Kolelo

Anyone here have any feedback or opinions on this bike?


Cannondale Cyclocross 5

I am thinking about buying it, 58cm size, to use as a more versitile road bike and can't seem to find any reviews.

Cynikal 

I bought a CX9 as a frame/fork and I couldn't be happier with it. I have a different fork than the one on the 5, mine came with the Easton EC90X. I beat on mine all season and it never even flinched. It is very stiff and fast but still forgiving in the technical stuff. I came from a Lemond Poprad so it was a very different feel in frame material and geo.

Make sure you get a chance to ride one for fit. Cannondale's sizing is a little different. Read: high BB.

Kolelo

How much did you have to spend for your set up?

It seems like it is available in England. Can't seem to see a price for it on any US dealers.

Good article on BB Height...

https://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/20...et-height.html

Cynikal 

I have about $1500 into mine with 3 wheelsets but the frame and fork were a team buy and I have a bunch of parts already.

Kolelo

I see. Do you think US C'dale dealers would have access to ordering a CX9 here in the US?

Thank you for the help.

Cynikal 

Any Cannondale dealer should be able to order you one and hopefully would have one one on the floor for you to test ride.

Kolelo

Oh, I see. They just have different names for it here - Cyclocross Red

Sadly, way out of my price range...
MRAP: $5,299

Cynikal 

As I understand it, they use the same frame but change the fork and comps.

The Red version is spec'd really well. I think it comes with tubulars. I'm sure it's a 17 lbs cross bike off the shelf. Mine with ultegra 9 speed stuff and some old Dura Ace tubulars comes in at just above 18 lbs.

Kolelo

That's pretty good. I had the LBS weigh a 56 cm C'dale CC 5 and it was 21 something lbs.

Cynikal 

The BB30 crank and the EC90x are where the weight reductions are.

habals

I bought this bike last year, and put ~300miles so far. It is an awesome bike. Unfortunately, I'm not a bike expert, so I'm not sure how I can help.
However, I'll try my best to describe this bike.
My route has some paved road, steep hills, off-roads, and MUP, and I can take this bike to any surface with confidence.
I ride 13miles each way (a little bit more than an hour), and the saddle is also very comfortable.
I can speed to ~25mph at downhill and ~7mph on climbing, averaging 11.2mph so far. (Note that I'm a noob, you can probably do much better)
Granny gear is useful on hills >10%.
You should note that the sizing is a little bit different from other Cannondale road bikes.
I'm 5'9 and fit on 56cm Synapse 5, but I barely fit on 54cm Cyclocross 5.
I considered between Cross Check and Specialized Tricross, but I felt Cannondale Cyclocross 5 is better than the others.
Braking is not as good as I thought. So if your route has an intersection after a downhill, you might want to consider a bike with a disk brake.
Trek Portland seems to be a good option, but it is a bit more pricey.
Please note that the frame has changed since 2009. 2009 was BB30 frame, but it is CAAD-8 frame on 2010 model.
I think that is partly the cause for the price drop for about $300.
If you have any specific question, please let me know. I'll try to answer as best as I can.

Kolelo

Hey, "noob" here too. You and several people have pointed out I may have break issues. I looked at some disk break frames but there were either out of my price range or not to my liking.
Do you think this frame would take the other kind of breaks... caliper road breaks?

Also, does anyone know if there are road type caliper breaks with a deeper/higher arch profile that would allow for a mud guard to slide through underneath the calipers without effecting their ability to squeeze against the tire's rim as they should?

habals

When I say braking is not good, it means that going downhill on 20mph+ and must stop.
The comment about the disk brake is what I heard (not my experience) it is better than the default canti brakes.
I'm not sure I can switch to V-brakes, which I also heard it is better than canti, but not as good as the disk brakes.
If you ride carefully, default canti brake does the job well.

Anyway, I love this bike, and I think you'll love it, too.
I suggest to test ride many bikes before you pick one.

Cynikal 

I went with the Tektro cr720's for brakes and have been happy. The wide profile brakes have a little less power but better mud clearance and this is primarily a race bike, I didn't need massive braking power.

I'm not sure what they stock on the 5's but a small upgrade could really improve the braking.

habals

Stock on 5 is also Tektro cr720.

Kolelo

I'm becoming more and more convinced to buy this bike. I just do not see anything comprobable, 105, etc., at that kind of a price.

I won't be too worried about mud clearance as I will mainly use it as a road bike. I will have a hard time letting mud splatter on something I paid over a grand for, at least for a little while :-)

habals

I put full size SKS fender on it without any problem.

Kolelo

I looked those up and they are good looking. I'll have to save the link and get a pair down the line. SKS Fenders

habals

I think you'll need P45 (https://www.rei.com/product/684330)
I got it from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/SKS-Chromoplas...4135676&sr=8-1)
Stock tire is 35mm

Kolelo

Thanks for pointing that out. I saved the links.