# Roubaix vs Diverge



## Steenerk (Apr 29, 2014)

I am looking at upgrading my bike. I am thinking of going with a '16 Diverge or Roubaix. Right now I have a '12 Roubaix Elite. Love the bike. I live in the flatlands. Ride on gravel occasionally. I do go to the mountains and do some of the big rides, Triple Bypass. Love climbing and flying downhill. Recommendations/comments please. Pros/Cons
Thanks


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

I just did a little quick reading...and truth be told, it's kind of hard to compare the two.

To get a full carbon Diverge, you have to go to the $4000 expert. That would at least give "apples-apples" with frame build.

Comparing a 56 Roubaix with the Diverge...there are quite a few differences in frame geometry. Nothing huge, but the differences are most certainly there. My guess? To do not ride the same. If I were you, I'd definitely go ride them, back to back if possible. I'm guessing that's the only way you can be sure.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

I've owned the 2012 Roubaix Elite (which I've ridden on two years of the Triple Bypass). It's a great bike. Since then I've been doing a bit of gravel as well and ridden a 2014 Crux Pro for the last season and a half. It got me through two 68 mile gravel events swimmingly and this year's Sunday ride of the 2015 Triple Bypass. I have two wheelsets for the bike - one gravel and one with Rovals for the road. Light, fast, but even with a CG-R Seatpost, not super compliant. Also, the cantilever brakes were worthless on the mountain descents... I want disc.

I just test rode the carbon Diverge Comp (105 equipped) and loved it. It's light, snappy, and super plush. This bike is around $3,300, but I decided to order the 2016 Diverge Expert X1 instead. SRAM Force 1x11 with a 46 upfront and 10x42 in the back. This gives you all the "effective" range of a 50/34 and 11x32 WiFli set up but with Disc brakes and a ton of compliance. I'm looking forward to receiving it and it will be an extremely versatile ride. I plan on running it with the stock 30/32 Roubaix Pros, a set of 25mm Espoir Elites (or 23/25 Roubaix Pros), and a set of Trigger Pros (32) for the gravel. 

Also, the geometry is VERY similar to the Roubaix - on purpose. It's not a race bike, but still plenty quick to keep up with the Sat AM ride group. Go test ride one if you can. :thumbsup:


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## tyrich88 (Jul 12, 2013)

pspycho said:


> I've owned the 2012 Roubaix Elite (which I've ridden on two years of the Triple Bypass). It's a great bike. Since then I've been doing a bit of gravel as well and ridden a 2014 Crux Pro for the last season and a half. It got me through two 68 mile gravel events swimmingly and this year's Sunday ride of the 2015 Triple Bypass. I have two wheelsets for the bike - one gravel and one with Rovals for the road. Light, fast, but even with a CG-R Seatpost, not super compliant. Also, the cantilever brakes were worthless on the mountain descents... I want disc.
> 
> I just test rode the carbon Diverge Comp (105 equipped) and loved it. It's light, snappy, and super plush. This bike is around $3,300, but I decided to order the 2016 Diverge Expert X1 instead. SRAM Force 1x11 with a 46 upfront and 10x42 in the back. This gives you all the "effective" range of a 50/34 and 11x32 WiFli set up but with Disc brakes and a ton of compliance. I'm looking forward to receiving it and it will be an extremely versatile ride. I plan on running it with the stock 30/32 Roubaix Pros, a set of 25mm Espoir Elites (or 23/25 Roubaix Pros), and a set of Trigger Pros (32) for the gravel.
> 
> Also, the geometry is VERY similar to the Roubaix - on purpose. It's not a race bike, but still plenty quick to keep up with the Sat AM ride group. Go test ride one if you can. :thumbsup:


I've been contemplating a high end crux or diverge and played with the thought of replacing my road bike with it since I dont race road much... 
How did you crux fair as a road bike?
Wondering if it really rides like a tarmac, since they call it the "Tarmac for the dirt".


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

Steenerk said:


> I am looking at upgrading my bike. I am thinking of going with a '16 Diverge or Roubaix.


This to me mostly boils down to the tire you plan to use IMO. For me and my size [215lb and 58CM], the biggest tire that fits the Roubaix is smaller than I would like for the pressures I would run when not on Pavement.

Thus, I have sold my disc Roubaix [had for 7 months] and have a steel custom made. [came in 1.5 lb heavier rolling] My first ride on the new bike was with 42C Conti Speed Rides, the SL4 Roubaix fits a 28mm MAX. Maybe a 30 could fit, but kind of odd size in the tire choices I'd use. I test fit a 32 front on it at the LBS when I bought it and it fit front and not back, and even then way too close to frame IMO. 

Thus the Diverge gets the nod IMO for tire/use flexibility.

And frankly I have criticisms of new plastic bikes being overly stiff, which the new steel bike does not exude. [my older Scott Addict LTD is perfection in this regard]

I also sold my canti TCX as the new bike fills both sitches that the TCX and Roubaix filled. I also sold my 2005 Roubaix as it was to help fund the new 2500.00 frameset. And parts. The TCX was hands down the best dual purpose bike I have ever owned. Great road or off road bike, but it was big as I am between sizes for those, but made it work for a few seasons. [traded it to a friend 4" taller than me]

I also tried some 650B tires on the SL4, bit chains stays limit tire size a lot. And a tire small enough to fit would be too small as to lower the bike too much.

Not sure why a Crux would be less desirable than the Diverge. I think the crux is a touch shorter and had a higher BB. But I would have to look again...

_____
Another consideration might be durability. What I mean is that I intend to use the new one for more than gravel on the off piste use side of things. I would rather have shiet bouncing off my powder coated steel custom than popping a hole in a carbon bike. Some logging roads I ride need the bigger tires and have gravel filled washout with some big stone that does bang up the down tube. My TCX use to sing with the pings of that stone hitting it.


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

If Crux VS Diverge is on the table, which I think it would be for gravel/woods/logging roads etc al These two certainly fit bigger tires than the Roubaix.

I whipped this up side by side for comparison for a 58CM size. A few things pop up to me. As I thought, Crux shorter, less taller, higher BB.

Notable is rake and trail, the Diverge should steer more lazily. More room for the mommy daddy buttons, Longer WB, more stack and reach which may have a canceling effect on each other to a degree. But crux bars want to be lower I'd say. But what seems likely is that if you use a stack of spacers or positive rise stem the higher stack probably will suite better??

Looking at the Crux again reminds me why when I could have got a employee discount on a crux in 2012 I passed on it. Tall and short for me, but may work fine for others of course.

I'd add that for the pavement purpose, the Crux would be my choice if a lot of aggressive road duty was in the cards. But I think overall the Diverge will suite longer and less aggressive comfort based riding on what I think I know.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

tyrich88 said:


> I've been contemplating a high end crux or diverge and played with the thought of replacing my road bike with it since I dont race road much...
> How did you crux fair as a road bike?
> Wondering if it really rides like a tarmac, since they call it the "Tarmac for the dirt".


My Crux Pro was very quick and I had no issues keeping up with occasional breakaways on group rides. With the Rovals and Roubaix Pro 23/25 tires the bike was a very respectable 17lbs in a size 58. The Carbon 10R (high-modulus) frame is quite snappy and what they are speccing on the new Diverge as well.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

robt57 said:


> If Crux VS Diverge is on the table, which I think it would be for gravel/woods/logging roads etc al These two certainly fit bigger tires than the Roubaix.
> 
> I whipped this up side by side for comparison for a 58CM size. A few things pop up to me. As I thought, Crux shorter, less taller, higher BB.
> 
> ...


That's very a very helpful graphic and for me, part of the way I worked with my LBS on the proper size. I'm 6'0" with a 32" inseam and rode a size 56 2012 Roubaix, size 58 CruX, and ordered the size 56 Diverge. On ALL of those bikes the reach is 387mm, all have Head-Tube Angles of 72.5, with Seat-Tube angles of 73.25 (Diverge) and 73 (Roubaix & CruX).


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

It sounds like I did the opposite of what most of you have done... you guys are looking to swap full road bikes for gravel/road bikes.

I had a specialized Tricross (the predecessor to the Diverge) and I basically used it entirely as a road bike..










I ended up selling it and moving completely to a true road bike as I had no interest in using this for any gravel. As you see it, it was set up as a road bike. It was ok.... definitely a little heavy. I think the lightest I had gotten it was 19.1 pounds... it started at 24.5. The long wheelbase was very stable but didn't handle as sharply when really trying to dive into turns. I much prefer my Allez and Venge now.


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## tyrich88 (Jul 12, 2013)

Rich, Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my allez and I may not be getting rid of it... but i'm a mtb racer and am fairly partial to the dirt. So a cross bike that can play double duty as a cross and road bike would be awesome!


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## taodemon (Mar 17, 2014)

I started on a mountain bike (Carve comp) but found myself riding mostly on pavement with it so I switched to a road bike. What I still don't understand is if you want to ride on gravel/dirt why not just get a mountain bike? Is a mountain bike really that much worse off on the road compared to a something like a Crux or Diverge with fat tires? It just seems like if I wanted to be on the road I would want the best performance there, and same for off road, and not something in between just so I could do both on the same ride. 

That's just me though. These gravel bikes do seem to be popular, just not really what I would go for in a bike.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

taodemon said:


> I started on a mountain bike (Carve comp) but found myself riding mostly on pavement with it so I switched to a road bike. What I still don't understand is if you want to ride on gravel/dirt why not just get a mountain bike? Is a mountain bike really that much worse off on the road compared to a something like a Crux or Diverge with fat tires? It just seems like if I wanted to be on the road I would want the best performance there, and same for off road, and not something in between just so I could do both on the same ride.
> 
> That's just me though. These gravel bikes do seem to be popular, just not really what I would go for in a bike.


Running a 120TPI 30/32 Roubaix Pro, I wouldn't call the Diverge tires "Fat."  Many riders have made the switch (including me) to running 700x25 full-time on their road bikes. There is no perceptible negative performance impact, but the ride quality definitely improves.

"True" Gravel riding/events are becoming more and more popular. The biggest is the Dirty Kanza (late May) in Emporia, KS. It's 200 miles of gravel & farm roads where a MTB wouldn't necessarily be your best choice. Most people out there are running gravel specific bikes with 700x32 knobby tires at a minimum and some run up to 700x40/42. I've ridden a gravel 68-miler event twice (Gravel Metric in DeKalb, IL) and speeds can get pretty high (holding the low 20's). There are some people riding this event with MTB's and even some fatties, but a road bike that can run 700x32 or bigger is really the ticket for events like this.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

I picked up my new *Diverge Expert X1* on Friday the 21st and WOW!

This bike has exceeded my expectations and I'm very happy with the purchase. First word that came to mind on my inaugural ride - *PLUSH*. If you run the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires, the bike is so compliant it's crazy. The bike is still fast (enough), but you will notice the bigger tires spin up a bit slower. However, you can run them at 95psi so rolling resistance is not an issue. My size 56 (sans pedals) weighed in at 18lbs on the shop scale. NOT super light, but certainly not portly given disc and the "beefy" tires. The SRAM Force X1 components are crisp and responsive. I'm really liking the 1x11 (I've been running 1x10 on my fatbike for a while now). The range is impressive and the low/granny gear (46 front + 42 rear) was churning me along at 7.8mph in a cadence of 90. Moving to disc from the weak canti's on my Crux is night and day for braking. 

Only change I've made to the bike is swapping in a pair of 25c Espoir Elite tires for road training & faster paced group rides. At some point I'll be getting a 2nd wheelset to swap in knobbies (like 33c Trigger Pro's or the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires). The 25c's definitely make spinning up the wheels a bit snappier.

*LOOKS:* The color scheme *(Satin Oak Green)* on this bike is amazing as are the tan saddle and handlebar tape. Word of warning - Specialized's web specs list the saddle as expert level (Ti rails), but it came Comp (Cr-Mo rails). My LBS (Pedal & Spoke, N. Aurora, IL - awesome shop) has reached out to Specialized on my behalf for that discrepancy.


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## NealH (May 2, 2004)

taodemon said:


> I started on a mountain bike (Carve comp) but found myself riding mostly on pavement with it so I switched to a road bike. What I still don't understand is if you want to ride on gravel/dirt why not just get a mountain bike? Is a mountain bike really that much worse off on the road compared to a something like a Crux or Diverge with fat tires? It just seems like if I wanted to be on the road I would want the best performance there, and same for off road, and not something in between just so I could do both on the same ride.
> 
> That's just me though. These gravel bikes do seem to be popular, just not really what I would go for in a bike.


I agree with part of this, that a dedicated road bike is best for the fast group rides, no doubt about it. The agility and nimbleness, along with being very stiff where they need to be, makes them the most enjoyable on fast rides and racing. I will never get rid of my road bike - at least while I'm still healthy. 

A29'er will also work as a good all purpose bike, group riding notwithstanding. The advantage in my opinion, of the so called "gravel grinders" is that they can ride the lower skill level mtb trails, greenways, roads, group rides, and they even make decent touring bikes. We do occasional overnight rides, sometimes weekend, and sometimes a full week. A bike like the Diverge or even a cross bike can be pretty well loaded and outfitted for this, although most don't have any eyelets. The rack & fender eyelets, slightly higher head tube and more relaxed geometry of the gravel grinders gives them an advantage in simple touring. Having said this, a simple 29'er is an awfully versatile bike too. Lot of overlap in bikes theses days.


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## taodemon (Mar 17, 2014)

I did a road ride with a couple friends on road bikes and drafting behind them on the carve I was able to average 21.6 mph for the first half of the 58 mile ride before my legs gave out. It was only my 5th month cycling so it was more a fitness issue than anything else (also my longest ride to that point), and it would have obviously been much easier on a road bike but my 29r worked well enough on the road that these "gravel" bikes seem a bit pointless. 

I can see myself getting another mountain bike again at some point for when I'm not on my venge but I don't really see myself ever getting one of these "gravel" bikes. 

As a disclaimer my carve did have a triple in the front which might have made it better on the road than the current trend of 2x or 1x chain rings most mtbs seem to be coming with these days.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

pspycho said:


> I picked up my new *Diverge Expert X1* on Friday the 21st and WOW!
> 
> This bike has exceeded my expectations and I'm very happy with the purchase. First word that came to mind on my inaugural ride - *PLUSH*. If you run the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires, the bike is so compliant it's crazy. The bike is still fast (enough), but you will notice the bigger tires spin up a bit slower. However, you can run them at 95psi so rolling resistance is not an issue. My size 56 (sans pedals) weighed in at 18lbs on the shop scale. NOT super light, but certainly not portly given disc and the "beefy" tires. The SRAM Force X1 components are crisp and responsive. I'm really liking the 1x11 (I've been running 1x10 on my fatbike for a while now). The range is impressive and the low/granny gear (46 front + 42 rear) was churning me along at 7.8mph in a cadence of 90. Moving to disc from the weak canti's on my Crux is night and day for braking.
> 
> ...


Sweet, sweet bike for sure... I actually saw someone from your bike shop posted to the Specialized group, asking about the differences in spec'd saddle. It sounds like they're finding a solution for you.

A second wheel set is great... in theory. That's what I had planed to do with my Tricross, but you'll find that swapping wheels is a pain in the a** because each time you swap, you'll have to re-center the caliper on the disc to avoid rubbing. The clearances are extremely small. I was actually swapping between 3 sets... 1 set for road, 1 set with knobbies, and 1 rear wheel with a trainer tire on it. Eventually, I just look the disc off the trainer wheel.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

TricrossRich said:


> A second wheel set is great... in theory. That's what I had planed to do with my Tricross, but you'll find that swapping wheels is a pain in the a** because each time you swap, you'll have to re-center the caliper on the disc to avoid rubbing. The clearances are extremely small. I was actually swapping between 3 sets... 1 set for road, 1 set with knobbies, and 1 rear wheel with a trainer tire on it. Eventually, I just look the disc off the trainer wheel.


Thanks Rich,

I'm hoping that if I buy a 2nd Axis 4.0 SCS (identical) wheelset I won't have re-centering issues on the brake caliper, but that's not a guarantee...


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

pspycho said:


> Thanks Rich,
> 
> I'm hoping that if I buy a 2nd Axis 4.0 SCS (identical) wheelset I won't have re-centering issues on the brake caliper, but that's not a guarantee...


My Tricross came with the Axis 2.0 disc wheel set. I bought a set of Axis 4.0 Disc wheels that came off a Roubaix for $180 on Ebay. The wheels were nearly identical, but the 4.0's had a slightly deeper aero section. Then i bought a set of 50mm carbon disc brake wheels. Swapping between those 3 always required adjusting the brakes.


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## peabody (Oct 17, 2005)

Do you find the 10-42 cassette "gappy" for riding roads?


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

peabody said:


> Do you find the 10-42 cassette "gappy" for riding roads?


Not as of yet. 
Here are the 10x42 Cogs: 10-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32-36-42 (46T Front)
This is 11x32 (Old SRAM WiFLi): 11-12-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32 (50/34 Front)


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

I was wondering about tire pressures on the 30/32 Roubaix Pros. Does anyone know the range?

So, I ended up throwing down for the CX1 version a few days ago. I pumped the tires to 95 psi and did Marshall Wall yesterday, 120 solo miles in total for the bike's maiden voyage. Happy Veterans Day.

This morning I did my first group ride, and it included a shortish 4 minute climb with little pitches around 18%, 20 miles total. No doubt, the Diverge is not going to climb like my race bike, but I was impressed with how it climbs over all, and the granny gear got me up the climb, no problem.

On a long, false flat section, I was not spinning out at all going almost 40 which was also a nice surprise. In the fast paceline near the end, I found myself being able to comfortably sit in with the bunch, but I was less eager to pull than I might normally be, and it was definitely a little more effort involved overall, but it was negligible really. This made me realize that I can legitimately take this on group rides over the winter, a huge plus. 

As for looks, this version is so much better looking than the others I think. I have been getting tons of compliments.


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## firefox90 (Apr 2, 2010)

I've spent a ton of time on a New Tarmac with 25/26s and a 2015 Crux. I got the Crux before the Tarmac, so I've ridden it with 25 slicks, 30 slicks, and 40c WTB Nanos. 

The Crux excels on the dirt with the 40s. It's a monster that will take you through surprisingly rough stuff. With 40s or 30s, it makes a great bike packing bike. With 25s on the road, it's plenty fast but pretty unforgiving relative to the New Tarmac which is surprisingly plush. With 30s on the road, it's comfortable and confidence inspiring in nearly every aspect but cornering. Bombing down rough road descents is a riot where the Tarmac can be a little sketchy on rougher mountain road surfaces. With the Crux though, I can definitely feel the higher bottom bracket relative to the Tarmac. The low bottom bracket factor is what makes the Diverge really appealing. I haven't spent much time on one, but I can only imagine 30s + the low bottom bracket make for an incredible cornering and descending bike (my favorite part of road riding). I wish the Diverge had a bit more clearance for 40s though.

All of this makes me want to get a custom bike with the clearance of the Crux but the geometry somewhere between the Tarmac and the Diverge. Taking a custom bike out of the mix, I'd suggest a Crux if you spend more time on the dirt and want clearance for 40s or the Diverge if you spend more time on the road and can throw in 33ish CX tires for any dirt time. The Roubaix seems like a compromise in flexibility relative to the Diverge if you do anything other than road riding.


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## BluesDawg (Mar 1, 2005)

The Human G-Nome said:


> I was wondering about tire pressures on the 30/32 Roubaix Pros. Does anyone know the range?


I've been running the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires on my custom steel bike designed for roughly the same mix of riding as a Diverge for about 2K miles of mostly paved but a good bit of dirt/gravel over the past 8 months. I like to run about 45 psi front and 55 psi rear for most conditions. Maybe a very little more or less for especially smooth road rides or especially bumpy dirt roads. Much higher and they ride too harsh with no gain in speed. I weigh about 165.

I can't imagine running 95 psi in these tires. The first ride I took on this bike I ran about 70 psi front and 80 psi rear. The ride was so harsh I thought my bike was built too stiff, but soon realized that my tires were grossly over-inflated.


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

BluesDawg said:


> running the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires....run about 45 psi front and 55 psi rear for most conditions.


Are you like 120 lbs or something?


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## Russlite (Apr 12, 2009)

BluesDawg said:


> I've been running the 30/32 Roubaix Pro tires on my custom steel bike designed for roughly the same mix of riding as a Diverge for about 2K miles of mostly paved but a good bit of dirt/gravel over the past 8 months. I like to run about 45 psi front and 55 psi rear for most conditions. Maybe a very little more or less for especially smooth road rides or especially bumpy dirt roads. Much higher and they ride too harsh with no gain in speed. I weigh about 165.
> 
> I can't imagine running 95 psi in these tires. The first ride I took on this bike I ran about 70 psi front and 80 psi rear. The ride was so harsh I thought my bike was built too stiff, but soon realized that my tires were grossly over-inflated.


I'm a 230 lb Clyde and I have found the sweet spot on my 2015 Diverge to be at 75 psi rear and 70 in front. It's a damn comfy ride for me at that setting. I'm betting a more average sized rider could drop another 10-15 psi.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

robt57 said:


> Are you like 120 lbs or something?





BluesDawg said:


> I weigh about 165.


32c is a lot of air volume compared to a 25. If you think of psi as a fixed value, you get wildly varying tire hardness as you go from size to size. I run 28's on my road commuter at 80psi rear/70psi front. I weigh ~170 and they're plenty firm for pavement. With tubular 3c CX tires, I'm often below 30psi racing off road.


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## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

davidka said:


> 32c is a lot of air volume compared to a 25. If you think of psi as a fixed value, you get wildly varying tire hardness as you go from size to size. I run 28's on my road commuter at 80psi rear/70psi front. I weigh ~170 and they're plenty firm for pavement. With tubular 3c CX tires, I'm often below 30psi racing off road.


First of all, let me say that I am overwhelming satisfied with my Expert X1. This bike brings all the fun and versatility. I've been riding on fire roads and single track that I wouldn't have even dreamed of exploring on my normal road bike. 

As for tire pressures, I weight 146. I keep going lower and lower all the time. Right now I've at 75/80, and that feel pretty great. I'll add a little more pressure if I'm doing the fast Saturday group ride and no dirt. In any case, this bike is the best cycling thing that's happened to me in a long, long time.


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