontrager H5 Hard-Case Ultimate, 700x32c...
...RIde is firm; okay
...I don't plan on taking if off road
...I don't plan on going tubeless
...Not concerned with being aero

... What I would like to know.. is who are the good tire manufactures
...Where do most folks purchase their tires? Internet sites or local bike shops?

Let me know if you need any specific information.. since I've re-entered this sport... hard for me to anticipate what you're looking for, so as to make a recommendation

Thanks again,
John

salcedo

I usually buy my tires online from places like rei.com, or even amazon.com, because there is more variety and is more convenient. But if you don't know exactly which tire you want, I say you go to your local LBS and let them help you choose.

Bontrager is the company that makes accessories for Trek. They make decent tires and you can buy directly from Trek, or they can order them for you at your LBS.

If you are not trying to save seconds of your time, I would consider getting puncture resistant tires like Continental Gatorkins.

mstateglfr 

Your current tires are wire bead 60tpi and weigh 542g. Oh, and the word 'hard' is in the model name.
Basically, there is a lot of room for improvenent.

Tpi basically is how supple the tire is. The more supple the tire, the lighter it is and the better 'feeling' you get from the tire since the sidealls are typically softer too.

There are no good or bad tire companies, or at least i wouldnt suggest thinking in this manner. Instead, find a tire line you like and go from there.
Vittoria Voyager Hyper
Clement MSO
Clenent USH
Continental
Schwalbe
Panaracer
Compass
Etc etc etc are all great. Each brand has quality product and low cost entry level product.

I would suggest this. 2 for $50, lightweight, and quality feel. Good flat protection too.
These are 350g or so per tire at 32mm. Thats 190g less than your currently using per tire. You will save 13oz of weight with these tires and its rotational weight which is more noticable than static weight.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVO...r-folding-tyre

As for your othwr questions, i buy online every time. Better selection and prices.
Consider going wider than 32mm. Perhaps 35mm. You will not be slower with a wider tire and they can run at less psi for better traction and comfort. Even the 35mm Vittoria hyper tires will be 10oz lighter than your current tires.

To narrow down options, consider Panaracer, Continental, Compass, and the Vittoria Hyper. Look for high tpi(120 or more) and light weight(under 400g at most) with flat protection of some sort.
All those brands have great options to fit your needs. You dont need any tread based on your riding description.
Gwtting a hardcase tire like you have or something like gatorskin will further ensure no flats, but if you really ride qhere you say, and checl tire pressure before rides, there is no need to use hard heavy dead tires

Bike4Life1

Thanks for all the tire information... certainly helpful