Submitted by
Chad VB
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2006
Strengths: pretty good components, frame hasn't broken yet, 2 water bottle mounts
Weaknesses: HEADSHOK! Cannondale's use of their own products
Bottom Line:
Would have been a good bike for light cross country use, the trails here have 2-3 foot drops, rough terrain, and fast descents. The headshok was blown after 5 or so rides here. So i went with the whole conversion to a normal fork and it is the best money you could spend on this bike. I wish cannondale would make things industry standard though, because their "innovations" thus far have not been impressive for all but the most conservative of riders.
I like it. Its a little heavy, and Im not overly impressed with the head shock, but overall the bike is really good. Ive ridden it for 4 yrs now, and still havent replaced the brake pads! I dont know what people are saying about the disks, but they work very well. Very consistent stopping in any condition. Also, the deore XT equipment is very precise. Also dont know what is being said about pedals, why upgrade? very nice clipless system indeed.
currently, its in the shop getting tune up, and the head shock is leaking oil pretty bad. I think the head shock is a little clunky, but i do like ability to turn off shock on long uphills (like in northern GA, NC). guess thats price you pay to be able to disarm the shock so no bouncing on climbs.
Im liking this bike more and more each time I ride. Not perfect, but for $ its solid for intermediate rider like me.
Submitted by
Mathijs de Wit
a Cross Country Rider
from The Netherland
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2004
Strengths: Still the stiffness of the frame and the way the headshock Super Fatty works. Also the geometrie of the bike. The service of Cannondale (I've had an air leaking problem with the fork but it's changed without any costs)
Weaknesses: The Magura Julie disc-brakes. The have been driven me (and my bike-shop specilist) completely crazy. They drag, the pistons failes several times and have lost brake power after they have been send to Magura. Endly I'm going to change them for Hope Mono Mini's now
Bottom Line:
This is a upgrade from my review of 14 december 2001. After a lot of km's I'm still very happy with this bike. Except of the Magura Julie disc brakes. They are realy less than rubbish. The bike go's where you want to go. It is functioning good in lowland's mud (we have a lot of it in The Netherlands), in middle and high-moutains (like the Alpes). The sitting position is very good, even in marathons (once I've been sitting on it about 10 hours without any problem, and you have to know that I'm having a serious backbone problem after a hard bike-crash 10 years ago). So if you don't need a fully, the F700 is still a absolute good choice.
Similar Products Used: American Eagle Death Valley.
Bike Setup: The main parts (frame, suspension, handle bar, wheels) are still the same as delivered from the factory. Of course I've changed a lot of parts during maintance the last years, and upgraded them, but that's nothing spectacular.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
arthur pielli
a Cross Country Rider
from coxsackie, ny usa
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2004
Strengths: FRAME! Love the hardtail...good welds. Very stiff
Weaknesses: CODA components......got rid of them
Bottom Line:
Love this bike. I also have had dual suspension but found myself going back to a hard tail. The frame is the best part of this bike, takes a beating. Replace components and in particular...the tires. I strongly recommend the SPOX spinergy. They are a pain to true but keep true pretty well and are super light. Bought it at the Coxsackie Bike Shop......great people! Buy this bike if you are looking for bang for the buck and a solid ride.
I loved Cannondales, although I don't really like this bike. Most of the above reviews seem to be from new owners with the "stars in their eyes" from new pruchases...
The frame is brilliant. No doubts there. The problems comes with the parts, and potentially the geometry. Of course geometry is hard to talk about as it is so personalised, however for the bike, the price, and the sizing - you can get much more "fitting" bikes. Mainly due to the short seat stay. If you suffer from lower back niggles then look elsewhere, or get a huge cannondale frame!
The coda parts are rubbish. They are heavy, not that tough, and cost a lot to upgrade. One thing though - they wear a long time.
To sum up - if you are looking for a cannondale, and at this model, then wait and buy the F800 or above. As soon as the "new bike" glazed eyes wear off you'll upgrade the thing so much it doubles the price. Just go out and buy something with decent parts to begin with! :)
Submitted by
Ben du Feu
a Cross Country Rider
from Jersey UK
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002
Strengths: Very light frame and forks, looks great, Drive train is great works well, nice ride position although handlebars are too high (turn stem upside down to make it lower)accelerates really fast.
Weaknesses: heavy wheels, Disk brakes are pathetic less powerful than my old V-brakes and huge amounts of rub on the back one (there must be something wrong with them) The lock-out stopped locking out totally and has gained 20mm of flat suspension. tyres arent very good (good on road cos can be pumped up to 5.5 bar) but they have little tread and dont grip like tyres that say Michelin on. the bottle mount thing which the screw goes in was turning rather than the screw moving in and out. (pliers needed to fix)
Bottom Line:
pretty lightweight, long reach to handle bars, fast except for disc rub, feels solid (no frame flex) good on road but need to let tyres down for off road to soften out bumps.
Submitted by
stewart burgess
a Cross Country Rider
from edinburgh, UK
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002
Strengths: Super stiff frame, lightwieght and great handling
Weaknesses: coda products
Bottom Line:
For the money this bike is one of the best hardtails i have ridden. It handles superbly just point it in the direction you want to go and it follows. It corners like its on rails, climbs like a mountain goat and descents are just a great laugh! I never feel out of control on this bike and i pull some dodgy moves on it as well. One thing though get rid of the CODA parts as they are gash and the maguras do not do this bike justice so move to hope's or XT asap. With a few extra bucks spent i now have a hardtail to be proud of. Only gets 4 chillis for value due to the coda parts!
Bike Setup: Now set up with hope XC hubs on mavic, Hope mini's, time carbon pedals, race face and easton kit
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Raphaelle
a Racer
from Gatineau, Québec, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2002
Strengths: Frame, derailer, suspension
Weaknesses: breaks, high maintenance
Bottom Line:
Great fun with the bike, it is very light (24 pounds), 9 speed derailer works well. This is a bike that should be bought by someone who will use it a lot, I would say for at least 150km / week of hard trail riding. The breaks always need some adjustements, and after 40 hours of riding the mineral oil has to be replaced.
Submitted by
aKL
a Cross Country Rider
from Helsinki, Finland
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2002
Strengths: Great frame; stiff, light, solid and goodlooking. Well spec´d (added a few extras), Fork works well - is rigid and plush. Have to mention the brakes also, cheapest of Maguras but work extremely well.
Weaknesses: The stem doesn´t fit me perfectly due to the rise and for the Headshok it´s hard to find replacing stems.
Bottom Line:
Actually excellent value if you can get one form a sale. I wouldn`t maybe pay the full price. Can be upgraded to full potential w/ a few component choices, then the great frame get the respect it deserves.
Good bike for the price I bought it, have had it for 3-4 weeks, have ridden approx. 300-400km.
Submitted by
CHAS
a Cross Country Rider
from PITTSBURGH, PA USA
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002
Strengths: CANNONDALE FRAME IS SWEET. CRAFTMANSHIP SUPERB. THE HEADSHOCK HAS PLENTY OF TRAVEL IF SET UP RIGHT. DISK BRAKES ROCK. ONE FINGER OPERATION IS ALL THAT'S NEEDED TO STOP EVEN ON THE STEEPEST GRADES. STOCK HANDLE BAR AND STEM SEEM STRONG AND STIFF. SPEAKING OF STIFF THE CRANK IS APPROPPIATE FOR MY 190 LBS. BODY
Weaknesses: IN MY OPINION 9 SPEEDS IS A WEAKNESS. MIX THAT WITH RAPID FIRE SHIFTERS AND IT DEFEATS WHAT THIS BIKE WAS DESIGNED FOR. MY CHAIN IS CONSTANTLY JUMPING AROUND ON THE CASSETTE AND THE BIGGEST WORKOUT I GET ON MY RIDE IS THE THUMB AND INDEX FINGERS FROM TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT GEARS. I THINK I'M GOING TO CHANGE TO A SRAM TWIST GRIP SHIFTER. THE HUTCHINSON TIRES WORKED OK WHEN THEY WERE NEW BUT WORE OUT VERY QUICKLY.
Bottom Line:
I'M HAPPY. IT WAS MONEY WELL SPENT. THE BIKE WAS ONE OF THE LIGHTEST I FOUND IN COMPARISION TO OTHERS IN ITS CLASS. I LIKE MY FULL SUSPENSION BIKE BUT THIS ONE IS MORE FUN TO RIDE.
Similar Products Used: CANNONDALE V1000 FULL SUSPENSION, COOK BROTHERS CRANKS, XTR SET-UP 7 SPEED CASSETTE WITH SRAM SHIFTERS.
Bike Setup: STOCK 2002 MODEL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sean Wright
a Cross Country Rider
from Tionesta Pa USA
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002
Strengths: Lockout on the shock helps on the occasional onroad riding. Disk brakes are very responsive. Thanks to CAAD4 the bike is very light and good for climing and decending.
Weaknesses: Very stiff. At higher speeds front disk may rub. Long reach to the bar.
Bottom Line:
Outstanding bike for the money. Buy it if you want a great cross country bike that decends and climbs awesome. Forget it if You want a soft,plush,and comfy bike.
Strengths: Sprints/climbs well; handling and fork are sweet; discs powerful
Weaknesses: A bit harsh; discs drag
Bottom Line:
This is a good bike for XC racers on a budget. It's reasonably light, and the rigid frame and unflexible fork provide spot-on handling in all conditions. The rear end is a little harsh on the rough stuff, but it's an aluminum hardtail so the complaining stops here because that stiffness makes the bike accelerate quickly. The hydraulic Magura Clara discs have power to spare, but neither I nor my shop's mechanics have been able to get rid of the drag, so they squeal sometimes. The bike has a rather short top tube and stem, so you may want to do something about that, and the HeadShok puts the handlebars up really high, so you will probably want to flip the stem upside-down for XC riding and racing. Nothing flashy about the rest of the bike (Sun-Ringle wheels, Coda parts, Shimano Deore/LX/XT drivetrain), but it gets the job done just fine.
Submitted by
Craig Shakespeare
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2002
Strengths: Great frame light weight, very stiff ride, fast.
Weaknesses: The coda rubbish on my bike only last a few months before giving me touble. So upgrade by buying another bike and swaping all coda and the clara brakes and four bolt hubs(who but cannondale use 4 bolt hubs)rims drive train etc.
Bottom Line:
I love my bike but would love to change the head shock to a sid ti or some thing similar. Apart from maybe going to a dualie or but xtr on it goes great
I have a 2001 F700 with Magura (Clara?) disc brakes that are rubbish and want to upgrade. The front disc is five bolt and the rear four bolt (standard) 600mm rotors.
Shimano po Read More »
Hi,
I have a Cannondale F700 that seems to sort of skip/jump on its high gears but not on the easier low gears..
I was told I need to replace the drive train, which I was quo Read More »
I just acquired a Cannondale F600, & want to use cantilever brakes. They came with CODA 700M brakes, which used an interesting "bridge cable". See attached pics. The cable ferru Read More »
Hi all I've just been given a brand new 2001 f700 in blue my question is if the headset was to ware can the bearing just be replaced , because my scott ransom was very easy and the Read More »
