[Old_Dude]

After yesterday's ride my son & I stopped into the LBS & chatted with the manager about Cannondale bikes. I never knew they were that cool. The Scalpel I was looking at came in around 23 pounds with discs!!! The headshock thing is soooo cool - why doesn't everybody do that - it makes so much more sense for XC - and the Lefty - WOW!!!

My biggest impression was that Cannondale will replace frames as my son outgrows them, transferring the components for free & giving me credit for the old frame - NOW THAT'S THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD FROM A MANUFACTURER!!!

The dealer said "Cannondales are like the Lexus class of bicycles". They're light, strong, have great components & use cutting edge technology developed in-house. I like my Fuel 90, but if I had to do it over again, or whenever I get a new bike it will be a Cannondale - no doubt.

 

[BikeGeek]

I test rode a couple of them when I was shopping for a new ride. I just didn't like the way they felt under me on the trail. At first, I thought it was just Cannondale's, but I've since learned that it's aluminium that I don't like.

 

[gravity]

headshok is a good design, but it has very limited travel, ie you couldn't make an 8" travel headshok. it works well tho. the lefty is also pretty good, but i dislike the idea of a one-sided fork. the major problem with Cannondales is that because so much of their stuff is done in-house, they have sooooo many non-standard parts (eg the hub on a lefty fork) which makes after-sales servicing harder.

they do ride bloody well tho.

 

[Heidi]

Originally posted by gravity
headshok is a good design, but it has very limited travel, ie you couldn't make an 8" travel headshok. it works well tho. the lefty is also pretty good, but i dislike the idea of a one-sided fork. the major problem with Cannondales is that because so much of their stuff is done in-house, they have sooooo many non-standard parts (eg the hub on a lefty fork) which makes after-sales servicing harder.

they do ride bloody well tho.

Yep, non-standard parts does it for me.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

My wife rides a Cannonball, Its not a bad bike, but wouldn't buy another one.

 

[riderx]

Non-standard parts and the aluminum frames are what I don't like about the C-dales.

I do like that they think outside of the box.

I'm not sure that I would call them the 'Lexus' of bikes though.

 

[Sniper]

when i get to a point where i ride my cdale harder and it can't handle it, or when i'm actually trying to upgrade everything on it, then maybe i'll get over loving it. but being around all you hardcore folks, i haven't been able to stop thinking about wanting a full suspension rig.

 

[-BB-]

c-dales are FINE for XC....
Except fo rht e non-standard parts thing.

It's the DHrs, DSrs, and Freeriders that HATE c-dale.
They make light frames....
WE break light frames....
We hate c-dale...
Logical progression

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally posted by -BB-
c-dales are FINE for XC....
Except fo rht e non-standard parts thing.

It's the DHrs, DSrs, and Freeriders that HATE c-dale.
They make light frames....
WE break light frames....
We hate c-dale...
Logical progression

And, for those that ride hard, the shock cartridges blow out with tiresome regularity and I have one friend who had the head start to ovalize shortly after he got it.

The bikes are so pretty, though.

J

 

[BullBiker]

My XC rig is a F2000SX, it's the red/white/blue stars and stripes fade paint job and has the Lefty "strut" on it. I've had it for over a year and it's been a great bike. Heck, even my Coda Hydraulic brakes have not given me a bit of trouble. It is definately a Race bike as the ride is stiff and the steering is precise.

I didn't think I'd like the Lefty, but it hasn't given me any trouble and doesn't flex at all. I'm 225 (on good days) and haven't done anything to the bike. O.K., I tacoed the stock rear rim, but the bike has held up incredibly well. Granted, I don't ride 5'0" drops on it. If you want to do serious hardcore stuff, go to a different bike like the new Gemini or another Manufacturer. I ride a Specialized P.3 for scary stuff!

A lot of people don't like Cannondale because of their proprietary parts, that' all B/S, if you don't like the headshock, you can get reducers and run a regular fork. I'm not a big fan of CODA components, but then again, I'm not a big fan of ANY manufacturers in-house stuff!

C'Dale bikes work great for their intended purpose, be it general all around "FUN-Riding" using the Scapel or Jeykll or XC Racing using the F1000 and higher or the Scapel...etc.

Their Road bikes are top notch too! They are what they are though. Don't expect a super compliant ride on a frame that's designed to be a stiff and fast race bike. If you want supple, go carbon, titanium or steel. If you want stiff and responsive go Aluminum.

With all that, the big drawback is their price! They are always more than a similarly equipped bike from another manufacturer. They are also made in the good old U.S.A. That means a lot to some people, not so much to others. The company does a ton of R&D producing new innovations every year. That costs the company $$, which means the buyer pays more for their product! Is it "THE" best? No, but it's definately one of the better bikes available.

Well, that my .02

And here's a pic of my bike!

 

[Sniper]

Originally posted by BullBiker


And here's a pic of my bike!

dude, i've got the same bike. and i love it.

 

[RideMonkey]

I'd ride one. Bikes break. I'm gonna break whatever i get, and no thanks I don't want a crash proof frame that weighs 20 pounds.

 

[Instigator]

I had a few of them. I broke 2 and sold off the 3rd before anything bad happened. I still think they are a nice bike and I like the cutting edge ideas, but I am not sure if I would ever buy another one.

 

[Ian F]

I have a '92 Delta V that I beat on for 5 years before replacing with a I.F. I still have the frame with delusions of rebuilding it some day with new, lighter parts. I loved that bike.

While in California in Nov, I rented a Jekyll to ride. It was a nice bike, but I doubt I would buy one. The Lefty didn't bother me. I didn't notice it doing anything weird and therefore I won't say it's bad. The Coda discs scared me. I thought my C2's were prone to pumping up, but the Codas were worse and had much less power. I'd use v-brakes before the Codas. The rear suspension was ok, but seemed moot on the trails I was riding near Skegg's Point.

 

[The Toninator]

I have 3 friends that race for/on c-dales. 1 was spring champion sport senior cat. 1 was fall champion beginner senior. and the other was top 10 sport masters.

/all xc though.

 

[Old_Dude]

I guess I forgot to mention one huge interest factor with the headshock -->> it's adjustability. The store manager told me I could dial in the shock using different air pressure so my 90 pound son could actually get front suspension suited for his weight. Again, that sounded like a wonderful thing to me. As is, if we go with an air fork & upgrade to some lighter components while keeping his original frame (Fisher Marlin), we still don't have the same quality bike as the '01 Cannondale F600 w/V-brakes they're selling for $800 at the LBS. They put it on the digital scale - around ~25 1/2 pounds - not too bad for the $. The red color is really nice & my son likes last years graphics better also.

 

[indieboy]

i personally do not like c'dales......i think the frames are overly stiff and ride like a hunk of junk...my friend had a cad 5 and he was ALWAYS rebuilding his fork or having to mess around w/ his brakes......i think they over do things...espically w/ the scapel..the entire purpose of the bike is supposed to be a lightweight xc fs....ok well it hits the weight yes i will give it that.....but a fs xc bike is supposed to have little or no pedal induced bobbing, well this wasn't quite accomplished w/ the design....the damn thing rides like a pogo stick, actually many of the team riders would keep it locked out until the dh's. i personally am not a fs type person nor an aluminum person. give me a nice steel or ti hardtail and i'm happy. i'm not saying all aluminum bikes suck b/c there are some niccccccccccccccccce al. bikes i would ride, well only a handful, well maybe one...hahaha i realllly like the rocky mtn vortex probably the only al. hardtail i would dare race, everything else just seems to crack after a season if that, and i'm not saying fs xc bikes suck i just think a hardtail is much more efficent in the long run for RACING purposes. but whatever check em out, you may like them you won't know until you try it out.....
lata
indieboy

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by Old_Dude
I guess I forgot to mention one huge interest factor with the headshock -->> it's adjustability. The store manager told me I could dial in the shock using different air pressure so my 90 pound son could actually get front suspension suited for his weight. Again, that sounded like a wonderful thing to me. As is, if we go with an air fork & upgrade to some lighter components while keeping his original frame (Fisher Marlin), we still don't have the same quality bike as the '01 Cannondale F600 w/V-brakes they're selling for $800 at the LBS. They put it on the digital scale - around ~25 1/2 pounds - not too bad for the $. The red color is really nice & my son likes last years graphics better also.

Did you take it for a ride ??
Don't buy untill you have all bike's suit
differing ride style's you gotta make sure
it suits yours before you buy.
just my 2 cent's worth which with the
current exchange rate is about
0.86 cents US

 

[taylor]

I rode a C-Dale CAAD 4 frame all last year.I weighed roughly 200 lbs (pre holidays) , and I can be quite the hack.My frame handled 5',6' to flat numerous times and I've crashed fairly hard on it.The frame is still in one peice.It has some decent dents on it so I bought a Le Toy(should handle my royal hackness).I've heard alot of bad things about C-Dale but don't really believe the hype.Some of the people I ride with can't believe the frame lasted with what I put it through. Just my 2 copper bits...