Weaknesses: Stock (house brand) wheels, aluminum seat post, aluminum bars
Bottom Line:
Just bought this bike because I was tired of my lower end full suspension Haro. It weighed as much as a mini cooper. I had a Cannondale 15 years ago, that my Son now rides to school, and it never had any problems. So I went back to the brand. Good decision. It is so light that it is dangerous to me. And that is a good thing. The geometry is great, you sit lower to the ground, than you would expect, but still have plenty of clearance. The lefty fork is outstanding compared to my recent use of the Tora. Other riders with me who rode Specialized, GT, S-Works, Moots, were all very impressed by the weight factor. This bike is perfect for the relatively flat trails we have here in Houston. I will change the seat post, and bars to carbon soon. The frame is carbon so they really should have added some other carbon components to this bike, but I guess they had to keep costs down.
Bike Setup: All stock, avid elixir, sram s7 rear deralleur
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Submitted by
Morals
a Cross Country Rider
from Round Rock, TX, US
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2011
Strengths: Relatively Light (except for the stock wheels), Nice finish and graphics, Great Fork
Weaknesses: Stock Wheels
Bottom Line:
I bought this for a beater bike, but the wheels made me want to scream. I put some Stans ZTR ARCH 29ers on it tubeless and I have been much happier since.
Otherwise, I love this bike. It handles like a DREAM and is almost like riding a rigid fork in the turns and dips. My Orbea Alma 29er with Reba fork feels like a wet noodle up front compared to this thing. It's aluminum, which concerned me in a hardtail, but it seems pretty compliant for the trails around here. I might consider a carbon seatpost, but that would be it.
My $1800 price reflects the wheel upgrade. I paid $1500 on ebay for the Flash 3 Lefty bone stock. It was ok stock, but after riding C29ssmax wheels, I couldn't deal with the ones that came on this rig. By adding the Stan's wheels, I went from feeling like I was riding in syrup to flying along the trail.
Bike Setup: All stock except Stans ZTR Arch 29er wheels (tubeless setup)
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Submitted by
Dude
a Weekend Warrior
from Northern VIrginia
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2010
Strengths: Size, geometry
Weaknesses: Brakes, saddle, maybe the fork
Bottom Line:
Only got to ride this a few times before surgery sidelined me for a few months, but I have been very happy with the purchase. The frame is light but sturdy, which is important since I ride an XL. Very happy that I went with the 29er hardtail, not problem at all climbing or descending. Only weaknesses after a few rides is the brakes (rear squeals under heavy braking), and the saddle (not a big deal). Need to work on setting up the fork better, can't wait to heal and ride again.
Submitted by
jeff2slash
a Weekend Warrior
from Morley Mi, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2010
Strengths: It's a CANNONDALE, Light weight, nimble, strong frame, the Lefty. Very quick, climbs great.
Weaknesses: none so far.
Bottom Line:
I'm very happy with my F3 29, would recomend one to anyone! Very quick, nimble, comfortable bike! Great brakes, very smooth shifting, Lefty works Vert Very well! Can't wait to ride all the trails in Mi.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale F7, Cannondale Carbon Synapse 6.
Bike Setup: Stock for now.
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Submitted by
jeff2slash
a Weekend Warrior
from Morley Mi, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2010
Strengths: It's a CANNONDALE, Light weight, nimble, strong frame, the Lefty. Very quick, climbs great.
Weaknesses: none so far.
Bottom Line:
I'm very happy with my F3 29, would recomend one to anyone! Very quick, nimble, comfortable bike! Great brakes, very smooth shifting, Lefty works Vert Very well! Can't wait to ride all the trails in Mi.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale F7, Cannondale Carbon Synapse 6.
Bike Setup: Stock for now.
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Submitted by
kfrosty
a Weekend Warrior
from charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2010
Strengths: My first 29'er and have to say it performed better than expected. It's extremely fast on flat and downhill and climbs better than I was expecting.
Weaknesses: Would expect a little better components in this price range but other than that, I'm happy so far.
Bottom Line:
Great bike but again there are better packages out there for the money. Specialized SJ Comp 29 to name one and even the GF Paragon.
However, I do like the Lefty and Cannondales so I'm happy with the purchase.
So I demo'ed a Flash 3 Lefty for three days and I'm pretty impressed. LBS has one left, my size, for $1500. I'm about to go drop some money on it. Anyone care to stop me? Any input Read More »
So I demo'ed a Flash 3 Lefty for three days and I'm pretty impressed. LBS has one left, my size, for $1500. I'm about to go drop some money on it. Anyone care to stop me? Any input Read More »
My lbs carries both, but the Specialized carbon EVO is not yet in stock (Aprilish). I have ridden the carbon Flash 3, but not off road. They don"t carry Scott so at this point t Read More »
Yep, the title says it all. I have two 180 mm Formula R1 discs at the same weight of the Avid G3 discs, and I want to use the Formula discs on the Cannondale (paired with the compl Read More »
Is $2100 a good deal on a 2011 Cannondale flash 3 29er carbon? Given the build kit is really a pile of crap? I don't have a xc bike now just a road bike. Read More »
