travbikeman

No, this is not normal. Take back to lbs to look further at it. Curious if you have video of noise? Might be something else but sounds like a suspension issue.

DougG

Mine has the hydraulic brakes so I didn't run into that problem. But I have been thinking of readjusting it back to a lower level as my "bike fitness" has definitely improved over the last few years.

Gibbygoo

13 years ago when I joined this forum I thought hybrids were for old people. Guess what? I'm almost 53 and want a hybrid for relaxed fitness ride after work and weekends. Looking at the Crosstrail...

I thought I wanted a mountain bike, so test rode a Rockhopper. It felt odd. The bars felt really low. I guess I'm not ready for a mountain bike. I've been riding my Disctrucker with Surly Open Bar handlebars, but can't get comfortable on it. I'll continue to figure that out, but want a dirt road ready bike for the trails near my house and short fitness rides around the neighborhood of under 10 miles. It sounds like folks here are happy with their CT. I'll try to test ride one within a couple weeks.

Entdecker

Thanks Travelbikeman. No video, but I'll try to make one when I return (mid. July). I've locked the fork now and the clank is a lot less.
Tolerable now.

Entdecker

Bibbygoo, I'd recommend a test ride on the Specialized Roll also.

XCSKIBUM

I take my Crosstrail Sport on some pretty gnarly horse and snowmobile trails as well as abandoned RR beds that are used as ATV/bike/snowmobile trails. With Kenda Kross Plus tires it will roll easy on the pavement and when the surface gets soft the knobs on the edges will bite in.



The suspension fork smooths out tree roots and cobble, but it can be locked out for payment or hard packed trails.

mach250

Was bored after a ride and wanted to see if my wifes Specialized Jett wheels and tires would fit on the crosstrail frame. The front has no issues but the rear rubs on the rear derailleur cable/kickstand mount. See the photos below for an idea.

Jett specs

• FRONT TIRE
  
  
  Ground Control Sport, 29x2.1", 60TPI, wire bead, Flak Jacket protection
  
  

• REAR TIRE
  
  
  Fast Trak Sport, 29x2.0", 30TPI, wire bead, Flak Jacket protection
  
  

• RIMS
  
  
  Stout 29, alloy disc, double-wall, pinned joint, 20mm inner width, 32h
  
  

themp

So, am at 4K+ miles on the bike and just put on my third chain at 3800 miles. On the first chain I got 1200 miles with White Lighting, the second chain I got to 3800 miles using home brew Mobil 1/OMS. The third chain I decide to just us ProLink. On the install of the third chain under heavy load I would get a click or creak twice a revolution in the front chain rings. Kinda hard to tell. I have been just riding the bike as the noise was only on extreme hill climbing. It shifts perfectly in all gears. However in the last 50 miles it is skipping in the cassette under load. So, I need to get a new cassette and decided on this:

https://www.performancebike.com/bike...10551_1092186_ in 11/36 size.

I have been using this chain also after the original KMC chain:

Shimano CN-HG95 Mountain Bike Chain

My question is should I replace the chain rings? The reason is, when I look down on the large chain ring when riding it has a slight wobble. I measured the displacement and it is around 1MM. The small chain ring is fine.

From the spec sheet I kept on the Crosstrail it says this:

Cranks Custom Samox, forged alloy, 2x10, w/ chainguard - 44/32

Other than taking the bike back into the LBS to have them recommend what to buy, is there anyway I can figure this out?

I measured the large chain ring four bolt BCD and it is 104 mm. From Sheldon Brown's chain ring cheat sheet it points to:

ShimanoXT, LX 4-arm outer, Sugino MX350

Googling the above does not really help. Thanks for any advice on this. Oh and on the original click/creak I re-torqued the chain ring bolts and remounted the pedals. I also looked for any play in the BB, but it seems nice and tight.

Scooty Puff Jr

3 chain in 4K miles ? Why are you replacing them so often ? I'm just curious.

Is the large chain ring "shark toothed" at all ? I would say if it looks okay, and it has 4K miles it should be okay, but changing it out should be pretty cheap ($20) for a chain ring, and they're easy to replace too.

themp

Well in reality I got 1200 on the first chain. This was my first bike and I was talked into using White Lighting. I am not sure what I did wrong here as I followed what I was taught from a well seasoned rider that I know that gets 8K on his chains(road bike). Every hundred miles I would apply it from a cup and soak the chain using a small brush, catching the spill in the cup. So, since I use Mobil 1 for my automobiles I switch to that for the next chain, using this every 100 miles or so and got 2600 miles on the second chain. With the third chain now, I switched to ProLink and only have about 200 miles on this chain, but a click/creak started with this chain and now has progressed to a slip in the cassette. I am pretty anal on keeping the bike maintained, that may be my problem here as I over do things. The teeth are fine on the chain rings, my only concern was the wobble on the large chain ring.

dbodboo

Hello crosstrail owners,

Anyone know what the inside diameter is of the headtube on the 2017 models?

travbikeman

The original KMC chains on these bikes really don't last. I switched over to SRAM and it appears to be lasting me a lot longer. The KMC chain only last me 800 miles of my abuse. The SRAM lasted me 1400 miles. I too am now on the third chain with owning my Crosstrail for 2.5 years.

Road bikes do tend to have longer lasting chains and I believe it might be due to only having two chain rings and closer gearing in the cassette that does not wear out the chains as quickly as mountain bikes and hybrids do.

MMABear

A Crosstrail Disc is one of the 4 bikes I'm considering buying and would like to test ride. I'd love to hear your opinion on how it compares to the other 3.

Giant- Roam 2 Disc 2018
Trek- DS 2
Cannondale- Quick CX 4

DougG

I'm at 3500 and still on the original drivetrain components with no obvious issues. A lot of this might be due to the surfaces ridden on. I know that in my area there is one particular rail-trail with a very dusty crushed limestone surface and I make a point of it to rinse off my bike after any ride there since the limestone has a reputation for being highly corrosive. Likewise I swear I lost half the life of my brake pads on one long 50-mile rainy day last year on a crushed gravel trail where the surface grit would actually pack up in the caliper and make a grinding noise that I could only clear by lightly applying the brakes until it stopped.

travbikeman

The really big differences might be some of these bikes might have slightly different geometry to fit you better than others. Which one do you like the look best?

But the very much biggest difference is which one would you like to ride the most and which LBS will give you the best service?

dslteck

timgriffin2

I joined the club today and brought home a 2018 Crosstrail Sport. I test rode it a few weeks ago along with a Crosstrail Disc, a Trek DS2 and Cannondale CX4. I wanted to try a Trek DS3 and Cannondale CX3 but they have none in stock and would only order one if I purchased it. I'll see how the brain technology suspension fork plays out (no lockout) but did ride it on smooth and rough surfaces while test riding and rode the Crosstrail Disc on the same route as a comparison. I love the fast smooth shifting on the 2x9 drivetrain on the Sport and that's what made my mind up. It's been raining a LOT here in west central Florida so the real report on the comparison to my 10 year old Trek 7.2FX will be slightly delayed.

I have to say though - what's up with the piece of crap plastic pedals it?? I mean I realize that a lot of folks replace the pedals on a new bike, but there are just ridiculous!

travbikeman

Photo's would be nice!!! Yea, my plastic pedals are lasting me a long long time......in a storage container!

dslteck

Ill post close-up photos of the pedals tonight when I get home. Now that we are on the subject, last weekend while riding up a rather large hill I shifted and about lost it when my right foot slipped off the pedal. It about ripped my leg off. If anyone reading or following this thread has replaced your pedals what did you replace them with? I would like a good platform pedal with aggressive grip and I would rather not use cleated shoes if possible.

Skipjacks

This!

The stock pedals are my only complaint about my Crosstrail. They have no grip.

I had bought a pair of pinned aluminum pedals but the overly aggressive pins just tore the soles of my shoes up. (Thanks for that bomb proof return policy, REI!)

I'd like something that's grippy, but not sharp.

dslteck

stock pedals.

Tanstaafl

The stock pedals on my 2013 are all plastic (except for the axle). I learned this when I broke off the front side of one when climbing a hill. I went to the bike shop and picked up a set of aluminum pedals made by Specialized. They sound the same as or similar to the ones Skipjack mentioned. The pins appear to be the allen head set screws set about 3/16" proud of the top of the pedal.

I think they are going to be a bit hard on the soles of my sneakers, but that is fine with me. Very grippy, my feet don't slip at all!

Jeff

travbikeman

For the first year riding my Crosstrail, I used these DMR v8's, they had good grip most of the time (there were a few times it bloodied my leg), but were heavy and these will eat cheap shoes. I tested clipless nearly 2 years ago and never went back.

DMR V8 Pedals > Components > Pedals > Platform Pedals | Jenson USA

travbikeman

Now, I did get these for my now 13 year old son's bike. They're not overally aggressive but will hold your foot in place. Plus their nice and light and feel good:

Forté Transfer Platform Pedals

travbikeman

Nashbar has something similar to Performance Bikes, but the pins are plastic and not medal screws. Shouldn't tear up shoes:

Nashbar Groove Platform Pedals