[TheMontashu]

theres ganna be several modes ranging from 1500 to 5000 AND I WANT ONE and the higher end versions dont have any shimano and NONE have hays thank god

 

[jonassterling]

Oh, its SUPER flexy!......

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.

Mutt, I think the bike you rode is sitting in my living room.

Anyway I'll second most of what Mutt said. I'm still trying to dial in the fork, seems prone to bobbing and diving through travel on small drops. The rear shock worked great. Stand up and pedal, no movement, go down some stairs, plenty of cushion. And it was sloooooooooooow, and I can't figure out why. I was riding with 4 guys, 3 on hardtails, and I had to work to keep up. And we were in no hurry to get anywhere. Maybe the fork, the tires(2.35 maxxis tubeless)? The whole bike is quite light, under 30 so the slowness is surprising. I swapped a bit with a Chase which felt much faster, even with it's heaveier wheels.
I'm more interested in the 2005 Chase models, 3 of them staring at $900 retail.

 

[frorider]

Components: All top-shelf items. No corners cut. Therefore, it's expensive.

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?

well since we're having fun discussing this boring topic...
manitou swinger 4way air, as i've said, shows up on all kinds of mid-priced bikes e.g. a $1900 Jamis Dakar.

i know that the elliptical axle is part of the axle. :roll: my point was that these are c-dale house brand hubs, as opposed to, say, the Hugi FR hubs on hi-end Geminis in the past. Hubs, cranksets, and brakes are common areas where hi-end complete bikes get expensive.

The 4X model is built on the same frame, but w/ different components -- am i correct? In which case your comment about low volume for the 4X model is irrelevant. R&D costs on frame design get amortized on the number of frames built, regardless of components.

lefty fork is c-dale carbon fiber etc but manitou TPC+ internals (or licensed design). i like TPC+, but the reality is that it is now in several low end or OEM version manitou forks. the royalty paid to manitou probably works out to be around 20 bucks per fork, based on similar contracts i'm aware of.

So, with one exception, nothing in your post justifies the 5k price for this 4x bike.... that exception is your comment about all the frame tubes being hyrdroformed, which does indeed increase the cost of this relatively simple-looking frame. thanks for pointing that out. still, based on what's been listed about this bike, it should be in the low 4k range.

c-dale had some weird pricing on geminis in past years. my LBS swapped out parts and just charged for the upgrade difference, so i got the 900 gemini but w/ race face diabolus stem, thomson post, the best RF BB available, FSA cranks, romic shock, XT complete drivetrain...for around $2500...and other than the hubs, ended up with equal or better components than the hi end gemini but saved 1500 bucks, part of which will go toward a hadley/mavic tubeless wheelset. seems like the prophet pricing strategy is similarly strange. hrug:

 

[Mutt]

Wait, was it you that I was riding with in pittsburgh?? cuz the ride I went on, most of us were on hardtails, and one person had a Chase..... Seems coincidental at the very least unless you were one of the guys on the ride where I briefly sported the prophet, in pittsburgh (Max or Eric). Regardless, might just be the feel of that bike...

m

 

[dexterq20]

The 4X model is built on the same frame, but w/ different components -- am i correct?

Wrong. Front end is the same, but the rear triangle uses a thru-axle, not a standard QR like on all the other Prophet frames.

lefty fork is c-dale carbon fiber etc but manitou TPC+ internals (or licensed design). i like TPC+, but the reality is that it is now in several low end or OEM version manitou forks.

Nope. It's a carbon Lefty with SPV Evolve internals, not TPC+. The fork alone retails for $1200. It's not a cheap item.

 

[jonassterling]

Wait, was it you that I was riding with in pittsburgh?? cuz the ride I went on, most of us were on hardtails, and one person had a Chase..... Seems coincidental at the very least unless you were one of the guys on the ride where I briefly sported the prophet, in pittsburgh (Max or Eric). Regardless, might just be the feel of that bike...

m

I would be Eric the supplier of tubes.

 

[S.G.D]

i've always had a soft sport for cannondales.


~SGD

 

[Jm_]

i've always had a soft sport for cannondales.


~SGD

I've always had microscopic stress fractures for cannondales

 

[Mutt]

I would be Eric the supplier of tubes.

Oh, right on. I had a fun ride, I'll pm you my e-mail. I'm always looking for people to ride with.

And thanks for the tube, I owe you.

 

[The Prophet]

I have set up this web site about the prophet. Trying to make a source for info and a repository for the bike.
Cannondale Prophet

 

[fasterTHANyou]

and it looks like the old foes. bonus.

 

[S.G.D]

I've always had microscopic stress fractures for cannondales

see, i never rode one, i guess thats why i still love them. well,atleast according to other people haha

~SGD

 

[Lightninleana]

I just got the new prophet mountain cross bike last Friday, and man it is one of the raddest bikes I have ever been on. It is very responsive in the corners, the shorter back end makes for easy manuling and the light weight is great for quick acceleration. I ride the lefty fork as I have been for the past two years and it is one of the stiffest forks I have ever had and not once have I had a problem with it.
I put a picture of it in this thread http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93900&page=2

 

[S.G.D]

god dammit, that bike is rad. its so low and compact looking. it must must turn like it's on rails.

~SGD

 

[Curb Hucker]

stuff

you thought you could just copy and paste what you wrote in the other thread just like this one and no one would notice

 

[dexterq20]

Hello everybody, my name is Don, and I'm an avid curb-dropper.

I can play that game too. :devil:

 

[Curb Hucker]

I can play both ways too. :devil:

 

[dexterq20]

Hey Don, Maturity called. Apparently you haven't seen him in a pretty long time, so he's coming over for a visit. Try to be a gracious host.

 

[Curb Hucker]

Hey Don, Maturity called. Apparently you haven't seen him in a pretty long time, so he's coming over for a visit. Try to be a gracious host.

i think ill sit on him, its bed time work at 4 am, must sleep im done dicking around here

 

[TheMontashu]

umm the 4 cross version has ISCG and the other ones dont

 

[neversummersnow]

Yea, sure...you may think it's rad Leanna but its not like you've won any NORBA NCS pro 4x races on it...oh wait.

Good job...you killed it!

 

[MichaelT]

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.

I had a riding buddy who wanted the lefty carbon on his Ellsworth Truth. He took some measurements and had step downs manufactured for a 1.125 steerer. Granted, he races cars for a living and therefore has access/knows really good metal workers. I have not talked to him in over a year and a half but I know he had it for about a year on his truth and dug it. No, I do not have spec's on what he did. This story would be a lot better if I did. oops.

The lefty carbon I rode on a scalpel team a few years ago for about 6 miles scared the poop out of me because it was sooooooo light and tracked awesome! So I am a fan. Downfall is that not every dealer can help out with tech support.

Do they break? Everything does eventually.

Michael
e.13 / Evil