The name Gary Fisher may be more commonly associated with mountain bikes, but Fisher himself began his cycling career in the US on the road and track before being banned for having hair that was “too long” for racing. The provenance of the Cronus stems from Fisher parent company Trek’s decision two years ago to part company with Greg LeMond and offer instead Fisher road bikes as a brand alternative to Trek itself.
The Cronus is one of three models in an all-carbon range, the others being the Cronus Pro and Cronus Ultimate. All three share the same frame and fork construction and geometry, the differences being down to component specification. The frame is claimed to weigh some 900g although exactly which size is unclear. In any case, this is impressive, especially given the size of the down and head tubes.
The specification of the standard Cronus mixes Shimano 105 10-speed STI levers and derailleur mechs with Promax dual-pivot brake calipers, Shimano R600 crankset (or R553 in triple guise) and a full-house of Bontrager finishing kit that includes a carbon seat post.
This includes Race FCC wheels, the front one having a hub with wide-set, tall flanges that make it too big to fit in any fork but the “Wide-Stance” fork fitted to the Cronus. Taken together, the wheel and fork constitute the Fisher Control Column, which increases front-end stiffness by some 27% to enhance steering response and accuracy. While the Race FCC front wheel won’t fit any other fork, other wheels will fit the Fisher fork thanks to the standard 100mm OverLocknutDimension. The fork has in integrated Speed trap computer mount.
The bottom bracket area, linked to the beefy head tube by what Fisher says is the fattest down tube ever made by Fisher or Trek for any bicycle, is of substantial proportions, again in pursuit of stiffness. The shell employs the BB90 technology developed by Trek for the Madone, having in-moulded seats for oversized bearings that are a push fit directly into the frame. There are bearing options for SRAM, Shimano, Campagnolo and other manufacturers’ formats.
There is provision for the fitment of full mudguards developed specifically for Fisher. Threaded inserts in the fork dropouts and rear ends accept clamps for the mudguard stays while the guards also attach at the brake bridge, fork crown and rear of the bottom bracket.
Sizing is laid out around something called Genesis Road Geometry, which provides that top tube length increases by 6mm and headset height by 20mm for each increase in frame size. There are also three fork offsets to provide consistent handling as head angle changes with frame size.
The 56cm example shown is typical, however, in that head tube length is on the long side in proportion to the top tube length in comparison to conventional race geometry, making the Cronus well-suited to those seeking a more upright riding position suited to sportive or leisure cycling. The handlebars have a shallow drop and are held by a stem 100mm long as standard on the 56cm machine, further reducing reach and drop from the saddle.
The standard Cronus is priced at £1900, is offered for 2010 in Chi Red only and is available in sizes 47/47/50/52/54/56/58/61cm.
More soon on RCUK.
