Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham WA
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2003
Strengths: Light,stiff,responsive,fast.Seems plenty durable to me.
Weaknesses: None thus far. Frame appearance and Lefty can draw unwanted attention.
Bottom Line:
I am constantly impressed by the sensation of momentum this frame conveys, particularly on the long steep climbs that abound in this locale. If you prefer a stiff, light, and incredibly responsive ride over the technical singletrack you will love this bike. My reactions at very high speeds are completely indistiguishable from the responses of the bike. After purchasing, I became concerned about the durability issues due to two poor reviews below. This is a pro-level hardtail race bike and not intended for big stunts or landing hard on concrete repeatedly. I'm 39 y.o. and not into big air, however the trails I ride around here are quite rugged and aggressive for so-called XC. Because I've ridden very long and hard almost everyday for a year without any frailty issues, I'm now sanguine about frame strength.
Favorite Trail: Everything within cycling distance
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Purchased At: a bike shop in Miami via ebay (NIB)
Similar Products Used: Ridden many various bikes since 1974. Recently, fate seems to be landing me with brand new Cdale models from two years prior for +50% off retail.
Bike Setup: F1000 w/Ti Lefty, Hayes hydro disc,XTR,XT,LX drive comps, Mavic rims, Profile Design handlebar w/Stiffy stem
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Submitted by
James Deatherage
a Cross Country Rider
from Everett, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2003
Strengths: Great climber, This bike kicks serious ass!
Weaknesses: NONE!
Bottom Line:
This is the best Bike I have ever ridden! I ride a good 60 to 100 miles a week on this bike and it never wants to give up..I've ridden full suspension bikes and hardtails up and down trails and logging roads but this frame handles the best out of all of them! dosen't matter what I'm doin it's the Sh*@ know what I mean....I defintly recommend this bike to anyone who likes to ride and I mean RIDE! not toy around and complain, I suggest to some of these riders to get a good mechanic because these problems I hear sound like there from poor mechanics building these bikes or the consumer messing them up...I guess I'm lucky I have a great mechanic...Props to Glen down at CYCLOTOPIA you rock man!
Similar Products Used: Other Hardtails...Blah Blah....
Bike Setup: Large F3000SI, Nothing is stock on this bike so maybe thats why my review is a satisfied one...I have a XT bottom bracket w/ Richey WCS crankset, XTR shifters and derailers w/ Goretex cables and housings (cause I live in the wet Pac NW), Hope C2 disc brakes (thats right a closed system and I love em') Richey OCR Disc specific wheelset that I've made tubeless (that really rocks!!) And the rest is pretty common stuff like a Terry Fly saddle and Titec straight bar w/ richey wcs bar ends...
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Submitted by
Ming Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2003
Strengths: Light frame, light bike, 23.5 lbs in total including pedals etc.
Weaknesses: Very, very stiff
Bottom Line:
After riding this rig for 3 years I have really no complaints except it's one stiff, harsh ride. Well you can't have everything. - Very light and nimble, the trails i ride are very technical and rocky with big boulders to ride over, jump. - a bit sketchy on long downhills, (cross country bike remember) - easy bike to portage cause it's light
Note: People are breaking Caad 5 frames in some of these reviews. I weight 175lbs and about 6'1" so I'm not particularly petite. I've so far managed not to snap or find any hairline cracks and really don't anticipate to. My style of riding is definitely towards fast XC but.. due to the nature of our trails in Hong Kong I'm now doing some more technical type stuff, 2 foot jumps, hard bashing through rocky stairs etc.. still haven't had any issues.
I'm going to buy a full suspension rig soon, probably Santa Cruz blur or Ellsworth Truth just to have as a second toy. Will keep my Caad5 for days when I crave for a light responsive mountain bike or for racing.
Oh yeah, I bash this bike around a lot and put in quite a bit of mileage and I don't have any annoying frame creaks etc except from my saddle which is normal.
Bike Setup: Cannondale F4000SL with XTR, coda crank, Mavic 317rims, CT2 bar all the light stuff
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Submitted by
CZP
a Cross Country Rider
from Amager
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2002
Strengths: Lite like hell, najs angles, tuned for XC!
Weaknesses: None so ever.
Bottom Line:
What the hell are you guys using your caad 5 frames for? Its a Xc machine not som Dh or stunt bike, ITS TOO LIGHT FOR THAT buy a BMX if you plan too do som Freeriding, DH biggy Jumps and so on!!!
This has been a superb bike so fare, the only thing thats wrong with it is the creeks, but that was fixed by tighting the crank a bit.
Have not experience eny ploblems with the disc brakes/ seatstay , somebody it telling a big ly, or else there brake setup is wrong in some way! There shouldn't be a prob. with a tight backbrake!
I love this frame, its superbly fast, and gives you full control over things, it going to get my best recomendations! AND IM FAT 81 kilo's.....Do your self a favor a try this bike - it rocks your ass off
Bike Setup: Stock C-dale F1000 with Xtr, Lx, Coda, Expert Disk brakes
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Submitted by
Dwain Porter
a Cross Country Rider
from Overland Park, KS USA
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2002
Strengths: Light, Climbs very well!
Weaknesses: Drop outs SUCK!
Bottom Line:
I love this bike but I cannot get my problem resolved! The problem is that no matter how tight you get the rear skewer(only one since I have a Lefty) the axle shifts in the drop outs. This causes the front of the tire to shift left & rub the left side chain stay. The drop outs are sloppy and do not fit the axle well.
I have tried different skewers & replaced the axle nuts hoping for a better grip on the frame. No luck! I believe that the Hays hydraulic brake torque steers the wheel & hub axle to the left & no skewer can compete with that! The drop outs are sloppy! Other bikes I've had have U shaped drop outs that fit the exact size of the axle. My CAAD 5 has wide V shaped drop outs that are too large & don't fit the axle well at all!
I've been finding out that many fellow riders with CAAD 5 frames in my area are having to get their frames replaced do to this constant shifting. It simply eats out the frame over time.
I believe a cheaper quick fix for Cannondale would be a redesigned Derailleur hanger that would change the fitment of the right side drop out. This could keep the right side of the axle from sliding forward.
The chain stays are narrow to begin with so when your tire moves to the left look out for frame damage!
Submitted by
Derek
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2002
Strengths: Light as hell
Weaknesses: Too light to handle any real punishment
Bottom Line:
I too have a broken CAAD5 frame. The thing is just too flimsy. It is great to ride but it if you are hard on your toys like me go for a CAAD4. Mine has broken on the seat stay just above the disk mount. I've had it welded but it doesn't look good for it future. This would be a good bike for straight XC riding.
Strengths: Really Light. Good Handling (after riding Genisis Geometry).
Weaknesses: Flexy. IT BREAKS
Bottom Line:
I love riding my bike, I love looking at my bike. Cannondale make some of the most beautiful mass produced bikes out there. When I got my bike I loved the lightness of it. It seems Caad 5's are too light. I snapped the first frame on the drive side chainstay by the cranks. Cannondale coughed up with a warranty (after two whole months), and I got a new frame, which strangely enough, was slightly heavier. After 9months on that I have cracked my new frame as well. This time on the drive side seatstay by the rear derraliur. Two frames in two years - pretty disapointing. I only weigh 75kg, dont do jumps or drops or any crazy stuff. I am 185cm tall though and i think there lies the problem. The XL frames have been made too light to be able to handle the extra size. If your a smaller rider you may be fine but after this I really dont have any faith in a Caad 5. (it sucks to ride wondering if your frames gonna go) Incidentally, if you live in NZ/Australia do not buy a Cannondale - the distributors are absolutely shocking. It was hard enough ordering my bike, waited over 2 months to get it. As for warranty, if your lucky enough to get stuff replaced count on waiting a good 2 months to a year for it to arrive. They dont know what after slaes service is.
Bike Setup: Cannondale F2000sl. Dt 240 Hubs, Mavic 317's. Magura Louise. XT/ Sram 9.0 (the best) Truvativ Stylo Team cranks.
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Submitted by
Andreas Gamborg
a Cross Country Rider
from Aarhus, Denmark
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Strengths: Light, stiff, quick and a great climber (the best I had ever ridden)
Weaknesses: There is some poor tires on my model and it came with the wrong chain! But that's not the frames fault is it!
Bottom Line:
Its better than the caad4 and a lot better than the caad2. And any other bike I have ever ridden.
It gives me a sore back after 1-1½ hours of riding, but that's my own fault. I also get that after sitting down to long. I had a crash last year that hurted my back.
I thougt of buying a Thudbuster to soften my ride but I'm not sure if thats a good idea plz comment on that if you have tried it.
I love the lefty, funny that nobody have thougt of that before. And it match the caad5 excellent.
It has a good geometry for climbing. I dont know what does it, but you can stay in the sadel on nearly all climbs.
If you're out to buy a killer xc-frame please buy the caad5. But if you're a newbee, start with one of the other caad-frames or maybe a jekyll, cos the "5" might be to quick-steering for you.
Don't even dare to use this frame for anything but xc. I decided to use it as a freeride/trials machine so I fitted some Hope discs. Basically, I managed to snap the left seatstay after 6 weeks. Either the powerful discs were to blame, or I bought a dodgy frame because I didn't abuse it at all in the first weeks of use (except a bit of street trials). Before you think it, I'm not fat, I'm about 12.5 stone (175 pounds) and 6 feet tall. So learn from my mistake - don't use this bike for anything it's not designed to do. As an xc racer, it's as near to perfect as you can buy.
Weaknesses: crankset keeps creaking, coda disc needs tuning every now n then
Bottom Line:
Awesome climbing, 1 of the best xc racer around definately. Change the crankset to XTR n disc brakes to hope xc4, u'll proberly have yourself the sweetest xc racer bike there is
Similar Products Used: any top of the line xc racer
Bike Setup: Stock Bike
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Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Green Bay
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2000
Strengths: Light, stiff in climbing, forgiving ride, disc specific
Weaknesses: replaceable der hanger design is kinda poor
Bottom Line:
Brian below me here needs to narrow down his creaks. The stock bike does creak, BUT IT IS NOT THE FRAME. It is the CODA cranks/Ultegra bb combo, mismatch made in heaven. I know it is not the frame because I replaced my cranks, and my bike is sound free. Plus I weigh in around 230. The frame is great, it is light, and climbs very well. I enjoy this bike over all my older ones. The frame is strong enough for anyone, they now are using it for some more free-ride oriented hardtails. The road stays are great, they absorb flex and do not take away any strength. Visit your LBS and take a ride, you will see the truth
Strengths: LIGHT AS HELL!!!!!!! Great climber Headshok Ultra SL!!
Weaknesses: Horrible fame sizes(Cannondale changed their sizes for the CAAD5 bikes. Not meant for all-around bike STRICTLY RACING BIKE, NOTHING ELSE!!!!!!!! New CODA EXPERT disc brakes, the suck!!!
Bottom Line:
This frame is definetely pushing the limits of durability. There's a certain line you have to draw when it comes to combining strength and durability. Cannondale should stick to using their CAAD4 frame just have the option of not having standard brake mounts. I've ridden this bike for 2 months now, and have tore the thing completely apart 3 times, inspecting it for cracks, the frame constantly creeks!!!!!! I have no clue why, perhaps it's the fact that thei using their road seat stays!!!! If you want a Cannondale with discs, then buy a CAAD4 frame and put last year's COMPETITION brakes on it.
