Fuji Bicycles Cross

Price Paid:  $500.00 at Craigslist

Model Year:
2006

Bike Setup:
Stock Frame and components
Stock cyclocross wheels and tires
Crankbros Eggbeaters

Vuelta road wheels
Vittoria 700x23c
Shimano pd-r540

Summary:
I was lucky enough to pick up an excellent condition fuji cross comp on craigslist for $500, and switched out my recently bought motobecane with it. I had only ridden less than a month on my motobecane, but instantly loved my fuji so much more. For the price, it's a decent bike. Pretty durable frame, a bit more aerodynamic than others for road racing, and just a comfortable ride. It's a little heavy for a cross bike, but if you switch out the stock rims you can take a fair amount of weight off. The top handbrakes are also beneficial at times, but if road racing, they're pretty much useless and don't allow for tri extensions to be installed. Again, decent component set for the price, 105 rear and Tiagra front.

Strengths:
-Carbon Fork
-Color Scheme (Black, White, and Red)
-Strong Frame
-Components
-Adequate gearing for cross
-Quiet rear hub

Weaknesses:
-stock brakes aren't great
-top handbrakes get in the way if road racing
-a little heavy for cross
-seems to need tune-ups more than usual

Price Paid:  $750.00 at used on RoadBikeRevi

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
Belmont, Philly

Bike Setup:
Stock Ultegra/105 mix, Ritchey cranks, bars, seatpost, wheels, tires, upgraded to Avid Shorty 6 breaks.

Summary:
Killer bike for the money. I wanted to race cross as well as commute to work, but I had little money to work with. I looked at the Lemond Propad, Bianci Axis, Redline Conquest, and the 2005 Fuji cross line, but nothing appealed to me of became avaliable. I was able to pick up the 2004 Fuji Cross online and it was a great buy. The 2005 Fuji CX models had two levels and neither one fit my needs. Too heavey, oddly speced, over priced. The 2004 is speced very well and just as light as much more expensive bikes. The handeling is great, the ride is nice, light weight, and all at a good cost. I have ridden this bike hundreds of miles in the past year and it holds up very well. Even the Ritchey wheels that came with it have held up to full on cross racing. I figured these wheels would be shot in a week, but I have taken them over trials that MTB bikers avoid. Although, I am a little guy, so larger people might not have the same luck. Even though it is a few years old at this point, I would buy the same bike again today if the situation was the same.

Strengths:
Light, Ultegra/105 mix, Ritchey SpeedComp tires (awesome!), comfy saddle, inexpensive.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Orbea mitis, Cyfac Proxidium, 2005 Fuji Cross Pro.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2005

Bike Setup:
Stock except put 44cm handlebar.

Summary:
Excellent Bike. Ridden mostly in an urban environment. I switched out handlebar for a 44cm. Mine is the 2006 model with 10 speed Ultegra. Quick handling, very light. Wheels are sturdy, although some racers may wish something more exotic. For the average rider, they are fine. Excellent all around bike. I couldn't be happier with the choice. Other bikes looked at were the usual suspects: Bianchi, Felt, Specialized. The Cross Pro seemed well thought out with rack and fender mounts available for those like me who want an all around performance bike. Racers might not care about this, but I did.

Strengths:
Light, quick handling. Very good components for the buck spent. Compare most Ultegra equipped bikes and this one stacks up competitively on all fronts. Yes, bike companies always skimp on something with production bikes, but this is a reasonable choice.

Weaknesses:
None really. This is more my issue, but I did mount SKS fenders on this bike, which fit ok except the back fender had to be mounted on the front derailler pulley. Again, racers need not pay attention to this, but just in case someone wants to put fenders on this bike, you can. Don't plan on putting a rack on this, but it does have eyelets.

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Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
Anything with a tailwind

Bike Setup:
Got the Fuji Cross Pro as a frame/fork set through a shop sponsoring our club. Built it up with Ultegra STI, Ulteg frnt der, XT rear der, WCS stem and bars, Easton EC70 post, light ti-railed saddle, Ultegra/Mavic CXP33 wheelset.

Summary:
Great bike for both racing and recreational riding/training. Go anywhere and have fun. Great bang for the buck.

Strengths:
Frame is pretty stiff, expecially around the bb area. Geometry is excellent...longer top tube and I like the lower overall position of the bike to the ground, expecially for racing...keeps my center of gravity lower in the corners, unlike the euro cross frames. With the carbon fork the ride quality is good and stable, plus I have an standby suspension post/seat combo to use on the real bumpy courses which keeps me in the saddle pedaling while the others are having fun riding their mechanical bulls (yee-hawww!). Good price point as compared with other models.

Weaknesses:
Mine has the cable routing under the BB. I've noticed the new model has everything along the top tube...which is a good thing in CX racing.

Similar Products Used:
Trek X01, Ridley Crosswind, Alan Ultra

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2005

Bike Setup:
'05 Fuji Cross Pro. Stock.

Summary:
Overall, the Fuji Cross Pro is a great bike. I got it to be a road bike, but because my mountain bike has been in disrepair at times, I have used it off road quite frequently. And I have used it on much more technical trails than cyclocross are usually taken on. It has handled it all well. I've even raced it in local mtn bike races-just for fun, didn't really do well, though still, more me than the bike holding me back. Of course, it is a much rougher ride off road than my mtn bike. The carbon fork dampens road vibrations, but it isn't any suspension fork off road!
I liked the fact it came with disc tabs, and have put a disc on the front--not really needed on road, but the extra stopping power is nice off road. It was kind of annoying that they kept 130mm rear spacing even though they put disc tabs. It means you can't just throw on a mtn hub, and every option I found was quite expensive (wheels don't come with disc hubs). I had to leave it as is. Not really an issue, but I just would have liked the look of discs on both ends.
Anyway, overall it is a very good bike, and I have thoroughly enjoyed riding it on road and off. I did notice on the 06 versions they have done away with the disc brake option.

Strengths:
light, strong, disc tabs on fork.
Geometry--I like the slacker angles a cross bike gives over a true road bike, since I am mainly a mountain biker.

Weaknesses:
1. 130mm rear spacing. Came with disc brake tabs in the rear, but 130mm rear spacing. Most disc hubs are 135mm spacing, which means it is a very expensive upgrade to switch to discs in the rear. 'course, if it was a steel frame, I'd just shove a mtn hub in. But it is aluminum, so I'm just leaving the canti brake on the back and put a disc up front.
2. Not a lot of clearance to run much wider tires than the 32c it came with. might try some 38s, but will have almost no mud clearance.

Similar Products Used:
none