Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2006
Strengths: LIGHT! This thing floats down the trail and corners like its on rails. I LOVE it.
Weaknesses: Coda Breaks
Bottom Line:
This is a wicked bike. The set up as always needs to be adjusted to the rider, but once you've found your sweet spot this bike is a dream. I've done a LOT of racing and this has by far been my favorite ride.
Submitted by
Chris Gren
a Racer
from Silverdale, WA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001
Strengths: Killer Frame, best shock around, frame and shock are the best 1-2 punch around...The Coda Components suck BIG TIME!!!! I replaced all coda crap with Shimano XTR and Easton Ti to include bottom bracket and wheelset/hubs. After I did that, I had the most killer bike around. Supa' Fast, light, and climbed like a billygoat....I won races with that set up...as a reminder though, get rid of the coda crap...cuz it will piss you off after a month
Weaknesses: Coda, coda, coda......replace immediately!! How the frame and shock got stuck with this crap is un-reeeaal. Again, once you have quality on the frame and fork, you have the best bike around.
Bottom Line:
Buy the frame and shock, upgrade all the components and you'll have such a killer bike...Probably the best in the market and race worthy. If you go w/frame, fork and coda, be prepared for frustration.
Bike Setup: XTR, Mavic, Easton.....only the frame and shock is Cannondale. It's the only solid set up you can have going with Cannondale. Coda ruins everything.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nutter
a Weekend Warrior
from Franklin, MA
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2001
Strengths: Light, strong, Coda Disc brakes after a year are pretty good, climbing ability
Weaknesses: Coda Disc Brakes, Flexy frame at BB, Coda Cranks
Bottom Line:
Where to start. I reviewd this bike about 2 years ago and loved it. The chain suck was a major problem and the gear shifting was also problematic. The chain still drops from the higher front chainring to the lower at any given time. But that is because the frame flexes when I go up hill. I am a 250 lbs rider and tend to put a lot of stress on the cranks and BB. I had to adjust my riding style, and everything fixed itself. I added a lot of freeride components to this thing and love the way it descends now. Up hill is a little tougher with out the head shock, but who cares. It just takes a little more pedal power. The disc brakes are OK. They don't lock up at all, but I think that could be a good thing, prevents me from skidding. The stopping power is OK too, but sometimes I need to stop NOW, and that doesn't happen. The cranks suck. The chain rings are terrible. But all in all, I really like this bike. I'll give it a 4 for over all, but a 5 for the bike I put together for value.
Strengths: Light... too light... the race face parts I upgraded to are nice... MY HAYES DISKS ROCK... my '99 had a wicked after burner paint job... stock cranks are nice... good steering fork
Weaknesses: CODA DISKS SUCKED... months of useless brakes... not much travel... lets see... the #$%^ing frames keep failing... I don't ride very hard... but something happens to the drop outs and the wheel wont stay in... I've tried lots of diff. QR's nothing works...
Bottom Line:
I've had A LOT of problems... but up to last month Cannondale was really good... my LBS and Cannondale were really good about replacing brakes and brake components when they failed (I was very patient)... but when I took my frame in the first time to get the drop outs checked the Rep tried to tell me it was my fault... that my QR didn't work that I was using my bike for something I should'nt... Finally I got it replaced after being degraded by some over stuffed @ss from C-DAle... then it happened again with my '01... it's been in the shop for two weeks... heard nothing... I would have given them a 4 for effort and a good ride... now they get a 1 and if I could I'd give C-DAle a good kick in the nuts to go with... I'll never buy one of their products again...
Similar Products Used: F-1000,... I've tired a bunch of FS bikes... but nothing really like my Crack-N'-Fail
Bike Setup: HAYES DISKS... stock stuff... race face post & BB... S&M pedals... Mav 521's... Intense 2.35" tires... short CODA stem... Pedro's Radial Grips (they rule)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
vinnie mastro
a Cross Country Rider
from las vegas nevada
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2000
Strengths: light weight. head shock. stiff frame.cockpit layout climbing. disk brakes.trail manners . tracks streight
Weaknesses: disk brakes . sterilizer seat . shifting . dealer customer support . parts availability...stock inner tubes
Bottom Line:
excellent frame n fork .. tracks streight goes where you point it .. climbs like a mountain goat .. layed out cockpit (bike fits me nicely) shifting was ok at best lots of chain suck.. after snapping rear deralur replaced it w a short cage xtr r rise. shortened the chain .. this cured the chain suck problem .(i cant guarante this fix but it worked for me ).the brakes were a nightmare..after 3 mos of not having a rear brake (leak contaminated the pads )and my bike being in the shop for 3 weeks at a time (cannondale back ordered the pads ) i finally have brakes that work . even with the above problems this is the best frame n fork combo ive ridden..the barrs stem and wheels are top notch as is the crank and chainrings ..the after purchase rock shox seat post rules.. the coda clipless pedals didnt work at all until i figured out that some chain lube makes them work great.the knobs on the mythos xc tires chunked off early . the innertubes were thinner than suran wrap ..the head shock is the only way to go the steering precision is incredible. it will spoil you .. wont ride a twin leg fork unless i go hardcore dh.. now if only i can figure out how to bleed the brakes myself.. would i buy another one ? yes but only if my dealer will let me punch everyone in the face if they cant get parts for a month or they cant fix my bike correctly the first time..
Bike Setup: specialized comfort seat. rock shox seat post .xtr medium cage deralur r rise.. shorten xtr chain..
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sandman
a Cross Country Rider
from Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2000
Strengths: -strong frame -super smooth head shock -light weight
Weaknesses: -coda disc brakes (didn't see that coming) -coda clipless pedals
Bottom Line:
With the F-2000 I got a fast bike with good geometry. It's excellent for climbing and the head shock tracks perfectly, with no play or wiggle. The ride feels very stiff and light and I must add the paint job turns heads. The disc brakes were problematic - very sensitive to oil contamination- and seem to contaminate themselves. Otherwise, I can see this bike approaching perfection once the components get up to par with the frame and fork.
Weaknesses: Grip Shift shifters don't work well with XTR rear derailleur IRC Tires CODA clipless pedals
Bottom Line:
This bike is very enjoyable to ride and I love the compliments I get about this bike. Everyone I meet love the paint job on this bike. The Frame and Headshok are very good. But, one of the major downfalls with this bike is the shifting, I don't think that the grip shift works very well with the XTR. I'm going to switch to the XTR rapidfire shifters and then give you another review with how I think of the switch. I don't like the clipless pedals either. If Cannondale didn't have the CAAD frame and the integrated Headshok, I would be riding something different.
Strengths: The bike in question is a Scott Blackstone has an amazing structure. Its particulary good for jumps and I have no regrets about purchasing this item. In my local Reatiler (John Hales, Heaton Moor) they stated it was better than a Yecora and a Kokomo, the forks are good but not highly rated and a good pair of Bombers Z1 wouldn't go a miss.
Weaknesses: Poor forks apparently.
Bottom Line:
Buy this baby, she'll satisfy you intensely. Or a Giant Boulder Alu Shock which are superb aswell. I only paid £300 and I had forks added.
This bike rocks. There're some guys here complaing about chain suck, and shifting problems. Working at a shop, and riding avidly, I can tell you, it wasn't all C'dale's fault. It was the new Shimano 9-speed, mixed with the Tarantual crank. They needed to do a bit mroe testing on the super narow chain before releasing the bike with thier own crank. Shimano's drivetrains work best when you've got it all.
Though I love the ride, I feel the need to try dually. Next season, I'm going Big Hit. So, if you wanna buy my ride, check the market place.
Similar Products Used: -'98 Specialezed S-Works -'97 CAAD3 frame with Z2 and XT mix
Bike Setup: stock........only changed tires to Michelin once IRC's wore out. Changed chains.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross-Country Rider
from Kalamazoo, Michigan
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2000
Strengths: weight handling braking Headshok
Weaknesses: 9 Speed! Stock Shifters
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great climber and goes where you point it. I am amazed at how much better the CAAD 4 handles than my '97 CAAD 2. This bike is very agile and awesome in the single track. The disc brakes are overkill here in Michigan, but when I rode in Pennsylvania last spring they were incredible on the wet trails. I have only one complaint. The drive train that Cannondale spec'd blows! I spent the entire season trying to straighten out my shifting woes. I finally went back to 8 speed and the Sachs Quartz shifters. This seemed to solve most of my problems. My dealer(Village Cyclery, Schoolcraft, Michigan) was very helpful in this matter. I only wish I could say the same for Cannondale. I e-mailed Cannondale several times on this matter, trying to get them to swap out my brakes so I could switch to rapid fire. They basically told me tough *#@!. I noticed that Cannondale has now changed their spec's on the new models. If they didn't have Headshok and such great frames I would be riding something different. Before I solved the shifting mystery I would give the bike 2 Chile's, after the fix, 5.
Bike Setup: XTR 9 Speed Derallieur Sachs Quartz shifters CODA Disc Brakes Time ATAC Carbon pedals
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nutter
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix (MA native though)
Date Reviewed: October 22, 1999
Strengths: Light Disc Brakes are really cool looking, and stop on a dime(learned the hard way, up and over the bars I went) Climbs climbs climbs!!! Risers make for great handling. Getting use to the 9 speed too
Weaknesses: Dents! But what do you expect from Aluminum. Skewers - the Codas suck. The ends are slanted and there are threads on both sides. Tires - IRC Mythos XC, not for rocky AZ riding. Noisy front shock. Squeaks.
Bottom Line:
First off, Dave from Marlboro, MA. How is Vietnam these days? Heard its getting easier?Any way, I absolutely love this bike. I had alot of trouble with the shifting in the beginning and alot of concerns when the chain would strip off the front cogs. But the guys at Bike Masters in Tempe were patient and fixed it up right. Kudos to those guys. Any who, this thing climbs great and descends just as well. I ride National and Mormon out here in AZ(up mormon, down national), and this bike has given me the confidence I need to go up and down those technical sections. No problems any more with shifting. Weird though, Rapid rise XTR with grip shifts. If you want to spend the cash and get a great bike go here. Also, if you are a large rider like me (6'2 240 mix of muscle and fat) with long ass arms and long torso, the F2000's cock-pit is the one for you. I don't think I will ever buy any thing else. I am a C'dale owner for life. Ride Long, Ride hard and remember, its not a ride unless someone falls and blood is drawn!5 for the ride, but have to take one away for poor Coda skewers and all the drive train trouble.
Bike Setup: Fatty SL 70 mm (upgrading soon) Titec Hell-bent Risers Plasma Grip XT (f) XTR (r) Nashbar clipless pedals Panaracer Fire DH Pro on the rear LX Skewers.
Strengths: Fatty SL and CAAD 4 frame, awesome combination and unbelieveable stiff. The disc brakes are amazing!!!
Weaknesses: Shimano 9 speed, a lot of chain suck.
Bottom Line:
A great bike. You might have noticed that I wrote the exact opposite a couple messages down but that was back then. Although I requested it, MTBR hasn't taken the other review off which was written after two really frustrating DNF's within a week which wasn't a problem with the bike itself. The only reason were the Shimano 9 speed. I'm gonna give it a 5 since it's out of the bike company's control if the component manufaturer messes up.
Similar Products Used: trek 8900, trek 6500, kona lava dome
Bike Setup: xtr/xt , xt shifter, head shok(sweet)
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1999
Strengths: Light All components
Weaknesses: ??
Bottom Line:
Wow what an upgrade. Entry level brand-X components to top-of-the-line hardtail.First, Klein guy, your an idiot. Frame has a Lifetime warranty!!True, it says that I have only tested this bike. But, I also bought it. This review is to try and offset stupid Klein guy. I will give my honest review after I have hit the trail. Also, for the owners of this site, can you give us weekend/weekday warriors our own classification. We are not racers but we ride more than just on the weekends. Thanks
And for the last installment, the 1999 Cannondales. These are two bikes that were left over when we stopped selling Cannondale and they juste ended up getting stuck upstairs. Bot Read More »
