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Cannondale Rise and Moto bikes. . .

Eren

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2006
2,874
0
mill creek, WA (now in Surrey UK)
new bikes from cannondale

Cannondale has been making high end bicycles for a long time now, so its no big news that they came out with new bikes. However, these new bikes are quite unique. After nearly two years of planning, Cannondale last weekend called a global summit in Gran Canaria to announce the release of two new bikes—the 130-millimeter travel Rize and the 160-millimeter Moto.
Introducing the new Moto

Moto 1 - Claimed 30.40 lbs.


Moto 2 - Claimed 31.50 lbs.


Moto 3 - Weight soon to be released.


Logically named the Moto, Cannondale has created a 160mm all mountain speed demon. Utilizing carbon triangular link plates, and a carbon based frame, the Moto is designed to be as quick, and light as possible. However, without an alloy version, the price is going to be the only heavy thing, coming in somewhere between $3,899 and $6,499, depending on the model. Cannondale is still in the midst of deciding whether or not to create an alloy version of the Moto to bring down the cost a bit.

And the new Rize


Rize Carbon 1 - Claimed 24.10 lbs.


Rize Carbon 2 - Claimed 25.95 lbs.


Rize 3 - Claimed 27.90 lbs.


Rize 4 - Claimed 29.40 lbs.
http://i4.pinkbike.com/photo/1783/pbpic1783588.jpg[img]

Rize 5 - Claimed 31.25 lbs.
[img]http://i4.pinkbike.com/photo/1783/pbpic1783587.jpg

The Cannondale Rize, which is replacing the 5.5 inch Prophet, utilizes 130mm of travel, and Cannondales new PBR Lefty fork. Borrowing Srams SoloAir technology, the PBR is the lightest 130mm fork on the market, weighing in at 2.9 pounds. Tied along with the carbon fork, Cannondale is using a Carbon seat stay, which links up with there swing link, to provide Cannondales stiffest rear end, ever. The high end build weighs in at 24 pounds, and carries a price tag of $5,499.
 

Bad Ronald

Chimp
Jun 30, 2005
55
0
Danbury, CT
Are they ugly because they don't look like your bike? Or is it because they are Cannondale's and it is cool to hate on Cannondale in any way possible? If Cannondale had a mom I'd hate to hear what you would say about her...
 

Evil4bc

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2005
1,080
1
Nor-Cal
I guess they have to try SOMETHING to save the sinking ship known as Cannondale , and YES thoes are some DAMM fugly bikes !!
 

Tapps

Chimp
Oct 18, 2007
12
0
What are you talking about, ugly? I think they look really cool, it's something different and I can't wait to try one out.
 

Bad Ronald

Chimp
Jun 30, 2005
55
0
Danbury, CT
I guess they have to try SOMETHING to save the sinking ship known as Cannondale , and YES thoes are some DAMM fugly bikes !!
What is sinking about them? They make money, have cool bikes, support awesome riders....I think a sinking ship would be out of cash, not sell anything, have no teams, and fire all it's employees...

I guess I was right...It is just the cool thing to hate on them...

As for the bikes. They are awesome to look at. The massive head tube on the moto is bad ass.
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
Don't get me wrong, I've got a cannondale prophet that is an awesome bike and far from ugly. The motos however, just seem to have so much crap going on inside the frame for what amounts to just another single pivot. I'd love to ride one just to see what the difference is between this and the prophet i currently have, but the bike is still ugly.
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
I'm not going to speculate on the ride quality of a Moto until I get a chance to try one, but I will say this. I have owned several single-pivots (including a Prophet MX) and a Commencal which like the Moto uses a linkage to drive the shock, and the suspension is way more controlled and refined with the linkage. It doesn't feel like any other SP I have ridden and blows the ones I have away. If Cannondale has achieved something similar with the Moto, it should rock. I'm really interested to see the geometry.
 

Dan Gerous

Chimp
Aug 18, 2005
5
0
Montreal
I think it does, haha.


Didnt cannondale just get bought by Pacific? surprised they didnt try and outfit it with some sort of i-drive system.
They didn't get bought by Pacific, they got bought by Dorel who have also bought Pacific... and since Dorel got a hold of Pacific, GT bikes improved a lot, they got more R&D budget from Dorel and the brand is picking itself up rather nicely.

They bought Cannondale to have a high-end brand and their plan is to boost Cannondale's R&D budget so the Cannondale designers and engineers will have much more ressources to come out with the best bikes.

Back to the bikes, at first I also thought the Moto was looking a bit busy but the more I see it, it's really growing on me and now I really like it, looks like a very mean capable fun machine. The linkage is not there just for nothing, it helps control the shock rate and it actually allows them to make the front triangle lighter since the shock forces are starting and ending on the swingarm. And the paint jobs look cool IMO.

:clapping:
 

Homey

Monkey
Oct 27, 2004
136
0
The O.C.
The linkage is not there just for nothing, it helps control the shock rate and it actually allows them to make the front triangle lighter since the shock forces are starting and ending on the swingarm.
I disagree...check out the older Gemini...same design, different linkage. The linkage might help the bike (I don't know), but it CERTAINLY DOES NOT make the bike lighter! The bike might be lighter due to using a carbon frame.
 

Bad Ronald

Chimp
Jun 30, 2005
55
0
Danbury, CT
I disagree...check out the older Gemini...same design, different linkage. The linkage might help the bike (I don't know), but it CERTAINLY DOES NOT make the bike lighter! The bike might be lighter due to using a carbon frame.
The Gemini did not have any linkage at all. So that argument is no longer valid. If you meant the judge, then that linkage was still different. The shock forces went from the swingarm to the scissor link to the front triangle. The shock forces on the Moto start and end on the swingarm. It is no where near the same design. It does however end with the same effect. Staged travel with better small bump response, pedaling efficiency and big hit-ability.

As for lightweight-ness almost the entire shock linkage is made from carbon. The pivot location on the frame is carbon and the hatchet thingy is carbon as well. The "push-rods" are the only alloy bit. There is also less steel involved since the forces are distributed different in effect lightening the system as well.
 

Homey

Monkey
Oct 27, 2004
136
0
The O.C.
The Gemini did not have any linkage at all. So that argument is no longer valid. If you meant the judge, then that linkage was still different. The shock forces went from the swingarm to the scissor link to the front triangle. The shock forces on the Moto start and end on the swingarm. It is no where near the same design. It does however end with the same effect. Staged travel with better small bump response, pedaling efficiency and big hit-ability.

As for lightweight-ness almost the entire shock linkage is made from carbon. The pivot location on the frame is carbon and the hatchet thingy is carbon as well. The "push-rods" are the only alloy bit. There is also less steel involved since the forces are distributed different in effect lightening the system as well.
I'm talking about the Gemini. The frame and swingarm look really close to the Gemini (minus the linkage and shock location). Linkage adds weight (carbon or alloy or both) and bearings (stainless, no doubt) add weight. I'm not trying to argue weather it handles better or not, just stating that the linkage looks like it adds weight to the frame. I owned a Gemini...that thing was a great bike all around, I miss it.
 

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
The quad and the the moto looked amazing in personal and performed admirably well.....I rode a c-dal 440 quad and it definitely had potential. A a moto head I usually strongly dislike the quad stuff, but the c-dale truly impressed me partly because it was different and worked pretty well. The engine made some weird noises, some even said it sounded like it was coming apart when you revved it out, but the one I rode was solid.

C-dales problems with the motorsports division was not enough to fully invest in the program. They didn't have a dealer network and the product was mega-expensive at the time, especially when one could walk into a honda/suzuki/kawi/yamaha dealership on just about every corner.

What does this mean in terms of the new Moto and Rize? Give them a chance, don't sit back and pass judgement on them until you've given one a quick spin.
 

Bulldog

Turbo Monkey
Sep 11, 2001
1,009
0
Wisconsin
Scan the front of that catalog for a shot of Cannondale's new slogan: "Back in the fugly bike business and doing it better than ever for 2008!"
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
i say yawn with AW. Why does cannondale do things just to do them? I enjoyed my prophet and probably wouldn't have sold it if it weren't too big for me. Carbon just doesn't work well for DH and freeride. Ask GT, another company that kept experimenting with the extremely expensive edge and then went under...

I like them for pushing the game, but I feel like suspension design is still more important than carbon everythings.
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
Eh, i'd say carbon is about as safe a bet as alum for a gravity bike. Only problem is people are scared of carbon because there were problems with them in the 90's. If people can get over their fear, I think these bikes would work well.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,850
9,556
AK
Are they ugly because they don't look like your bike? Or is it because they are Cannondale's and it is cool to hate on Cannondale in any way possible? If Cannondale had a mom I'd hate to hear what you would say about her...
Well, considering all the crap C-dale spewed about their mono-pivot bikes over the years, it's pretty funny to see that they've finally broken down and moved on to linkages, I'm not sure if that's why they look so damn fugly, but who cares, I'm not buying one from a company as stubborn as C-dale.
 

Bad Ronald

Chimp
Jun 30, 2005
55
0
Danbury, CT
Uhh the guy said older Gemini, not original (there's been 3 variations now) Thats a bike only a select few have ridden, so how can that guy say the linkage has made a difference? Sorry bro doesn't count. The production Gemini didn't have a linkage and that was what I was talking about.

Un-Owned.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
Well, considering all the crap C-dale spewed about their mono-pivot bikes over the years, it's pretty funny to see that they've finally broken down and moved on to linkages, I'm not sure if that's why they look so damn fugly, but who cares, I'm not buying one from a company as stubborn as C-dale.
It's still a single pivot design. The "hatchet drive" makes it so the shock is acted upon in both directions.
 

MrPlow

Monkey
Sep 9, 2004
628
0
Toowoomba Queensland
i say yawn with AW. Why does cannondale do things just to do them? I enjoyed my prophet and probably wouldn't have sold it if it weren't too big for me. Carbon just doesn't work well for DH and freeride. Ask GT, another company that kept experimenting with the extremely expensive edge and then went under...

I like them for pushing the game, but I feel like suspension design is still more important than carbon everythings.
How long have you been riding? Just asking because I have been around for long enough to remember people saying Aluminium will never catch on for MTB because it is too stiff and has a 'memory' and fatigues too quick.
Times are a changin.

Be interested to see the suspension characteristics of those new bikes, look damn ugly tho! (not that that matters much)
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
How long have you been riding? Just asking because I have been around for long enough to remember people saying Aluminium will never catch on for MTB because it is too stiff and has a 'memory' and fatigues too quick.
Times are a changin.

Be interested to see the suspension characteristics of those new bikes, look damn ugly tho! (not that that matters much)
It's not about whether it will or won't work. Carbon is a good material and it certainly COULD be used for DH. Take a look at BCD's bikes or the Lahar. It's just that it's not a good choice. People are too fearful, it's generally harder to make, particularly in a variety of sizes, it's hard to do right, and it's hard to make changes to (geometry, etc.) each year. So, while I agree that carbon may have a place somewhere down the line, I just don't think it's as good a choice for DH and freeride applications, and I really don't think it'll catch on, not until people can do it without the reliability problems of the 90's. Cannondale might be able to do that with these bikes, but they have a tendency to reinvent the wheel just to show people that they can, and it's not always a good idea. I just don't think people will buy into a freeride bike made of carbon with a company as goofy as Cdale.
 

woodsguy

gets infinity MPG
Mar 18, 2007
1,083
1
Sutton, MA
They may have US made alum versions of the Moto as well. But they probably won't be sub 30lbs like the carbon versions.
 

Stray_cat

Monkey
Nov 13, 2007
460
0
Providence
It's not about whether it will or won't work. Carbon is a good material and it certainly COULD be used for DH. Take a look at BCD's bikes or the Lahar. It's just that it's not a good choice. People are too fearful, it's generally harder to make, particularly in a variety of sizes, it's hard to do right, and it's hard to make changes to (geometry, etc.) each year. So, while I agree that carbon may have a place somewhere down the line, I just don't think it's as good a choice for DH and freeride applications, and I really don't think it'll catch on, not until people can do it without the reliability problems of the 90's. Cannondale might be able to do that with these bikes, but they have a tendency to reinvent the wheel just to show people that they can, and it's not always a good idea. I just don't think people will buy into a freeride bike made of carbon with a company as goofy as Cdale.
Meh...it'll happen. Alot of the companies spewing anti-carbon rehtoric are the same ones who don't have a carbon program in place. Personaly I think C-dale makes a really good carbon bike, and I think these new bikes will do well. Every year more and more companies are coming out with a carbon bike. The material has changed alot too from the woes of the de-lam-ing 90's. You get yourself a Hill esque figure on a carbon DH rig, and you've got yourself a carbon DH industry. Presently I'm trying to set up a payment plan that deposits $1 into my account everytime someone says carbon will not make it in the DH world. Wanna join? ;)
 

silentfoe

Chimp
Sep 6, 2008
7
0
Utah Valley
I'd really like to know what makes the Rize ugly?...Also, since when does a 5.5inch travel bike with an aggressive cockpit and geometry become a freeride bike? Sounds like a lot of Cannondale haters out there who don't know better. I have sometimes wondered why Cdale tries a lot of the strange things they do but sometimes they come up with something really worth while. The lefty is a quality "fork" that has only gotten better with age. The whole Rize package seems well thought out and has a solid market to look forward to.
 

DHS

Friendly Neighborhood Pool Boy
Apr 23, 2002
5,094
0
Sand, CA
I'd really like to know what makes the Rize ugly?...Also, since when does a 5.5inch travel bike with an aggressive cockpit and geometry become a freeride bike? Sounds like a lot of Cannondale haters out there who don't know better. I have sometimes wondered why Cdale tries a lot of the strange things they do but sometimes they come up with something really worth while. The lefty is a quality "fork" that has only gotten better with age. The whole Rize package seems well thought out and has a solid market to look forward to.
you should REALLY check dates of the other posts before posting.

the last post what posted before cannondale got bought out by Pacific
 

46chief

Monkey
Jun 12, 2007
296
0
I've seen the green moto and the black one, I think they look pretty sweet. the black with the red wheels and carbon accents is actually the coolest bike I've seen all summer.

Considering all the rocks I hear bouncing off my downtube I wouldn't consider a carbon bike because I may have to get 5 years out of a frame.