Submitted by
jonnyjokerhead
a Weekend Warrior
from prince george
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2011
Strengths: nice hardtail for cheap
Weaknesses: headshock maintenance
Bottom Line:
good bike for the price, i use it for road trips only. that being said nice to have a lock out front shock and light frame. upgrade the components though
Bike Setup: i have a stupmy carbon now so no comparison
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
k8n
a Cross Country Rider
from Carmel, IN USA
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2010
Strengths: Great frame, fast bike, great climber, love the air shock front suspenssion and the hydrolic brakes.
Weaknesses: Just needed to put my clipless peddles on and add a chainstay guard.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike! I have had it less than a month and I have been out on the trails in two states, in three parks and plan on getting out again on it tomorrow and Sunday.
Strengths: Speed, weight, frame quality, decentish components for the price (at time of purchase). Decent enough finish and colour schemes.
Weaknesses: Comfort/riding position could be a little aggressive for some (lends itself more to a racing position), front fork and tyres aren't great, noisy/rubbing brakes can be a pain to adjust but generally effective.
Bottom Line:
Not much said about this bike on the web so here's my two cents. Bought the 2009 model F4Z (same as an F4 except with a regular fork instead of the 80mm Headshok) as soon as it hit my LBS. About 18 months on and still happy with it.
I wanted a general purpose machine for entry-level MTBing (mostly XC/trail centre stuff), commuting and light touring as well. I'm happy to say it has handled all of the above. It has the mounts for panniers and a decent spec in comparison to other bikes on offer at the time. The fork with lockout was a good feature too.
Ride-wise it is very nimble and fast and I've found it a joy to blast along singletrack, but the 100mm fork isn't much good for DH (though it copes OK with things like the Glentress red route). On the road it's reassuringly steady and quick. With some effort I've been able to keep up with my friends on tourers/roadies most of the time (with slicks fitted), but don't expect a comfortable ride over long distances, the riding position takes some getting used to, you also may want to swap out for a shorter stem if you're feeling stretched.
The bike is fairly lightweight for the price, weighing in at about 27.5lbs (12.5kg). You could shave some of that off with upgrades. Due to that and the SRAM x7/x9 setup it climbs really well. Once it gets rolling it just doesn't want to slow down but the Juicy 3s do a reasonable job of taming it.
An added bonus is the quality of the Caffeine frame which is hand-built in the USA (if you believe the tag) and is also lifetime guaranteed by Cannondale. Not had any problems with creaking/rattling.
Issues-wise, others seem to have had a trouble with the Headshok, all I can say is I've had no problems with the 100mm Tora fork, though an upgrade is on the cards. The Juicy 3s have performed well but squeak like hell and seem to like to rub a lot so be prepared for that. Other than a couple of adjustment issues and a cable being shorn, the shifters have been fine.
Generally the bike has done what I needed it to and I'd recommend it for anyone wanting a decent fast hardtail.
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Flemington, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2010
Strengths: Bike tracks very well - seems that all power goes directly into forward motion. Of all the bikes I've had this might be my favorite...
Weaknesses: HeadShok seals. Although last year the bike was ridden all of 3 times if I am lucky, the HeadShok needed to be serviced twice. Shop told me it was covered under warranty. This year before the first ride I could tell all the oil had leaked out of the cartridge AGAIN. Shop said it would be covered under warranty as it was only half a year since it was last fixed and the warranty had been re-extended after th elast service. Unfortunately the shop had never sent it to Cannondale for the fix and did it in house (wrong twice I guess) so I got a rebuild bill from Cannondale for $192. $60/hr of labor times 3 hours plus tax. Shop is arguing the bill with me currently....
Bottom Line:
Great bike if the Cannondale HeadShok rebuild resolves my fork issue. If I have to drop almost $200 a year to service that fork I'm not goign to be a happy customer about it.
Bike Setup: Candy pedals, 2.2 tires, easton sitpost.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
mecca
a Racer
from Hop Bottom, Pennsylvannia, USA
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2010
Weaknesses: The tires on it are horrible, kenda everglads, i had the bike for 1 day and popped both tires in the woods on a crazy trail w/ thorns...since then i purchased new tires and have not had 1 flat tire.
Bottom Line:
This bike is amazing, super lightweigth, great shocks, amazing derealier it is just fabulous...You could take this bike right out of the box and race it....I love it....the only problem is the tires that the bike comes w/.There called kenda everglads and they have the thinnest headwall i have ever seen on a tire, i am a small and light and i got flats the first night i had it from thorns...But this bike is a worth while investment :)
Submitted by
campy cino
a Weekend Warrior
from ITALY
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2010
Strengths: lightness
Weaknesses: the F4 frame sucks: while riding with no hands, the steerer tube starts to vibrate, probably owing to the poor quality tubes ( that are NOT Alcoa)...
Bottom Line:
once again, this frame sucks...Definitely, it's not cannondale.
Bike Setup: Grimeca mag wheelset, shimano Deore xt group
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jcolef4z
a Cross Country Rider
from australia
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2009
Strengths: gearing is fast and reliable, the suspension is great. the other strength is the price, you get rockshox, sram, and fisic on such a cheap bike. i also love the tyres
Weaknesses: the grips are too slippery for my liking.
Bottom Line:
i recommend this bike to anyone who wants a great bike that is cheap and realiable. it is ready to race and is very very fast. if you are looking for a fast cheap realiable bike this should be your first choice. the custemer service at berettas bike hub in geelong, australia was exellent. i recommened them and the bike.
Submitted by
darren1970
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape town South Africa
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2009
Strengths: good bang for buck
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
a good bike for single track and have done some technical routes it took a while to get set up properly hence changing the stem all the componennts are good quality have tried various tyres went up to 2.4 mountain kings but have gone back to hutchi pythons the bike did a good job of getting me hooked have moved onto an anthem 1 so use the f4 as a spare
Submitted by
hjworton
a Cross Country Rider
from Folkestone, Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2009
Strengths: Frame looks like a keeper, handles well, quite fast and light handling. I am a convert to the Headshok too - I love the feel and how light it is.
Weaknesses: The screaming brakes are a pain - I cannot really blame that on the bike, all the discs I've used do it. Shok leaking air slowly over time - keep on top of this, it's easy to not notice, go ride and have no damping action at all. Also: Mine is a 'Made in Taiwan' model - 2008 ? Slightly disappointed but performance is no different.
Bottom Line:
The actual bottom line is all about the headshok - some loathe it, some adore it. Do test one out before purchase, it's nothing like a conventional fork.
This bike does pretty much just what I want it to. The only trouble is I find myself comparing it to the Rocky Mountain, which is stupid because the RM was about $500 dollars more expensive. I guess, considering this small fact, the F4 come out very well. Not sure you can do much better for the money. Also: I deliberately bought this bike from my LBS even though I could've got a much better deal online or in a bigger town/city. I want my shop to be successful, so I support them. You should do the same.
Bike Setup: Stock for the moment - crank, saddle, brakes will change if I keep it for any length of time.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
dono
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield, VA USA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2009
Strengths: Rigid, fast, sturdy, light for the price, front shock lock-out
Weaknesses: Brakes are noisy and provide below average stopping power
Bottom Line:
For urban trail riding this is a fast bike. Rigid frame and lockout front fork make it a strong climber. Front shock adequate for roots bumps and the odd log. It lacks any adjustment other than locked/unlocked. It is pretty soft when unlocked - that works fine given the rigid frame but will not allow for nuanced downhill rides. On rough cross country you would take a beating on this bike.
Sram shifting is excellent. The shifters are close together and took a little getting used to. The handle bars on mine were quite wide and it seemed as though the clearance with the cranks down was a little low.
The disk brakes are the only real weakness on this hard tail. These are the first disk brakes I have used for a long ride and I was surprised at how loud they were (I had to apologize to a mom and her baby in a jogger they were so damn loud). The braking was very poor. I would take my rim brakes any day over these.
All that said, for an inexpensive bike you can really move on the flats and up hills.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Stumpjumper Comp full suspension, Trek 7000 full rigid
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
simonblaine
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, AB
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2009
Strengths: Light weight
Weaknesses: Juicy 3 brakes (noisy, constant rubbing), headshock (had to have replaced 3 times)
Bottom Line:
I am not sure if the issues I had with this bike were due to it just being THIS bike. Sometimes there is the one part that is not built or installed quite right and bad things happen. Considering the previous reviews I think this may be the case. In three months of riding, I had the headshock go on me 3 times. The brakes went on me once due to a faulty piston but constantly rubbed and needed adjusting. I live 75 miles from my LBS and during the ownership period I put 200 miles on the bike. During that same time frame I put 950 miles on my truck taking the bike in for service and picking it up. The last time in (for the brake piston) I took it for a short test ride and when I came back the headshock blew for the third time. The managers and owners from the store I bought it from seemed to want to blame me for it (I MUST have been doing 10 ft drops on it with the headshock locked out) but the mechanics at the LBS knew that there was just issues with the bike. Anyway, I got it fixed again by the LBS, took it to another bike shop, traded the F4 in and bought my current bike.
Summary:
3 months owned
Headshock serviced once and replaced 2 times
Brakes - rebuilt once and adjusted numerous times with very temporary results.
200 miles put on bike, 900+ put on truck taking it in for repair.
Similar Products Used: Trek 4300, Stumpy, Santa Cruz Superlight Frankenbike
Bike Setup: Stock Caffeine, except for adding clipless pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DennisK
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, Greece
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2009
Strengths: It's a 2009 F4Z with a pair of Rockshox Toras up front. It's light and very fast. Very easy to ride uphill with too. It comes in two colors - black and white - I got the white one which I think looks great. Paint quality and overall finish are I think exceptional - and I love the "handmade in the USA" sticker on it.
Weaknesses: Frame wise none so far. The Toras are fine for my type of riding. The shifters have been giving me a bit of a headache. The brakes are squeaky but good performers otherwise. The tires are good too both on and off road. Saddle took some getting used to but I think it's OK now - still I prefer the WTB Rocket V I have on the GT.
Bottom Line:
A great bike so far. I've ridden close to 1000 km's with it and loved every single one of them. I'd certainly recommend it.
(This review is for 2009 model)
- Front rotor was warped and made some horrible shearing noise when going fast OR turning front wheel...took it back to shop to "bend" it back...now the rotor doesn't seem to hit the breaks, but i still get "metal on ceramic" noise when i turn at higher speeds =(
Inexcusable for a $1000.00 purchase...
But other than that, I love the bike =)
- Shifts seamlessly and feels light, breaks work well (when not making a metallic noise), headshock is awesome on light trails
Bike Setup: Stock (just changed handlebars), gonna change pedals and waiting for my thudbuster
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
tomis8819
a Cross Country Rider
from Pasco, WA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2009
Strengths: Solid frame, headshok, decent components for the most part.
Weaknesses: Avid BB5 mechanical discs (2007 model), stock grips, stock seat, heavy sun black eye rims, isoflow cranks
Bottom Line:
This is bike is a solid starting point for a good cross country ride. It comes with some components that may eventually want to be upgraded (brakes, cranks, and wheels mainly) but that is to be expected when paying $1000 for a cannondale mountain bike. I've found the bike to be a very fun ride on winding desert single track, very directable, reminds me of my BMX riding days, and pretty quick. If you're willing to pay a bit more the caffeine series may be worth the money.
