Advice needed on my shortlist of 3 CX Bikes!!

Kalvin27

Hi all,

I'm looking at moving from my Specialised hybrid to my first Cyclocross for the versatility. I will be looking at mainly long rides but like the flexibility of being able to take the bike off road (cycle tracks, gravel tracks etc).
Done research over this past week and have narrowed it down to a choice of 3 - Now all I need is a bit of advice for the big selection. Here they are:

Cannondale CAADX Tiagra Disc £900 (Prefer the overall design of this bike the best however without the 105 set not so sure)

Cannondale CAADX 105 Disc £1000 (Upgraded choice obviously)

Kenesis Crosslight Pro6 Built with Crosslight Disc Build kit 105 - 11Sp - 2015 = £1200

I like the feel of the Cannondale’s however the Kenesis would be built with the shop so unable to compare like for like. Any help gratefully appreciated!

Thanks

luv2ride

I have a Crosslight Pro6 disc and a mate has a Cannondale CAADX Tiagra (though he's upgraded to Campag). Both are great bikes but his seems to be less harsh over rougher terrain. Mine flies on rough roads though (as does his). Have you taken a look at the Planet X London Road? looking good value, and very nice in sick green or stealth black IMHO.

veronese68

Does the rest of the spec improve with the CAADX from Tiagra to 105? Do they all come with the same brakes? It's worth getting the full hydraulic 105 if you can. I upgraded from cable to semi hydraulic and it's a lot better. I think full hydraulic would be better again, and neater.
Still loving my Kinesis after a couple of years, but haven't tried the 'Dale so can't compare the 2 I'm afraid. I should add the Kinesis is best in green.

Mombee

I'm running a Cannondale CAADX Sora Disc (bought in December 2014) and a Kinesis Crosslight Pro3 (about three years old), and they're very different beasts in my opinion, at least in this spec. If you're looking for a cyclocross race bike, then the Kinesis wins hands down… it's lighter, rides faster, but you wouldn't want to spend much more than a normal race length (about an hour) on it. The Cannondale in contrast is way more comfortable and I've got good rides in on it, up to about 60km, so if you're not racing but want a commuter or all-round bike then the 'Dale wins hands down.
The Kinesis Pro bikes are aimed at being 'purer' race bikes… Saying that, the Cannondale with Sora is carrying about a kg of extra group set weight over the 105 version, so that should start to make it a good race option, and plenty of people race on them to good effect.
So, in my opinion, depends really on how long you expect to spend on the bike. Good luck.

http://mombee.com/gear-reviews-clothing ... pressions/

kentphil

+1 Caadx. Great bike. Go for the best spec you can afford. Just watch the sizing of cx bikes as they tend to be different to road bikes.

Mombee

Agree with Phil… I ran a 58cm Cannondale R700 road bike versus a 56cm CAADX… and if I was going to race one I'd even be looking at a 54cm.

tgotb

Mombee wrote:

Agree with Phil… I ran a 58cm Cannondale R700 road bike versus a 56cm CAADX… and if I was going to race one I'd even be looking at a 54cm.

Why? My first CX race bike was a size smaller than my road bikes, and was pretty much a complete disaster; the handling wasn't right, and I was losing ground on every tight corner. Once I switched up a size, all was good. As always, try before you buy, but don't blindly assume you should go down a size.

I've heard an argument that standover height can be an issue for smaller riders, and that you might need to go down a size to avoid giving yourself the occasional wedgie, but if you're riding 58/56cm bikes you should have plenty of standover height.