Submitted by
oz bower
a Cross Country Rider
from uk
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2004
Strengths: lefty fork is way cool nice frame
Weaknesses: brakes they are total crap. cannondale you should be ashamed. Any bike should have some sort of stopping device, but the expert discs are a saftey issue
Bottom Line:
this must be said : anyone who wishes to buy a dale must ensure the brakes are NOT EXPERT DISCS - in short this is a serious saftey issue. Both the front and rear of mine were weak and leaked. I fitted a booster kit ,to no avail and gave up the plot. On contacting Cannondale i was told my warranty period had expired - i,m sorry but in my mind for the bread i gave for this machine i expect better than excuses the truth is you are selling a defunctional item - i just hope no one ever got hurt.....end of surmon But, the bike on the otherhand is now fine ( thanks to Hope mini discs ) i,ve changed the bars and seatpost for Easton E70s and that dramatically changed my steed.Its nippy and climbs nicely and the fork is fanatastic
Similar Products Used: kona marin bear valley ,eldrigde grade and the amazing pine mountain
Bike Setup: race. easton flat e70s seatpost e70 panaracer smokes hpoe mini discs
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Submitted by
Kevin Williams
a Downhiller
from Chilliwack B.C. Canada
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2003
Strengths: Super Light, Head Shok Lefty is an awesome shock, unique and flashy bike, solid frame and grippy tires(hutchinson Alligators 26><2.0)
Weaknesses: Cranks and brackets started to go after around a year, replaced them for 30 bucks, a few flats here and there. thats about it.
Bottom Line:
Super good bike, incredibly light, Lefty is so unique, anytime you ride this bike you're bound to get a few glances. Solid frame with grippy tires in any conditions. A very good investement if you like hardtails. Best hardtail around!
Bike Setup: Cannondale F900SX with head shok Lefty, CODA handlebars, CODA disc brakes
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Submitted by
Fin
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2003
Strengths: Quality of manufacture of the frame, design and operation of Lefty. Sorted geometry, very stiff and plush fork and light weight to boot. Durability (when all the coda rubbish is replaced).
Weaknesses: Cannondale aftersales service is awful. Anything produced by Coda must go! Rims made of cheese, front pringled on the first big hit. Sus post lasted one ride and spat the dummy. Drive train makes lots of noise. This bike is brutal on the body if the trail has lots of roots and ruts in it.
Bottom Line:
A brutally fast bike when you get the set up right (proper brakes, wheels, pedals, seat and post). You wont like the Coda bits but fear not they break quickly allowing a guilt free replacement to be purchased. On Smooth technical single track this bike is utterly flawless. Same for short blasts or racing, superb. Epics are a different story, put your kidneys into a cocktail mixer and have someone stamp on your nuts, you get the idea. This bike has been treated with utter contempt and is abused daily, it just keeps coming back for more. After 2 years of trouble free and virtually maintenance free riding I finallly broke the Lefty by crashing on the lock out lever. Now we enter the relm of the Dale dealer, a world of pain and expense awaits the unwitting. Much as I love the frame and fork I vow never to buy another Dale. Their aftersales service can only be described as sadistic and their agents retarded. Often the mechanics dont understand how a lefty works, if they do they generally can't repair them because Cannondale wont sell them the component parts. Any problems with the internals and it's 230 pounds for a new cartridge regardless of the problem (2 small shims in my case). Maybe I'm just getting cranky in my old age but the bike must go to make way for a comfy full susser supported by mechanics who understand the bike and sympathise with my lack of talent and money. Up your hole Cannondale.
this is a review after owning the bike for roughly 2 years. i love this bike. it handles like nobody's business, and just about everything on it rocks.
now, to address the brake issue everyone's complaining about...they're really pretty good brakes...they could be stronger, but they behave so well, it's hard to give them up. the only thing i don't like about them is that you have to apply lots of pressure to get anything done. i'm fortunate that i lift weights on a regular basis, so my forearms are strong enough to put enough pressure on the levers. if you are a little light in the arm category, you'll wanna consider new brakes. mine have been awesome the whole time with no service and just occasional adjustment. but it's really hard to lock up the back brake to kick the ass end around a tight switchback. that's really the only complaint i have with them. well, that goes for the front brake too...if you like to play around when not on the trail and do tricks (ie. endoes) and stuff, this could get annoying. but, they seem to be anti-lock, which could be good! that and they do make some noise.
the lefty is very smooth, and with enough pressure (i run 170), you'll never bottom it out. the long travel is a godsent on some of the rougher descents and big jumps. so far, this bike hasn't cost me a dime in repairs. i did call a couple of shops to inquire about having the fork serviced, as the shop recommends. both told me that as long as there has been no leakage, the boot stays intact and tight, and there is no noticeable chance in the way it sounds/feels, then there is no reason to service it. works for me...this can be a pricey job.
now to the saddle...i'm getting another one very soon...this thing makes me feel like richard simmons got a hold of me after a 2-3 hour ride. it's tiny, hard, and there's no channel in the middle to help out the boys. on spin rides, i almost spend as much time out of the saddle as in it to relieve pressure.
the wheels have held up better than i expected. i figured those generic rims (on an $1800 bike, please!!!) would have been gone by the second ride. i'm gonna stay with them until i have issues.
i do, however, have a sort of frame problem. i can't get the rear skewer tight enough. on big out-of-the-saddle climbs, the rear wheel tends to move to the side a little, making the disc brake make a little metal "ching" sound. that means my rear wheel's not staying alligned, but it always pops back into place. this bugs me, but hasn't caused any noticable operational issues so far. well, except for the skewer totally loosening a couple of times, causing me to get off the bike and tighten it after the tire starts rubbing the frame. this skewer works itself loose after some time...just glad it's the rear wheel.
i was also a little leary of the lx components (except for the xt rear deraiuler) at first. so far, they have been quite good. i went from a longtime gripshift user to the rapidfires and adjusted nicely. i still don't really have a preference, as they both have their pros and cons, but they're still doing the trick...changing gears without a hitch.
so overall, this has been a great bike. some minor adjustments here and there have been all i have had to do. so before you go and replace every component on this bike, give them a chance...make sure everything's tuned and tweaked correctly and you shouldn't have any major problems. and i'm gonna venture to guess that there are plenty of mechanics out there who either don't give a sh1t or are lazy and either put these bikes together with incompetence/ignorance or don't want to spend the time to do the job right when servicing...therefore giving people problems. my recommendation is when you buy a bike, go over it with a fine-tooth comb. tweak everything yourself...if you don't know how, get a good book (and tools) and learn some stuff about bikes...cause sooner or later, you're gonna wind up working on it...whether it be on the trail or at your house. you can't carry a mechanic everywhere with you and the best way to keep your cicle in working order is to recognize when it's letting you know something. the f900sx is a kick-ass bike and i'd recommend it to any c/c rider out there. just don't pay retail for it...it's really not worth the $1800 price tag...but a great bike nonetheless.
Similar Products Used: all types and brands of hardtails
Bike Setup: stock except for the pedals
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Submitted by
Jack
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston, MA USA
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2002
Strengths: Awesome Frame and a great lockout system... It's very durable. I'm in sweden for 6 months and it's serves me well. It's light which is always a positive. Don't need much maintance.
Weaknesses: CODA, CODA, CODA.... No wonder everyone complains about them.. The Disc brakse a kinda loud if you need to brake fast. The Pedals stink as well. I recommend changing the handlebar because it's ok for day to day riding but downhilling you want more control.
Bottom Line:
It's a great bike. The Coda components are ok for basic users but if you advance then you want to add better sh*t.
Great bike!!! don't have to maintain anything.. just clean..
Similar Products Used: Cannondale f1000 2002 model. (NICE) better components but your wallets gets pretty dry after you get one of those.
Bike Setup: I changed the coda brakes with Hayes Hydrollic system, New downhill pedals Shimano 646. New seatpost. I'm not a fan of the coda seat post.
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Submitted by
rob feature
a Cross Country Rider
from tuscaloosa, al, usa
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2001
Strengths: brakes do their job (considerably well), frame is stiff, fork lockout rocks on long uphills, fork is dreamy in all respects, hutchinson alligators really bite into every type of terrain, peace of mind of a beefy headset
Weaknesses: for the price, xtr would be expected. lx front derauiller???maybe on a wal-mart mongoose, need special tools and manuals to work on the fork and disc brakes are less than easy to maintain (although I haven't had to adjust a thing in 6 months), rims that YUGO would discard
Bottom Line:
I've come to the conclusion that there are lots of incompetent bike mechanics out there. The Coda "expert" brakes have been flawless other than the fact that you have to apply Herculean pressure on them to stop quickly, but I can grin at the fact that I'm growing large forearms from rocky downhill rides. I read somewhere earlier of someone having trouble with a local c'dale shop. I've had the same issue. But before I get into that, let me say that dealing with cannondale directly has always been a great experience. But continuing, I know lots of mechanics that just happen to work at shops which work on cannondale bikes...most of them hate them...not only because of the complexity/novelty of the components, but for various other reasons such as the bandwaggon effect. To elaborate, once someone gets on a bandwaggon about how much they hate something, there's bound to be someone jumping in with similar comments because he/she wants to fit into a social group and boost his ego, etc. That's my [short]take on the phenomenon of cannondale bashing, but anyway...I'm sure Cahaba Cycles (of Pelham, AL) has better things to do than work on my cannondale...punks...that's pretty bad when a dale dealer gives you s*&t about their own bikes...they told me that it was a pain to work on my bike. That's like taking your teeth to a dentist and him saying "man, i can't stand when your mouth type comes in here, but plop on down, let's get to drilling". Yeah, I'd want him working on my teeth. OK, the bottom line on that is, if you're gonna buy a cannondale, make sure you are or know a [good] mechanic. Dealers also hate working on cannondales cause they don't get the great customer support that individual buyers do. At least that's what another shop manager tells me...in fact this particular shop dropped the c'dale line just for that reason...and it was a hot seller. these are just some things for you to consider when thinking of buying a cannondale. the product itself is outstanding. your shop might not be...and you will need your shop.
A great bike that rides really well, Lefty fork the best I have ridden, Coda brakes FAILED five times, Hope XC4 brakes superb, wheel bearings useless replaced by Hope sealed bearings, freehub body very fragile failed twice and deformed hub requiring a new wheel (under warranty).
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Rosa, CA
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2001
Strengths: You'd have to ask the mechanic at the bike shop, he's the only one who's ridden it.
Weaknesses: Lefty fork and front brake caliper failed before I even rode it. I've owned this bike over a month and have not ridden it once.
Bottom Line:
I have been riding Cannondale from the beginning and I think they make great bikes. However, since I have owned this bike it has been in the shop for repairs. I took it to the local Cannondale dealer (I won't name names but they're somewhere in "Rincon Valley") for a checkout. They did a poor job of reapiring it and charged me for what C'dale said should have been warranty repairs. When I got my bike home, it seem the shop had "fixed" the front brake and the caliper drained all of it's fluid onto my floor. C'dale is covering the repairs on the brakes through another shop. I still give this bike a great rating so far because it seems like it will be a great bike and C'dale was reasonable when I dealt with them directly. But I give my local C'dale dealer a rating of just one flaming turd.
Bike Setup: factory, unless C'dale replaces the Coda brakes with something that holds fluid.
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Submitted by
Patrick
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2000
Strengths: Good fork, tight cockpit.
Weaknesses: Rims, cranks, front derailleur, Brakes
Bottom Line:
This bike makes a good free-riding hardtail if you have it set up right. I bent the cranks on the first ride I took. Then the rims came out of true within 3 rides. This really did not bother because I normally change most of the components on the bike after a couple of rides anyway. The setup is sort of the same as what Brian Lopes races with except I have Magura Gustav brakes. I would recomend that you replace the brakes as soon as you get the bike or see if the bike shop will let you trade the brakes in for some better ones. They suck.
Bike Setup: 24" Mavic Rims, MRP chainguide, Race Face North Shore, right SRAM shifter, Magura Gustav brakes.
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Submitted by
Doug Herman
a Weekend Warrior
from Draper
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2000
Strengths: This bike is a great climber and the fork is wonderful - you can adjust and lock it out while riding and absorb some pretty big hits with it.
Weaknesses: I knocked the front rim out of round after a couple of months and couldn't retrue it - swithed to Mavic rims. Plan on spending more time on brake maintenance than with calipers.
Bottom Line:
I'm an over the hill family man who likes to climb - this bike delivers. I'm amazed that I've been able to take it up to 10,000 feet without being in that great of shape. I love the fork - it gives you excellent steering control and can absorb big hits. Its easy to adjust the fork or lock it out while riding which helps on smoother uphill sections. I'm heavy at over 210 lbs so I give it a pretty good beating but no problems except with the front rim. Once I figured out how to adjust the hydraulic Coda brakes, they haven't been too much of a hassle. The bike has been great so far.
Bike Setup: Standard except replaced stock rims with Mavics. Have the suspension seatpost
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Submitted by
Zdenek Slagorsky
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2000
Strengths: light, stiff, when changing a flat you dont need to take off the rim (on the front) lefty fork, coda disks
Weaknesses: hard to take of front wheel, weak parts, i mean an LX front derailleur?
Bottom Line:
this bike was a demo bike before I got it so it has some scratches on it, but I realy don't care much about that. So far this bike has done all I thought and more, it has realy improved my riding. No trouble with the coda disks yet, there was some fluid on the fork, but that turned out to be from the fork. As to the complaint of no bike computers working on the LEFTY all you need to do is put spacers and hange the part that reads the magnet between the disk and the wheel, this can be done with any old computer so stop whining. And who cares the Lefty does not fit all bike racks, it still is one sweet ass fork!
Similar Products Used: Cannondale f400,f500, f1000, super V 700sx schwin 4-banger, rocket 88 Rockey Mountain, Reaper
Bike Setup: stock, but with velocity 525 rims(i bought this bike which was the demo bike, origional rims got ruined)
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Submitted by
joseph condrey
a Cross Country Rider
from cullowhee nc
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2000
Strengths: Ultra stiff, ultra efficient climber. Outstanding fork compression, stiffness and damping. Brakes are great and the ride is a singletrack screamer and a fireroad smoker!
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
Outstanding ride. This bike is for the type of rider who actually pedals. If you are a freeride idiot, dont get it. This is a 23 pound piece of technological climbing and descending wonder. This bike streaks through singletrack and is so efficient at climbing you will be amazed. The fork is outstanding once you stop here people tell you it looks weird or asking if you have to keep steering the opposite direction. But those are just the freeride jerks who only do two things on a bike...go downhill or ride to class/work, whichever is more important.
Bike Setup: Lefy fork, xtr components, CODA disc brakes, thomson post.
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Submitted by
Leoniid Kolytchev
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000
Strengths: Light weigt. Front shock, lefty, performs well.
Weaknesses: Coda "Expert" disk brakes very unreliable. As long as you go up, they work fine, but when you start use them on your way down, they start losing brake fluid, it gets on brakes’ pads and you are toast… That happened with me three times already. From my experience with this bike, it takes less time to go up, then to get back down. I have bought this bike in "Bike Zone" shop. Those fellows tried to blame me that I am riding it and, it is my fault the bakes are leaking.
Bottom Line:
I like Cannondale’s innovative approach, but think twice before to buy any bike with the brakes, you mey get injured.
Bike Setup: CAAD 4 frame, original wheels and bakes, LXT front derailleur, ESP 9.0 shifters and rear derailleur, XTR drive train and Easton carbon bar.
