Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago, IL
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2008
Bottom Line:
I bought this 1997 Cannondale Super V 500 brand new that year and this has been my primary bike for the last 11 years. I have every great to say about this bike... Only thing I've done aside from stock parts is changed the pedals for toe clips and a recent blinky LED from CatEye. :) Read the intelligent reviews in this forum, they are all accurate for the most part. From excellent climbing, to plush ride, no pogo action if your preload is adjusted properly and not too "limp", V brakes that stop on a dime yet get a little noisy, precise cornering and hey... off road, it leaves other bikes behind! Even at 29 pounds, this bike is light as a feather to me (Shame on those who whine about weight...grow a pair). Only thing I really would change on this bike is a slightly more comfortable seat and/or seat post and perhaps a more ergonomic handlebar, but that is just personal preference. Best bike I've ever owned and that's why I've kept, riden and maintained this bike for the last 11 years. I look forward to the next 11!
Strengths: Very light, at least lighter than my downhill bike (not saying a lot) very stiff, very strong, plush rear suspension, 2 bottle holders.
Weaknesses: headshok, majority of weight in the back, gripshift.
Bottom Line:
fun bike, way better for XC than my Santa Cruz, if you like XC or just trail riding, this bike is super-fun, could be very competetive if it had better forks, still over all i give this bike a 7.5 out of 10
Submitted by
John Woodington
a Cross Country Rider
from Hopkin, SC
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2001
Strengths: Cannondale has made great bikes and continues to make the best bikes in the world I believe. A lot of them are lighter than titanium and are amazingly stiff.
Weaknesses: Everyone says they're overpriced...I don't understand that at all...it's like saying you could've Ford Mustang for cheaper than a Ferrari What do you expect for top of the line stuff??
Bottom Line:
Cannondales are awesome but you have to look after them. It's not a Walmart special that you can ride for 10 years without replacing anything. You don't buy your car and then ignore it for the next year. You clean it, take it in for oil changes, etc. You gotta do the same for your bikes. You leave dirt on your bike for a month it's not gonna run very well. You don't replace your brake pads it's not going to stop. People complaining about their bike not shifting well after a year...try taking it to the shop you pathetic misers or fix it yourself!! It really gets me that people rate products poorly because of their own stupidity. If your dog dies because you didn't feed it then who's fault is it?? Obviously it's the dogs fault by some people's reasoning.
Strengths: This review is for a Super V 900 Active "80".
I bought this bike from a guy who bought it and never rode it. It still had the hang tags on it. I happen to like the Headshock. Although my fork only has true measured 60MM of travel, it is very active, absorbs hard and soft impacts and steers on a dime. I also use a 'Shox Judy XC (100MM) and Answer Manitou (both good) products on my other bikes and I am a headshock believer after using the Cannondale system. The frame is very strong for my 225 lbs and in fact the entire bike takes big jumps in stride. I get no "pogo" effect from the rear suspension. I have yet to bend up the Sun rims because they are built correctly. The Shimano STX-RC hubs are a bit heavy but BULLETPROOF under my weight and use. I have had luck with shimano LX stuff and it works very well and it is quite durable plus it never needs adjustments unlike the "Mega 9" XT stuff on my other bikes. I have been using rapid fires on my other bikes, but I LOVE the Saachs grip shifts as they keep your hands where they belong...on the grips! Some reviews claim creaking from the cranks but mine are quiet, strong, light, and flex free. In all, I am pleased with the performance of this bike. It is plush and it can take a beating. Major plus is that this bike comes back from hard rides in one piece with no broken parts.
Weaknesses: Shimano LX brakes and levers are average at best but do stop the bike quick enough. There is no comparason to the the XTR brake set on my Raleigh. The Fox Vanalla coil over is durable but does not have rebound adjustment. The Stock seat is hard like a rock and the seat post is marginal at best. Limited suspension travel keeps this bike at XC levels but allows it to climb like a hardtail. Bike is about 27-28LBS (large frame) so it is not a light weight.
Bottom Line:
Great frame and nice engineering...the super V is a classic design with no quirks or bugs to work out; it is a bike you can live with for a long time. I can't really see buying one of these for what the price was brand new in '97 or '98. Brand new SV500's are going for just over $1000 but there is alot of competition in that price range and a hell of a lot of new degigns. If you can get a good deal on one, go for it. If you are tired of the endless marketing hoopla from the fork manufacturers, try out a headshock!
Similar Products Used: I ride a '01 Raleigh M80 hardtail and a K2 Proflex Full suspension that I built up myself.
Bike Setup: Salsa Seatpost, Bontrager Crowbar race 9 riser bars (great on this bike, Specialized Body Geometry comfort sport seat. Otherwise, the bike is stock.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
trae heck
a Weekend Warrior
from shawnee ok
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2000
Strengths: the headshock fork is great and the handling awsome compared to my hardtail.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
if your looking for a mtb bike there are alot of good bikes to choose from. alot of different companies all with good products. but if you are looking for a maintenance free fullsuspension and an excellent fork you cant go wrong with a cannondale.
Similar Products Used: only other cannondale fs bikes ive tried other hardtails from different companies
Bike Setup: my other bike is a hard tail 7005 al frame with judysl and xt xtr mavic which is a nice bike
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross-Country Rider
from Missoula,MT
Date Reviewed: August 25, 1999
Strengths: Smooth downhill control Sweet rear suspension Nice power transfer
Weaknesses: A little bob when climbing real steep stuff
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks. I bought the frame/fork and built it up with XT parts and Race Face cranks. It is super plush going downhill and can take on anything. I have a Cane Creek AD-8 with a Judy XL on the front, it it a sweet set up.. I've got 4 inches of travel in the front and rear with nice rebound. I've bombed this rig through the toughest singletrack West Virginia could offer and it matched up great. It climbs well, but under a hard pedal stroke it will bob a little. Overall though, it climbs pretty well. Recently, I moved to Montana and have been cruisin' around hitting everything and taking it all in stride. This baby rocks, I would recommend it to anyone looking to go full suspension! Also, I haven't had any mechanical difficulty and hardly any maintenance (except routine lubing and tuning).
Strengths: Beautiful, durable, quality. What else is there?
Weaknesses: Kinda heavy, but not bad uncompatable
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike!! It climbs, goes down hills and can sprint with ease. I've had mine for a while. I gave it a custom paint job and put a judy on it, i dont really like the head shocks because they're heavy and break easy. I just dont like the fact that you have to get cannondale parts when they break! I've had to get 3 special deureillur hangers, that you have to get special ordered, and it takes a week! Thats my only problem with the bike, but i guess thats just a problem with the company. 5 peppers, but the customer service and organization of the company gets 3 roastin pepper things.
Bike Setup: 1997 C'dale Super V3000 Alps 4 rear judy xc front
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross-Country Rider
from Red Deer, Alberta
Date Reviewed: July 3, 1999
Strengths: Plush suspension, accurate steering goes where you point it. very adjustable, Low maintence sealed pivot.
Weaknesses: Requires accurate suspension setup
Bottom Line:
Very good bike for me. I love the suspension, very plush and dosnt bob when properly set up. It does take time and trial and error to set the air pressures in the shock and fork correctly. I have approx 4000 km of mostly offroad riding on mine and have had no mechanicals. The V frame design is very friendly to your parts when you get out of control. Some people say the headshocks blow but mine has never been a problem. My bike weighs 26.2lbs as I ride it, pedals mud and all, not super light but not a boat anchor either. To the weight weeines I say what's the matter, arn't you man enough to pedal a 26 pound bike?
Bike Setup: I bought a frameset and fork and built it up. Mainly XT and Raceface.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Keith
a Weekend Warrior
from Courtenay
Date Reviewed: June 17, 1999
Strengths: efficient climbing, zero flex frame, plush ride
Weaknesses: none yet
Bottom Line:
After 3 and a half years riding this bike, it is awsome. It is not as plush as some, but there is no bobbing either. The climbing is extremly efficient. No bobbing at all and all your pedal stroke goes right to the back tire(the suspension does not suck up your energy). So far the only maintenace I have done is to my rear wheel and front shocks, the bike has been very solid. For a reliable, smooth downhiller, great climber this bike gets 5 exploding slugs!(you would have to live on Vancouver Island to understand)
Similar Products Used: Trek VRX Devinci Gary Fisher KHS Rocky Mountain
Bike Setup: Judy DH wiith TNT adapters, TNT cranks, Spenergy's Originally Magura Race Line Hyd. brakes(too much lever effort) switched to Avid 2.0 with ESP 9.0 levers, Grip Shift, XT rear, LX front, Race Face headset.
Submitted by
Mad Max
a Cross-Country Rider
from Kaiserslautern
Date Reviewed: April 28, 1999
Bottom Line:
I have both a Super V 700 and a beautiful Super V 3000, the former I use as a day-to-day trainer and the latter as my weekend romper and racer. I must say I love these bikes, although the V 700 is a bit heavier the ride is still remarkable. I lent it to a bud to race and he was equally amazed at how good the bike rode with LX components. The V 3000 is a work of art, a masterpiece. I got a remarkable deal on it and keep it in my living room with my wife's blessing. It is extremely light for a full suspension bike, and the Mavric Crossmax wheels are the sexiest hoops you can have on a bike. I made one minor modification, I pulled the Sachs twistgrip shifters and put on a set of Shimano RapidFires (the Sachs went on my V 700). This was only due to my personal preference to use RapidFires while racing, but I found they do work better than the Sachs. I also replaced the rear derailer cable with a Gore, due to the wet/sloppy conditions in Germany most of the year. I am on my way to Texas this summer and can't wait to ride the Hill Country on these great bikes. Anyone who MF's Cannondales either has no respect for quality built bikes or would trash anything.
Submitted by
Rob Baldinell
a weekend warrior
from Tyler Tx
Date Reviewed: February 24, 1999
Bottom Line:
I bought my Super V as a frame and fork only. I took all my other goodies off my hardtale and put it on this bike. It took me a couple of rides to get it set up for myself, but once I did, it is wonderful to ride. I made one serious upgrade to it and that was the rear shock. It had a Fox Vanilla R on it and I changed it to a Cane Creek AD-10. Major improvement!!!!!!!!!! This thing is extremely fast on the down hills and it really climbs well. Yes you can notice the extra wieght, but in terms of ride quality, its worth every bit. Once you ride a good full suspension bike, I can't imagine going back to hard tail. This thing is great....
Submitted by
alex
a cross-country rider
from canada, montreal
Date Reviewed: February 18, 1999
Bottom Line:
i just got mu c'dale super v 3000 99' and boy, do i ever love it!!!! the front suspention rocks and has a great adjusting sustem.my suspention is a super fatty super light, it works with air so i cant totally lock it out. the super fatty D has an oil system which is heavier but you can totaly lock it out for great sprints. These suspentions have 80mm of travel and i think that is just enough. The rear suspention is very smooth and very responsive.as fo the coda componentry, i thought about changing it for shimano parts. i figured i'll give em a chance and, they're as good as shimano!!! Over all i recommend this to evry one. The prices are a little high but it's worth it!
Submitted by
E. Zutendaal
a weekend warrior
from Ashburn, VA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 1999
Bottom Line:
1998 Cannondale Super-V 700: I finally broke down and blew all of my milk money ($1100)on a full suspension c-dale! Due to previous back problems, I decided to get the full suspension instead of a hard tail. This is my first time on a full suspension, actually my first time on any suspension (front or rear), and it was a decent ride. It takes anything you can throw in front of it. It eats it up and spits it out. The only thing that annoyed me was that my ass insisted on eating up the tiny seat! Why dont they have nicer saddles? I think I will need to do something about that! Just for that I'll take away one point! Anyway, nice ride and I plan on spending alot more time dogging up the trails.
My free ride 700 with the moto 120 rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can ride anythng up or down . Its the perfect all round bike.The front and rear suspension handle al with ease.
