# Fuji Cross Pro or Cannondale CX9 (or GT CX)?



## SteveB27 (Oct 14, 2009)

Hi. I am an older newbie that can use some help choosing a cyclocross bike. I having been riding to work out and commute on the road with a very heavy full suspension bike -- it's killing me. So I am about to buy a cyclocross that I will use for the same uses, plus maybe ride with a road club every once in a while. I will probably never do a cyclocross race due to a bad lower back (why I originally bought the full suspension), but in case this is a bad idea, I am also trying to take resale value into account along with a ride my back can handle. These three new 2009 "leftovers" are about $1100-$1200 -- any advice is really appreciated:

* Fuji Cross Pro Cyclocross (Shimano Ultegra)
* Cannondale Cyclocross 5 aka "CX9" (Shimano 105)
* GT GTR Type CX (SRAM Rival)

Once again, thank you in advance.


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## bcroteau (Aug 23, 2006)

If you have back problems, I'd shy away from the Fuji. The head tubes on those are much smaller than the rest. Cannondales also have a good resale value.


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## dammit (Jun 2, 2008)

Just go wih the cx 9 and be done with it. It will have the tallest head tube of them all, which makes a very back friendly bike. The ride is not plush in the back, so think bigger tires. A michelin pro 25c pumped to 90-100 psi will be nice. Plus, all the fender mounts you need are there.


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## c-lo (Sep 30, 2008)

well i was going to put in my vote for the cross pro, (cause I have one:thumbsup: ) but if you have a bad back I'd look to the cannondale. 

out of curiosity though, what's going on with the back? accident?


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## SteveB27 (Oct 14, 2009)

I have a permanent non-biking, "minor"injury -- I can do everything, but with varying degrees of constant pain. More than one person is suggesting the Cannondale, which surprises me a bit only in that what I read says they are the stiffest frame (CAAD9 BB30) and they "beat you up" on longer rides. That is the only reason I was leaning toward the Fuji. And for the life of me, the sizing is confusing. Neither LBS uses anything special to size you (2 guys in the same shop are telling me different sizes), so I tried wrenchscience.com and it is suggesting a frame size c-t-t of 54 to 55cm. At 5' 10.5" and a 31" inseam these shops are telling me anything from 56cm for the Fuji to 52cm for the Cannondale. I know $1100-$1200 is "not much" for a bike, but it a good amount of money to me and I am really frustrated right now. Again, I really do appreciate your input and any other comments that come in.


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

None of those are particularly soft riding frames, however I would choose the one that gets you the best fit, which for you may mean fairly upright. Then avoid very narrow tires. If you really need to, you can also get a thudbuster suspension seatpost.


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## Crack Monkey (Apr 19, 2007)

SteveB27 said:


> ... suggesting a frame size c-t-t of 54 to 55cm. At 5' 10.5" and a 31" inseam these shops are telling me anything from 56cm for the Fuji to 52cm for the Cannondale


Although bikes are usually sized by seat-tube, you use the top-tube length to size a bike.

Look at the specs side by side. If the effective TT lengths are way different, then something is wrong (bike shop dudes are clueless, trying to clear inventory, something). If the effective TT are similar, then the shop is correct, and the difference in printed size is just a side-effect of companies not using a standard to list bike sizes.

54-55cm sounds in the ballpark for your height, but don't take that as gospel.


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## SteveB27 (Oct 14, 2009)

*Bought The Cannondale Cyclocross 5 (CX9)*

*THANK YOU* for all the input. I was leaning toward the Fuji, but after all of your input and doing a bit more research, I just purchased the 2009 Cannondale Cyclocross 5 (CX9). The shop owner was great and took considerable time and care in measuring me to the frame and making adjustments. As it turns out, the 52cm frame was correct -- Cannondale cyclocross frames are large compared to others (for example a Specialized Tricross I tried was small in size 54cm, and a Fuji I tried seemed correct in size 56cm). Hand made in USA Cannondale CAAD9 frame, good components, and rides surprisingly well as it also has nice-sized tires to help the ride (Maxxis Raze foldable, 700 x 35c). Thanks again...


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