Submitted by
Shawn H
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2003
Strengths: Frame, good climber
Weaknesses: Brakes, grip shifters, not really impressed with the Head Shock now that I know something about mountain biking, upgraded rims to Sunrims CR18 with LX hubs after I tacoed the Coda rims that came with the bike
Bottom Line:
Overall it's a decent bike for someone new to mountain biking, aside from the shady componentry it came with. I'm not impressed with the Headshock now that I know what to look for. Seemed like a good value at the time, in retrospect I know I could have gotten a better deal on a better bike for the price. Oh, by the way, damn you guys at Old Town Bikes in Gig Harbour, Wa for putting me on the wrong size frame!! Maybe you should go sell bikes at Wal-Mart until you learn how to size your novice riders!
Bike Setup: Azonic riser bars, XT rapid fire shifters, Lx front derailure, XT rear derailure. Bought new brake pads (Kool stop, don't remember who the manufacturer is but they solved the problem with the weak brakes that came stock).
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Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Tempe, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2001
Strengths: Frame
Weaknesses: Everything but the frame. The rims and chain are weak, tires and seat are a joke, Cannondale does not stand behind their bikes......
Bottom Line:
If you are buying this bike for the frame just buy the frame. The bike itself is not a good value.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, Texas
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2001
Strengths: Strong, Light Frame. Good mix of components. Able to take a lot of abuse, I like the SRAM 9.00, Looks great.
Weaknesses: Will need to upgrade some components as they wear out.
Bottom Line:
Great all around bike that is good on and off road. Exceeded my expectations for a bike in this price range. I have had no problems with this bike and I weigh 210. Very high quality build and I have a long way to go upgrade wise before I would exceed the abilities of the frame.
Submitted by
Kevlar
a Weekend Warrior
from Winnipeg, MB. Canada
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Strengths: Wicked Frame with great handling. Very light and stiff. Decent mix of parts for the price.
Weaknesses: Stock Stem seemed too long.
Bottom Line:
First, for the guy who demo'd this bike and had the grips come loss and the shock sieze up etc. Here is some advice, FIND A DIFFERENT SHOP TO BUY YOUR BIKES FROM BUDDY. Half of getting a good bike is setting it up properly. The guy that did mine should be a pro mechanic, he is amazing. I have never had any problems like snapping the chain (and I am a big boy 225LBS). Went over the handle bars a number of times and nothing but scratches. Bent the outer chain ring but, I was grinding over a bunch of trees so whatever.
Lastly, wicked bike for the price. You would be hard pressed to find anything in this price range this light and nimble. Are there better components out there, no question. So you spend $2500 on a bike with better gear on it and still end up replacing it with whatever you want?(sounds self defeating to me) Get a bike with a Wicked frame and OK gear and put exactly what you want on it and save some dough. Oh......and find a good freak'n mechanic.....and thats the bottom line. 5 chili's for value for a wicked frame at a wicked price. 4 over all because some gear upgrades will make this thing sick. Anyone should buy this bike and ride the hell out of it cuz that is what it is all about, not what you ride but, riding.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Hardrock. Cannondale "Beast from the East" and the usual.
Bike Setup: Stock except Thomson seatpost and Bontrager Crowbar handlebars.
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Submitted by
Rob Borkowski
a Cross Country Rider
from Rocky Hill, CT USA
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2001
Strengths: Great frame, light, hubs cool for the price, SRAM 9.0 stuff works
Weaknesses: Coda rings shift OK at best, hubs, fork, tires, no disc mounts on fork!!
Bottom Line:
This is a bike that's well designed for the more casual off-road rider, and is very nice for the price. The fork has absolutely nothing on small bumps, and lacks disc mounts. The 2 front IRC Mythos tires are very sketche, so i'd swap them out ASAP, along with the crankset.
Bike Setup: XT front deraileur, getting XTR V-brakes
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Submitted by
William
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2000
Strengths: Fantastic XC frame, light weight, great colour. The internationally sold bikes must have a thicker coat of paint, no peeling or decal problems.
Weaknesses: Mix of coda and cheap parts, eg crank, rims and seat post etc.
Bottom Line:
One of the best XC frames available. Great value for money because you can upgrade to parts of your choice. I can't understand how reviewers can judge a bike by the amount of play in brake and shift levers. It has been my experience that it takes a number of weeks to dial in a new bike to the riders satisfaction. Poor LBS pre-sale preparation should not be a consideration when judging a bike. This is one sweet frame which flies up hills and across country, buy something else if you want a downhill ride.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher hardtail, many others.
Bike Setup: Upgraded to DL lock out fork, LX hollowtech crank and ES70 bb, rock shock suspension seatpost, wtb saddle, valiant and XT wheels, all up weight is 23lbs. .
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Submitted by
Marty Curro
a Weekend Warrior
from Clifton Park, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2000
Strengths: The frame is awesome. This is my first alluminum bike and I can't believe how tough it is. If you are looking for a great entry level machine, then this is your bike.
Weaknesses: I think that Cannondale definitely skimped on parts. I was surprised that they could provide such a great frame with cheap components. I broke the chain, 2 spokes, and un-trued the rims twice. It's like a BMW suspension with a Ford engine. The rear derailer often skips and the grip-shift is difficult to get used to.
Bottom Line:
A great entry level bike. Although I was ready to upgrade by the end of the season, I had to respect the beating that the F500 took throughout the summer and fall. That included some trips to Gore Mountian Ski Resort. I would recommend this bike to anyone who is an aggressive first timer.
Submitted by
Stephen
a Cross Country Rider
from Castle Rock, CO, US
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2000
Strengths: Uhhhh... Not much here. I like yellow paint? Possible problem with assembly, at least I hope.
Weaknesses: Start with the fork. I only demoed (emphasis on the demo as in demolition) this bike but it was brand new, I was the first to ride it.
Shock- headshock started to sieze on me and had a annoying grating sound, eventually it totally siezed up and would not move
Parts- my stem came loose and my handle bars started to slide back and forth. Shifter pods drifted in different directions, brake leves followed suite till one was sticking straight up, and the other straight down. The would swing when I hit a bumb.
Rims- got bent
Brakes- seeing as how I couldn't reach them, I don't know
Bottom Line:
Way overpriced for how it performs. My first impression was not a good one. I hope it was the shop's fault, but they of course denied having even built the bike. Look around for some other bikes, you can find much better ones for less.
Strengths: -The CAAD3 frame is absolutely incredible! -Excellent Headshok -Beautiful handling geometry -A Cannondale is a Cannondale,right?
Weaknesses: -Cannondale skimped a bit on components with this one -The price just about knocked me on my ass -Not terribly plush-a real XC beauty though
Bottom Line:
Okay,I know a demo is a demo. I had a chance to blast this steed around a rough,rutted bike shop parking lot for 15 minutes, and I was impressed. The Headshok responds great over small bumps and I had ample opportunity to test this. The frame is a real looker--and its beautiful ride lives beyond its looks. However I was a little disappointed with the slightly below-par components--especially when I found out the price and almost had a frickin' coronary! Great bike--only wish I could afford it.
Similar Products Used: I now own a Specialized A1 FS. Wasn't as nice as the Cannondale, but I'm satisfied with it considering I paid only $550.
Bike Setup: See above
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Submitted by
Wade
a Racer
from Waterloo,Ontario,Cananda
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2000
Strengths: The frame is wicked. Super stiff and very fast. The fork on this bike rocks. Anyone who's new to the sport will enjoy this bike greatly. I'm use to a C-dale 2000SX but this bike rode pretty much the same just different in the front end. This bike impressed me for a $800 bike.
Weaknesses: Weakness..... There weren' too many. I don't like the shifters but those can be changed and the saddle wasn't the greatest but nothing that can't be chaned with eas.
Bottom Line:
If you are a new comer to the sport go with this bike if itsn't in your ranged! it rocks. Pound for pound you will not find a better ride then this gem of a bike.
Similar Products Used: Trek 7000, Cannondale F2000SX, Schwinn Moab 1
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Ayer, Ma USA
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2000
Strengths: Looks, color, weight, frame, shock.
Weaknesses: Brakes suck! I have Avid Arch Rivals on order. Grip shifter sucks! I cut most of it off with my Dremel tool. Coda pedals. Can't get into them. Stock stem was way too long. Wheels, cause I keep bending them and breaking the spokes.
Bottom Line:
This is my first bike and I absolutely love it even though I've had so many problems with it. They don't seem to be the bikes fault though. I've had this bike for a month now and have already broke the following: Derailer hanger during a bad crash. Snapped the chain during a climb. Front wheel came out of true. Rear wheel came out of true twice and snapped two spokes each time for a total of four spokes. My dealer thinks the rear wheel might be defective, so were trying to get a new one through Cannondale. Over all I still love this bike and would suggest it to anyone. I'm giving it a value rating of 4 because of all the stuff I had to fix so far, and a 5 for overall because this is a great bike!
Bike Setup: Mostly stock. Shorter stem. New seat. Ti rear brake booster.
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Submitted by
Chris Budzinack
a Weekend Warrior
from Vacaville, CA.
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2000
Strengths: Frame. Fatty. It's a cannondale!
Weaknesses: components are a little weak for this price range. Rear "D" slips from time to time.
Bottom Line:
I wanted a bike to take me to the next level. I shyed away from c-dale cause of the fatty(didn't have much experience w/ it) and components. When I started shopping, the guys at Ray's cycle convinced me to give the C-dale a shot. This bike was greased lightning compared to my old bike. The fatty was GREAT. It tracks like a rigid but soaks every bump I come across(and that happens alot). It makes you feel like a pro. This bike is also eye candy. It's beautiful. The customer service is helpful and PROMPT. If you're in the market for a h-tail in the $1000 range, this HAS to be on the list. The CAAD3 frame alone is worth price of admission. And the fatty will make a convert out of you. Viva Cannondale!
Submitted by
Kirk
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Lee, NJ
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2000
Strengths: Your buying this bike for the frame. The frame is great, I love it. You also have the ability to upgrade to disc brakes at a later time.
Weaknesses: The overall componentry is average. I actually had a problem with the rear deraullier already. Nothing big, just a pain.
Bottom Line:
I think this is a great bike for someone who is seriously looking to get into mountain biking. The frame is great, you can upgrade the components when you feel more comfortable with riding. I'd like to thank the guys at Cosmic Wheel in Rigefield Park, NJ.
Similar Products Used: F400, F700, Trek 6000, Trek 7000
Bike Setup: Out of the box.
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Submitted by
Tony Walters
a Cross Country Rider
from Maldon, England
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2000
Strengths: Frame, Frame, Frame !
Weaknesses: Some Components a bit naff (STX RC front mech) Gripshift Halfpipe shifter (unexpected shifts while hopping/pulling up on bars etc.)
Bottom Line:
As someone getting back into the saddle after a bit of a lay off, this was a superb buy. I just can't wait to get home from work, and get her out for a blast. Handles like a dream, climbs superbly, looks good, light what more can you say. As the CAAD3 appears further up the range I took the F500 with the intention to up grade. Worthwhile unless you really like the spec of the more expensive 600, 700, 900 and 1000. I'd like to thank Matt @ Chelmer Cycles for sterring me towards my first 'dale. Nice one!
