Submitted by
Devian
a Cross Country Rider
from Pacific Grove, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2006
Strengths: it does everything
Weaknesses: lasts longer than most bikes
Bottom Line:
I have to say that this bike is the "best" bike I've ever had. That is...I've been riding it now for 6yrs! Holly smoke! that is just crazy. I had even rode it thru my "Hobo dayz" for about 1.5yrs, when i only worked just enough to hold the job, and spent the rest of the time living out of doors, pulling a BOB trailer with anything i felt i needed. This bike has gone thru 2 wheelsets, a few drive trains, brake pads, tyres, seatposts, etc. Only once has the headshock been serviced. This is by far the most versitle bike I've had. Its been in every kind of riding, from road rides with a road group, complete with knobs, and even a seatpost rack complete with panniers, to being raced in a 24hr Solo MTB race when my Litespeed broke down. Now its shod with a set of Mavic SpeedCitys with Kenda Kwik 35c CX tyres, and a thudbuster seatpost. it was even stolen by a local hobo, to be later in the day repo (by me)on my way home. I havent owned a car for almost 2yrs now, and this bike has got to be the main stay of all my bikes. Ironic that out of all the $k's i've spent on all my bikes, it still proves to be THE bike. Its the bike that i'd pick "If i had to only have 1 bike". With all that said, of all the things i wish Cdale would venture into would be the 29er market, and make the frames complete with eyelets for racks, panniers, etc. I've spent more time on this bike than i have with ANYTHING or any person in the last 6yrs! I cant say enough about it. Its not that its the best any one thing, but overall...hands down...its everything. peace......d
Bike Setup: current: Mavic SpeedCitys with Kenda Kwik 35c CX tyres, XT, OEM shifters and front drlr, Avid mech discs w/EBC Gold pads, thudbuster seatpost, ATAC pedals, easton carbon flat bar
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
MacLean Neil
a Weekend Warrior
from Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2005
Strengths: Frame
Weaknesses: Components. My inner chain ring buckled and dug into the frame...very annoying as I was in the middle of nowhere on my own! I have changed the chain rings and really should think about getting a new crank etc after 4 years!
Strengths: Light weight, easy on long climbs, XT all the way around, hydraulic disk brakes.
Weaknesses: Saddle, seat post, straight handle bars, pedals, hutchinson tires
Bottom Line:
For the price I paid for this bike I think it's a great ride but I don't have anything to compare it with. I have a Cannondale road bike also neither of which has given me any troubles. Intially had the brake pads replaced because of a Cannondale recall. Not a problem after that. I work this bike and it works for me.
Favorite Trail: Canal Loop - Land between the Lakes, KY
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$1195.00
Purchased At: Bicycle Loft
Bike Setup: Easton Monkey Riser Bar, XT shifters, XT front and rear derailers, Sella saddle, Panaracer (Fire & Smoke) tires, Crank Brother Egg Beaters
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dominic Eggbeer
a Cross Country Rider
from now in Cardiff - Wales
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2002
Strengths: As per my previous review. Most things are good - the Headshok is still fine without a service. But...
Weaknesses: ...The rear wheel is out of allignment! It no longer sits quite straight in the frame. Before I jump to conclusions I am having it tested, but was wondering if anybody else has had the same problem?
Strengths: Brilliant light frame,makes light work of long climbs )and easy for carrying when climbing those steep munroes). Happy with brakes although have had to change the pads more frequently than I anticipated. Really impressed with the Coda chainset and crank.
Weaknesses: Not 100% sure about the Fatty Headshocks, but probably due to the way I have them set up. Saddle is rubbish and I should really change it after 2 years.
Bottom Line:
Well happy with my purchase. Don't believe in changing things that I am happy with just for the sake of it. Will soon start to upgrade components but the frame is for life.
Bike Setup: Same as when I got it apart from a couple of new inner tubes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Andrews
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2002
Strengths: yeah, maybe ? it's a relatively cheap cannondale Frame
Weaknesses: Every thing exept the frame
Bottom Line:
Wow. No really. this bike is a joke. wheels are flexy, fork steers well but doesn't feel right, brakes - what brakes? and crankset- well Avlivio is better.Within 6 months, the bike was unridable, even on the road. Quite frankly, i see no reason why this bike should be sold. I managed to swap the frame and wheels with a roadie and i can't beleive how much better the Caad 3 frame with v's really is. if you want an Xc bike that is reliable, light and comfy, don't buy this bike - get any thing WITHOUT coda brakes.
Similar Products Used: Giant Nrs's, Other 'dales, My Santa cruz
Bike Setup: F800 frame, Xt v's, lx crankset/shifter/front d., XTR rear d. Atac's, Mavic X-ride wheels, CT2 stuff.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kent
a Cross Country Rider
from Fayetteville PA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2002
Strengths: this has a killer paint job, and the components work out nice. the xt derailer, and lx shifters are no xtr, but they get the job done. light frame, fast bike.
Weaknesses: the brakes are not the best, but they are still ok.
Bottom Line:
this is a good bike. i love it and i have only had it for a few months. i would spend the extra money and get a better set of brakes though.
Strengths: Great Frame, With beautiful special paint, ist's licht , stiff and strong, the components are good for the price.
Weaknesses: The Coda expert disc brakes áin't good, i changed them to magura louise 2001, i also changed the wheels to Crossmax ust disc, and the deraileeurs to XTR
Bottom Line:
For the price it's the best bike out there, fast and light, i love it, if you just change the brakes this is one of the bes bike out there(for the price) , amzing frok frame combo, So beautiful it should be in a museum,
Strengths: The frame is super, really stiff and the weight is OK. The Fatty DL works great, no problems at all. Coda discbrakes does their job, and are easy to adjust if necessary. I haven´t had any problems with the wheels, they stay pretty true even under the stress of my 87 kilos.
Weaknesses: I didn´t like the LX FD, neither the handlebar. And the cheap seatstay looked really bad on this nice bike.
Bottom Line:
In my opinion, this is a really great bike. I´ve had it for more than a year and I just love it. Wouldn´t change it for the world (well, the F 4000 SL or the new Scalpel would make me think things over). Need a new bike? Try the F 900, it´s a really great bike.
Bike Setup: I changed the LX shifters to XT, the LX fd to XT, the saddle was changed to the Coda/Volvo team edition. I gave away the handlebar and the seatpost, and got some nice Easton CT 2 stuff instead.
Strengths: Light, Stiff, Fast, Stiff, Light, Fast. Wheels are nice, same as on the F2000. Climbs like a grizzly hunting. Great Fatty fork, lockout is good on concrete and in races. has helped me ALOT. Cool Barends.
Weaknesses: Saddle is about to say its last words...It is also rather stiff in my eyes(or a$$) Crank: The Cannondale mechanics destroyed the crank when assembling, causing me to shift the arms. I've had about 4(!) arms shifted by now. On warranty, of course=) Grips are WAY to hard. LX f.d. is crap.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike. It makes me climb like never before, many times better than with my friends' bikes. Rear wheel crapped out on me in an uphill(?). I can't believe it. had to change rim and spokes. I now ride on 317's. They're really good. The LX Front Derailleur is crap, it needs tuning all the time to work properly. Cannondale mechanics blew my crank to hell with their sweet airpressure tools. Had to switch arms about 4 times. Maybe there's something wrong with the BB? Want to thank Sport Extreme for great service! The Fatty DL fork is indeed sweet, the lockout system is great and has really helped me in races a.s.o. Seat is about done, it doesn't take alotta abuse. Switch the grips, they're no good even with gloves. Bottom line is that this is a fine bike for training and racing. If you see one at discount, buy it!
Similar Products Used: '97 GT Saddleback, '00 GF X-Caliber.
Bike Setup: Stock except for Mavic 317 rims and WTB grips. will change saddle VERY soon.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David Frid
a Weekend Warrior
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2001
Strengths: Very lite. Very stiff. No such thing as a tough hill anymore. I found no problem with the shifting or the rings...
Weaknesses: Some problems with brakes but they work very well when I do a little tuning with them. The mosquito tires they came with needed to be replaced right away. They were slicks within a week.
Bottom Line:
This is the most amazing bike I have owned. I love it. I have had a few problems with the brakes but no biggie. I recommend this to anyone...Wicked paint job too. I named mine Blair(witch)
Bike Setup: Changed the coda seat to Selle Flite. Changed Mosquito tires to Panaracer xcpro.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dominic Eggbeer
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol - England
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2000
Strengths: This is a follow up to my previous review @ 3 months.
Bottom Line:
Fantastic bike - fast, stiff (but forgiving enough)and great up or down the hills. Nice frame and forks + I have had no real trouble with the front chain rings, which seem to a problem with some people.
The bottom line with the brakes - If they don't work order a bleed kit. Mine cost £12 from Noahs Ark. Firstly clear out the nipples of mud etc. (especially at the calliper) Move the lever around so the nipple is at the top, attach the pipes at both ends. Get a friend to hold a container to cat the old fluid. Undo the nipples a bit when the pipe and syrynge are full of fluid. Fill the hose - making sure all the bubbles have gone. This was the reason for poor performance.
My brakes now work v well - the only quarm could be the availability of spares in the future.
Submitted by
jerad
a Racer
from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2000
Strengths: Great bike for the money. All the components are great. Disk brakes great in all weather conditions
Weaknesses: New rear derailuer upgrade to somthing like a XTR. Get new rims. Did not hold up to what I expected.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that this bike is the greatest. One thing that does piss me off it that people aways say that the CODA expert disk brakes suck and don't work. THey do, I have never seen brakes work better. They stop when I need them to and only sometimes they squeek but thats normal. People out there complaining about the CODA disks are either not taking care of them. Or the people down at there shop are retards. over all I love this bike and would not trade it for anything. Thanks Anybodys bike shop for a great buy. I love the paint job it is the best. I get tons of compliments on it. I race in the WORS series and i need a good bike to help me win. The F-900 does that. I clib hills with great ease while other riders are trying to catch me. Well if you are looking for a great buy and a great bike go for the F_900.
Submitted by
Chanie
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, ON
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000
Strengths: Stiff _ Lightweight _ Responsive _ Fast _ Kickass Paint _ Good Brake Modulation _ Takes 2seconds to Fall in love with it.
Weaknesses: Coda pedals, brakes grunt now and then, front rings.
Bottom Line:
Taking into account the minor annoyance of the occasional brake noise and hesitation shifting onto the big ring, this bike is still the best thing I've ever had.
It rides like a dream, handles fast technical trails (my true passion) with scary precision, and makes you look damn good doing it. When on this bike, you're only limited by your own riding abilities. And I mean that.
My bike weighs in at 23.4 lbs, it climbs like nothing I've ever seen before, and it's by far the fastest, most balanced and well-constructed bike I've had the pleasure of riding with.
Similar Products Used: Nothing I've tried compares to this work of art
Bike Setup: Selle Italia Radius Saddle, Coda Competition Suspension Seatpost, Team pedals, otherwise stock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from Bloomington, Indiana
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2000
Strengths: Great racing platform! This bike screams to be pushed. Agile climber, great power transfer, precise tracking. Cannondale customer service has been damn good too.
Weaknesses: Coda cranks. I replaced these with a set of XTR cranks after Cannondale warrantied them out for me. LX front shifter has to long of a throw for me.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up. I've had the bike for almost a year now and have ridden it hard. Haven't had the chance to race it as much as I would have liked (work sucks!), but when I have I can say that I can only blame myself on where I finish in the field. Cannondale has provided great customer support. I had problems keeping my rear wheel fully seated in the dropouts. After talking to the wrenches over at Bikesmiths (LBS)and a call to Cannondale technical support, seems there was a defect in the rear dropout. Had a new frame within two weeks. They had even stopped producing the 2000 model by then. Darn quick turnaround. I'm already looking forward to next season. This bike is my obsession! Now only if Mavic would get their act together and get that tubeless disc rim out (component junky).
