Trek Cronus CX Pro Review

Cyclo-cross is enjoying a thriving resurgence, and hardy cross machines have become extremely popular as do-it-all steeds.

The Cronus CX Pro is one of two new carbon offerings from Trek, based on its now well-established and lightweight 500 Series OCLV carbon - the same platform it uses in its Madone 5 Series road bikes. The Pro plays second fiddle to the Ultimate, but at £2,200 it's far from entry-level and there are plenty of features justifying the price tag.

Trek's super-wide BB90 is at the heart of a very solid-feeling construction that's substantiated further by its E2 tapered head tube. The geometry has been given the necessary tweaks, including a cross-specific Race X-Lite fork, to tease this frameset away from feeling overly ‘road-esque' on the rough stuff, and it's a resounding success.

Arguably, a disproportionate amount of the overall cost is in the frame and forks, but the SRAM Rival kit, Avid brakes plus Bontrager's Race wheelset and finishing kit serve to prevent a sky-high price while still delivering functionality and reliability in abundance.

For my money, Trek has got the CX Pro spot-on. It proved its worth both in and out of competition, on and off-road, while I was getting myself acquainted with it. A very noteworthy feature, illustrative of Trek's more versatile design brief, is the removable mudguard eyes that discreetly thread into the frame, instantly increasing its potential usefulness.