Cyclocross - fuji cyclocross bikes - input please!

Longtime mtn biker looking to get a commuter/road bike. Not disciplined enough to keep on a nice smooth road as required by a full-on road bike so looking at cyclocross bikes as alternative. Won't be racing. Found a smoking deal on a Fuji Cross Comp at Performance ($1249 down to $800). It has ultegra rear and 105 front/shifters. That alone seems like a great deal. How bout Fuji though...not familiar with the road bike/cross bike brands as far as frames go and what to look for. Any input would be much appreciated!! Everything else seems to start out around $1100 and the drivetrain components are not as high quality. Thanks!!

Killer deal, my LBS owner has ridden one for the last 3 years and loves it. Half of the shop's employees have had one or have one now too.

I just finished my 6th summer with a 2003 Fuji Cross. It sees a whole lot more road use, but I take on some easier mountain bike trails once in a while. Only issue I had with it is the spokes on the Ritchey wheels were breaking. Rear wheel was relaced under warranty in 2004 and no problems since. Front wheel made until fall 2007 before I got fed up and relaced it.
http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/41551/2421840200102222588S500x500Q85.jpg

Fork and wheels aren't the lightest, but that's a great deal.

thats the normal "sale" price for fuji bikes at performance it seems. Get the membership and use an online coupon together if you can. I didnt know about the online coupons, but the membership was worth it. i ended up getting the cross pro and have been happy with it, but i'm a newb.

That's the price I paid for my 2003 Fuji Cross at Performance too. I love my Fuji Cross, though she is leaving my stable shortly for other projects.

thats the normal "sale" price for fuji bikes at performance it seems. Get the membership and use an online coupon together if you can. I didnt know about the online coupons, but the membership was worth it. i ended up getting the cross pro and have been happy with it, but i'm a newb.

You can use the online coupon codes in the retail stores? What was your final price for a cross pro? By the way, do they ever carry these Fuji cross bikes at the Perf online website? I just looked, but couldn't find them. Thanks!

I have an '06 Fuji Cross Pro that I commute on. I love the bike. Ultegra front and back, STI shifters. Alex wheels with Formula hubs, and Truvativ cranks. This is a great bike. I'd rather have a steel frame for a commute, but I may want to do triathlons at some point, and can really only afford one bike. I can get by on a triathlon with this bike by removing the rack and fenders, swapping to lighter wheels, and adding aero bars. Wouldn't want to ride steel in a tri.

I love my 2007 CrossPro for racing. Great mix of stability, quick handling and stiffness. I haven't tried it on the road though.

So it sounds like the Cross Comp can be had at Performance retail stores on sale sometimes for $800.00---a great deal!! What about the Fuji Cross Pro? Does anyone know what a good sale price for the Cross Pro is at a Performance retail store? Thanks!

I think if you're a club member you occasionally get mailings (snail mail) which can further the discount. You're right, i don't see the fuji's online so probably no deal there. I just bought my '07 cross pro for $1299 a few months ago. Its full ultegra, but dura-ace rear derailleur. The 10% back from the membership I think paid for my air pump, bottle and cage, spare tube, the Zinn maintenance book, and a seat bag (i was starting from nothing here), so not a bad deal at all.

The '08 cross pro models were $1399 at the time, but I was already spending more than I originally intended.

Thanks. I called the Performance store in another state I frequently visit, and they have the '07 Cross Pro for sale at $1,299, the same price you paid. Can't buy it over the telephone or online though.

About a month ago I bought a Fuji road bike (Roubaix RC - Altair 2 frame with carbon fork and seat stays) at Performance. I use it for (street) commuting and weekend club (road) rides. I would like to try commuting on the dirt canal banks here, but I would not even try that with the 700x23's I have. I thought I would need a hybrid bike for that.

I was completely unaware of the "cyclocross" class of bikes. Looking at the specs, the differences seem to be a) wider tires, b) no carbon seat stays, c) odd crank gearing - I have 53/39, other Roubaix's use a "compact" 50/34, but the cross bikes are 46/36. Any other differences? I'm probably still within the exchange window to do a swap, if I wanted to look into this some more. I'm concerned that the gearing would leave me unable to keep up on my weekend rides?

About a month ago I bought a Fuji road bike (Roubaix RC - Altair 2 frame with carbon fork and seat stays) at Performance. I use it for (street) commuting and weekend club (road) rides. I would like to try commuting on the dirt canal banks here, but I would not even try that with the 700x23's I have. I thought I would need a hybrid bike for that.

I was completely unaware of the "cyclocross" class of bikes. Looking at the specs, the differences seem to be a) wider tires, b) no carbon seat stays, c) odd crank gearing - I have 53/39, other Roubaix's use a "compact" 50/34, but the cross bikes are 46/36. Any other differences? I'm probably still within the exchange window to do a swap, if I wanted to look into this some more. I'm concerned that the gearing would leave me unable to keep up on my weekend rides?

Performance will take anything back for any reason, no matter how used. The only limiting factor is how comfortable you feel with returning your road bike, but other than that, you are entirely within their policy, and I certainly think "This other bike is better for my needs." is a viable reason for a switch.

Gearing is very much a function of personal preference, as well as the terrain that you ride. Your current 53/39 with a 12-25 cassette leaves you with an upper limit of 116 gear inches, and a low end of 41 gear inches. Switching to a 46/36 using the same 12-25 cassette will lower your top end by 16 gear inches, but you'll still be able to manage 30mph without a ridiculous spin. In most group rides I've been in, that would keep you in contact. If you're still concerned, you could switch the 46 to a 50 ring for little cost ($25 or so for a nice chainring), and gain some top end back.

I think you'll find that the CX bike is a much more useful machine, if you intend on doing any kind of off road riding, even including your canal paths.

Yep, you sound like an excellent candidate for a cross bike. There are a lot of people that use them as a multi-purpose bike---cyclocross racing, commuting, weekend club road rides and even loaded touring. Some folks have two sets of wheels and tires for their cross bikes---one set mounted up with cyclocross tires and one set mounted up with road race tires. If you are concerned about losing the compliancy from the carbon rear seat stays that you have now, I would recommend running a 700*28 road race tire in the back for your road race tires, or at least a 700*25 tire, and don't overfill them. It will smooth out the ride a lot on the road, and contrary to generally held public belief, the rolling resistance for wide road race tires is not anymore than it is for skinny tires.

There are a number of ways to get the gearing you want. The 36/46 chainrings are optimized for cyclocross racing, but the bolt pattern on those cranks is the same as a compact crankset, 110mm, so you could switch out the chainrings to 36/50. If that didn't give you a high enough gear, you could throw on a Sram Rival 11/26 or 11/28 cassette in the back. You could also near replicate your current 39/52 by buying a 38/52 ring combination in 110 BCD pattern like in the example below. Or maybe Performance would even switch out the entire crankset for a 130 BCD crankset like you have now.

http://www.bikesonline.com/search_results.php?phrase=110+BCD+38T+Chainring

Cyclocross bikes are designed to be ridden in a more upright, less aerodynamic position than a road racing bike, but you can greatly influence that position on either a cross bike or road race bike by choice of length and angle for stem. Good luck! :thumb:

i'm 99% sure my '07 cross pro has a 48/38 up front, stamped on the rings themselves, despite whats been posted on the fuji website. I'm just getting into cycling and building up my legs, but i can stay in the 38 ring exclusively right now and still get up to 24 or 25mph without spinning out, unless my GPS is reading way off. Maybe i'll get a wired computer and confirm.

Cyclocross bikes are designed to be ridden in a more upright, less aerodynamic position than a road racing bike, but you can greatly influence that position on either a cross bike or road race bike by choice of stem with regard to both length and angle.
Well that is a lot to think about. I am new to all this. I had my road bike fitted, and we've already put on a shorter and higher stem, because I just can't tolerate a "racing" posture anyway. I wonder why no one suggested a cross bike in the first place. I will definitely look into it. Thanks to all.

Well that is a lot to think about. I am new to all this. I had my road bike fitted, and we've already put on a shorter and higher stem, because I just can't tolerate a "racing" posture anyway. I wonder why no one suggested a cross bike in the first place. I will definitely look into it. Thanks to all.

There is a lot of great information regarding gearing and all matters concerning bicycles at the late, great Sheldon Browne's website:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/glossary-g.html

By the way, you can do all those things---cyclocross racing, commuting, club road rides and touring with the cross tires perfectly well, but the treaded tires just won't be quite as fast on the road as the non treaded, smooth tires will be. It probably isn't even an issue to many people.

Longtime mtn biker looking to get a commuter/road bike. Not disciplined enough to keep on a nice smooth road as required by a full-on road bike so looking at cyclocross bikes as alternative. Won't be racing. Found a smoking deal on a Fuji Cross Comp at Performance ($1249 down to $800). It has ultegra rear and 105 front/shifters. That alone seems like a great deal. How bout Fuji though...not familiar with the road bike/cross bike brands as far as frames go and what to look for. Any input would be much appreciated!! Everything else seems to start out around $1100 and the drivetrain components are not as high quality. Thanks!!

Killer deal. I just bought one and so far am really impressed. Fuji seems to be trying to take it up a notch and gain market share by giving away bikes. Check out their 09 enduros. I haven't had it long, but the 08 Cross Comp gets my vote for deal of the month at least.

i just got a fuji cross comp from perfomance for $650 (ok it was $750 and I used $100 in point that i had on my card). after looking at every bike shop in socal and spending hours researching online i feel that I could not have found a better bike for the money.

save your money and get a new set of tires for your MTB

save your money and get a new set of tires for your MTB

Disagree....my cross bike has changed my life :).
I had all kinds of buddies saying "why would you want a bike that does nothign particularly well?".

I have found a great deal of fun in trying to find something that the Kona Major Jake cannot do well (Besides descending technical offroad trails). It climbs off road like no other bike of mine even with slicks.

It is fast on the road and even faster off road (as long as it is not rough or steep downhill).

BIG CYCLOCROSS BIKE FAN HERE.

First off I've had a cross comp frame and it was a great frame, its one of the aluminum frames from Taiwan that many companies carry with different paint, decals and certain minor changes, but its what you get in that price range. When you look closely around at everyones bikes a C race you'll see that most people are on a frame from the same factory. That is proof that its a tried and true frame and fork that does everything pretty well. But you can get pretty much the same frame and fork from motobecane and many others.
Secondly and I know this is highly subjective, I would rather spend more on a kona jake the snake, same frame and fork as fuji, from a local shop with good mechanics and a staff that cares. I've been into several different proformance shops over the years and I was equally underwhelmed by them all. Locally, they opened a shop and hired almost every employee from the shop, that at the time had the worst service in town. Now they have the worst service in town. The service department is a joke, they stock almost no replacement parts and I would not trust them to give you a proper fit. The last time I went to a proformance, almost every bike on their racks was not built up properly and one of the bikes even had one of its fork blades sheared in half. I pointed it out to an employee and his reaction showed that no one had previously noticed, and no one cared. My girlfriend bought a trainer from them and that led to a fiasco that could fill entire thread, but could be summed up in two words, incompetence, and indifference. I will never buy another tube, sock or spoke nipple (if they even stocked spoke nipples) from them ever again. Your not just buying a bike, your buying a relationship with a bike shop, that relationship may end up saving you money in the end, like on knee sugery from an improper bike fit done by someone who worked at burger king a week earlier.

I love my LBS. Those two brothers have the most gifted hands. They're like plumbers, or artists. They can do anything and it's an absolute pleasure to watch them change spokes and true a wheel on the bike, even having them do my kickstand was a pleasure. I never hesitate to pay whatever they want. I really want to give them some big money but haven't yet ... maybe I will buy a bike from them someday ...

First off I've had a cross comp frame and it was a great frame, its one of the aluminum frames from Taiwan that many companies carry with different paint, decals and certain minor changes, but its what you get in that price range. When you look closely around at everyones bikes a C race you'll see that most people are on a frame from the same factory. That is proof that its a tried and true frame and fork that does everything pretty well. But you can get pretty much the same frame and fork from motobecane and many others.
Secondly and I know this is highly subjective, I would rather spend more on a kona jake the snake, same frame and fork as fuji, from a local shop with good mechanics and a staff that cares. I've been into several different proformance shops over the years and I was equally underwhelmed by them all. Locally, they opened a shop and hired almost every employee from the shop, that at the time had the worst service in town. Now they have the worst service in town. The service department is a joke, they stock almost no replacement parts and I would not trust them to give you a proper fit. The last time I went to a proformance, almost every bike on their racks was not built up properly and one of the bikes even had one of its fork blades sheared in half. I pointed it out to an employee and his reaction showed that no one had previously noticed, and no one cared. My girlfriend bought a trainer from them and that led to a fiasco that could fill entire thread, but could be summed up in two words, incompetence, and indifference. I will never buy another tube, sock or spoke nipple (if they even stocked spoke nipples) from them ever again. Your not just buying a bike, your buying a relationship with a bike shop, that relationship may end up saving you money in the end, like on knee sugery from an improper bike fit done by someone who worked at burger king a week earlier.

i agree, but when one is able to save 50% msrp (and you know what your size is before hand) you can't go wrong with performance bike shops. that and the fact that its very easy to return anything that you don't like. the chain broke on my first ride on the fuji and I walked in with the broken chain and the guy gave me a new one without asking any questions or even asking to see my receipt.

I'm going to a local Performance to check out the Fuji Cross Comp. I can get 'em down to around $730 I think they said.

Can this thing mount disc brakes?

where are you guys finding fuji's at performance? i look online and they don't even carry fuji?

they're not on the website for some reason. My local PB carries fuji and i've also seen a raleigh cyclocross bike in there.

I purchased a '08 Fuji Cross Comp back in late October. It is by far my favorite bike. It does fairly well off road. I've ridden through snow, over dirt roads, on single track trails (without rocks), and over many miles of pavement. It handles them all quite well. The gearing isn't as good for climbing really steep hills, but I can still manage to ride. The colors on the '08 are much better, to me, than the '09. Truly a fun bike to ride. I didn't know such a bicycle existed. I bought it with the intention of touring with it in August.

just some FYI those of you who are looking at the cross comp, I've had one, and due to economic strain was forced to sell it. If you want you can also save yourself about $100 and get the Windsor Cyclo. It's the same bike all the way down to the frame. Just different paint job. BD has had them and from the spec's on Windsor's website, it has the bike listed at 19.9 lbs. while if I'm not mistaken, Fuji has the weight listed at 22. for theirs. hmmm.

It's funny that you posted this because I was just looking at an '07 Fuji Cross Comp a few hours ago at Performance and it was on sale for $799; that is one beautiful bike. If I wasn't looking to get a Surly Cross Check for my next commuter bike I would have grabbed that Fuji today.

BD has had them and from the spec's on Windsor's website, it has the bike listed at 19.9 lbs. while if I'm not mistaken, Fuji has the weight listed at 22. for theirs. hmmm.
While I really enjoyed my moto fantom cross before it was stolen, but it was not even near the 18.9 lbs weight listed on the website, try more like 23lbs.

While I really enjoyed my moto fantom cross before it was stolen, but it was not even near the 18.9 lbs weight listed on the website, try more like 23lbs.

Your almost right on the money. The guy in Performance put a 2007 model 56cm on the scale and it weighed just under 24lbs. My Specialized Tarmac is right at 18lbs and the Fuji is much beefier than my Tarmac.