Submitted by
YellowBird
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin, USA Date Reviewed: June 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Sugar River
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
Price for frame (in 2008!). Easy to build up. Super Fatty SL Headshok suspension - balanced and firm w/correct pressure for your weight. Fox rear racing shock - I keep it almost locked out, still a responsive, plush ride. TIGHT turning - flexible, strong frame (no "loose" riding).
Weaknesses:
zero.
Similar Products Used:
1999 Cannondale CAAD4 F3000 hardtail - no comparison in riding satisfaction, except for the Headshok.
A great woods bike,but not a great fireroad bombing bike. The same tight geometry,high bottom bracket,and short cockpit that work great in the tight and twisty add up to a handful on high speed runs. Still,for the riding I like to do it's probably the best bike I've ever ridden. Very confidence inspiring. And it looks good too!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jorge
a Weekend Warrior
from HONDURAS Date Reviewed: November 14, 2001
Favorite Trail:
EL HATILLO
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$2600.00
Purchased At:
BIKE TECH - MIAMI, FL
Strengths:
Great handling and aframe that withstands my 260 pounds, and it's awsome XT & XTR componentry
Weaknesses:
CODA brake pads don't last for more than 08 rides
Similar Products Used:
F-300
Bike Setup:
1999 SUPER V 2000....with a 2001 LEFTY DLR, downhill DX pedals...and HOT S MICHELLIN TIRES
Bottom Line:
It's a classic, and you don't want to get bored, stick to the ar spring rear shock....the rest is downhill!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JC
a Cross Country Rider
from Weatchester,NY Date Reviewed: November 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
To many to list
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Strengths:
This bike handles great around turns. Frame is lightweight, good climer and fantastic on those downhills.
Weaknesses:
rear shock bussings suck! coda components not worth having. Headshock not reliable.
Similar Products Used:
Santa Cruz,Proflex
Bike Setup:
Full XTR, Marzocchi superlite, Hayes disc full hydraulic,Mavic disc rims,Kore Elite stem and seatpost,Azonic risers bars and wildgrip tires.
Bottom Line:
Good bike, you might need to change some stock parts if you want that extra edge. It's a great bike to start out with for those looking for a full suspension. This was my first bike with rear suspension and it made a world of difference. It's a bike worth having.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yuri Cook
a Cross Country Rider
from Longview, Texas Date Reviewed: May 6, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tyler State Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
This bike is agile in tight turns and over technical stuff. The front and rear suspension is well balanced and the rear is active while braking on technical descents. The cockpit seemed short at fist (the virtual top tube length is about an inch shorter than my Fisher Joshua, both medium), but the geometry adds to the maneuverability. This bike has definitely "improved" my riding by allowing faster recoveries and forgiving poor wheel placement. Again, balance and agility are excellent.
Weaknesses:
Poor quality calipers on the disk brakes -- they leaked repeatedly. There is a recall on certain serial numbers, but you have to check the Cannondale website. Customer service was lacking; they were rude and at first insisted that there was no recall despite the fact that it was posted. Then they insisted that I had to take the brakes to a C-dale shop. Even though I explained that the nearest C-dale dealer was over an hour away, they wouldn't exchange the calipers by mail. There's NO excuse for treating a customer that way, especially after he paid over $2K for your product. I've replaced the disks with V-brakes pending the disk repair. The single bolt seatpost is also a poor spec and won't hold my saddle level with hard riding. No problems with other components. Price of $2200-2600 is no bargain.
Similar Products Used:
Fisher Joshua
Bike Setup:
Stock components with WTB saddle and XT V-brakes to replace defective disks (pending service). Looking for a seatpost.
Bottom Line:
Good but expensive cross-country bike with a few poor specs -- brakes and seatpost. Well-balanced fully-active suspension. Fast and agile with a somewhat short cockpit --good for turns and technical stuff. I think riders who like rocky/rooty and twisting trails would be pleased with the ride; long distance riders might like a longer, more comfortable top tube length.
There is no excuse for treating customers poorly, if they pay this kind of money for a product -- or, actually, even if they don't. I like the Super V, and I understand that components sometimes fail. However, I will probably not buy another C-dale product simply because their customer service was so rude to me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yuri Cook
a Cross Country Rider
from Longview, Texas Date Reviewed: May 6, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tyler State Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
This bike is agile in tight turns and over technical stuff. The front and rear suspension is well balanced and the rear is active while braking on technical descents. The cockpit seemed short at fist (the virtual top tube length is about an inch shorter than my Fisher Joshua, both medium), but the geometry adds to the maneuverability. This bike has definitely "improved" my riding by allowing faster recoveries and forgiving poor wheel placement. Again, balance and agility are excellent.
Weaknesses:
Poor quality calipers on the disk brakes -- they leaked repeatedly. There is a recall on certain serial numbers, but you have to check the Cannondale website. Customer service was lacking; they were rude and at first insisted that there was no recall despite the fact that it was posted. Then they insisted that I had to take the brakes to a C-dale shop. Even though I explained that the nearest C-dale dealer was over an hour away, they wouldn't exchange the calipers by mail. There's NO excuse for treating a customer that way, especially after he paid over $2K for your product. I've replaced the disks with V-brakes pending the disk repair. The single bolt seatpost is also a poor spec and won't hold my saddle level with hard riding. No problems with other components. Price of $2200-2600 is no bargain.
Similar Products Used:
Fisher Joshua
Bike Setup:
Stock components with WTB saddle and XT V-brakes to replace defective disks (pending service). Looking for a seatpost.
Bottom Line:
Good but expensive cross-country bike with a few poor specs -- brakes and seatpost. Well-balanced fully-active suspension. Fast and agile with a somewhat short cockpit --good for turns and technical stuff. I think riders who like rocky/rooty and twisting trails would be pleased with the ride; long distance riders might like a longer, more comfortable top tube length.
There is no excuse for treating customers poorly, if they pay this kind of money for a product -- or, actually, even if they don't. I like the Super V, and I understand that components sometimes fail. However, I will probably not buy another C-dale product simply because their customer service was so rude to me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Benicia, CA. Date Reviewed: January 13, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Too many great trails to pick.
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Very ridgid bike, considering it's a URT of sorts, it's unbelievable. Love the HeadShock ajustability.
Weaknesses:
I guess I wish it were a little lighter but it's about as light as can be. It comes in at between 26lbs. 15oz., to 27lbs. 2oz.. I can live with that. Although I keep my rear shock a little firm, it can be an unbelievably plush ride!
Similar Products Used:
Tried a few different bikes. A good bike is a quality bike that feels right to you, like they built it for you. No right, no wrong.
Bike Setup:
XTR fr/rr "D", brakes, pedals and hubs. Race Face drive train, Easton Monkeylite carbon short rise bar. Sachs grip, Kore Elite Ball Saver Stem. It works for me.
Bottom Line:
Great balance in the tight twisty stuff, great on technical climbs. The riser made the bike perfect for me. Bottom line: It has raised my level of riding and confidence. We have some very rocky MNT Bike parks around here, (like Skyline in Napa), and this bike makes it soooo much fun.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nathan Osbourne
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenville,SC Date Reviewed: September 24, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Tsali
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
High quality craftsmanship! Attention to detail. Simple design that is tried and true!
Weaknesses:
Weight, bottle cage placement, and no unique selling point/target audience.
Similar Products Used:
most full suspension bikes in this price range.
Bike Setup:
XTR/XT/Coda set-up with Sahcs gripshifters.
Bottom Line:
Excellent ride quality and handling. I've had the rapid shifters break and opptd to put gripshifters on it. This really allowed me to fine tune the shifting. The front air shock gave me some problems at the start, but the shop fixed the leak very quickly. The rear shock takes a little while to get set-up, but is worth the time and effort. Overall this bike is a great ride for it's price, durability, craftsmanship, and performance.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim Arnold
a Cross-Country Rider
from Middlebury, Vt Date Reviewed: August 27, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Snake Mountain, Sticks and Stones
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Engineering
Weaknesses:
new technology
Similar Products Used:
Trek Y ,proflex,GT
Bike Setup:
Stock Fox Vanilla R and Coda Disks Only change shortened stem (original way to long form 140 to 120 on Large frame) and 747 pedals
Bottom Line:
I did pay alot for this bike but also new I was buying new to the market componets Coda Disks Rapid Rise etc. So I did not expect to have the reliablity of my old 8 sp rapid fire GT Avalanche. It took me about 3-4 months to find the air pressures that work for me. And I still am experimenting. Any one who thinks they can get on one of these bikes and just ride forever guess again. I have a great GT I'll sell you since I never ride it. I think the supension is very responcive for XC. I did have the shims migrate on my Super Fatty but had the local Cannondale rep install the retaining clip modification while at a race in Killington's parking lot. Cudo's Rich. The brakes have been an evolving effort. When the work man are they sweet. But a different manufacture and compound are a big improvement. In the mean time Cannondale had worked with me supplying different pads and service at my LBS when he came through town. My only disappointment is with the Rapid Rise. I never got it dialed in. Changed cables and bent a couple of Casettes. I am biting the bullet and installing 9.0sl . Sorry for the lengthy post but these are my trials and tribulations. Would I do it again? Have you ever rode a V bike with disk brakes? You bet.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jubbi
a Cross-Country Rider
from usa Date Reviewed: August 10, 1999
Favorite Trail:
all tech trails
Duration Product Used:
tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Components, looks, not a bad design for the rear
Weaknesses:
head shock, frames
Similar Products Used:
Many full susp (k2, trek, specialized, schwinn, klein, cannondale, santa cruz--they're all mostly crap, except K2/Proflex)
Bottom Line:
The cannondale Super V line is not so bad, like the Trek, Klein, Schwinn S-works lines (all amount to expensive seat post suspensions only). But the head shock is not as good as a K2 crosslink with smart shock. the crosslink is a single shock, electronic brain suspension. The steering of the head shock is poor compared to telescope forks, and much much worse than the best fork--the crosslink (IMHO). The cannondale also makes their carbon frames with an aluminum spine. K2 does it much better with all carbon. For the money, I would still go with something besides cannondale.Two chilies for not being a seat post susp. But expensive still for what you get.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Micah Owens
a Cross-Country Rider
from SunValley CA Date Reviewed: July 31, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Porcipine ridge - Moab, UT
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
VERY LIGHT WEIGHT, sits up nice and high for great climbing
Weaknesses:
THE STEERING IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST ON ANY BIKE MANUFACTURED OUTSIDE OF HUFFY AND MURREY!!!! It's handling must be improved in tight fast turns or someone will get killed.
The head shock design is hat kills this bike. The lack of ability to corner quickly outweighs any benifit derived from the reduced fork leg torqueng. Even with a conversion kit the steering wont improve due to the gap that will remain bettween fork and headset. DONT BUY THIS BIKE WITHOUT A SEROIUS LIFE INSURANCE POLICY
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zip
a Weekend Warrior
from NorCal Date Reviewed: June 29, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Tam Illegals
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
No flex! light weight,(now) highly manuverable, great balance
Weaknesses:
none found
Similar Products Used:
FSR, Joshua, Mantra comp, Schwinn
Bottom Line:
A fabulus riding machine. agile, quick, great geometry...for me! This is the best over-all bike I've ridden so far.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trialsins
a Downhiller
from _________ Date Reviewed: June 10, 1999
Favorite Trail:
____________
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Great looks, Good riding position for trials , Strong rear end .
Weaknesses:
It broke on me .
Similar Products Used:
Cdale f3000 , GT Zaskar, Porsche HT
Bike Setup:
Marzocchi Mr T , Stratos Helium , Spin Wheels , Magura Gustav
Bottom Line:
Great bike while it worked . Great for wheelies and 5 feet drops . Rear end never flex , held up well . But while doing a simple nose wheelie oneday , the headtube downtube junction gave way . Really sad ....... 3 chillies for its performance.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Cross-Country Rider
from Doylestown Date Reviewed: June 7, 1999
Favorite Trail:
High Rocks @ Ralph Stover State Park
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Stiff frame, isolates flex from the suspension Gobs of smooth front end travel
Weaknesses:
not as plush rear end travel as some but thats the price you py for no rear end flex
Similar Products Used:
GT RTS-1 LTS-1 & 2
Bike Setup:
full XTR with coda 900 crank, spinergy wheels
Bottom Line:
This is the best all around MTB I have ridden. It is the best MTB I have ridden on the road and the best I have ridden off. maybe not as good as a few off road but all around the best CC FS bike on the market
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Glasgow
a Weekend Warrior
from Purdue University Date Reviewed: June 7, 1999
Favorite Trail:
any rail trail
Duration Product Used:
tested or demo'ed only
Bottom Line:
If you read my review later in this section I apologize. I was out of line, even if I don't like something i shouldn't trash it like that. Cannondales really arent that bad. I guess flunking out of Purdue and getting dumped by my girl helped me to get control over my anger. Sorry also to Jim Montgomery, I really do think he is a nice guy. Sorry!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jayson
a Cross-Country Rider
from Whistler BC Date Reviewed: May 19, 1999
Favorite Trail:
all trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
handling,quality, finish and overall performance
Weaknesses:
setup
Similar Products Used:
Kona stinky, Trek VRX Rocky Mtn Element TO
Bottom Line:
I have now owned this bike for about 2 months. After some initial setup hassles (fluid leaked on brake pads and derailer cable lengths were too short), it has been fantastic. I bought the bikes because I was so impressed by the test ride I did. No bobbing at all except in big ring, small ring combo and even then it is slight. Crank up the dampening and the suspension is virtually locked out. Light weight (on scale at 25.5 lbs,I have added a coilover FOx RC w/resevoir) which puts it at 26.6 lbs.The discs are working great now and I have the second generation forged calipers which have much better cable routing than the first generation models. Also the new disc pads are much improved (Note:in three years all bikes will be disc brakes). Bottom line- the bike is beautifully engineered and finished to a standard that is not usually seen these days. All the components work beautifully, shifting, brakes, suspension etc. Well balanced and incredible performance for climbing and descending all together in a package that is lightweight enough to race XC (unless you are super weight freak)but strong enough with enough suspension performance to race downhill. It goes cross country with total ease and comfort. Warranty is lifetime...what else do you need. I tried all the rest and they were all good bikes but they could not match this package overall.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Art
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, Maryland Date Reviewed: May 3, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Avalon Patapsco State Park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Bottom Line:
I have had a '99 SVR 1000 with full XTR now for 3 months. It is an amazing ride! I had the bike tweaked within the first 50 miles (which pretty much needs to be done for every new bike that isn't bought with the stock components) and haven't had a problem since. The rear cassette had problem shifting when I first rode it, but that was replaced, and Shimano must have honored they product, because it didn't cost me anything to replace it. Now it shifts like a well-tuned machine and handles everything I or mother nature can throw at it. It climbs without any problem what-so-ever and handles like a dream. I'm not going to compare it to anything else out there, because I don't need to. Sure there are other great bikes out there, but I'm not writing about them. I'm writing about mine, and it ROCKS! What a great ride!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Geoff
a Cross-Country Rider
from Mechanicsburg, PA Date Reviewed: April 19, 1999
Favorite Trail:
LAMB'S GAP
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
ULTRA PRECISE STEERING THANKS TO HEADSHOCK, ALSO SLIGHTLY CREEKY THANKS TO HEADSHOCK. DISK BRAKES WORK GREAT, NO PROBLEMS THROUGH LOTS OF SNOW, WATER AND MUD. REAR WHEEL DIGS IN GREAT FOR CLIMBING
Weaknesses:
HEADSHOCK DOES MAKE SOME FUNNY NOISES AT TIMES
Similar Products Used:
KLEIN MANTRA, S.C. HECKLER, TREK Y AND VRX, SPECIALIZED FS, GT
Bike Setup:
STOCK
Bottom Line:
NO COMPLAINTS AFTER 4 MONTHS OF MUDDY RIDING
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross-Country Rider
from Sharpe Date Reviewed: April 14, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
The Super V rules. It makes me want ride even more. Aluminum stiffness and great componetry. Bikes have come a long way
Bottom Line:
Before this bike I never liked full suspension. This bike changed that. Whoever this guy from Purdue who went off on this bike is nutty and obviously full of it. I've road everthing from Klein to Merlin and although I have had many great rides this takes the the for overall performance.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
z9
a weekend warrior
from charlotte nc Date Reviewed: February 26, 1999
Bottom Line:
i own a 97 sv 2000. and in the 2 years that i've had it i have only had to tighten the bottom bracket and replace the front wheel after and emergency stop into a tree. what was that other guy babbling about. the head shock rules. excellant rear travel. the cranks arent preaty but they are stiff.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pipeline Joe
a racer
from Newburg Ny Date Reviewed: February 26, 1999
Bottom Line:
Cannondale Is the best!!!!!!This bike rides soooo sweeeeett..and It is all clean and new ...ohhh boy polish, polish , and smile! thirty wor ds...bike bike bike bike ride ride ride hey JOE what do you know..
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a racer
from ny-ny Date Reviewed: February 9, 1999
Bottom Line:
As the man in the review has stated before that he was the HEAD mechanic guy at a shop for one year...I guess that the shop must have been hard up for your services if all you had to have is one year...let me tell you my friend..that you have NO right to call yourself an expert...that is something that has to be earned with scraped knuckles and dirt under your finger nails...and anyone who owns a Cannondale will tell you that their Bottom Bracket pivots will require some amount of service and the headshock will creek if you do not Anti-seize the cups..but then you are the expert ....PLEASE tell me what shop you work for so I make it a point to NEVER bring my bicycle to you ....so put your hammers and vice grips away...study harder and someday you might have a job with your name on your shirt..Oh by the way I dont think that Cannondale is in the least bit worried that they get you angry...I dont think that you even turned off your friends to Cannondale ... With that said Cannondale ROCKS!!!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Glasgow
a racer
from Purdue University Date Reviewed: February 4, 1999
Bottom Line:
First let me give you my crededtials for reviewing the Super V. I was the head mechanic for an authorized cannondale retailer for over a year. I was the suspension specialist so I know them inside and out. I also puchased a SV 2000 and owned it for a year and a half. Here's why I'll never buy another. I must admit I didn't get to ride it much because I was always fixing it. I know your saying to yourself that this guy abused it, but take in mind it did not have a scratch when I sold it. I went through three headshoks the first eight months. Bearings migrated, they siezed up because I rode it in the rain, once. The headset cups were machined a thousandth to big so I bisected the bike three times to find this neverend creak. I won't mention those machined cranks, everyone knows the story there. It took months but I finally managed to exorcise all the demons. I can handle that I'm a mechanic. What really gets me really angry is cannondale's horendous customer service. I was a dealer and my bike would hang for months to get the necessary part. Don't laugh all you headshok owners don't want to know all the nasties of corrosion going on in your fork. Go ahead, put the on the roof rack in the rain, ride that stream crossing, phil wood tenachious isn't going to save you. Now I work for the largest bicycle retailer in Indiana and I though I was away from this, but now my friends want me to service their headshoks. All I needed was some non-creaking headset cups, but that was to freak'n hard wasn't it. Listen smackenwail all I was trying to do was fix your mistake. So now I'll drive my ass 80 miles away to get them at some insane amount. So listen Joseph Montegomery, I don't want to fix your s#$t, unfortunately I have friends who ride a couple so I have to. So thanks Joe for the quality products and service, I bought plenty of Tylenol. If you don't want them fixed, don't sell 95% of the parts through BTI. Oh and great job on your new fork disc brake mounts. I will do all in my power to make sure no more of my friends make the cannondale mistake.
off the wrong guy.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jon
a cross-country rider
from Vancouver BC Canada Date Reviewed: January 20, 1999
Bottom Line:
I have just recieved my V2000 and I am not disappointed. We weighed it at the shop and it came in at 25.5 lbs.! Pretty damn good for a bike with this kind of travel AND disc brakes. I was looking at a Rocky Instinct which is also real sweet but being a motorcross racer in my past, I could not bring myself to accept a multi link suspension system. I have not had the chance to ride it yet so will update then. But... it is looking pretty good. No ride yet so I can only give 4 stars for looking so good.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MMA
a racer
from northfield Date Reviewed: December 17, 1998
Bottom Line:
cool cool cool cool. This bike rocks!!!!!!It is the best bike for all around riding. The disk brakes are cool. And the head shok is in cool colors. It is a very nice bike.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
john crig
a cross-country rider
from boundbrook,nj Date Reviewed: November 1, 1998
Bottom Line:
I just pruchased a 98 leftover and I have to say this is one plush ride. The rapid rise crap it came with in the rear had to be taken off and replaced with a regular rise. The fatty SL corners real nice and travel is pretty good.(Im only 145lbs.}When I get some money and get board Ill probally go Bomber!! Over all I,m really pleased. Price didnt hurt in the decision either---$1750-XTR/XTR/XTR
Overall Rating:
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