Submitted by
Ro
a Weekend Warrior
from Waldorf, Maryland
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2002
Strengths: The Lefty front fork is sweet
Weaknesses: I have replaced rims, crank, seatpost, handle bars, brakes, saddle, cant put a computer on this bike.
Bottom Line:
Its called the Raven because this bike flies down hill, climbs well but not like a hardtail, my buddy says it rides like a Cadillac, great bike for all types of riding it has been a high maintenance bike, but a blast to ride. The Cannondale Co. has been great to deal with customer service is excellent. Hayes was slow at first but delivered with a set of hydralic brakes which are the best and easy to maintain. The Bike Doctor in Waldorf has been outstanding!!!! I realy like this bike
Strengths: great bike it is superlite for those who care and the lefty rocks!! the bike has a good mix of components and handles very well it is sick
Weaknesses: uhh not much the tyres need replacing but nothin wrong with the ride
Bottom Line:
awesome bie great ride and nice fork i love it so much it is a must buy for u this thing rocks i cant think of a betttter bike so there is not much more 2 say
Strengths: hey this is a great bike and its light but the lefty is a great fork the bike is wonderful rides smoothly i really like this bike carbon rocks!!! smooth ride and very very nice paint job even though its all scratched up but thats not what matters its a great ride
Weaknesses: the brakes could be better and so could the tires
Bottom Line:
i love this bike it is awesome it is has a few bad compountents that i talked about but with new tires this thing handles great i love it and its the BEST!! this bike is great for a cross rider gettin into a bit of freeridin with the 4.5 inch rear suspension but it is very light
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from seattle
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2001
Strengths: Hey this is a great fast bike i pretty much agree with Bronson from a prev reveiw LEFTY FORK
Weaknesses: seat tires
Bottom Line:
Its a great bike i want that guy under this review to know that he is a jacka$$ and should look around at prices before he buys a bike you should be carefull not to get ripped off
Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction,, Colo.
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2001
Strengths: Flavor of the month...
Weaknesses: Flavor of the month does NOT taste good for long...
Bottom Line:
I still own ALL of the above metioned C'Dale bikes.. LAST December i paid $1,500 (on closeout) for the 2000 Raven 800.. I went to Mountain Bike Specialist in Durango,Colorado today.. They are a Cannondale dealer.. In their showroom was a 2000 Raven 700.. It was blue just like the 2000 Raven 700SX EXCEPT that it had a regular Headshox Fork on it instead of the Lefty fork.. It was "on sale" for (now get this) $2,995 marked "down" from $3,395.. It must have had solid gold cable ferrules on it.. This for a bike which is now TWO YEARS OLD.. The Lefty equipped Raven700 only retailed for $2,395 (according to this website) when it was a NEW model.. It seems that CANNONDALE does NOT have much control over its dealers and product "integrity".. Somebody is gonna end up like SCHWINN and GT and numberous OTHER former bike companies..
Submitted by
Bronson
a Downhiller
from Seattle WA US
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2001
Strengths: Light but i dont really care the lefty is great supprisingly good on bigger sized hits the brakes are good i love my H11S hydralic pad brakes in the rear but my clara is having some trouble ill get hayes soon good handling nice component selection except for see below I LOVE THIS BIKE It is a great bike what can i say?
Weaknesses: There are no problems with the bike just a few components alligator tires SUCK they slip on corners they SUCK to narrow too could your some sunn rhyno lite rims the seat sucks its as hard as he*l like a roadie seat CODA isn't great if you have some money you might want better By the way change the cable routing the routing that they suggests goes in between your lefty and the frame when you turn the bar hard left the hydralic cables pinch and mine broke now they are on the right side of the headtube and i have had no problems
Bottom Line:
Great bike awesome lefty i could go on about that but
You just need to replace a few components and it will ride like a dream
new seat unless your a** likes that new tires Those are the most important
if you have a lot of cash get some rhyno lites and maybe swap out some of that coda stuff
By the way i know im sounding all negative about these components but dont let that stop you from buying the bike its a great bike but every bike has a couple bad components
Submitted by
R Wright
a Weekend Warrior
from Waldorf, Maryland
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2001
Strengths: The Lefty is SOOOOOOsweet
Weaknesses: Dont know yet
Bottom Line:
This thing is Nice it climbs effortlessly, goes down hill effortlessly still getting myself setup right but well worth the money. If you can find a Raven or Jekl with the lefty buy it and enjoy. For all u Cannondale haters you must of bump your heads this bike is sooooo sweet!!. I got one and you dont.
Bike Setup: Hayes mechanical disc, xt rear lx front, lx shifters IRC Myhos 2.1, Zac 19 rims, lefty, FOx Vanilla Float
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
b reel
a Cross Country Rider
from ptc ga usa
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2001
Strengths: getting use to the fact of missing half of fork with lefty took all of 1/8 mile downhill run to realize it makes sense if it works set the thing up at the shop first day of owning it and havent touched it yet. odd sounds when trail flak bounces off the carbon but the frame leaves nothing more to desire
Weaknesses: i have found that if you take the zak-19 rims off and slide them up a round rubbermaid trash can they hold the trash bags perfectly this is the only use i could find for them. get rid of them quickly. plastic clara brake lever should be placed in said trash can. i know that cannondale prides themselves for quality in frame detail but it seems to have slacked off in past couple of years. the finish work with decals and clearcoat looked a little rushed, started with magura hydro rim brakes and switched to lousie disc (simple brakes after dial in) after switch i noticed flex in rear dropouts when putting heavy side loads through twisty single track had a "black majic" road frame that did the same until they snapped maybe c'dale will exchange bonded swingarm before i have to invest more money to a surgeon
Bottom Line:
best all around bike i traded old super v for raven so i was able switch out drivetrain and easton to raven. get rid of the wheels, build your own set
Similar Products Used: previous super v models, k2 razorback team (buy the razorback if you race)
Bike Setup: hugi 240, dt revo, sun ds1-xc rr, xt/xtr/halfpipe, easton ct2 bar and seatpost,lefty and fox float rc,
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Will McKnight
a Cross Country Rider
from toledo,ohio
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001
Strengths: really fast,really controlable, ride over your mistakes, awsome brakes
Weaknesses: cramped layout, need to be stretched out more
Bottom Line:
fastest bike I've ever ridden!But I'd have to think twice before buying one because of the comfort factor in the weird cockpit layout. I put 9 hard hours of cross country and downhill riding on it at Red Rock, NV.
Strengths: super stiff frame,simple pivot point, lefty terrain crushing fork w/four inches of plush!
Weaknesses: fork cartridge leaked fluid lockout failed! and the seat post clamps slipped,bearing on lefty is whirring to much stress from fork.
Bottom Line:
Pricey exotic bike, light frame good travel,quirky handling that's not for a beginner. This is a fun machine it makes noise when rocks hit it pulls left when you ride no handed and tells people that your not gonna settle for anything that doesn't challenge you when you ride it. this bike company is all about inovation if you can't except change doen't buy a raven or a jekyl or any of it, go buy something that doesn't expect anything from you and go ride a rail to trail somewhere!
Similar Products Used: schwinn four banger,trek vrx 200,gt i-drive,kona stinky
Bike Setup: hayes brakes,azonic bars,velocity cliif hanger rims on coda hubs,titec lay back seat post,xt bottom bracket,xt cassette.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Andrew Robinson
a Weekend Warrior
from Ripley, WV
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2000
Strengths: Looks, weight, back saving full suspension, Magura disc brakes.
Weaknesses: rear swing arm weight - 1 lb heavier than new swing arm on most Ravens.
Bottom Line:
The bike handles like a Ferarri. The Lefty absorbs the downhills and takes rocks in stride. Go ahead pick a line, it stays right there. This is the second full suspension bike I have own. The other was a good bike (Specialized FSR) but does not compare to the Cannondale. I am in love with C-dale. The brakes are magura hydro-disc and work well. It took some time to get use to braking.
Weaknesses: coda gear,(crank,rings,wheelset)paint job sloppy,(bubbles,thick & thin spots)front hayes cable disc brakes, 4 bolt disc hubs,shimano rapidfire LX, rims not holding up,2 broken spokes, different, like someone wants to steal it
Bottom Line:
should have saved up $ for 900 sx. To many problems for my taste. The frame is great,stiff,responsive, if only i could keep it that way,scratches to easy,every time I wreck damn thing another one pops up. The lefty is nice but I would have been ok with the 80mm headshok. The lefty makes the bike front heavy,and when I go with friends riding it takes extra time to remove the front wheel and you need a fork up($60.00). Many of the problems i had could just be me,but damn its my money, and I want it setup right. one word of advice if you have a bike thats working great for you, dont give into the hipe,should have stayed with my SV900
Bike Setup: replaced seatpost,raceface replaced hayes disc brake with coda expert kore stem replaced crankset with coda 502M crankset(for now) replaced rapidfires with gripshift attack half pipes
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ozzierider
a Weekend Warrior
from LA, CA; SLC,UT; BNE Australia (transient)
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2000
Strengths: stiff front, weight, clearance on toptube
C'dale did a sloppy job with the front rotor/caliper clearance. I had to order a spacer to go between rotor and hub to get the correct setup for front disk. Since I ride the brakes moto style (right lever is for front brake) I had to purchase a second Magura Clara disk for the rear so I could change the brake levers around. The dampening adj on the lefty was locked from new and had to be fixed in the shop. The rear shock, fox vanilla float was not giving me the correct sag (too much even at max pressure at 300psi) and has been replaced for free by Fox with vanilla float R and valved for my 220lbs heavy body. The chain was rubbing on the front der cage in 2-1 gear combo (and I know how to adjust the front der btw...), plus it was skipping. I replaced the drivetrain with an 8speed XTR and put on some Sram Attack/Plasma shifters, sachs 51 chain and things are now perfect. Yes, I left the coda 9 speed rings on the crank and things do work just fine. The bike rides ok for uphill, not a pig but not like my ti hardtail either. It is obviously heavier but still ok for trailriding. It shines on grarly rocky and drops, no longer I have to look for a line. Do not race this sled in Cross Country; it is too heavy. Best for fun rides where getting to the destination (finishline )is not an object, the ride itself is. A locking rear shok would do wonders for those long fireroad climbs (at the moment I simply click in the dampning of the rear shock to the max and release it on the downhill) As far as durability? will see.. By the way, I had to modify the seatpost clamp (two bolts) to two quick release levers. I mean, the bike is a freeride, you have to adjust the seat height beetween climbs and scary descents ;we do not all race c/c for crying out loud...
Similar Products Used: test: trek superlight, rocky mtn.
Bike Setup: Magura disk front and rear, back to 8 speed SRAM
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
CARLOS MELENDEZ
a Weekend Warrior
from N.Y.C. N.Y
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000
Strengths: LEFTY IS THE BOMB ! FRAME NICE AND STIFF,PRETTY BIKE.
Weaknesses: RECALL ON SEAT POST CLAMS, BUT C-DALE FIX WITH NEW CLAMPS & SLEEVE FOR POST SUPPORT.
Bottom Line:
IT'S A GREAT BIKE & SPEAKS FOR IT'S SELF,GREAT SUSPENSION TRAVEL,RIGID FRAME. GOOD FOR CROSS COUNTRY & SOME DH. C-DALE HAS MADE ME A FULL BLOWN M.T.BIKER SO BRING ON THOSE MOUNTAINS. I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO START THIS SPORT GO OUT AND BUY A BIKE WITH A COMPANY THAT WOULD GIVE YOU A LIFE TIME WARRANTY AND THAT WOULD GIVE YOU SOME GOOD COMPONENTS TO START OFF WITH. "GREAT BIKE FOR IT'S VALUE"
