Strengths: Very light, agile and fast. ELO works Great, and Mavic SL wheels are very stiff. The bike sticks to the dirt like glue but is easy to lift. I love my lefty! All XTR Yea!
Weaknesses: I miss the 2X9 on my F5000, and hated the Hutchinson scorpions that came on the bike
Bottom Line:
The Best bike I've ever owned bar none! 2004 is the same except for the paint!
Strengths: very light and fast and nimble.great power wheelie bike.seems to ride better than my caad4 frame with ultra fork.
Weaknesses: right out of box fork was defective.wouldn't unlock.but cannondale got the fork back to me in 2 days just before 24 hour race!
Bottom Line:
this frame seems to feel more comfortable than my older caad 4. I didn't have a hardtail for 5 weeks and had been riding my scalpel before getting this frame and lefty and normally I can feel the harshness of the ht but this new optimo rides better than the older frame.this bike is fast.don't think people realize the advantage I have over them with this lightweight bike
Bike Setup: this was a relacement frame and fork so I don't have the 03 xtr,which I don't want anyway.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
John Godts
a Racer
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2003
Strengths: The bike is extremely light (23 pounds with a suspention seat post), Good geometry, excellent Lefty carbon fork, light and responsive, full XTR components, Mavic crossmax SL
Weaknesses: the tires (Hutchinson scorpion (tubless)) lose 10 PSI / day and have a very poor grip on wet condition.
Bottom Line:
The bike is better than expected in every aspect you can imagine....Great climber, great descender and goes very well on the flat and on the jumps as well, easy to handle because of the weight and geometry. You can ride a century without being (too) tired.
Weaknesses: Mavic wheelset, not Crossmaxs as spec'd. ELO is touchy, new xtr, Hutchinson tires
Bottom Line:
Great race bike, very stiff. Hooks up and rips. Almost too stiff. Great bike for climbing races, but maybe full suspension would be better on flat, choppy courses. Lefty fork is great, Compression is very tunable. ELO ( electronic lock out) can be a pain. The button must be held down for a few seconds in order to activate. I'm still unsure of the new XTR. The shifters should have a flat spot on the bottom side of the lever as to feel more comfortable on the top of your fingers on upsfifts. Once adjusted properly, they shift very precise. Setting up the xtr calibers is alittle cheesy. Centering the caliper, you must use spacers that are easily lost. The Hutchinson tires are OK. Not the best traction for East coast riding. Climbing hills takes some getting used to as the front end sits up a little higher due to the lefty's height. Overall, I'm very happy with the bike, just have to get past some of the minor glitches.
Strengths: This bike climbs extremly well,it only ways 22 pounds and has the litest wheel set from mavic. There's some 2003 XTR across the border and all other components are reletively good.{The leafty is great,it has plenty of travel and the elo is fast to lock out the suspention and very precise}.The easton ec70 bars are great
Weaknesses: The only weaknesses that I have experianced where :the reer hub was sent lous from mavic I fixed it with a simple turne of a tool that I recived with my manuel.Another weaknesse could be the batery in the elo system {its simpuly a 9 volt alkaline or ultralife batery}if the batery dies in a race and the leafty remains locked out on bumpy terain it could be hard on your uper body.Ive read that there is a little yello led light that comes one when the batery is almost dead.
Bottom Line:
this bike is excelent for xc racing and i consider anyone experienced to purschis this bike beacaus it great.This bike is more for experianced riders becaus if you crash and brake something it could cost a lots of cash to change or repair if not on warenty.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale f2000 year 2000 trek elite 9.8 cannondale 2002 f3000 ,f2000 and a duel suspention Trek fuel 100 {2002}
Bike Setup: Cannondale F3000 ,optimo frame ,leafty carbon elo ,Mavic cross max sl disc 2003 ,XTR 2003:shifter/brake leaver,crank,derailers etc Easton ec70 bars and Thompson elite seat post.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Travis
a Cross Country Rider
from New Haven VT, USA
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2003
Strengths: It climbs like a mountain goat. It is very light, around 23lbs and is very nimble and fast on the trail. The energy transfer from the pedals to the wheel is amazing.
Weaknesses: The Hutchinson scorpion tires are not good in muddy conditions. The new shimano XRT brake shifter set could easly be destroyed in a crash because they stick out from the handle bars.
Bottom Line:
The bike is an amazing ride if you are into fast single track or want to x-country race. This bike is not for freriding or any sort of drops.
Favorite Trail: single track,ridge trail in helena
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Purchased At: local bike shop
Similar Products Used: 1st bike trek,2nd bike gary fisher last bike cannondale
Bike Setup: xtr comp.throughout,remote bar grip shift,hydralic brake sys. on the fly adjustable fatty head
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Patrick Murrah
a Racer
from Birmingham, AL U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2002
Strengths: light, super quick and fast.
Weaknesses: Haven't found one yet
Bottom Line:
I was not a huge fan of Cannondales before I purchased this one. So far I am extremely pleased with every aspect of this bike. The bike climbs like a champ and it's as quick as anything I have ever ridden. The lefty tracks as well or better than any (traditional) fork that I have ridden. As for the new XTR, the best just got better in my opinion. It only took 5 or 6 miles of single track to get used to it. Definately a race bike.
