Don't know if there's a post on this allready, but it's news to me! Looks pretty sweet IMHO
http://www.singletrackworld.com/article.php?sid=1406
enjoy!
http://www.singletrackworld.com/article.php?sid=1406
enjoy!
Cannondale Prophet
- Thread starter Hans
- Start date
Looks like a Heckler rip off IMO
I like the thru axle version tho
I like the thru axle version tho
Thanks for the link!
I have lost my want for cannondale a long time ago, but I always give them a thumb up for their way of pushing the limits and technology.
Looks like they could have a winner, as long as people don't abuse it as a full on DH/FR bike. (Matty that means you don't jump this thing off of roofs!)
I have lost my want for cannondale a long time ago, but I always give them a thumb up for their way of pushing the limits and technology.
Looks like they could have a winner, as long as people don't abuse it as a full on DH/FR bike. (Matty that means you don't jump this thing off of roofs!)
That's my next bike.
I was test-riding a gemini 2000 the other day and fell in love with it, but my only gripe was I wished it was a tad bit lighter and trail-oriented. Looks like those cannondale people read my mind.
I was test-riding a gemini 2000 the other day and fell in love with it, but my only gripe was I wished it was a tad bit lighter and trail-oriented. Looks like those cannondale people read my mind.
A 24 pound 6 inch travel bike is nothing like a Heckler. That would be a fun bike to try. That fork scares me though.buildyourown said:
Time to sell the Jykell soon, I like it except for the Lefty fork. 
I was referring to the falling rate/single pivot with a platform shock design.Ridemonkey said:
I would never buy a Crack'nfail again. Once bitten, twice shy.
looks cool
looks like it might be a tad flexy
It looks awesome, but as RM said, I'm scared of that fork. No logical reason at all, just doesn't inspire confidence for me, and I'd be scared to ride it hard.
Frame looks sweet though!
Frame looks sweet though!
I've seen a Lefty put through absolute hell... overshooting the transition and flat landing the front wheel off drops, ploughing it through everything with no style, and just general abuse, it went through a few rims, but the fork kept on working with no dramas.
That bike has both "FR" AND "XC" written on it, it MUST be good!
That bike has both "FR" AND "XC" written on it, it MUST be good!
If you love the bike and hate the fork you could throw a Nixon on there (yeah it's not available yet but neither is the prophet) which is supposed to weigh 4.1lb at 6" vs. the lefty at 3.8lb and 5.5".
I thought the Lefty was an XC fork.....
That is the raddest bike I've seen in a long, long time. The fact that they appear to have a 4x version is pretty sweet too. ~6 inches, less than 30 pounds is pretty much the future of mountainbikes, and I can't wait. I know for a fact that there are going to be more wicked light rad trail-bike cum 4x machines in the near future...
What, you're saying this isn't an XC/Trail bike?BigMike said:I thought the Lefty was an XC fork.....
2 words: Cedric Gracia. But he doesnt know how to ride...BigMike said:I thought the Lefty was an XC fork.....
My Scalpel is going to be for sale soon this fall,
like the Scalpel very much, but not that much the lefty, I have the DLR though.
like the Scalpel very much, but not that much the lefty, I have the DLR though.
I used to trip out on people that didn"t "get" the Lefty. Now I'm glad most people don't ride it even though it is the lightest, laterally stiffest, lowest maintenance shock out there (everything is internal and takes 20min to overhaul a cartridge with .30 cent o-rings). I have been riding a lefty max the 5 inch travel one for two years now and I have raced it dh and dual and xc and will never go back to a standard "fork" as long as I can avoid them. I rode a Fox Talas the other day and they just don't compare. Now the max is carbon and has SPV? WOW! Evrything I ever wanted. And it won't be the "trendy" "cool" thing to have either. Nice. Distinct, lighter, stronger, and original; go C-dale. Oh, and by the way, Cedric Gracia and Aaron Chase are both riding one of those "scary forks".
I got to ride it at Sea Otter... I'm ordering mine today
Anybody want a 2004 Jekyll 3000 fully blinged (XTR) and in excellent condition (600 miles)for cheap?
Anybody want a 2004 Jekyll 3000 fully blinged (XTR) and in excellent condition (600 miles)for cheap?
Ahh, thanks for the memories. I remember seeing one of those for the first time in October 1994. It made an impression :heart:DamienC said:Reminds me a little of this oldie but goodie...
...except for the 5.25 lb frame weight.
Can you really call a lefty a fork? 
Heath Sherratt said:
not so much with aaron anymore. Hes been riding a sherman jumper for the last year or so.
Yes, I agree with you. Most people are scared to ride a lefty, just because of its looks. Maybe people should actually ride the fork before they comment on it. I have never heard of a broken lefty before, yet Ive heard of numerous broken marzocchi dirtjumpers. (Although im sure thats because there are far more dirtjumpers out there)Heath Sherratt said:
The current incarnations of the lefty max are hands down one of the best forks out there. Those of you who are scared of them: I know for a fact you haven't ridden one. If I could put one on my enduro, it would be there. I've ridden them on gemini's and friend's jekylls and they are way stiffer than anything else out there right now as far as trailbike forks. The dampers left a little to be desired with some of the previous air sprung leftys but it's not an issue any more. The only other fork I've ridden that comes near it is the maverick forks. I've ridden a heckler with one of them and I'd be hard pressed to prefer one over the other based on performance.
In my opinion, the lefty is the one thing cannondale has done right since being one of the first aluminum frame manufacturers way back. Try one.
In my opinion, the lefty is the one thing cannondale has done right since being one of the first aluminum frame manufacturers way back. Try one.
As an addition, I have to mention something funny that I remember back when leftys first came out. I worked at a cannondale shop and our rep came by with this demo video with all this slow motion footage of Brian Lopes riding a first generation lefty. That thing flexed so badly you could see his front wheel almost touching the stantion. I too feared the lefty after that. But like I said, current incarnations with different load bearing needles inside are a much different beast.
AWWW!!! A baby gemini. How cute!
I knew you would chime in!!kidwoo said:
Id like to see anyone find more broken geminis then m1s or stinkys and such, granted not as many people own them but cannondale is def. stepping it up. To my knowledge from the c-dale rep Gracia has only broken 2 geminis since hes been on them and thats saying A LOT. Also as said before don't talk smack about the lefty until youve ridden one. Gracia thrashes his 4x style and he hasn't broken a one and Aaron chase used to SHRED the hell out of a lefty until he signed on with manitou and picked up the sherman DJ.
BTW im waiting to order my new 4x prophet that thing should be SWEET. I hear its 25ibs of jumping heaven!
BTW im waiting to order my new 4x prophet that thing should be SWEET. I hear its 25ibs of jumping heaven!
Oh, its SUPER flexy!......BurlySurly said:
Actually no. I just rode one about two hours ago and it felt pretty stiff and solid. The feel of the geometry is certainly not what I am used to, but it still felt relatively aggressive. I have no qualms with Lefty 'forks' what so ever, however I did not like the one on the prophet. It felt to squishy, and I would bottom the hell out of it for sure. Of course that can be corrected considering it has SPV and a spring (I believe). So I'd imagine that it simply wasn't tuned well for me, and why should it be, it wasn't my bike...... Soooo, the wierdest thing I felt with it was it felt slow. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but the whole ride felt slow, especially when cornering.
I'm not totally knocking it though, I thought I would simply point out the things that struck me as Abbey Normal.
I find that extremely hard to believe but anyhow working at a shop with cannondale KICKS ASS. But damn 5k I was thinking more like 3500 or something it must have an uber pimp parts spec. I never saw it in detail.dexterq20 said:
Believe it, bro. Our Cannondale rep just came into our shop today and showed us the whole 2005 lineup. Pretty impressive. All the Geminis have thru axles now, and they're making a production Gemini DH bike for a cool $6000.biker3 said:
The Prophet, however, is the new "thing" for C-dale this year. The Prophets start at about $1500 and go all the way up to $5000 for the 4x model.
Why does the 4x model cost so much, you ask? Well, let's see here...
-carbon Lefty Max w/ SPV damping and 140mm travel
-12mm thru axle frame
-Swinger 4-way air shock
-Magura Louise FR brakes
-Mavic 819 rims
-tubeless Hutchinson tires
-e.thirteen chainguide
-SRAM X.0/X.9 drivetrain
-new Truvativ crank and bb setup w/ outboard bearings (ala Shimano)
That good enough for ya?
no, it's not. i'm not a cannodale hata (one of my bikes is a gemini) but 5K for that bike is overpriced. manitou swinger air--decent shock, but is seen on plenty of mid-priced bikes. Hutchinson tires? big deal. Louise FR brakes? i see those advertised pretty cheap. Truvativ shows up on all kinds of low- and mid-priced bikes thanks to the good deal they give OEM's like Cannondale to get market share away from shimano.dexterq20 said:Believe it, bro. Our Cannondale rep just came into our shop today and showed us the whole 2005 lineup. Pretty impressive. All the Geminis have thru axles now, and they're making a production Gemini DH bike for a cool $6000.
The Prophet, however, is the new "thing" for C-dale this year. The Prophets start at about $1500 and go all the way up to $5000 for the 4x model.
Why does the 4x model cost so much, you ask? Well, let's see here...
-carbon Lefty Max w/ SPV damping and 140mm travel
-12mm thru axle frame
-Swinger 4-way air shock
-Magura Louise FR brakes
-Mavic 819 rims
-tubeless Hutchinson tires
-e.thirteen chainguide
-SRAM X.0/X.9 drivetrain
-new Truvativ crank and bb setup w/ outboard bearings (ala Shimano)
That good enough for ya?
the frame itself does not appear to have massive CNC machining or an intricate linkage assembly. so no reason why it should be particularly expensive. hell, on my gemini, when you added up the components' cost the frame was free.
i have nothing against a Lefty fork, but as a cannondale component that means there should be no double markup so that doesn't explain the high price.
will this bike be using house-brand cannondale hubs? is c-dale using an elliptical ended thru axle hub on this frame?
My 4" travel air sprung Kona Bear weighs exactly 30lb. and to be honest it is too light for most technical situations, I really like it for climbing but on descents it feels squirrelly. I especially notice the lack of rotating weight from my relatively light wheelset and tires once the bike is airborne. I really think 32-35lb. is about as light as an all-purpose "cross-stuntry" bike should be for more than one reason. Besides the feeling of being "spindly" there really is no way a bike that is too far below 30lb. can have enough material to hold up to the long term stresses that occur from that type of riding. Maybe technology will produce a super-light and durable bike but I think that to a certain extent weight is good.
You ride your 32 lbs Kona and I'll see you at the bottom. :eviltongupunkassean said:
Seriously though, a lighter bike will be faster in race situations. There is a more economically priced trail bike version that weighs in at 27-28.
Remember, the 4x version is for 4x racing. 80 percent or more of 4x races are decided by the start so the lighter your bike, the better chance you have at that all important hole shot. Not to mention how it will motor out of corners.
My Bear motors out of corners and rolls super fast with tubeless tires and short travel but it's in the rocks and in the air where it feels a little sketchy at times. When it's all I have been riding for more than a few rides consecutively I get really used to it but after a ride on my DH I feel like a fish outta' water on the Bear. Right now I am trying to get the "feeling" back after a long Whistler trip and it's taking a while! I agree though that MTX bikes should be light, the courses don't have rock gardens and the jumps are nicely groomed etc. But how many people are going to buy a 24lb. MTX bike especially with only one chain-ring? I would guess about.......I dunno, 200 max in the US? Plus how many people are going to crack it and want a warranty? Seems like a great race bike but "not for public consumption" if ya know what I mean....
Components: All top-shelf items. No corners cut. Therefore, it's expensive.frorider said:
Frame: Yeah, it's pricey... but what'dya expect? Cannondale spent over 18 months developing this thing, and the result is their strongest frame ever, and it only weighs 5.25 lbs (with shock). It's all fluid-form tubing and is 100% hand-made in Pennsylvania (just like every other Cannondale frame). The most interesting characteristic of the frame, however, is that it uses a falling rate suspension design, so when coupled with an air shock, it gives you an extremely linear-feeling compression that'll still ramp up at the end of the travel to prevent bottoming. Very cool. The swingarm is also completely hollow, which saves a ton of weight, but it's not as easy to manufacture, so that'll add to the price too.
Fork: Not quite a Cannondale component. Externally, yes, it's all Cannondale, but the internals are all licensed from Manitou, so it's technically not a house-brand item. Licensed technology = higher cost.
Hubs: Front hub has to be a C-dale hub so that it'll work with the Lefty fork. The rear hub is also a Cannondale, but it is simply a 12 x 135mm thru-axle hub. The eliptical end (called "Oval Lock" or something like that) is a part of the axle, not the hub.
The 4x model of the Prophet will also see a rather limited production run, because it is such a niche-specific bike. Lower volume = higher cost. Make sense?
I would think that in this instance licensing technology from Manitou would actually lower the cost because Cannondale's R&D to develop their own proprietary suspension components would cost more than utilizing technology already available and paying a "reasonable" fee for the rights.dexterq20 said:
I agree with your other logic though...