Submitted by
champ
a Racer
from wildwood,new jersey
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2009
Strengths: Rigid,rigid,rigid did i mention that it was rigid? Bought it originally just frame and fork setup, wanted a road frame but the fatty D headshock provided both road and off road choices. Love it.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
Does anyone know where i can get 180mm cranks? Also does anyone know what the bb width is on this frame? Ride hard!
Similar Products Used: I've broken almost every frame i've had.
Bike Setup: 1999 f700 frame, fatty D frks, carbon-bars and seat post, shimano equipped, spin wheels, setup as a single speed conversion etc.
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Submitted by
Michael Harmelink
a Cross Country Rider
from Saint Aubin (Paris-France)
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2003
Strengths: Very Stiff frame
Weaknesses: All the rest! Especially the xtremely heavy and squeaky cannondale crank and the Julie Magura diskbrakes that couldn't stay clear from the pads after a jump or bump (self adjusting and so not much to do about). Suspension has very short travel and needs regular maintenance (complicated to do it yourself and thus $$$$).
Bottom Line:
Cannondale is definately a class in itself when it comes to frame building, innovative designs and.... marketing! however this comes at a price as they seem to skimm out on almost anything else, especially the bits that one generally doesn't immediately put its eyes on when purchasing a bike. Cannondale does a relatively good job in the high end bikes and manages to build a good reputation in that $$$ end of the market. That reputation may put you a little bit of guard in the lower end where they cut back on anything but the frame. If you really want to get a Cannondale consider buying just the frame a building it up yourself, which with the F700 I ended up doing anyway ;-(
Favorite Trail: Vallee La Chevreuse - in my Backyard
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Bike Setup: After a year I replaced everything
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Submitted by
Mark Todd
a Weekend Warrior
from Richards Bay
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2003
Strengths: Great frame, bulletproof fork, reasonable parts spec for price. Cannondale frames clearly have excellent attention to detail, and it pays in long fatique life. Check out www.efbe.de the Cannondales frames all pass with flying colours. The Promax v-brakes are actually excellent, and don't squeal like the XT brakes I had before. Excellent paintwork. Excellent backup through dealers in South Africa.
Weaknesses: Miserable seat which bumps through to seatpost. Cheap Coda pedals. Frame is super stiff, which means good climbing, but a bit hard on the bum. Front fork has short travel, so it's not plush.
Bottom Line:
A great bike. It handles really well and feels tight. Cannondale parts (headset, shock) still feel super smooth after 4 years use. Shifting is the best I've ever had on any of my bikes, I think it may be as a result of the cable routing under the the BB, it could also be because the replacable derrailuer hanger is a stiffer design than usual (it bolts over both sides of the dropout). Mine is not for sale, not now, not ever!!
Similar Products Used: Trek 8000 (great) Giant NRS1 (Good idea, a bit heavy, miserable warranty service)
Bike Setup: Race face seat post, Selle Italia seat, XT cassette. The rest is stock.
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Submitted by
Marko Haka
a Weekend Warrior
from Rovaniemi, Finland
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2003
Strengths: Frame, Fork, craftmanship
Weaknesses: Coda 700 series, gripshifts
Bottom Line:
Wow, its 2003 and I back with a follow up.
My F700SL is still running, even the Fatty D is still working plushly without a single maintenance. My cycling hobby did take a little "vacation" after my last posting and the bike has not done nearly as much miles as back then. I just got to have the fork rebuilt this summer, just for show.
Anyways now I'm back in the saddle even more eager than before, I've taken to fancy more freerid'ish driving style and am trying to upgrade the C'dale accordingly (need mo monney! :) ).
I got the Shimano Deore mechanical disc brakes and new wheels with Deore hubs and Mavic F219Disc rims. The frame and fork had the standard disc brake mounts ready but the brakes didnt fit straight off! The front brake fits horizontally but doesnt go low enough to make use of the full brakeshoe surface, I'm probably missing some 5% of the surface -> brake power. The rear brake didnt fit horizontally, meaning that the rotor would not fall between the brakeshoes and when forced would seriously drag. I had to move the brake caliber with really fat 5mm shims, with the rear brake I'm willing to accept this sketchy installment.
Otherwise the bike is still as great as back then. I'm still planning on a longer fork and a shorter stem to "morph" the bike into something less XC and more Free...
The frame is fantastic, but the parts that were spec'd were crap. I have replaced every component on the bike. It was C-Dale's first attempt at 9 speed and the pieced together road cassette just didn't work. I blew out the headshok and replaced it with a longer travel standard fork using problem solver headtube reducer and Chris King headset. Works great, but throws off the geometry a bit
Similar Products Used: specialized stumpjumper pro, K2 zed team
Bike Setup: Coda hubs/mavic 517 rims, LP carbon handlebar - now upgraded to all xt drivetrain and brakes, and panaracer tires, as well as rock shox duke XC
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Submitted by
Beaver
a Cross Country Rider
from Schoten, Antwerp
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2002
Strengths: Everything, great geometry, incredible strength
Weaknesses: availability off coda parts in Belgium stinks
Bottom Line:
The Canondale F700 was the first front suspension I ever owned or even tried. I have had the bike for something like 6 or 7 years, road it a lot in all different conditions and crashed heavily quite a few times. Apart from a good deal of scratches, the bike is still great shape. The only thing I ever needed changing are the chain, blades and tires. All other components (wheels, gears, ...) are still the originals. Even now that I own a Canondale Jeckyll 1000, I still cannot part from the F700. If the F700 would have had a rear suspension I would never have bought a new bike. Still a great buy for everyone looking for a reliable cross country bike.
Similar Products Used: several stiff bikes and since 18 months a canondale jeckyll 1000
Bike Setup: standard
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Submitted by
Jerico
a Cross Country Rider
from Daly City, CA USA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2001
Strengths: Strong (crashed several times). Light, relyable. The fork lock out is a always a life saver when climbing or speeding up. The fork is always stiff and will track no matter what.
Weaknesses: There are better forks out there (Ultra Fatties) and better frames (cadd 4/5). So you can imagine better performance off more higher end models. I desire more travel up front. And it's not as supple as steal.
Bottom Line:
This is a bike I'll never stop having memmories about if I have have a chance to replace it. This was one heck of a bike too. If this thing ever breaks and I can't replace it, I'll start crying.
Bike Setup: Mavic 221(front)Mavic557(rear), LX hubs, Kenda Kharaisma Tires, LX front drive, XT rear drive(8spd)
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Submitted by
Marko Haka
a Weekend Warrior
from Rovaniemi, Finland
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2001
Strengths: Bombproof frame & susp.fork very lasting components.
Weaknesses: Hubs, rims & saddle.
Bottom Line:
Im here again, now after two years with my F700SL.
Earlier (at 1 year mark) I hated all my initial trouble with my bike. These were the trouble with the crank loosing up and the odd bump on my front rim. The crank issue fas fixed right in the begining (with nut-lock glue) and Ive now replaced the from rim with Mavic 517.
I ques Ive rode some 5000 miles with it till this day. My riding style is "smooth" meaning that I try to absorb the bumps with my body instead of the bike (this I learned in the early "hard-tail-hard-fork" days). But of that 5000 plenty was forest singletracks, rockclimbing etc. I like fast singletracks and slow technical riding most (like rock climbing) and this bike has been THE bike for my ride.
The CAAD3 (now very outdated) frame is miraculous. Its been critized to be more low-speed hi-controlablity and restless on hi-speeds, but thats the way I just love it. And after getting used to it (not too long) the hi-speed becomes a bliz. The frame is still as new, no decreased stiffness and the paint is like new (minus some unfortunate scraches).
And the Fatty D fork is another miracle itself. Not a single maintenance operation ever. I did gain some 60 pounds in the last 6 months (Im now some 190 pounds) at the gym and I had to ajust the spring tension (which was a bliz). I did consider taking it to maintenance just to have the oils replaced, and the mechanic said that there has been no leaking and that its still in good condition. In cold (below 0 Celsius) it gets this "klok" sound right at the start of the travel, but the mechanic suspected that its the elastomer which stiffens in cold and doesnt return to its full lenght. This is just so amazing when compared to my last 98' Judy XC which I had to take apart every month for lubrication and the stifness of the Fatty is just as amazing. Yes, I havent ridden any of the new 2000/2001 forks but I feel that anything better than this is inrelevant. Now this is no DH fork and not even for the FreeRide spirit. But it is in my oppinion a fork that fits this hardtail perfecly.
Other components have been very good also. Someone hinted me that the CODA 700 hubs suck big time and My rear hub has now a bent axle. But it did last 1,5 years. The remaining CODA 700 rim at rear is in need of some serious trimming but Ive been considering replasing the whole rear disk (rim, hub, spokes) with casette and chain as Im having chain skipping. The saddle "leather" got loose from sides allready in the begining but its still hanging on and seems only as visual flaw. Also the pro-max PX-2 Expert brakes (which I complained cheapish last time) proved to be every bit as good as your shimano V-brake counterparts.
Similar Products Used: Japanese Kuwahara with Judy XC and LX/STX comp.
Bike Setup: F700SL standard issue (found in european lineup), which differs from the US model by its CAAD3 frame (CAAD2 in non-SL models [In europe atleast]). It has CODA700 components X-cept the XT-rear derailer, STX-RC from derailer, GripShift Quarts shifter and ESP 7.0 composite brake levers. And I replaced the steering bar with a riserbar. http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/europe/99bikes/model-9FS7L.html
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Submitted by
JJ Zwack
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA USA
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2001
Strengths: Headshok is absolutely bombproof reliable. Once it was set up at the shop, I've had no problems with the ride considering my aggressive cross-country riding style and weight (180 lbs). Frame is well-constructed and the paint job has not faded or chipped other than in normal use. IRC Mythos XC tires are the best. I have tried all bike tires out there and have found no other that is as predictable in all conditions (except sand) as these. For the front tire, they can't be beat. They also wear well.
Weaknesses: Crank. Cannondale's proprietary crank is a low- to mid- alternative to the Shimano crank that should come with a bike of this caliber.
Bottom Line:
Reliable, handmade in the USA quality bike. THe Headshok is easy to maintain and the ride quality is superb. Bear in mind however that the Headshok is best at aggressive cross-country riding. It works well on stutter bumps, the occassional big hit, and unseen bumps along the trail. If you're looking for consistent big-hit travel downhill abuse, look elsewhere. This bike rates 5 stars for its longitivy, ease of maintainence, good looks and quality componentry.
Similar Products Used: GT Avalanche, Spec. Stumpjumper
Bike Setup: All LX except downgraded Cannondale crank; Headshok; Mavic wheels with IRC Mythos tires.
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Submitted by
Sean Svee
a Racer
from Eau Claire, WI
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2001
Strengths: Sweet ride from the Headshok, Awesome Team Yellow color. Components are fairly good for the price.
Weaknesses: Rims are heavy, IRC tires suck, short top tube.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike at the beginning of the 1999 race year. I did my first ever race and placed 2nd overall and first in my class on my stock F700. I then upgraded the bike with the S-Works wheelset which helped shave weight. Anyways, the Headshok I think is better than the Fatty Ultra. I think that the spring cartridge is smoother than air.
Similar Products Used: I now ride a F2000sl. I have used a Schwinn Moab 2.
Bike Setup: XTR front and rear derailleurs, S-Works Wheelset, longer stem.
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Submitted by
Tomi Teinilä
a Weekend Warrior
from Helsinki, Finland
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2001
Strengths: HeadShok Frame
Weaknesses: Seatpost
Bottom Line:
The HeadShok is great! And the CAAD3 frame too. Of course XTR derailleurs, which i changed about 3 months ago, are also very nice. You can view pictures of my F700 SL Team Blue on my homepage: koti.mbnet.fi/tomi
Bike Setup: -F700 SL European version -Hutchinson Mosquito 2.1/1.85 -Shimano XTR front/rear derailleurs -CODA Competition saddle, Volvo/Cannondale Team Edition
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Submitted by
john
a Weekend Warrior
from piketon,ohio
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2000
Strengths: great frame,headshock,wheels,geometry
Weaknesses: seat,front der.,
Bottom Line:
bike handles very well in the tight stuff,confidence inspiring,the more i ride it the more i like it. trash the stock seat,headshock could use a little more travel but tracks straight no matter what i throw at it.i have also noticed that the lx front der. is tuff to shift into the bigger chainrings and takes a firm push.overall an excellent bike and would recommend it to anybody looking for a quality bike under 1000.00!!!!!
Similar Products Used: specialized sworks,mongoose
Bike Setup: basically stock except for xt brakes and ritchey pedals
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Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Augustine, FL
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000
Strengths: The frame is this products greatest strength. Rigid, light, responsive; I've been a roady for years riding old Italian steel and I'm changing my old wrong-headed thinking on what I like in a frame. I bought this Cannondale specifically because the price was right ($700) and had no idea what a great deal I was getting. This bike could have had Wal-Mart components on it and I still would have come out ahead. As it stands, its XT rear D, LX Front with CODA crankset, easton bars, and profile bar ends. I've ridden about 1000 miles on it so far and found that it simply explodes around corners and up hills. No one touches me if I decide to leave in a hurry. What an outstanding ride. I haven't even glanced at another ride since I bought this one and thats saying a lot for an incureable bike shopper.
Weaknesses: Weakest point has got to be the shocks. Although the Fatty shock is neat, it doesn't forgive very much and I'm not a big fan of having to "pump it up" before every ride. I don't really notice a big diff between the variable settings. Frankly, I was thinking about just switching out for nice Manitou, but then I realized that you can't switch forks on the new Cannondales. Bummer. Even with the shock situation, this bike kicks ass. If you see one for less than $900, steal it~!
Bottom Line:
You can't lose with Cannondale. Fast, Fast, Fast!!
Similar Products Used: I've ridden squishy, clunky full suspension (to include the Cannondale line) and everything short of Titanium. Nothing touches this in its price-point.
Bike Setup: 18" Frame XT Rear, LX front, Coda cranks, easton bars and profile barends.
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Submitted by
Chip Larkby
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, Illinois
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2000
Strengths: Light, excellent sprinter, great climber, good front-end feedback, disk mounts, lockout, warranty, I lucked out and got a good dealer.
Weaknesses: CODA birth control seat, CODA disk brakes (any model), CODA clipless pedals. The steel brakelines scratched my top tube too...
Bottom Line:
I am now well over 2000 miles on this setup. I am no spring chicken either, but I have ridden with some really fast fuys that simply couldn't keep up when the trails got twisty, and were left for dead when climbing. Has nothing to do with anything but a solid frame and good fork. The suspension, at 60mil is nothing glorious, but I have had this thing in every possible riding situation and it has never let me down. The local trails here have some very fast and long downhills. I am really learning to take advantage of the F700's nimble-ness at speed. I used to think it was twitchy. Now I have learned to appreciate the fact that I can change direction at will at any speed going up or down. The lockout feature is great. Unlike one or two other reviewers, I find that on big drops or harder landings, the rear flex does take the edge off of your landings and is a good thing. I am still running the LX crankset, XT derailer (LX front), original chain, CODA bar and stem, and ordinary old Profile bar ends from new. All has held up amazingly. I bought this bike because of the frame. It fits, it works, and I am not at all ashamed to put fancy parts on it when the current batch wear out. It's a great ride. I find it also works great for commuting in urban settings and extended road rides. Five flaming poops to Cannondale for being American, for providing good warranty service and for blessing me with this great bike and the good luck to find a great dealer to buy it from!
Similar Products Used: None. Anything similar is Cannondale.
Bike Setup: Currently using CrossMax wheelset, XTR brakes (excellent combo by the way), USE SX suspension post, Selle Italia Ti Flite Ti seat, IRC Mythos XC tires. The bike was on the showroom floor with the lower level wheels and brakes. I happened to talk with the shop owner who set me up with the CODA Expert (and eventually the Pro's also) disks, on Mavic 223 (I think) rims, CODA hubs for $300 extra. I figured I'd give it a try. As y'all already know, the CODA brakes are not too good. The shop was great with replacing pads and adjusting everything, but poor design made it just too much of a burden for us all in the end. Disk brakes rule though if you live in the right place to use them. Just don't get CODA brand. So the shop swapped out the wheels for a couple hundred beans, as well as putting on the XTR brakes. Other than a good disk setup, I cannot imagine a better brake/wheel combo for eyeball popping decelleration. Changed to Shimano 545 pedals too, which helped all around.
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Submitted by
Jose
a Cross Country Rider
from Tallahassee, Florida
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2000
Strengths: Light, rigid yet comfortable; frame is flawless, with beatiful welds — must be built by Rolls Royce workers on weekend leave; when I step on the cranks, it leaps like a rabbit; Headshok is rock-solid piece of work and deserves more attention from bike press and riders
Weaknesses: Handlebar not quite right for my reach, so I may sub it out; orange paint is a bit too bright
Bottom Line:
This bike (mine is a '98 model) is a joy to ride. I've put on 990 miles and still love it like the day I brought it home. Headshok gives adequate cushion but is not a marshmallow, and the fact that the fork itself is solid really comes through compared to conventional shock forks I've tried. The front end cuts like a knife! I enjoy the bike as much for its quality of build as for its ride — welds are clean and smooth, paint is thick, durable and shiny (I just wish mine was a quieter color). My only complaint is with the Shimano pedals. They hold my feet too tightly — no float left or right — and so sometimes my knees hurt a bit after a ride. I may switch to Frog Speed-things. Someone earlier mentioned that shifting the front derailleur takes significant thumb power. I agree with that and wonder if other Shimano riders on other bikes have the same condition. All in all, this Cannondale is beautiful bike, a terrific ride and a bargain. Get one on sale, like I did, and you'll be wearing a perma-grin every time you throw a leg over the seat and head for the woods.
Similar Products Used: Trek, Specialized, Kona, KHS, a few others
Bike Setup: Mavic rims, Avid brakes & levers, Shimano trigger shifties, Coda seat, crank, bars; Shimano clipless pedals (which don't give enough float); I added a Thudbuster seat post later (5 smokin' peppers to those guys, too).
2 questions.
Can you buy a new lefty online from some reputable sites (not ebay) or are they like the bikes, in store only?
Thinking about converting a '99 F700 from a head Read More »
I am wanting to convert my F700 to a standard 1.8 fork(my headshoc is froze up) . I would like to do it as cheaply as I can because money is tight.
will these work for my year and Read More »
