Anyone have an opinion about the Specialized Tricross Sport? I've decided to up-grade a bit from my Raleigh, and I'm thinking a quality touring type bicycle is the way to go for me. I had the Trek Portland or the 520 in mind when I went to the shop since they are both sturdily built--but light--and designed to take a lot of weight, and are fairly "low maintenance". The salesman talked over the pros and cons of both and led me, instead, to the Specialized tricross sport which he thought better suited to my needs. He didn't actually have ANY of the bikes we discussed in stock, and the shop had a policy of demanding a non-refundable deposit for bikes they would have to order, so he sent me to another shop! This indicates to me that he was being truthful about his opinion since his shop was not going to make the sale.

Well, anyway, I rode the Specialized and it fit like a glove, flew like the wind, climbed the hills behind the shop like a champ. It was all I could do not to slap down the debit card and buy it on the spot.

But that is my problem; I felt the same way about the Raleigh the first time I rode it, and, well, she and I are not on speaking terms anymore! I know my response to the bike was mostly emotional (in both cases), so I'm trying to take a moment and be rational about it. Does anybody have one of these bikes? any experiences, good or bad?