Submitted by
Spider
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney,NSW, Aust.
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2005
Strengths: Durability, lightweight, reliable, strong, need i say more
Weaknesses: The coda pedals it came with.
Bottom Line:
I have riden this bike into ground, and it is still going. It had raced done enduro's 100 km days,1 meter drops nearly every ride. In essence never had a easy day in it's life. I frequently go riding with mates with 4-5 inch trail bikes and i ride the same terrain, the same speed and sometimes even overtake. All this on half the suspension, and on a hard tail. I have worn out rims, rather than buckling them beyond repair. The frame creeks around the bottom bracket, but that is just normal for cannondales. It is do do with the special type of aluminium they use,and the bottom bracket shell.
Bottom line this bike has given me 9 years of harsh riding, and is still going,with minimum services. The head shok has been serviced twice. I clean the gears and straighten rims, and lube every off month. Best bike i could have bought.
Similar Products Used: Nearly every other type of hardtail out there
Bike Setup: 1998 frame, 2000 xtr derailers, xt rear cassette,2005 80 mm fatty ultra( i bent the original fatty d). xt shifters xtr v brake with carbon brake booster,and 2004 magura louise 6" disk front. XT hubs, sun rino lite rims.xtr chainrings and cranks plus bb. Frog speedplay ti pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Flanners
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2002
Strengths: Light Stiff Durable Ecellent geometry
Weaknesses: Headshok 60 does not have enough travel Naff downhill soooooo unforgiving
Bottom Line:
This bike is great althoug it is now 5 years ols it is still in there on the cross-country stakes fast light climbs well and on the flat it is a whippet I love the bike and will never sell it.
Bike Setup: Hope Ti hubs on Mavic 517's Sugino 900 Crankset (yes they are fine!) USE Ti post Flite saddle Gore 'ride on' brake and gear cables PC58 chain (whips shimanos ass) Avid Arch Rival 50 Brakeset
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Explorer
a Weekend Warrior
from OR, USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2000
Strengths: Well-made and executed frame. Bombproof. Fairly stiff. Paint finish superb. "Team blue" with yellow shock boot. Looks fantastic. Paint finish very durable. "Fatty D" fork w/ 60mm headshock is very rigid, goes where it's told to and soaks up the bumps. Very low maintainence on the Headshock, too. Excellent C'dale-built wheels (Mavic 221, Shimano LX, DT dble.-butted). Certainly not the lightest, but have stayed true and proven remarkably durable, although I have to say I am not a jumper. The CODA crankset, a triple with machined (not stamped) middle and outer rings couldn't be better; it shifts like a dream and has shown itself to be very durable. No problems from the Shimano UN-52 bottom bracket yet, either. Still smooth. CODA stem very good, too, although I did change out the CODA bar to an aftermarket piece having a 9 degree sweep. C'dale yellow "weave" grips are tremendous: they're big and fat (I like 'em that way), soft and grippy and still look like new. Climbs like a goat, as many people note, and descends well. The bike is instantaneously reponsive.
Weaknesses: 1. Top tube too short for my style. I ride a LONG way to (and of course, back from) the dirt on pavement and like to stretch out in the cockpit. I made things roomier w/a long (130mm) 5 degree rise stem, but this is not my ultimate preference. While on the dirt, though, this geometry does make for a pretty good posture. 2. Harsh Caad3 rear triangle. For climbing it's good and when descending, well, it's like one reviewer below said, get off the damned saddle! Who sits while descending, anyway? For level sections on bumpy dirt roads, however, I'd sure like a more compliant rear end. Got a Dean titanium 400mm post and it seams to help in this area. The CODA saddle was a piece of crap and I upgraded at the dealer when buying the bike to a Titec Berserker KTi which has been absolutely superior. The LX calipers have been serviceable thus far but will be replacing them in the Spring with the Sram top-of- the-line model as the pivot bearings have seen their day. Came with excellent Avid 1.9 levers, however.
C'dale stuff is a little expensive as is most of the good stuff.
Bottom Line:
Excellent, excellent mount. Has surpassed my expectations, really. Overall, five turd torches.
Strengths: Stiff durable frame. I am 200lbs and have abused this bike for years.
Weaknesses: The Fork travel on the older bikes was limited.
Bottom Line:
This bike is stiff and climbs well. I have ridden road and dirt trails in California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado in all conditions. However, the older forks have less travel than the new forks and I am looking to upgrade on the forks, but the new headshocks are still expensive.
Strengths: sweet hand built frame. made in USA. not made by some 8 year old kid in china. not made by squirrels. not made by chimps. race proven again and again. finish and fit A+. also the godsent headshok
Weaknesses: it calls to me when im not around it. i spend more time on it than my on my woman. no weaknesses except price. but would you pay more for a ferarri than a honda?
Bottom Line:
fast, predictable, balanced,stiffest ride on xc frame. 6061 aluminum so it is a little harsh, but thats why you stand up an inch or two when decending people! big product line, great company and warranty, made by people who know what picante sauce is supposed to taste like....IT is not a sellout company, mtbiking follows natural popular progression, just like life. bad ass color coordination because most cannondale are only two colors, not twenty like some other circus bikes out there..
seriously a simple non flashy bike that is flashy because it is understatement.
Bike Setup: caad 3, race face cranks, xtr ti cassette, fatty 70, profile bars, xt brakes shifters, hutchinson tires. pea soup green with yellow letters---they need to bring this color back!!! with yellow shock boot, ocr and rock ritchey rims. air in the tires, yellow serfas seat, uno post or thompson ( mood dependent)
Strengths: Lightweight, stiff, climbs hills like a mountain goat.
Weaknesses: Coda rings, single bolt seatpost
Bottom Line:
This has been a great bike. Have riden trails in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Utah. Have taken some hard spills and the bike has needed nothing more than normal maintainence.
Bike Setup: upgrade to XTR drivetrain and shifters, Syncros seatpost, will upgrade to Raceface rings this year. Everything else stock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Rishel
a Racer
from Mobile, Alabama
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2000
Strengths: Frame and Headshok. This bike is a climber and with slicks does pretty well for training rides on the road. Relatively low price.
Weaknesses: Headshok has limited travel and is mysterious to work on. The parts/components spec is bizarre. The paint on my frame has bubbled up in many areas and looks terrible, the local dealer says he is working on the warranty issue. I have heard of this paint problem from other people I have talked to, apparently Cannondale will replace the entire frame- remains to be seen.
Bottom Line:
This bike is wickedly fast on singletrack and on the climbs. It used to beat the hell out of my bacK until I got the boingy post, I fell in love with it again. I am going to upgrade the wheels, shifters,seat and BB and ride it for another season. If Cannondale warranties the frame I'll never ride another brand again.
Similar Products Used: Old Nishiki "back in the day", GT- Tempest, GT ZASKAR.
Bike Setup: Raceface chainrings; short stem with negative rise; Flat bar for racing-training; riser bar for technical riding; Girvin rockring;Rockshox suspension seatpost;Michelin Wildgripper Comp lite 's' tires w/lighweight Salsa tubes, everything else is stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DEAN GIESE
a Racer
from COUNCIL BLUFFS,IA USA
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2000
Strengths: Lightweight and geometry combined with the lockout of the Headshock make this a climbing machine.
Weaknesses: Lightweight frame is also a bit flexy. If you are a heavier rider, or can put a lot of watts to the pedals, this may not be the bike for you.
Bottom Line:
For the average weight rider this would be an ideal bike for an XC racer, especially if you have some hills to climb. The bike handled pretty well but you had better be ready to hang on for the big hits. The Fatty D soaks up the small bumps with speed and no flex but the big ones will sting you if you are not ready for them.
Bike Setup: Xt drivetrain and v-brakes, Race Face cranks, XT/Mavic wheels. Flat bar and bar ends.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ken Davis
a cross-country rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: May 4, 1998
Bottom Line:
I test rode the 97 version of this bike last weekend and am inches away from purchasing (it's in a neck for neck with a Stumpjumper M2 and Gary Fisher Paragon). The slagging it took on the F-900 page seemed to revolve around general Cannondale-bashing, CODA component bashing and paint that flakes easily. It performed nicely on the test ride, so we'll see what kind of deal I can get (the ticket said an even $1,000). It rode well, but what can you tell in jeans around a parking lot??????CheersJungle
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