Fuji vs Cannondale
 

Oh man, tough choice, and there's somewhat of a time limit.

I have the option of two bikes. First, my LBS has a 2009 cannondale caad9-5 left. They want 1199. I might be able to take off another 50 if I buy pedals.

Option 2 is a 2009 Fuji Roubaix Pro at Performance. They have it for 1200, and there's a 15% coupon. And I could do the Performance membership to get 10% in store credit.

What would you guys do? One part of me loves the idea of the CAAD9 frame, but the Fuji has Ultegra in the rear (full ultegra? The woman on the phone wasn't sure, but the website just says rear), and it would be cheaper to boot. What would you guys do?

In the grand scheme of things, you probably will not notice any difference between 105 and Ultegra.
You will, however, notice the difference between a Roubaix and a crit frame.

The Roubaix Pro has only an ultegra RD, so you won't notice much difference as far as shifting is concerned.

Agreed! If I can add my recent experience. I had a Fuji Roubaix Pro, 2005 version I think. They do mix components. So full Ultegra is doubtful, as confirmed above. In Jan I decided to change my frameset, slight crack. Went for (and I know it's not a CAAD 9) a Cannondale Six 13. You will struggle to confince me to ride anything else. Ever. Frame makes a huge difference.

Get the CAAD9, they hold up their value reasonably well. If 2 years from now you want to sell it, you won't have a problem, and Performance will have another sale. Cannondale may not be making CAAD9 frames in the US by then anymore. I also doubt the Fuji is full Ultegra, cranks and brakes in particular is where manufacturers like to cheap out.

If you're going to go for a Fuji, Performance will have better deals (lower up front price + 20% off). But i'd still get the CAAD9 even if it costs a bit more.

I have the Caad9 and my dad has the Roubaix (not pro). I've ridden both, and I must say I really love both bikes. I have higher aspirations in the sport than my 56 year old father though, so a crit bike that I can build up seemed right for me. I don't think you can go wrong, but if you plan on racing at some point in the future, you might thank yourself then for buying the Caad9. That said - the Roubaix is a bit more comfortable, and the carbon seat stays are a nice bonus.

Yeah, I'm looking at getting into racing in the fall. Seems like the caad is the way to go then? I'm not familiar with the Fuji frames and didn't know that was their touring frame.

I think the Roubaix is considered a racing frame, but the Caad9 feels more aggressive to me. I also know that on these forums, there are many who use the Caad9 for that very purpose. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about the Roubaix, though...

Cannondale will be appearing in Wal-Mart soon. I say go Fuji.

I may be a complete newb here, but the Roubaix has essentially the same wheelbase, fork rake, seat and head tube angles, and top tube length as the CAAD9. If the CAAD9 is a racing frame, then it looks like the Fuji is too?

The Fuji has a carbon uni-stay seat stay so maybe that makes it feel a little less aggressive?

Without doing any research I'm going to guess that the Roubaix has a sloping top tube and taller head tube. This puts the rider in a lesser aggressive position than the CAAD with a shorter head tube.

The Roubaix is still considered a racer (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but it is more suited to rougher roads at longer distances.

The Roubaix is in their "performance" line. It's not a full blown race bike like the SL1 or SST models but it's definitely not a touring bike. It's also not a full Ultegra, it is an Ultegra/105 mix with a Gossamer compact crank. The geometry should make it very similar to that of the Caad9 as someone stated earlier.

Fuji has been appearing on Bikesdirect.com for quite a while.

Either buy the Cannondale or save some money and buy the BD version of the Roubaix. I know they have one....almost all of their bikes are Fujis.

Look at the tubing of both bikes, you'll see how the tubes are shaped on the CAAD9. I haven't looked at the Fuji in a while, so can't comment, but do know from experience that Cannondale shapes the tubes to get more stiffness/compliance etc. where needed.

Also the CAAD is a very lightweight aluminum frame.