2012 Genesis Croix de Fer

[duncs]

cracking bikes, iv'e had mine for over a year got it through the c2w scheme use it all year round for commuting and rides with mates, ive not had any problems other than lots of flats so changed the tyres for some smart sams not had a single flat since, i do a lot of single track and fire roads with it and find when i ride it i always say to myself why do i need a mountain bike ? the only down side is for really steep climbs the gearing is hard to turn and keep traction with the skinny tyres but with practice you master the balance of power traction and your riding position , plus the look of some mtb'rs faces when you whizz past on a "road bike" is priceless and on the debate of the cheaper one compared to this my brother has the blue cdf and always says he should of went for the croix although the weight difference is minimal the quality of components is noticeable and hes looking to upgrade the brakes and drive train already.

 

[BobCatMax]

Glad you're enjoying it so much. unless I'm doing something specifically mtb-ish, then I usually reach for this. I find myself planning rides that mean I can include a little bit of everything. tried my first Cat3 climb on it the other weekend which wasn't entirely successful. This was more due to fitness and ability than the gearing of the bike, but it certainly didn't help

I reckon I must've surpassed the 2K mile mark on it by now, maybe nearly 3

 

[RichCollinsUK]

Re:

Not sure what headset to have it replaced with, as listening to you guys and chatting to my mate at work, it sounds like their own branded (el-cheapo?) headset hasn't been up to the job at hand. Any suggestions?

I expect it was missed on PDI and it's just devoid of grease, I had a pal with a 6K Trek that had a dry headset from new, I think it lasted a fortnight before it gave trouble.
Either way, should be an easy (but unnecessary) fix.

I actually looked at a Croix de Fer when choosing a commuter earlier this year but a complete lack of dealers in my area and a friend giving me a very generious discount on a Tricross Comp sealed the deal.

I must admit, the Croix de Fer is a handsome looking bike though !

I don't want to freak you out, but I wanted to warn you to check the brake bosses on the carbon forks of the TriCross. I bought a 2011, and within 2 hours of riding the brakes popped out of the carbon forks. The epoxy resin had failed.
The local bike shop replaced it directly, and the same thing happened again after 4 hours or riding. This was absolutely gutting obviously. Specialized's head engineer from their HQ in San Fransisco phoned me directly to reassure me that this was an isolated case (on two bikes!!!). They offered me the top of the line model for no extra cash but I backed out and got a refund as it was the same frame and fork combo. I ended up with a 2 month old Trek CrossRip Elite for £550 on eBay, down from £950 new.

I'm sure if there was a problem with a batch, it's been sorted now, but it nearly killed me!!! Keep an eye on them!