One thing to remember about the Cannondale CX is that it is best described as an "out of the box cyclocross racing bike". People who go out and buy cyclocross bikes like this for touring, commuting, or triathalons are never going to fully get the rides or performance they want. Don't be fooled by the silly and pointless rack eyelets on this bike. It is a race machine pure, plain, and simple, and the brakes are designed for slowing the bike when it is caked in mud, being dismounted, and shouldered for a run-up. The front brakes are for light tapping only, to slow down, but why would a racer want to do that anyway?While a savy cyclocrosser with excellent bike handling skills can commute and putz around on this bike with confidence, anyone less will find the bike difficult to handle at times.