CaadX (newbie) review
iron-clover
Posts: 737
Finally after many years I have finally bought a cyclocross bike using the bike to work scheme- mostly to be used for commuting to work so mudguards and rack were a must, but it also had to be racy enough to take on the local 'cross circuits in the winter with a change of wheels.
I thought I'd post a 'real world' review seeing as this is a popular choice of CX bike. I can't really compare it to other CX machines as I haven't really ridden many so far, although a canti equipped Scott with Dura Ace c24 wheels was definitely more sprightly even if it couldn't be stopped on descents...
In the end I went for the CaadX Tiagra- the description seemed to fit perfectly and apart from the Kinesis crosslight I couldn't find a better paint scheme. I'm also a fan of the massive alloy tubes of the Cannondale.
Here it is fresh from the shop with mudguards fitted:
I went for guards wide enough to take 35C tyres with enough clearance for light off roading- for proper mud plugging they'll need to be removed to save clogging, but the tyres will also need to be replaced as the Sammy Slicks seem to suffer when you hit real mud.
So far I've spent a couple of weeks commuting and a 40 mile night ride on the road, plus a 45 mile loop with about 25 miles of 'off road' to see how it fares.
On the road unladen it feels OK- with the dual sided spd pedals engagement is quicker than with my spd-sl road cleats, so lends itself to city riding with stops and starts quite well. It also seems to get up to speed quite quickly compared to my hybrid I use around town, although the speed is 1-2mph slower than the road bike once up to speed. It also seems to lend itself better to spinning up lumps rather than hustling out of the saddle due to the greater weight (especially the rotating weight at the wheels).
Descending gritty country lanes is also a joy- it is significantly slower than the road bike (although you don't realise this without looking at the computer) and the brakes and extra straight line grip afforded by the tyres lets you leave braking right to the last minute. However, it seems to suffer when really leaning over as the knobbles on the side of the tyres start breaking up your grip on the road so fast cornering on the road needs some care.
The handlebars have a nice curve which lends themselves to riding on the drops which helps a little when up to speed on the road, and also provides an extra hand position on rough stuff. The stock handlebar tape is also nice and thick and is grippy but maintains a nice feel. The front end is slightly higher than on my road bike (I keep the bars about 1cm higher, although if slammed it would be on a par), and the reach slightly shorter, but this makes for better off road handling.
The new Tiagra beat my expectations with great front shifting, and quick rear shifting with the ability to go up 3 sprockets on the rear with one lever throw. The shifting does need some care when changing down gears though due to this though as there seems to be reduced 'feel' as to when you have engaged into a new sprocket, and is easier to leave the chain 'between gears' causing an annoying jump when you take pressure off the lever than with the old 105 or Tiagra. The ergonomics are good though and feels similar to the new 105 hoods.
Once you get it off road it feels much more at home, and dispatches gravel paths (think NCN paths) with ease and bounces over small stones and rocks without difficulty. Care has to be taken with roots at an angle to the trail though, as the tyres have a tendency to get caught and pulled off to the side if you hit them at a low angle.
When you hit muddy sections things start to get 'fun'. The Sammy Slick tyres don't seem to have much bite and any cambers see them sliding quickly with a steadying foot often needed (although my off road skills do leave a lot to be desired!!). I also can't ride either down or up the steepest off road sections that fully fledged MTBs can ride- going down I can't get my weight far enough back for effective control and going up you simply don't have the gears- but it's quicker to run up anyway!!
Here's a picture from the high point of my off roading ride:
Overall so far I'd say its a jack of all trades, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not as quick as a dedicated road bike but handles potholes and poor road surfaces much better, and is still good enough for the occasional foul weather club ride or after work training loop. It also handles pannier racks fairly well with not a huge effect on handling or feel unlike a road bike.
It also deals with 'light' off roading reasonably well, although a change of tyres would be needed to proper mud courses, but as it is means you can easily stitch together trails with road riding that doesn't eave you feeling slow and time wasting.
I'll update this thread once I've had some real cross races in the winter as well as update on new equipment I would have bought for them- namely new wheels, tyres and probably saddle (I find the stock saddle a touch wide although quality bib shorts help). I'll also be fitting slicker tyres for commuting/ road use and see if this helps with the road speed and handling.
I thought I'd post a 'real world' review seeing as this is a popular choice of CX bike. I can't really compare it to other CX machines as I haven't really ridden many so far, although a canti equipped Scott with Dura Ace c24 wheels was definitely more sprightly even if it couldn't be stopped on descents...
In the end I went for the CaadX Tiagra- the description seemed to fit perfectly and apart from the Kinesis crosslight I couldn't find a better paint scheme. I'm also a fan of the massive alloy tubes of the Cannondale.
Here it is fresh from the shop with mudguards fitted:
I went for guards wide enough to take 35C tyres with enough clearance for light off roading- for proper mud plugging they'll need to be removed to save clogging, but the tyres will also need to be replaced as the Sammy Slicks seem to suffer when you hit real mud.
So far I've spent a couple of weeks commuting and a 40 mile night ride on the road, plus a 45 mile loop with about 25 miles of 'off road' to see how it fares.
On the road unladen it feels OK- with the dual sided spd pedals engagement is quicker than with my spd-sl road cleats, so lends itself to city riding with stops and starts quite well. It also seems to get up to speed quite quickly compared to my hybrid I use around town, although the speed is 1-2mph slower than the road bike once up to speed. It also seems to lend itself better to spinning up lumps rather than hustling out of the saddle due to the greater weight (especially the rotating weight at the wheels).
Descending gritty country lanes is also a joy- it is significantly slower than the road bike (although you don't realise this without looking at the computer) and the brakes and extra straight line grip afforded by the tyres lets you leave braking right to the last minute. However, it seems to suffer when really leaning over as the knobbles on the side of the tyres start breaking up your grip on the road so fast cornering on the road needs some care.
The handlebars have a nice curve which lends themselves to riding on the drops which helps a little when up to speed on the road, and also provides an extra hand position on rough stuff. The stock handlebar tape is also nice and thick and is grippy but maintains a nice feel. The front end is slightly higher than on my road bike (I keep the bars about 1cm higher, although if slammed it would be on a par), and the reach slightly shorter, but this makes for better off road handling.
The new Tiagra beat my expectations with great front shifting, and quick rear shifting with the ability to go up 3 sprockets on the rear with one lever throw. The shifting does need some care when changing down gears though due to this though as there seems to be reduced 'feel' as to when you have engaged into a new sprocket, and is easier to leave the chain 'between gears' causing an annoying jump when you take pressure off the lever than with the old 105 or Tiagra. The ergonomics are good though and feels similar to the new 105 hoods.
Once you get it off road it feels much more at home, and dispatches gravel paths (think NCN paths) with ease and bounces over small stones and rocks without difficulty. Care has to be taken with roots at an angle to the trail though, as the tyres have a tendency to get caught and pulled off to the side if you hit them at a low angle.
When you hit muddy sections things start to get 'fun'. The Sammy Slick tyres don't seem to have much bite and any cambers see them sliding quickly with a steadying foot often needed (although my off road skills do leave a lot to be desired!!). I also can't ride either down or up the steepest off road sections that fully fledged MTBs can ride- going down I can't get my weight far enough back for effective control and going up you simply don't have the gears- but it's quicker to run up anyway!!
Here's a picture from the high point of my off roading ride:
Overall so far I'd say its a jack of all trades, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not as quick as a dedicated road bike but handles potholes and poor road surfaces much better, and is still good enough for the occasional foul weather club ride or after work training loop. It also handles pannier racks fairly well with not a huge effect on handling or feel unlike a road bike.
It also deals with 'light' off roading reasonably well, although a change of tyres would be needed to proper mud courses, but as it is means you can easily stitch together trails with road riding that doesn't eave you feeling slow and time wasting.
I'll update this thread once I've had some real cross races in the winter as well as update on new equipment I would have bought for them- namely new wheels, tyres and probably saddle (I find the stock saddle a touch wide although quality bib shorts help). I'll also be fitting slicker tyres for commuting/ road use and see if this helps with the road speed and handling.
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Comments
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I've got GP4000S II on mine, in 28mm. Transforms road use, obviously not much good off road.
I didn't realise how flexible the standard wheel were until I bought some handbuilt items. H+ Son Archetype rims, Sapim Race spokes and Hope Pro Evo 2 hubs. Makes a lot of difference when getting out the saddle, you can feel the power is getting used more efficiently.
Also converted the BB with a Praxis unit, and have a Shimano 50/34 crank, which seems to have improved the front end shifting, and given me better low end and top end gearing - I found the down change really clunky on the 46/36, also Tiagra0 -
I'm going to keep semi slicks on mine for light off road use without having to change back to the Sammy Slicks- my current commute takes in a short section of bridleway although I can get away with less tread though. I'm currently looking at something like the Conti travel contact tyre which has a slick centre tread but still has some knobbles on the outside which would probably suit its use better- I'll keep the Sammy Slicks for dry cross racing and specific local off road jaunts.
I've not decided what wheels to go for yet- I like the sound of handbuilts but also Kinesis seem to do a good CX wheelset.0 -
I have a Caadx, but the canti version. I agree with your review, when you go off road it is a lovely bike to ride. What size frame did you go for and how tall are you? I did put sks mudguards on for a while, but they caused toe overlap so I took them off. I think lighter wheels would make it a much better ride.1998 Kona Cindercone in singlespeed commute spec
2013 Cannondale Caadx 1x10
2004 Giant TCR0 -
got the same bike . how did you fix the front mudguards? are they attached on the inside of the forks?0
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tim000 wrote:got the same bike . how did you fix the front mudguards? are they attached on the inside of the forks?
Yes, that's correct. The stay bolts are on the inside of the forks.
They do have an odd shaped 'cut out' on the back of the fork crown for the mudguard bracket to bolt on to meaning you have to fit the guards as low as they'll go (which means fag paper clearance- as you can see in the first photo). I took some bolt cutters to the top of the bracket (on the mudguards, not the fork!!) to raise them a little and now they are snug with the forks and have plenty of clearance now.0
