Cannondale CAADX 105

Cannondale was one of the pioneers of aluminium bikes, having launched its original ST-500 in 1983. While it now also makes carbon fibre frames, it's still using the same 6061-T6 aluminium that it did back then, making the CAADX frame the result of 27 years of evolution. All that experience is used to good effect to produce a fine riding 'cross all-rounder, that'll handle on-road commuting duties too.

In these hydroformed times, the CAADX is understated in appearance. There's plenty of tube shaping, but it's all subtle stuff – ovalised and flared down tube, a bit of a flare at the front of the top tube and so on. The stays are slender with a gentle curve when viewed from above. At the bottom of the frame is a bottom bracket shell sized for a BB30 setup. BB30 is gaining ground, although it's not a common sight on relatively inexpensive bikes. The oversized spindle certainly has stifness advantages, although the big shell has the practical benefit of allowing you to use any of the currently-available BB standards with the use of appropriate adaptors.

The head tube takes a semi-integrated headset and is reinforced top and bottom. It also carries the tidy spherical cable stops. With Shimano's 105 levers having gone to fully-concealed cables, the bend of housing between the centre of the bars and the forward-positioned stops looks uncomfortably tight, but didn't present any issues in use. A pair of in-line cable adjusters on those bits of cable make on-the-fly gear tuning a theoretical possibility, but good luck reliably getting hold of the right one while riding. The old exposed gear cables coming off the hoods may have looked untidy, but you could tell which cable was which.

There's a trend in cyclocross bikes to shape the top tube for comfortable shouldering. Cannondale has eschewed this, though. The CAADX top tube is gently ovalised but not flattened or pocketed underneath. We certainly don't have a problem with that – CX bikes don't usually get shouldered for long enough for it to make a difference. Plus which, it's cyclocross racing, it's not meant to be comfortable...

Elegant forged dropouts include a replaceable derailleur hanger and rack mounts, with associated bosses living at the top of the seat stays. There aren't any separate mudguard eyes, so you'll have to double up at the dropouts to run 'guards. Occasionally you'll encounter bikes with rack- and 'guard-ready frames but boss-free forks, but Cannondale's carbon-bladed Ultra X fork has stealthy eyes hidden away at the dropouts and a suitable hole in the crown. There are also two pairs of bottle bosses.

Cannondale always used to be known for ultra-smooth, filed welds that gave its frames the flowing look usually associated with fillet brazing, rather than the "toothpaste" welds commonly associated with aluminium. Those days are gone, but Cannondale now uses a double-pass welded technique that leaves a smoother look that usual. The frame has a rather lovely brushed finish under the lacquer, offset by the largely black parts.

When it comes to components, the clue's in the name of the CAADX 105 – the general theme is Shimano's 10spd 105 groupset, with some tweaks around the edges. The most obvious departure is the chainset. Shimano doesn't offer a chainset that'll fit the Cannondale's BB30 bottom bracket shell directly, so an FSA Gossamer 36/46 setup goes in instead. No complaints there – the actual arms don't have the monster stiffness to match up to the 30mm spindle, but BB30 is a highly future-proof setup so come upgrade time you've got the choice of, well, everything.

Also not present in the 105 group are the 'cross staple of cantilever brakes. Brake maker Tektro must be loving the current mainstream CX surge – it seems to be getting the lion's share of spec on entry- and mid-level bikes. Cannondale has opted for traditionally-shaped wide-profile cantilevers for the CAADX. The sticky-out arms seem a little out of place on the otherwise sleek bike, but they've got leverage on their side. The design does mean using very long straddle wires, which leads to more stretch, but the brakes work well enough. Brake cable stops are integrated into the headset at the front and the seat collar at the back.

Getting most of a Shimano 105 groupset at this price is impressive stuff – much of the sub-£1k competition is mostly Tiagra, and you'd expect to have to go up a price point for 105. 105 is, of course, a 10 speed setup. Conventional wisdom would have it that more closely-spaced sprockets and narrower chains aren't ideal for mud, but pro 'crossers have been racing on 10 speeds for years. Yes, they've got people cleaning their bikes every lap, but if it didn't work in mud they wouldn't be using it. It's undeniably a little more sensitive to adjustment and cable contamination, but anything that would actually clog up a 10spd cassette would make a nine or eight pretty unhappy too.

The combination of 12-25 10spd cassette and 36/46 chainrings gives a spread of gears that's respectably healthy but won't suit all of the potential buyers. CX racers often favour more closely-spaced chainrings to avoid cadence-interrupting big jumps (and because they run up steep hills anyway). Recreational riders or tourists may find a 36/25 bottom end a bit chewy, especially off-road, while fast commuters are likely make use of something a bit taller than 46/12 at the top. There are always going to be areas of compromise on a bike like this that's trying to hit several different targets, though, and your preferred gearing is almost certainly only the odd chainring or cassette swap away.

Also clearly aiming to be most things to most people are the tyres. Continental's Cyclocross Speed tyres have a file tread down the centre and somewhat minimalist knobs on the sides. They're designed for racing on hardpacked or frozen surfaces, upon which they're fast-rolling. Not surprisingly, they're also OK on the road, although you'll be better served by a road tyre if all your riding is on Tarmac. If you're looking at a mixed-surface commute you'll be happy. Any off-road ride involving mud or loose surfaces will be more challenging, though. The Speeds are actually surprisingly capable in such conditions if you're paying attention, but still not a patch on a knobbly tyre. On the upside, the tyres have a tall section and plenty of volume, so you can expect a comfy ride.

Cannondale has had to let something give way to accommodate the frame and transmission at this price point, and the most obvious victim is the wheelset. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it, but the Formula hubs, Maddux rims and plain-gauge spokes are all slightly portly and the cumulative effect is a somewhat unresponsive pair of wheels. They're robust, though, and we'd happily use them until they wore out. Regular racers would probably want to shed some weight sooner rather than later in the interests of acceleration. At around 10kg (depending on size and pedal choice) the overall weight is certainly acceptable, though.

According to Cannondale the CAADX frame has a slightly taller head tube and more relaxed head angle than its race-oriented carbon fibre SuperX brother, although the angles appear to be the same on paper. It's notably high at the front though, which is a mixed blessing. You can see where you're going, which is always useful. And combined with the shallow-drop bars all possible hand positions are readily accessible. The slight downside is that the resulting rearward weight distribution can make the front wheel a bit washy in slippery conditions and you find yourself having to work a bit to keep the front down on steep climbs. With a 36/25 bottom gear there are ratios low enough to tackle fairly prodigious inclines but if you don't concentrate on hunkering down over the bars you occasionally pop the front wheel up. Obviously these idiosyncracies are easy to ride around, and there's scope to drop the bars with spacer rejigglement and/or stem flipping, but it's something to be aware of.

The carbon fork majors on stiffness and steering accuracy rather than comfort, and there's not much give in the oversized bars either, leaving the tyres doing most of the work. No complaints there – it's hard to make a compliant fork that's not also a bit fluttery. It's fine on the road, and off-road we'll take accuracy and lack of flutter every time.

Verdict

The Cannondale CAADX 105 delivers a fine ride. The frame and fork fundamentals are excellent and – in contrast to Cannondales of years gone by – the component spec is very competitive for the money. The wheels are something of a weakness compared to the rest of the bike, but there's only so much money to go around. The Cycle to Work-friendly cyclocross/all-rounder market is a crowded one, packed with bikes trying to be all things to all riders. The CAADX feels less compromised than most, rides well and looks great. Definitely one for the shortlist.