Hands On with the Fezzari Forè Cyx Cyclocross Bike

To Fezzari, Forè means the best. Out in front. Top of the line. In the case of the Forè Cyx (siKs) it means cross. Technically, Cyx is the model name while Forè is being introduced as Fezzari’s top tier brand. Think of Forè as Fezzari’s S-Works if you will. Along with their Forè Cyx cross bikes Fezzari currently has a number of Forè road bikes as well with more on the way.

Based out of Utah, Fezzari is a consumer direct company that specializes in high end bikes with the service to match. As for the name? After founding the company the owner asked his son to come up with the craziest name he could think of, something unique that would stick. The name Fezzari also plays on Utah’s penchant for double Zs for their sports team with the Jazz, Grizzlies, Starzz and many other now retired names.

Representing one of the newest models for 2015, the Forè Cyx was introduced just in time for the start of cyclocross season and brings with it the latest in equipment and frame technology. If you’re looking for a cross bike with disc brakes and thru axles, the Forè Cyx is worth a look…

Showing up to the same cross races as last year, disc brakes have made a major push into the world of cross for the weekend warrior. In 2013 we saw maybe 1 out of 10 bikes equipped with discs. Just one year later and you’re seeing a lot more disc brakes out on the course and with good reason. The brakes have gotten better and so have the frames.

Part of that frame design is the addition of thru axles. While the addition of the axles should in theory provide a stiffer interface between the dropouts, the thru axles themselves are really more important when it comes to the use of disc brakes. The solid connection between the two dropouts helps resist the twisting forces applied by the brakes to the forks, and the captured nature of the axle results in perfect disc alignment every time. The Forè Cyx uses a 15mm thru axle front and a 142×12 thru axle rear which seems to be where cross bikes are headed. The frame itself is a full carbon deal with a reinforced underside for impact protection and a replaceable derailleur hanger that includes a lifetime warranty.

Every thru axle cross bike I’ve ridden has been more confidence inspiring on steep off camber turns and through wash board, frozen ruts but without back to back comparisons with the same frame with and without thru axles it’s hard to pinpoint just how big of an improvement they are. I’m happy to report that the Bontrager Affinity Elite wheels we also have in on review are a simple swap without any adjustments needed between the brakes and the shifting. That’s important for anyone with a set of pit wheels or wheels with different tires for varying conditions. The DT Swiss RWS isn’t the fastest thru axle on the market to remove, but it’s not much slower than a quick release.

Fezzari offers 4 different builds of the Forè Cyx from the 1.0 with mechanical disc brakes and shifters, to the 5.0 with a full SRAM CX1 drivetrain. Our test bike comes in the form of the 2.0 which mates a Shimano Ultegra mechanical 11 speed drivetrain with the excellent TRP HYRD mechanical/hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors front and rear.

Instead of an Ultegra crank the build opts for an FSA Energy crank with standard 36/46 gearing in a threaded bottom bracket. Fezzari specs a wide range cassette and Shimano Ultegra GS rear derailleur providing 11-32 gearing in the rear.

All of the cabling on the Forè Cyx is internal with easy access through the bolt on cable ports. You’ll notice that the frame uses a pulley to allow for the bottom pull front derailleur instead of routing it from the bottom. This was done since routing it from the bottom would have resulted in decreased tire clearance which was important for the build. The pulley is removable so if Shimano puts out an 11 speed top pull front derailleur in the future it can be used.

Speaking of tire clearance, the Forè Cyx has it in spades. We should have a few true mud races coming up soon where we can really test it out.

For reference, the Stan’s NoTubes Grail rims cause the Hutchinson Piranha tires to fill out quite a bit measuring in at a full 35mm wide. The Grail Team wheels are tubeless ready and are laced to Stan’s 3.30 disc hubs with 1.8/1.5/1.8mm  butted spokes. Forè Cyx bikes will ship with tubeless tires installed with tubes, but can be shipped already set up tubeless for an upgrade.

As with all Fezzari bikes the Forè Cyx can be customized to your preferences before shipping. That mean you can choose stem length, bar width, tires, crank length and much more in their 23 point custom set up. The set up also includes almost all of the tuning the bike will need so it’s ready to go right out of the box. It’s still probably a good idea to get your local mechanic to check over the bike or even assemble it to make sure it’s safe (our derailleur hanger looked to have been bent in shipping), but as a whole the bike was much more put together than your average new boxed bike. Building up a Fezzari is more like building up a bike that you boxed up and shipped somewhere to ride.

Available in 5 sizes, our Small test bike rides smaller than its numbers imply, but at 5’8″ it is the right size for myself. Weighing in at 18.2 lbs, the Forè Cyx isn’t bad for a disc and thru axle equipped crosser with aluminum wheels and a moderate build kit.

While the ex-bike shop guy in me wants to discount Fezzari as just another consumer direct brand, they are making that pretty hard to do with some impressive bikes at appealing prices.

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