Submitted by
james fedosov
a Racer
from st kitts, canada
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2006
Strengths: lefty fork when pumped up to correct body weight psi ( i am 6 feet and 155 pouned although i am only 13) and 145 psi works great. the xt rear deraileur is fannnntastic! and so is the lx front, and the brakes ar e good too after breaking them in (about 200 miles and 130 complete stops) the lefty cleans well also.
Weaknesses: if not at the right psi the lefty bottoms out easily, but is easily fixed.
Bottom Line:
this is for the 2006 f800. this bike is great for xc, and is supa fast :D!
Similar Products Used: fisher paragon, specialized epic, kona kula deluxe, stumpjumper fsr, scalpel 600, f100, stumpjumper, jeep tsi, giant rainier, and f2000
Bike Setup: all stock
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Submitted by
kurt
a Weekend Warrior
from brooklyn ny usa
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2006
Strengths: Very light, agile and strong frame, hayes brakes rock, xt comps always good. Lefty is holding out and saves time on tire changes. I am 6 feet and 220 and ride a medium frame and like to elave the ground, so far so good.
Weaknesses: Hub bearings sound like poop spinning in a pin balll machine after only a few hundred miles max. Cdale accesories are kinda crappy.
Bottom Line:
It rips up hills and takes air well. Light enough to carry on your back if you have to. So far so good. one major tune up and its like new. cdale makes a mean bike and Mr C seems to know how to take care of his customers. I do worry about blowing the fork and the hubs must be replaced soon, but I've trashed hubs on all my rides, unless they are xt or better they wear.
Bike Setup: xt rear, hayes brakes, deor up front, cdale everywhere else. Stock.
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Submitted by
Bjorn Krauer
a Weekend Warrior
from Southfields, London, UK
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2006
Strengths: Nimble Handling, light weight
Weaknesses: Cannondale Products, Cannondale Customer Support, Evans Cycles Customer Care
Bottom Line:
Bought the bike in August 2004. Love the handling, love the way it rides, when it is all working right. The original spring was too soft for my 225Pounds, so replaced with a heavy weight spring and 3 x red stiffener preload shims. The Fork Seals burst 3 months later. Evans took 2 months to replace them. The seals burst again. Gave the bike in, it took 3 months to replace. This time, the whole fork was replaced as the disc brake mounts had collapsed too. I got the bike back in November, and was on holiday till February. The first thing I noticed was that the fork was really soft. I asked the guys at Evans why and we discovered that the heavy weight spring and preload shims had never been replaced. I asked for this to happen and was told I would have to order new ones as the old ones had been lost in the workshop and it wasn't covered by workshop insurance, before I could order a new set, I again noticed oil running down my fork leg. So far I have been on three rides, around our local park, where the guys ride the "offroad" sections on stock road bikes, so its hardly heavy going. I went back to Evans and was told its because i am TOO FAT. When I complained to Cannondale, they said the Evans salesman was their customer contact and they supported his decision, they also said I should buy a new fork. Problem is that I refuse to pay up for a brand new lefty, they could at least offer me an upgrade price. But apparently this is not Cannondale's policy. So My advice to anyone wanting to buy a bike is DO NOT buy a Cannondale, especially not the lefty equipped ones. They look cool, ride well but WILL give you a headache. And do not support big brand name bike shops, find a good Local Bike Shop and enjoy and appreciate their personal service and advice.
Similar Products Used: Spec. Hardrock Pro, Spec. Stumpjumper, Cannondale F1000SL
Bike Setup: Mavic Crossmax SL, Flite Carbon Saddle, FSA Carbon bars, Race Face XY Seatpost, Time Atac Carbon pedals, SRAM X0, xt hollowtech II
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Submitted by
Bryan Chesser
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2006
Strengths: Very well balanced,light and nimbel chassis. Excellent stopping power of Hayes brakes. The Lefty Jake's performance and ability to be adjusted while riding.
Weaknesses: Just as most everyone else has indicated, the bottom bracket is junk. The Truvative crankset isn't very stiff and durable either. Maybe it's just the dry climate I live in, but the Lefty Jack fork does have tend to blow seals at least once a year. Last, but not least, the rear hub...of course.
Bottom Line:
Like all mtn. bikes in this price range your not going to find something that doesn't need some upgrading if you ride very often and/or very hard. Considering the price, I believe it's an outstanding machine that has a lot going for it over all of the full suspension bikes around this price. After replacing a few key components, I've got something I will continue to ride indefinitely. I like it that much. I can't see any reason to ever go to full suspension. Too much added cost and maitenence for little or no gain for my type of riding.
Bike Setup: Full SRAM X9 shifter and durailer setup, Mavic 321 rear rim w/Hope XC hub, Shamano LX crankset w/external bearings
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Submitted by
StigErik
a Cross Country Rider
from Oslo Norway
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2006
Strengths: Excellent frame and fork, sensible setup and a great starting point for building a great bike.
Weaknesses: It's true what they say, the cannondale parts are not very good. Also, the Magura Clara brakes that came on my bike have caused me endless grief and innumberable trips to the shop. Fortunately, Magura has a five year warranty...
Bottom Line:
Excellent frame and fork, the kind that makes you want to tattoo the Cannondale logo on your calf when you get back from the woods. The bike is balanced, light and nimble, and the fork is truly excellent. Doesn't hurt that it still raises eyebrows :-)
The F800 is a great starting point for a superb bike. I have set it up as a light singletrail bike, and even though I have drooled on various dual suspension bikes, I cannot really convince myself to part with it. To me, it is primarily a cross country/single trail bike - it's ok for marathons too, but it inspires me to search out trails and paths rather than gravel roads. I'm not a freerider, and I doubt that this is the bike I'd choose if that was my preference...
I'll give it 4 chilis for value, since I've had to swap a lot of the components to get the bike I wanted, and 5 chilis overall 'cause the result is excellent.
Bike Setup: Shimano XT w/RaceFace Next LP crank, Tune seatpost, Tune Speedneedle Seat, Tune rear wheel, CrankBros pedals, Formula Oro brakes, Easton Monkeylite bar, NoTubes
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Submitted by
Peyton
a Weekend Warrior
from Canton, GA
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2005
Strengths: Frame, Headshok Fatty
Weaknesses: Pedals didn't last very long, all cables gum up after a ride with any mud, tires didn't hold up on rocky trails, cranks are starting to make noise after 3 races and a year of moderate use, Deore rear shifter broke.
Bottom Line:
Very nimble bike, climbs very smoothly, easy to go fast around turns. I've had to make derailleur and brake adjustments between most rides, but it has endured most of the punishment I have thrown at it. It has been the perfect bike for me to start racing and to just ride on the weekend. Buy it if you want a serious bike without spending serious bucks.
Bike Setup: Stock except for LX shifters and Egg Beater pedals
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2005
Strengths: Awesome frame. Brakes are great, front shock great so far. Bike comes in Jumbo size for riders like myself...
Weaknesses: Cannondale Components!!! Bottom bracket U/S withing a month. Rear hub rusted and fell apart within the warranty period. Cannondales answer was to supply new bearings to put back in the rusted out casing???
Bottom Line:
Cannondale's customer service is nothing short of disgraceful! Customers forkout a fist full of dollars to buy what is essentially a great bike, and then receive absolutely no support. You only have to read the reviews posted here to realised that there is a problem with the rear hub and bottom bracket on this model and yet they don't even come to the party when their products fail under warranty. I love Cannondale bikes, but I would never buy another. Their attitude towards us the customer is appalling!!!
Bike Setup: Standard! Except for all the Cannondale components that have fallen to bits. They've all been replaced with XT or similar!
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Submitted by
D McQ
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2005
Strengths: Light weight, fantastic fork and frame, great disk brakes!
Weaknesses: Argh: bottom bracket, rear hub! seat post and seat.
Bottom Line:
Bottom bracket is made out of goo.. has fallen apart twice in a year. Rear hub is mush, been replaced twice in a yer, have resorteb to buying an XT rear wheel which so far is good. Seat post slips alot, and seat isn't the most comfortable.
Bonthrone bikes are rubbish and absolutely useless, do not touch them even with a very long barge pole.
Cannondale do not reply to any correspondance either!
Strengths: Orange flame Paint job is awesome. Hayes brakes are strong for all around braking. Lefty Jake is very responsive and seems to be very durable. It turns heads. Very light and wins races. Climbs like a champ.
Weaknesses: At first, as others have said, the lever reach screw will unscrew itself. Causes levers to hit knuckels after a couple hours of ridding.Fixed problem by applying nail polish to screw and putting screw into position i wanted. The rear axle was shot after a few months and came loose priar. Bottom bracket bit the dust along with the rear axel. Thankfully all under warranty. other= jsut normal wear
Bottom Line:
Its worth every penny for the quality of the bike. If you ride a bike alot stuff is going to brake no matter how much it costs. Bike perfomrs awesome on the trail and never fails to grab attention.
Bike Setup: easton low rise carbon bars and carbon seat post, carbon seatclamp, michelin xls tires.carbon lizard skin kit, stock seat and other components.
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Submitted by
Alon Tolwin
a Cross Country Rider
from Southfield, MI
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2005
Strengths: stiff frame, light, find the components to be very resilient and responsive
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
this bike is a dream, the manual lockout puts you in the saddle of a bike that climbs anything without feeling that your energy is being sqandered. I think Cannondale takes the prize for inovative bikes, affordable and durable. I've been on other bikes, even more expensive but they don't have the overall feel and responsiveness that this bike has
Similar Products Used: outclasses very thing else i've tried
Bike Setup: standard
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Submitted by
Derek Jordan
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham Wa USA
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004
Strengths: Light, strong, very quick handling. Beautiful frame and paintwork. Lets you climb like your lycra's on fire. Speeding downhill, with the Lefty and the Hayes, it's incomparable. Excellent racer.
Weaknesses: None yet.
Bottom Line:
This is now my favorite ride of all time. A great XC bike that's capable of all sorts of riding. It seems to be a very strong frame, but I have not really tested it's limits in that regard. If you want a great expert class racer, I recommend this. The frame is extremely smooth and very sharply responsive--feels weightless when riding. Combined with the Hayes disc brakes and the Lefty suspension, the handling can't be beat. Others have said this already, but, yes, it flattens the hills.
Similar Products Used: Norco Sasquatch, Kona Caldera, Cannondale F200, F700, F1000
Bike Setup: Received frame only, on warranty. LX cranks, XTR derailleurs, Lefty DRL, EA-70 bars, Giant carbon seatpost, eggbeater pedals, Hayes disc, Mavic rims/XT hub (rear), Michelin S Comp tires--weight: 23.5 lbs.
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Submitted by
Michael Landrigan
a Cross Country Rider
from Pocatello, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2004
Strengths: light, good downhill handling
Weaknesses: it falls apart
Bottom Line:
The Cannondale parts are terrible. The wheels where not built right and spokes keep breaking even though I true them. Worst of all, when I brought it in for minor service on the headshock the dealer messed it up. Now after paying $80 in repairs it leeks tons of oil. Neither the dealer nore Cdale will take responsibility. There's no way I'll buy Cdale again.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher, Specialized, Trek, Jamis
Bike Setup: XT, Cdale expert hubs and cranks
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Submitted by
Dougs
a Weekend Warrior
from Loughborough (UK)/ Dunedin (NZ)
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2004
Strengths: Everything! Fantastic brakes, frame, fork,... weight! And, yes the wieght does make a big difference to getting over obstacles.
Weaknesses: The groupset (XT) is wearing a little quickly. Of course a fault of all bikes. Also took me a bit of time to get used to the change in shifter direction.
Bottom Line:
An excellent bike for those who would rather have top end gear and can't afford a decent soft tail (although I'd rather have this bike than a soft tail that costs twice as much). The frame is great for tallish riders, putting you in a stretched out position (great for the back) without compromising on dynamic ability through single track.
