Submitted by
brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from wilmington NC New Hanover County
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2007
Strengths: frame is sick and strong, fox float RL, mavic 117 disc rims, hayes hfx9 disc brakes,XT drivetrain is perfect.i might as well just say the whole thing is rad. XC/freeride geometry adjustment. will take pretty big tires( i had panaracer FIRE FR 2.4 on it at once)
Weaknesses: the way the cables run cause it rub the frame pretty bad. i have noticed some spots at the bottom of the down tube that i had to address(wraped a peice of bar tape around the tube) seat post is too long to do freeriding my lefy MAX fork has no compression adjustment. so it you are doing freeride type jumps and drops, the fork will bottom out as you start to go over 6 feet. my LBS said it would probably be alright because it was a coil spring shock and not an air shock.
Bottom Line:
i have beat the crap out of this bike. i bought it used about 8 months ago and it looked real clean. now id is dirty. i would not consider myself as an XC racer but i do race sometimes. this bike is awsome for racing. i also do dirtjumping and lite freeriding. because i am new to MTB that pretty much means i am flat on the ground just about as long as i am in the air. i crashed this bike so many times it's not funny. i have never had anything break(on the bike). i have had to dig it out of the dirt from a few crashes also. my bottom line is this. this bike is nimble enough for the most experianced XC racer and strong enough for those who really want an ALL MOUTIAN/Freeride bike. i would maybe not go too huge with the lefty fork but it has not blown out on me yet.
Similar Products Used: jamis dakar, kona Dawg, trek liquid
Bike Setup: fox Float RL, lefty MAX fork, nokian 2.1 tires. XT drivetrain, hayes Hydro brakes. wellgo B-67 freeride platform pedals.
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Submitted by
nic roc
a Downhiller
from USA Miami FL
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2006
Strengths: Lefty front fork, ajustable geometry rear sytem
Weaknesses: Hi matainace but isnt every hi performace machine, brakes can be squeeky.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike light nimble can take pretty much whatever u can throw at it up hill or down. In the rythme section its a killer just dont crash to much or she wont like it.Manuals like a dream Ive killed a couple of skate parks on this and ppl r always like, Damn Man nice &^%$#$ bike.Couple things, thing is any drop over 10 feet are kinda sketchy the suspension likes to bottom out, Front brake kinda squeeky but whos listining other than that if u want a killer bike that every one stares at (mines sobe team edition and I wouldnt trade it for any thing )and can perform then this is the bike for u. Also Its Hand Built In The USA.
Similar Products Used: GT RTS-3, Trek Y, 24" GT Cro-mo Dirtjumper/Street Killer, Iron Horse Porter pro, P2,
Bike Setup: Dirtjumping, yes dirt jumping cut seatpost down to 4 1/2 inches with Planet X dirt saddle, Wtb velacoraptor 2.1 out back Maxiss 2.5 up front, rear lockout removed handelbar lever
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Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Enschede
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2005
Strengths: Fast downhill Very direct because its light at the front. Comfortable Good looking
Weaknesses: Breaks (squeek) The front wheel doesnt run smoothly because of the seal on the lefty, cannondale says it takes 1000 km to get it running smoothly but I dont think it will The Fox Float rear shock loses air The front tire has not much grip, the back tyre wears off fast.
Bottom Line:
This bike rides well and it seems to be a good allrounder but it has some weaknesses which shouldn't be there at the price for which its sold. I bought it cheap but new it costs 2400 euro over here, not worth the money. I wouldnt have buyed it if the price wasnt so low and if i had knewn it gave so much problems.
Similar Products Used: Trek 850 Scott G-zero Fx-3 Cannondale f400
Bike Setup: Standard european (no remote lockout, hutchinson scorpion tyres)
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Submitted by
Mike Rittig
a Weekend Warrior
from Midlands Uk
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2005
Strengths: Lefty fork!!! Absolutely plush and stiff. Rear suspension shows very little bobbing and kicking for a single pivot.
Weaknesses: with the Lefty fork you are totally dependent on original Cannondale parts: bye bye ebay and any special offers ... Lousy customer service in Europe: all Cannondale parts have to be shipped from Holland and take a couple of weeks to arrive, and I never got any replies on my emails. Absolutely flimsy XC specific components (BB, cranks, rear hub, rims) which needed to be upgraded for freeriding. Very low BB which means you are constantly touching ground. The worst thing is the stupid trunion mount which doesn't work (the lockout gets stuck in the mount, which means you have to disassemble to mount if you want to change the position of the shock) and just adds dead weight; again it restricts you to Jekyll-specific shocks. Also annoying is a missing mount for a computer sensor on the Lefty fork (how ignorant can an engineer actually be? The discussion forums complain about this for years now).
Bottom Line:
An excellent bike (once upgraded) with severe flaws, the most important being the dependance on Cannondale parts (i.e. expensive, slow delivery, very restricted choice, non-existing customer service). Also, the bike comes much more expensive as it seems due to light XC components which cost of lot of money to upgrade for freeriding (other bikes already have better components from the start). I love to ride the bike but never would buy one again.
Strengths: Very nice ride. The LEFTY is the best. Lots of travel, cuts nicely and takes bumps like a cadillac. The rear fox suspension is also great.
Weaknesses: A little heavy. Be careful if you want to take your hands off the handles, the Lefty will sometimes do its own thing.
Bottom Line:
For the money, I think this is one of the better bikes you can get. I have never had any probs with it over the year I've owned it. I have taken it down some really rough trails and it handles them like a pro.
Strengths: LEFTY!! This bike is PLUSH! Super comfortable, intuitive geometry, plush ride and XC race capability (2nd place, 2005 Shasta Lemurian).
Weaknesses: Front Hayes 9 is a squeeker; still gets good grab though. Cable rub on multiple areas, but it's a mt. bike and has many other scratches and trail scars.
Bottom Line:
Gave a review about six months ago when I was still trying to get used to the bike and had taken some nasty falls. NOW, however, I've successfully raced the 2005 Sea Otter Classic XC Mtb race and taken a 2nd in the 2005 Shasta Lemurian Classic on this bike. Also, many fun local rides and ride in Tahoe. With the right tires and some experience, this bike is unbeatable! Climbing can be controlled with a smooth, even pedal stroke and quick right turn of the rebound nob. Singletrack travel is unparalleled -- in race situations, the Jekyll's singletrack and technical, rough downhill ability will eat other F/S bikes up like CRAZY, gaining you a lot of time and a couple places up! Think Animal Planet . . .a cheetah or tiger chasing down a gazelle and you have the jekyll vs. other > XC F/S bikes. An amazing ride. All day comfort. Amazing singletrack manueverability. Lightweight for 5" F/B and dual disc brakes. Buy it, get used to it, ride it and enjoy.
Similar Products Used: Kona Dawg Dee-lux -- fantastic bike Rocky Mountain ETSX -- very nice bike, just not the perfect fit of the Jekyll
Bike Setup: 2.0 Hutchinson Scorpion up front with either 1.95 WTB EpicWolf, 2.1 Maxxis High Roller, or Michelin Wildgripper (green mud-specific tread) in back.
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Submitted by
john
a Cross Country Rider
from st.catharines, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2005
Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: Brakes
Bottom Line:
This is an exellent bike, I used to be fast but my first race after buying this i WON!! This bike works great for me becasue im a cross country racer who also likes to do long enduro rides, and hit some rough terrain. I suppose you could use this bike for freeride (i took it downhilling once) but i think with ecessive and agressive downhilling it would fall apart. The only thing that gave me trouble were the hayes hfx nine brakes. I was constantly having to adjust them becasue the screw in the master cylinder slowly creeps back out (that problem is notorious with all hayes). So finally i put the screw really far in, and it snapped!!. I got stuck with a $150 dollar bill because i should have brought it into the shop (for the hundreth time). But otherwise an exellent bike, just make sure you talk to your shop owner and agree any problems with the brakes will be fixed no charge.
Bike Setup: Stock exept brakes were repaired. I dont pointlessly upgrade, if it aint broke dont fix it.
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Submitted by
Jason Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas,Texas US
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2005
Strengths: Great Suspension, very light set-up, excellent all-around.
Weaknesses: Brakes are very noisy, but work extremely well. Stock Conti Explorers. And the fi'zi:k saddle has to go!!!
Bottom Line:
I've already had to put my bike back in the shop for 2 weeks due to the poor assembly of the Haynes Brake Levers. My rear brake lever stopped releasing due to a missing washer Hayes supposedly left out in production. Apparently they sent boxes of washers to all Cannondale Dealers for people bringing their bike back with this problem. SOME RECALL...The Conti Explorers have to go. I've already had 7 flats on trails caused by thorns. Other than these problems, I am very happy with this upgrade from my Marin. It climbs great and sails down hills. I'm hoping the brakes eventually stop making noise. I've never had disc brakes so loud and annoying. I also had the shop take off the rear suspension lock out lever from the handle bar, to save the paint on the Cannondale logo. Great bike for the money.
Bike Setup: Coninental Explorers Hayes Disc Brakes, Fox Float RL, Shimano Clips, Truvativ Firex. All Stock for now.
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Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunrise, FL
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2005
Strengths: Excellent suspension (both front and rear), good brakes, comfortable seat, light for a full suspension bike, color (SoBe team replica).
Weaknesses: Didn't like the clipless pedals, the brake rotars sometimes rub making a noise.
Bottom Line:
EXCELLENT bike! I am not sorry I upgraded to this machine. I came from a hardtail and was hesitant with the Lefty fork and I couldn't be happier with the Lefty. This fork rides like a dream, absorbing every hit I give it. I had a problem with my rear shock (Fox RL). There's a shaft that controls the lockout and it snapped in half causing my shock to be permanently locked. No one can explain why this happened, but I suspect it was due to the way my LBS installed it. I noticed that when I got it back from being fixed that the lockout bracket was positioned differently from before. Overall I would recommend this bike to anyone looking for a full suspension bike in the medium price range category. Take the chance and you will not be disappointed!!!!
I don't know how people could complain about weight, on a calibrated scale this comes in at 27.9 in medium. I have dropped 4-5' and felt nothing. Amazing. This bike is a very good (not great) climber, will track anywhere you point it downhill, and actually has made me a much better rider in the month or so I have owned it.
I test rode several other bikes in the same class and they were all nice, but were missing something. They just didn't invoke the confidence that the Jekell does. This bike feels so nimble and light (again, Lefty aids in this). I just can't get over how Cannondale accomplished makeing such a responsive, yet fully capable light downhiller/ XC bike all in one. Even a couple of bikes I test rode for fun in the $3000 range didn't feel like they could deliver at the same caliber.
My advice is if you are a weekend racer and love to take mid range drops (3-5') while downhilling in your spare time, check this out. This bike is so versatile and feels like it can take a beating. If I had the extra $1000, the only thing I would have done is move up to the 1000 or 2000. The frame cannot be beat.
I will have this bike for a long time. This is my first Cannondale and I am HOOKED!
Similar Products Used: Stumpy FSR disk, Prophet 800, Cake 2, Kona Stinky DLX
Bike Setup: Stock, platform pedals
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Submitted by
Michael Swager
a Weekend Warrior
from Riverside, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004
Strengths: Lefty Max Front Suspension Travel, Adjustability, Frame strength, 5 inch rear travel, Did I mention Adjustability...
Weaknesses: Rear Lockout Lever Design is Not too good, Jekyll only rear shock design, Paint Scratches easily, No option for a kickstand (read review), Prioritized front wheel hub limits choices for wheelsets.
Bottom Line:
I use this bike as my bike for bike patrol as a security officer and hopefully soon a police bike officer. The colors meet the application well (black and white... hmmm) but the paint is horible for scratching riding with lots of gear. I am not the typical Jekyll rider and the adjustible geometry is nice for the "free riding" (typical stairs, drops, etc) at work and the XC on the weekends. The bike came with a decient set of components but I wanted XT so on went the new front derailuer, crankset, chain, cassette, and shifters.
The sore spot is the cannondale prioritized components that make upgrading hard. I am 6'6" and the stock wheels do not take the abuse. I have already destroyed the rear wheel doing jumps but the front seems to hold up well. Unfortunity a better wheelet means relacing the wheels for the cannondale hubs unless I want to spend 700+ on a new wheelset. Likewise the rear shock is jekyll only and a pain in the butt to get if you want to replace it later.
Overall I put the bike through a lot of abuse and it holds up well... just wish it could have a kickstand... hate trying to find a tree to hold the bike when writing tickets... oh well, will be modifying a greenfield soon. Also the bike is a little heavy in the xl frame... 33 pounds
If you want a good bike that does as well and many of the others in the class get the jekyll...
Submitted by
Max
a Cross Country Rider
from Gothenburg, Sweden
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004
Strengths: Great looks, great feel, fantastic shocks- Lefty is amazing and fox float is plush. Great parts, rear lock-out is good, although I don't use it that much. Hayes breaks are great so far, but squeak a little it you don't clean them off with compressed air (nothing out of the ordinary)
Weaknesses: Cable rub at some places, creaks and makes other noises when standing up pedeling and after jumping (small jumps).
Bottom Line:
Fantastic bike! Has the looks, and the feel in my oppinion. Has some small flaws that can easily be fixed.
Purchased At: Conte Bike Shop, Newport News Virginia
Similar Products Used: Cannondale V500
Bike Setup: Stock..
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Submitted by
Jim Harris
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ, US of flippin A
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004
Strengths: Suspension, umm, suspension...and umm suspension. Incredibly comfortable ride...10 miles today in desert and loose sand. "Just a walk in the park, Kazanski." I had some concerns about my 190 pounds maxing out the lefty max and Fox Float Rl, but no worries!! Easy to up/down shift. I love how the downshift is loaded, then just an easy click to to get goin in a hurry.
Weaknesses: Hayes disk brakes sometimes get "nails on a chalkboard" sound, but probably just sand getting between the caliper and disk until the particles are ground down. No other weaknesses that I've seen yet. Although, sometimes shifts gears on me during a steep, bumpy dirt-hill climb at the most inopportune time (could be just a setup issue--read "Operator Error.")
Not impressed with the stock pedals and will probably replace. They're already squeaking.
Bottom Line:
This is easily the nicest bike I've owned, of course without getting stupid with the prices. You can always own bigger an better, but if you don't need the features, don't buy 'em. I've got a 2004 Sobe (lime green and yellow) Jekyll 800. Wouldn't trade it for another bike in its class! I'm looking forward to putting tons-o-miles on it!
Favorite Trail: Tucson Desert/Chutes/Fantasy Island
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$1370.00
Purchased At: Loco Jims (FL)
Similar Products Used: Die-hard Cannondale fan...Back in my days of mini-triathalons (before college, wife, kids, and 10,000 cheeseburgers), I had two other Cannondales that were nowhere near to what this bike has on it.
Bike Setup: Stock Lefty Max (no lockout-SIGH), Hayes disk brakes, Fox Float RL rear shock. Oh, and most importantly: NO CODA PARTS!!!
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Submitted by
Tim Armitage
a Weekend Warrior
from Leeds
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2004
Strengths: Lefty Max!!!!!!! Fantastic! plush rear suspension, colour (blue limited edition), Weight, handbuilt frame and handling.
Weaknesses: Not alot but cable rub and Tyres in soft mud (Hutchison spiders)
Bottom Line:
Top all mountain bike that does everything asked with no problems.Turns heads on every ride as well. The two guys from Leeds who state they bought a Jekyll 800 2004 from Chevin cycles are talking out of their arse because Chevin have only in the last month started selling the 2005 Cannondale range, so get a life you dickheads. This bike is 5/5 no question I got mine for a bargain price of £1350, if you have the cash buy, buy, buy!
Weaknesses: Conti tires (switched them asap for Nokian NBX), cable rub, find the brakes to lack proper stopping power - have had 'em tuned several times and they still don't envoke confidence
Bottom Line:
This bike has delivered exactly what I expected and then some ...I can out-climb buddies (and love the remote lockout - no problems like others have described) and can descend as fast as I want (actually staying in control). The suspension sucks up everything - you can take the Jekyll to a terrain park and drop a 5 footer and then take it out for a full day XC ride no problem - it does it all. Geometry took a few rides to get used to, after moving to full suspension from a hardtail, but once I got my legs I've had full confidence in it. My butt/wrists,jiggly biceps are thanking me for this purchase. Have never changed the geometry setting - looks like more of a hassle to do than it's worth - will try it next season. All in all, this is a fantastic bike, probably wouldn't race either pure XC or downhill on it, but for general all mountain riding the Jekyll is a perfect middle of the road.
