What is the difference between the Triton and RedwoodUpdated 2 months ago
There are some similarities and use cases between these 2 models. The differences come from the stock components and changes you may want to make it work best for your needs.
Groupset: The Redwood is equipped with a full MicroShift Advent X groupset. The Triton comes with the MicroShift Sword groupset.
Braking: The Triton includes compressionless housing. Both bikes come with the same calipers (Tektro MD-C550 dual-piston calipers). While the Redwood brakes work well it does require more fine-tuning. Compressionless housing prevents cable flex so the Triton's brakes will feel more responsive without the need for as fine of detail with tuning.
Gearing: The Triton comes with 50/34 chainrings and an 11-38 cassette. The Redwood comes with a 38t chainring and an 11-48 cassette. The 38t chainring offers solid speed for most folks but you may feel like you are spinning out at speeds over 26mph. Both bikes have solid gearing for climbs.
Forks: The Redwood comes with a full alloy fork. While that might be heavier it allows you to load the bike with up to 70 lbs just on the front alone. The Triton comes with a full carbon fork. There aren't any mounting options on the fork but the full carbon material allows for a comfortable ride with some shock absorption.
Road Riding: The Triton's 700 x 32 Maxxis Pursuer slick tires will give you a comfortable ride on the road while offering you a wider contact patch for cornering. The good part about wider road tires is that you won't lose out on speed because of the low rolling resistance. The Redwood comes with a more beefy Kenda Kadre tire. It will require a little more effort to maintain a faster pace with those stock tires. The benefit of the Redwood's tires on the road is that you'll have plenty of cushion to run over bumps, cracks, and debris. Through our testing, we have maintained speeds of 25-26 mph on flat roads on the Redwood with a moderate cadence. Results will vary based on your experience and endurance.
Gravel Riding: The Redwood's tires offer plenty of grip and grab for anything you throw at it. If your area has rocks, uneven dirt sections, roots, mud, and more the Redwood will take it all on without any trouble. This gives you more confidence especially if you are newer to riding on dirt. Triton has slick tires so unless the trails are smooth and hard-packed you'll want to get a dedicated gravel tire set. Fortunately, the Triton has clearances for a 700 x 42 in the fork and 700 x 35 in the rear. With gravel tires at that size, you should be capable of anything the X can do.
Tubeless Compatability: Both bikes come equipped with thru-axle tubeless compatible wheels so you will be good with either option.
Rack Mounts: The Redwood was made to handle bikepacking and touring so we loaded it up with rack mounts for the front and the back. The Triton favors more of a road setup so there aren't any mounts. However, you can use something like the aeroe rack to mount it up with ease.
Possible Upgrade Ideas:- The Triton: As far as the roads go it has everything you need. If you want to get into gravel riding all you'll need is the gravel tires of your choice and install them onto the stock tubeless wheels.- The Redwood: The same chainring upgrade would be good for the Redwood if needed. Tires would be a good one if you want to finish the tubeless setup. The good part here is if you want to make it more road to gravel specific you can switch out for a different tire tread pattern. The Redwood has large clearances so you have free choice of numerous tire options. Compressionless housing may also be something to consider if you want the same braking power as the X.
Overall: The Triton is going to be your best option for road and light trail riding. The wider gearing option will allow you to have better choices for speed. It is lighter in weight, faster, and more responsive. To get it commuter-worthy you'll want the aeroe rack we recommended. If you want the most versatility the Redwood might be your choice. While the tires may not be your thing you can always swap them out once you have a better idea of what you like. You'll have thru-axle wheels and tubeless compatibility. Pair that with plenty of rack mounts for bikepacking and commuting you can really make this bike whatever you want it to be.