I was asked to review the Fuji Cross 1.5 as part of Bicycling Magazine’s 2017 Buyer’s Guide. As an entry-level ‘cross racer myself, the project’s editors thought I’d be a good fit for this assignment.
Straight away, we weren’t quite sure about positioning this product as a full-on “cyclocross” bike. For starters, why would a strictly ‘cross bike have fender mounts? Perhaps it was capable of more.
I rode in a couple of ‘cross races with the bike to test its capabilities and allow me to write honestly about them. I also used the bike for some 10-mile commutes to see if it would be a viable option for commuting or weekend shop rides.
The result were these two writeups, one online and one in print, that reflect what we believed the true benefits the ‘Cross 1.5 provides its buyers: not the carbon fork, fat, aluminum tubing, or 1x SRAM drivetrain. Rather, this was a more-than-capable racer that can also become commute-ready with one swap of the tires.
