Weaknesses: not comfortable on rocky trails, stock components.
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike for hard pack trails, very fast. a lot of fun to ride. has been awesome over the years. I love this bike. It's all about speed and I can fly on this baby :)
Similar Products Used: Rocky mountain ELEMENT 50
www.bikes.com/main+en+01_102+ELEMENT_50
Bike Setup: I have replaced all of the components on this bike. only the lefty is stock.
Race face Deus XC crank,Sram PC-991 Chain,Egg Beater Pedals S Classic,SRAM 9-Speed PowerGlide II Cassette,Shimano XT rear and front derailers.Mavic X3.1 Tubeless rims,DT swiss spokes,Maxxis crossmark tires,Thomson Elite seat post,Porfile design stiffy stem,Race face DEUS XC FLAT BAR,Oury lock on grips,Hope mono mini disc brakes and Titec seat. so it makes the price of this bike a grand total of about $4000.00
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Submitted by
Marco Hermes Peruzzi
a Weekend Warrior
from La Spezia, Liguria, Italy
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2008
Strengths: Light, fast and with a good geometry, extremely sharp in cross-country paths, good for races.
Weaknesses: Rear hub broken on Mavic Crossroc, Coda components sucks, frame too weak in hard trails (broken in a weekend trail of Liguria.. it's a road bike from big store or what? Luckly I replaced it with a Jekyll (it's not a coincidence: cannondale put this frame on road bikes after one year of its birth and abandoned MTB)
Bottom Line:
Luckly I reused all components on a Jekyll used frame so I could save money buying it. Crossroc rear hub was broken after a few months, Air Lefty needs more attention than actual Max spv 140mm of Jekyll.... and at the end frame got a CRACK on rear folder riding on a medium-hard trail. I hoped more strenght from a Cannondale
Similar Products Used: Cannondale Jekyll 1° serie, Cannondale Jekyll II 600, Viner Vy pro, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR.
Bike Setup: Upgraded to F1000: All XT components (Brakes included), Lefty DLR Air 110mm, Mavic CrossRoc, FSA V-drive, Thomson elite seatpost
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Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2004
Strengths: Appearance, Weight, comfort & handling. Lefty DLR with lockout.
Weaknesses: Standard components are waiting to break, Magura Julies are troublesome constantly requiring tlc. Bottom bracket went within 6 months, front CODA hub had bearing replacement after 8 months. Frame flexes under heavy loads.
Bottom Line:
I'm a daily commuter on the bike, so it gets its share of use. Close to 7000km's in 9 months, without major problems. On trails i find it has trouble tracking a downhill line, mainly because i'm a light rider as well. Doubt the frame would stand up to free riders demands. Biggest headaches has been the brakes(Magura Julies), bottom bracket and recently the servicing of the Lefty. If you are fortunate to have a good service department near you, that you TRUST then you shouldnt have issues. I resorted to aligning the brakes myself, mainly out of frustration with the cannondale dealer who couldnt get it right. Changed dealers only to have an oil leaking Lefty come back to me(after an overhaul), ruining a set of brake pads. Coda parts are cheap and dont last. Love the bike, hate the hassles.
Submitted by
Timo Hokkanen
a Cross Country Rider
from Finland
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2003
Strengths: CAAD 5 frame
Weaknesses: Coda components
Bottom Line:
It's funny to read reviews by people who have had the bike for a short time and obviously those without experience rate their own bike as awesome and so on. Once you’ve hade your bike for 2000-3000 kilometres, then you are able to rate it with some degree of expertise.
Well, I've had my F800 for almost 2 year and I can tell you to put your money elsewhere. I'm positive you are able to find a better bike for the same price. Cannondale has crappy components that do not last. The brakes (Magura Claras in Europe) are not consecutive, the set up changes and is a "female dog" to set up, thus they do not work well in the cold (winter). I’ve changed them for Hopes, which are great and powerful and the set up stays. Comparing the Lefty to some other shocks almost makes me cry in regret. The various Coda wheel parts do not last.
The frame is good, but I’d rather get other parts for brakes, shock, shifters, changers, wheels, etc.
Submitted by
Dany Dany
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond Hill, Ontario
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2003
Strengths: What can i say except that the lefty is the best shock i have ever ridden and that the magura julies are better then i ever expected.CAAD 5 frame is a dream even though it is a bit rigid ,you can always get a carbon seatpost or shock post as well as a nice comfy saddle to counter this.Oh! and i almost forgot that sweet matte black paint job that gets all the attention next to the lefty.
Weaknesses: the seat is a piece of crap as well as the creaking shimano pd-m515 clipless pedals and thats about it so far.
Bottom Line:
This bike climbs like a mountain goat with the lefty locked and inpires confidence with every stroke of the peddles.For the money it can't be beat when you factor in the CAAD 5 frame,lefty shock & a good mix of components.All you have to do is wait till the cheaper parts break and then add top of the line components.
Similar Products Used: many bikes from thoses brands: norco, giant, specialized, kona, proflex, rocky mountain, gary fisher, trek and so on
Bike Setup: stock, new saddle and a tamer tricky dick suspension seatpost
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Submitted by
Ludwig
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2003
Strengths: Light, quick and agile. Eats miles of trails and still leaves you feeling fresh. Headturning colour (Kale) and Lefty fork. Great "do it all" bike - XC, uphill, single track and light DH
Weaknesses: Cost (although I got it cheap), Disc Brakes loosened and bolts dropped off rotor arm, crap tires(Hutchinson Scorpion) and seat and seatpost, crank flexes like plastic and creaks/groans
Bottom Line:
Quality bike (frame, forks blah blah see below). Just junk the seat/post/tyres (I think 2003 model is now sorted).
Similar Products Used: Previous owner of cannondale, Mongoose IBOC(Steel), Kona Cindercone
Bike Setup: Standard except with new tyres (Spesh Ground Control & ??), Ritchey Seatpost and Ritchey Tit. Seat, Spds
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington Beach
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2003
Strengths: Price!!!!!! Very nice ride, climbs like a mountain goat, brakes are excellent, good on the decents, Lefty fork really works well, lock out on fork is great, fairly light...
Weaknesses: Coda parts... Seat sucks, you can feel the plastic shell popping in and out.. Deore shifters and LX front derailer does not shift like my XT/XTR on my HomeGrown..
Bottom Line:
So far I have been very impressed with this C'dale product.. The Lefty feels awesome, plenty of travel, feels stiff, sucks up the bumps well.. The CAAD5 frame is real rigid but climbs and decends very well.. The Julie brakes have performed very well since day 1 and appear to be getting better as they break in.. Drive train functions well, just shifts are not as easy and smooth compared to XT/XTR.. If you want a great all around cross country bike, still like hardtails, and do not do alot of serious Huckster riding, this bike would be a great purchase, especially on close out at SG...
Strengths: i m having the 2000's f2000sx, v800 was sold
Bottom Line:
i used 2 have both 2000's v800 n f2000sx, the former with super fatty D the latter with lefty DLR, both in mid-size frame, and ive measured the height between ground n BB of both bikes, THEY R THE SAME, lefty looks having a higher geom. becos it has a bigger gap between top of the tire n the bottom of BB,,,in other words, if u change 2 ultra or whatever fatty, your geom. shouldnt have any difference comparing with your recent installation of LEFTY,,, any question, pls lemme know
Submitted by
Mora Luis Fernando
a Cross Country Rider
from San José, Costa Rica
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2003
Strengths: Appearance, color finish, fork, weight.
Weaknesses: I am having problems with the handle bar heigth, I think is too tall for technical climbing, I am thinking in changing the fork to an ultra fatty for a more "racing" geometry. the seat is like a rock tne continental tires really sucks, the lefty makes the bike too tall for easy climbing
Bottom Line:
I get the felling that I dont fit in this bike. I have lowered the spander (handle bar holder) but I am willing to change the lefty to lower the handle bar height. Any suggestions???
Bike Setup: Shimano XT shifters, and derraileur, hutchinson alligator tires
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Submitted by
Corey
a Cross Country Rider
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2003
Strengths: Climbs like a goat. Although low end, the Magura Julies have been everything they promised. Shock works well. And even with hard pounding, most of the coda stuff has stayed in place. The riser bar really makes the riding nice and upright. Hesitant at first but now I'm sold.
Weaknesses: Mine came with coda clipless pedals, they're horrible, the worst (getting some egg beaters soon!) You get what you expect out of the coda equipment. The lefty shock creates a L/R inbalance only really noticed when you hands are off the handlebars. The Kale Green looks very much like Bianchi's signature color.
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great hard tail. After seeing the prices of FS drop dramatically along with weight and not compromising details I was still giving hardtails a shot. I rode this one and right away knew it was the one to beat. Constantly amazed at how easy it is to climb over obstacles and just keep on going. Point and pedal. I'm not doing twenty foot jumps, but taking it downhill has been nice. I have noticed no compromise in the Mavic X223 rims they are still riding strong. I never thought I would be a cannondale owner, but now I am and I like it. I also got mine thirty percent off which shot the value rating off. I also got lucky and was stocked with the lefty ti vs the standard lefty of f800's 2002. I understand the 2003's come with this standard. The downhiller will be amazed by this hardtail's smooth ride but quite not up to par with the FS tanks that are customarily seen on the trail. The cc chaps will love the smooth ride, the upright seating, the versatility, and the ability to upgrade this bike into a really awesome ride (has same CAAD 5 frame as the top Cannondales).
Submitted by
Ed
a Weekend Warrior
from Scottsdale, AZ
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2003
Strengths: Solid ride on various terrains, great fork, looks great.
Weaknesses: Seat, pedals.
Bottom Line:
This is my first mountain bike and I'm pleased with it. Lefty is great, along with the bike's feel and smooth shifting. Although I can't compare the frame to any others, it seems to be quite stable and light.
Bike Setup: Stock except I upgraded to XTR front and rear derailers, and shifters. I also changed out my seat, for the stock model is way too uncomfortable. Egg Beater pedals were just added over the weekend.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
kurt
a Weekend Warrior
from austin tx
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2002
Strengths: Frame, Lefty, Disc Brakes
Weaknesses: seat/seat post color, but its growing on me
Bottom Line:
This bike is great. Climbs extremely well, very light bike. The seat and seatpost have got to be changed. The post was cheap on nashbar and definitely worth it. The hydraulic brakes are a great. I havent taken it to the mountains yet but this bike has performed great on some serious trails round here. Still not sure if I like the riser handle bar. Some people complain about the $, but the frame performs and looks great. For a good hardtail your gonna have to pay, you get a lot with this bike. I havent yet seen anything to make myself second guess buying this one. Definitely worth it.
Submitted by
kurt
a Weekend Warrior
from austin tx
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2002
Strengths: Frame, Lefty, Disc Brakes
Weaknesses: seat/seat post color, but its growing on me
Bottom Line:
This bike is great. Climbs extremely well, very light bike. The seat and seatpost have got to be changed. The post was cheap on nashbar and definitely worth it. The hydraulic brakes are a great. I havent taken it to the mountains yet but this bike has performed great on some serious trails round here. Still not sure if I like the riser handle bar. Some people complain about the $, but the frame performs and looks great. For a good hardtail your gonna have to pay, you get a lot with this bike. I havent yet seen anything to make myself second guess buying this one. Definitely worth it
