Choosing a Cyclocross Bike

[MaTadams]

Hello,

I am looking for some insight / wisdom concerning the worthiness of one of these bikes over the other. I have been shopping - for well over a month now - for a cylcocross bike to use as an all around / light touring bicycle. I want disc brakes. Test ride availability is limited in my area, but I have managed to ride a Raleigh, Trek, Specialized, Jamis, Redline, and Cannondale. I have researched numerous others and I've finally narrowed it down to the Jamis Nova Race vs the Cannondale Caadx Disc Ultegra. I can upgrade the components on the Jamis to Ultegra and have it price out the same as the Caadx. A comparison of the bikes can be found here:

http://cyclocross.findthebest.com/compare/337-345/2013-Jamis-Nova-Race-vs-2013-Cannondale-CAADX-Disc-Ultegra

I welcome any thoughts or observations.

Two questions come immediately to mind. How does a carbon blade fork compare to a carbon fork? Is the jump between Shimano 105's and Ultegra's worth the difference?

Thank you for your help,
MaTadams

[Owlie]

It sounds like the steerer on the Jamis' fork is also carbon. Big thing is to shave weight, but I've never ridden a bike with anything besides a metallic steerer, so I can't comment on that how it affects the feel.

If you want to use it for light touring...I'm concerned that these are race-oriented cross bikes. Do they have the appropriate hardware to let you mount a rack if you so chose?

Beyond the weight savings, I'm not sure if 105 offers a huge advantage over Ultegra. Some people say they can't tell, some people say they can. I'd be tempted to go with the Ultegra just so that you wouldn't have to eat the extra cost of upgrading later if you wanted.

The BB7 brakes are a known quantity to me (contemplating upgrading the ones on the Charge to those later). The Cannondale ones are not.

That said, I had been drooling over a CAADX at one point. No idea that they'd made a disc version. (Maybe for a go-fast cross bike?)

ETA: Going over the component specs, hands down the Cannondale's the better bike. I'm not sure about the brakes, that's the only thing.

Big thing, of course: How's the fit?

[MaTadams]

Thanks for these thoughts, Owlie. Both bikes do have rack and fender mounts (that was a must as I've shopped).

I've ridden both; the geometry - on paper (or computer screen) is very similar. The Jamis that I rode belonged to someone else and had been tweaked for him (shop doesn't want to get a 48cm in for me to try as they have trouble selling smaller ones - they found a customer who had one and I rode his) so it was difficult to really get a feel for it; the Cannondale felt great. I just couldn't find a sufficient hill around the shop to check it out on hills.

I'm torn as to how big a deal carbon vs carbon fork blade is . . . the Jamis guys (full carbon fork bike) make it sound like the carbon blade is worth much less. I could get the Jamis upgraded to 105's for two hundred dollars under the price of the Cannondale with the carbon blade fork and ultegra's . . . Thoughts?

Thanks again.