I’m headed to worlds for cross tri in Abu Dhabi next year, and my gear setup couldn’t be further from what the conditions out there are going to be. I live in the land of New England chunk, and the race is going to be held on a giant pump track in the desert (Trail X, Hudayriyat).
I ride a 27.5+ Juliana Furtado, and contemplating a hardtail (as an addition, not a replacement). I’m looking at the Trek Procaliber, Specialized Chisel, Canyon Exceed, and Polygon Syncline; something in that $2K-ish range seems to be the right thing. I’d want a 12-speed drivetrain and a dropper would be nice, although I could fit post-purchase if I had to.
Alternatively, I could pick up a relatively inexpensive set of wheels (something like the Elite Pro28), set my flip chip to High, and send it.
I’d rather take my own gear; I’m short and have short arms and legs even relative to my height, so I don’t want to be futzing to fit a rental (I don’t think? Talk me into it?!).
Would appreciate any thoughts and words of wisdom!
For me it would depend on how much racing you plan to do going forward. If this is a one-time thing I wouldn’t buy a new bike, but a lighter wheelset with fast XC tires would make a pretty big difference and you could still use the wheels for everyday riding. Lock out the rear shock and maybe look into short-springing your fork (the Furtado has a 140mm fork right?)
If you’re going to do a lot of Cross Tri/Xterra, a hardtail might make sense as I think most of the off-road tri courses are pretty mellow. I live in New England as well and there are no local trails where I would choose a HT over FS so I could never talk myself into spending the money.
You could also consider splitting the difference - sell the Furtado and use that and the hardtail money to buy a FS XC bike like a Juliana Wilder, Epic8, etc. I have an Epic Evo and it’s capable enough for the majority of my local riding and fast enough to race.