Gear Reviews

Components SRAM Rival

Wheels Formula/Maddux

Sizes 44, 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm

MSRP $2,149

Buy one get one free isn’t a deal you’ll find on many bicycles these days. But buy the Cannondale CAADX and you’ll be getting two bikes for the price of one. For three months every fall, the CAADX will be a race-worthy cyclocross bike capable of handling whatever brutal course conditions you can throw at it. The other nine months, you’ll get a versatile city or touring bike that’s comfortable to ride and ready to have fenders or panniers mounted to it.

When Cannondale launched the CAADX last year to replace the CAAD9 CX, it didn’t set out to create an all-out cyclocross racing bike. For that, it launched the SuperX, a new-for-2011 carbon fibre ‘cross platform available in two builds including a drool-worthy Hammertime version at just 6.6 kg (14.5 pounds). That model, with a SRAM Red drivetrain and Zipp 303 wheels, is a World Cup-level racer straight off the shelf. But it also costs more than $*****. Not cheap for a bike meant to be raced for about 12 weeks a year.

For most people, the CAADX makes more sense. At 8.9 kg (19.6 pounds), it’s definitely not a featherweight, but considering the stock wheels and tires account for more than 3 kg of that, putting this bike on a diet wouldn’t take much work. If you did, in fact, decide to race the CAADX, you’d likely want to invest in some race wheels anyway, and the rest of the build won’t look out of place.

Other than the wheels, the Rival version of the CAADX is a good value. The build spec Cannondale put together is both capable of cyclocross racing and durable enough to handle riding the bike throughout the year. That’s one of the benefits of owning a ‘cross bike: you can leave your pricey road bike in the garage on those nasty spring days and take this out instead.

The build starts with a 6061 aluminum frame with hourglass-shaped seatstays for a more comfortable ride and a BB30 bottom bracket. The frame and fork have eyelets for mounting racks and fenders. As the name suggests, the drivetrain is the SRAM Rival 2×10 groupset, though an FSA Gossamer compact crankset and KMC chain are used. Braking comes from the popular TRP EuroX’s and the cockpit is a mixture of aluminum pieces from Cannondale and Controltech. Worth noting is the included bar tape, which has almost a rough finish to it, but is great for all-weather riding.

Where the CAADX falters slightly is in the wheels. In order to keep the price low, Cannondale went with Formula hubs laced up with basic spokes and Maddux DRX 6000 rims. They’re heavy and not great for racing, but will work just fine for training wheels. They would also be solid hoops for commuting or touring, which is the CAADX’s second personality. The Continental Cyclocross Speed 35c tires are also more of an all-around pick. They would only be good for the most dry and least technical race courses, but they roll quite well on the pavement.

Our other complaint is in the shape of the toptube. With Cannondale’s history and abilities in tube shaping, it would have been nice to see a more flattened underside to the toptube, making it a bit more comfortable to shoulder. The tube is ovalized, but a more defined flat shape would have been preferred.

Those issues aside, the CAADX is a serious contender in its price bracket. It’s a well-spec’d bike for the money and should be on the short list for riders looking to get into cyclocross this year.