for the money C-dale could spec better components; despite the stories I've had little trouble w/the CODA Expert brakes - despite hour-long downhills off Mt. Hood, OR and all over Northern AZ, mud and desert grit, I've replaced only one set of front pads due to misalignment that caused uneven wear. I hammer the bike constantly, and at 205 lbs am not a lightweight. And, yes, due to the frame design it does resonate sound like a tuning fork, but if all is set-up properly this is minimized.
Similar Products Used:
Gary Fisher, GT, Pro-Flex, Cannondale Delta-V 2000, Trek, Specialized
Bike Setup:
still all-stock CODA components after 3 yrs of HARD abuse, but looking to upgrade brakes first, then the rest
Bottom Line:
I've owned a dozen different mtn bikes, and this is my third Cannondale, and it's the best of them all. Despite dire stories from others, I've NEVER had a frame problem w/Cannondale, though I've been trying to induce cracking in my Delta-V for 2 years IOT get a new frame in exchange. Cannondale's frame warranty is 2nd to none - lifetime replacement. Of all my racer friends only one had to replace a C-dale years ago, no questions asked. Though no longer produced, if you can get a deal on a Raven bike do it - you can upgrade the componentry as it wears out like any other bike. C-dale has gotten more expensive over the years, and they could spec better components, but their frames are top-notch. The Lefty is the best fork I've tried - experiment w/various oil/spring rates to best match your weight - I finally got the right combo and it made all the difference. So far no problems of any kind despite 3 years of abusive riding in AZ, UT, and Oregon. This bike is especially suited to the more open, desert terrain with it's longer wheelbase - though it handled fine in Pacific Northwest.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lostpilot28
a Weekend Warrior
from ventura, CA Date Reviewed: November 1, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Chesebro
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
used from some other guy
Strengths:
The Lefty is sweet, bike is lightweight, great components, little maintanence required. Disc brakes work great...not sure why everyone complains about them.
Weaknesses:
The stock seat is a crotch killer. Bike seems light in the front end which makes the front tire pop up very easily when climbing...I dunno, maybe that's a good thing.
Bike Setup:
All stock parts (Coda & Shimano) except for the seat (nice soft aftermarket seat!) and replaced the tires with Panaracer Fire XC Pro's.
Bottom Line:
I've ridden this bike at least once a week for over 2 1/2 years and have had very little problems. I bought it used from some guy and right away there were 2 noticable things wrong with it...the front hub bearing needed to be replaced ($12)...and there was a creaking noise in the frame when I put it under stress while going fast downhill . The bikeshop said the carbon-fiber frame was delaminating on the inside (not sure how they came to that conclusion since they didn't even look at it), but somehow they got Cannondale to replace the frame for FREE! I was amazed. I'm not the original owner, the frame may have been fine, but they replaced it anyway. That was within the first month of ownership. Since then, I haven't replaced anything (except for 1 tube due to a pinch flat). The bike is very quiet except for a little chain ratteling over ruts, and it stops on a dime. I hit the downhills fairly hard, and I weigh 185 and the rims aren't even out of true. I don't get it...either I ride like a big girl, or this bike is pretty kick ass. I'm guessing it's the latter. ;)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Haro
a Cross Country Rider
from Middle of Nowhere, KS. Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Allaround great ride. Tons of travel, but you don't feel like your on a pogo stick either. Climbs pretty well, 27.5 lbs for 9 total inches of travel, with disc brakes. Sweet. Most hardtails weigh in the 25-26 lb. range, so all in all, weight is good.
Weaknesses:
If you do what I did, there are no weaknesses. Scrap all theat Coda crap, and hang some Shimano in it's place. I swear, Coda has to be the worst crap out there.
Similar Products Used:
Tons of different bikes. To many to mention here.
Bike Setup:
Full Shimano, Hayes brakes.
Bottom Line:
Very nice bike overall. Anybody who has ever had problems with these probably had Coda on it, and, or a bad LBS. Luckily, I have a great LBS, and the money to upgrade the parts, after 2 years, this thing is still the neatest bike on the trail, and works like new. If you get a chance to pick one up, do it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ewan Chalker
a Racer
from Kailua-kona, Hawaii, USA Date Reviewed: November 2, 2002
Favorite Trail:
any technial single track
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1800.00
Purchased At:
B&L Bike and sports
Strengths:
Extremly plush ride over the rough stuff. Nice and stiff rear end makes it a good climber
Weaknesses:
Had to switch out nearly EVERY part for something more ideal (wish i had opted for the 4000 model). Defective front hub, brakes, and ultimatly frame; large crack on upper head tube.
For the price that i payed for it, i can't complain and i didn't expect it to last forever the way I ride it. Its a great performer for moderate downhill to xc racing. And i'm sure i'll like the scalple 3000 that's replacing it thanks to Cannondale's lifetime warrenty.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stephen
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield, IL Date Reviewed: October 31, 2001
Favorite Trail:
anything challenging... except maybe tight uphill switchbacks to my right... ;-D
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$2200.00
Purchased At:
R&M Cyclery
Strengths:
...aw c'mon...it's an innovative product. True, it's no longer going to be available, but this product defined the problem and offers a solution...full suspension in a lightweight, responsive and attractive package...
Weaknesses:
...hmmm...well, just the effort to bring an innovative product to market offers it's own set of inherent weaknesses...some of the components aren't what they ought to be...but hell, isn't that true of every bike out there !??
Similar Products Used:
I've ridden a C'Dale SuperV...almost 8 years with this beauty...perhaps the originator of the successful single-pivot frame design...and also a Homegrown hardtail, admittedly different, but it helps to form a perspective for riding a full bouncer...
Bike Setup:
Strictly original equipment, for the time being...oh, I did upgrade to an XTR rear derailleur. My personal debate rages on regarding the CODA Expert Disc Brakes...perhaps I haven't sufficiently broken them in yet, but I'll give 'em to next spring to get their act together...
Bottom Line:
...a joy to ride...what more can I say !? Between the frame and the suspension (Lefty fork, keep in mind), this baby handles the trail. Now I'm not bombing off major drops, mind you, but on a nice bit of single-track, up or downhill, roots, mud, rutted climbs, this machine seems to get the job done...enough so, that I find myself commenting to myself, amazed at just how well each tougher section seems to have gone...
Hey, every bike has it's quirks, and the Raven has it's share. But that gives the rider the opportunity to pick-up just the right aftermarket tidbit to customize things just so. If you get the chance to buy a Raven, by all means do it !!
...only 3 chilis on value, simply because you go into it knowing you've got to upgrade pieces, and at this price point maybe that shouldn't be on your mind for a little while...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Keith
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom, CA USA Date Reviewed: October 2, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim/Salmon Falls
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Bicycles Plus
Strengths:
Nothing Broken yet with 800mi. Just now took it it to service my lefty, because the rebound wasn't working. Responsive,climbs great, takes the hits and keeps going.
Weaknesses:
CODA components. Problem with Mythos xc's coming off the rims. Exchanged all coda components right up front except for stem, brakes and hubs.
Similar Products Used:
First full suspension. GT's before this.
Bike Setup:
Full XT, Mavic X317 rims, Easton Monkey Lite bars. Mythos 2.1 XC's, Thompson Elite post, Time ATAC Carbon Ti pedals.
2.1
Bottom Line:
Awesome bike! Have had hours and hours of fun. I would buy another just like it. I have literally beat the crud out of it. Who should buy? Riders who like quick, responsive bikes that can take a beating. Cannondale is an innovative company with outstanding customer support and warranty. I gave it a 3 value instead of a 4 or 5, due to the fact that I had to change some things from stock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ken Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Arizona Date Reviewed: September 23, 2001
Favorite Trail:
gooseberry Mesa, Southern Utah
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
LBS Cannondale warranty
Strengths:
lightweight, rigid, great ride, sucks up everything in sight.
Weaknesses:
Typically Cannondale has put on lower quality parts to be able to provide higher quality US build frames and cutting-edge technology. This could be a strength or a weakness. This bike is noisy or downright loud like riding a guitar.
Similar Products Used:
I owned a supeV carbon and broke the carbon fiber swing arm twice in about eight years.I was still in love with the bike when I could no longer replace the swing-arm. That is why I now have a warranty issue. I would still be riding my old super V carbon and would have been perfectly happy with that.
Bike Setup:
kind of unusual frame is warranty everything else had to be purchased nothing but crank arms, bottom bracket, seat, handlebars could be reused.
Lefty DLR fork required disc brake and so did the CAD 4 swing-arm. Upgrade to 9 speed since 7 speed not compatible with any disc hub. I used Hays mechanical disc brakes and they work great. I could not get the Fox float shock to work with my weight so I was forced to use a Stratus XCpro. Works great love the on-the-fly adjustments/lockout of both front and rear suspension.
Bottom Line:
While this is not a really fair comparison for most. Cannondale has always been a great manufacture and is well noted for warranty that far surpasses most manufacturers.
In my instance warranting out my eight-year-old frame and fork cost me quite a bit nearly $1800 because none of my old technology parts would fit the new bike. can you believe that Cannondale was willing to warranty a 8+-year-old bike with a top-of-the-line 2000 model frame and fork for my 1992 vintage top-of-the-line full suspension bike. I was ecstatic that they were willing to stand behind the warranty that they provided back in 1992. I am confident that if I have problems with my Raven they will again be there to make it right.
I was able to get Cannondale's far superior frame, fork combination and put all the components I wanted on the frame. At first I was distressed about this and then I remembered and realized that when I got my other Cannondale new I couldn't wait for parts to either fail or break so I could upgrade to either lighter or more durable and reliable components. So in effect I bypassed that step totally and I believe saved myself quite a bit of money in the long run since I probably would have started upgrading components less than a month after getting the bike.
I can,t give enough praises for this bike it far surpasses my technical expertise and leaves me plenty of room to grow. I am a cross-country rider who does modest downhill sections, with no more than two to three foot drop-offs. This bike is capable of so much more pay While I'm not a novice I am getting older and sure do love the plush ride and the ease with which is bike can be ridden. The lefty DLR rocks, at just under 25 pounds this bike is amazing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Benjamin
a Cross Country Rider
from Holland Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Svaty Petr (czech republik)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$2640.00
Strengths:
Tracks verry well but Caad4 swingarm is not so stiff at all.
Weaknesses:
Poor brakes. Have done everything to let them work well. Now I have installed Hope Enduro4 on it, Thats way better braking man. Despite all the raving reviews about the Lefty it didn't suite me well. When you apply the front brake it dives way so much for an air fork. Damping is not so great to. I have used special 2W Shell oil from Rond/Magura to rebound it faster!!! Now I ride the Rond/Magura Quake CP110 fork wich I think is the best fork I have ever felt in my whole live. The frame really is a soundmachine but thats carbon and huge volume taking, so hey. It also creaks everywere.
Similar Products Used:
Different giant bikes like ATX1100 fully and hardtails.
Bike Setup:
Hope endur4, Rond CP110, Rolf dolomite disc wheels, CT2 bar, Thomson seatpost and stem, stock crancks and bottom bracket, TA specialites Chainrings (best rings in the world man), Selle italia Flite Ti, SRAM Rocket 9.0sl shifter and XTR rear der.
Bottom Line:
BUT NOW I HAVE A HUGE CRACK IN MY FRAME NEAR THE HEADSET. GODVERDOMME (THATS DUTCH FOR G#DD$MN*DD). MY DEALER HAS SENT THE FRAME TO CANNONDALE EUROPE< SO NOW I HOPE I GET A NEW FRAME. HAVE HEARD THAT WHEN YOU CRASH A RAVEN, CANNONDALE WILL GIVE YOU A JEKYLL REPLACEMENT FRAME.
TO BAD.
HAPPY TRAILS PEOPLE!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rider Boy
a Cross Country Rider
from Kingwood, Texas Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Santa Monica Mtns
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1699.00
Purchased At:
Sun & Ski
Strengths:
Lefty shock, rear Fox shock, weight, response, comfort, and looks!
Weaknesses:
Coda brakes need adjustments; not a product problem. The LBS is the difference between great and poor braking.
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
Pound for pound, this is a great value. The Lefty more than lives up to its reputation: firm, responsive, and absorbs the big stuff like nothing else. The rear shock needs no lockout; never bounces while climbing but still takes on the big bumps. More than happy with the overall ride and comfort. And by the way, it climbs better than anything I've riden before. I give it 5 Chilis, and I rarely rate anything that well. It's earned it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from NY,NY Date Reviewed: March 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2000.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Frame, Left, Looks
Weaknesses:
CODA
Similar Products Used:
Specilized FSR
Bike Setup:
Stock waiting for stuff to wear out or break to upgrade
Bottom Line:
Great bike. I got it on a clearence so for the money and type of frame and fork you get its not that bad. I havent had any problems with any of the coda stuff yet. SO far so good. Going to change the bar to a Monkeylite and add some XTR when the other stuff breaks. Great bike if you can get a deal then I would buy it. 5 chilis because I didnt pay retail and 5 because the bike performs great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Monterey,CA Date Reviewed: February 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1925.00
Purchased At:
Mike's Bikes San Jose, CA
Strengths:
Great looking frame, disc brakes, FS, lightweight, front fork
Weaknesses:
Price, some of the Coda stuff. You would think for something that cost around $2800 reatil there would be some better parts.
Similar Products Used:
96 Specialized M2 hard tail, Specialized FSR, Klein Mantra, ancient Cdale 700MTB
Bike Setup:
All Stock, Need new tires though.
Bottom Line:
I havent had one problem with my bike since I have gotten it. No squeeks in the brakes or any wierd knocks from the cranks. I must have gotten a good one.Dont let others tell that Cdale's are bad. I have owned two before this one and my buddy has three total now. There have never been ANY frame problems. I have also never had any customer services issues when I have contacted Cdale about questions.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John stroh
a Cross Country Rider
from gallup nm usa Date Reviewed: December 7, 2000
Favorite Trail:
pete's wicked trail
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$2900.00
Purchased At:
mountain bike specialists (durango)
Strengths:
suspension, light weight, disc brakes
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
barracuda hard tail, cannondale delta v Manitou efc, noleen crosslink fork, headshock
Bike Setup:
stock except:monkey light riser bar, i built new wheelset using stock hubs(dt spokes, bontrager asym mustang rims) easton seat post, wtb saddle, xt bb, oury grips(they rule!!)
Bottom Line:
I am suprised by the frame failures i've read about. I've been hammering this bike very hard on technical, rocky trails at high altitude at least 3 times a week for the last two years. The only problems i've had are 1 blown fox shock (replaced under warranty) and the front brake cable had a hole worn through it by badly placed zip tie (my fault) resulting in contaminated brake pads. Replaced pads, hose, cleaned rotor using dawn and have had no problems since. The brakes are very easy to bleed. You do have to be careful not to contaminate the brake pads. The Lefty is the best fork I have ever ridden. I have had problems with the early headshocks, but the lefty is still going strong and sucks up everything i throw at it. Overall I am very happy with this bike and a much faster rider. I would recommend this bike to serious hard core trail riders. It also climb very well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bob
a Cross Country Rider
from canada Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000
basically i changed everything on this bike that went wrong! except the brakes(soon, i will get hayes-they have a four bolt pattern available),i put the metal pads w/ heat sinks on the bike and the stopping power is noticeably better. Its not grand but now exceptable. the lefty started leaking hydraulic oil all over my disc brake pads, so had to rebuild the cartridge and replace the pads + clean the rotor. the coda cranks stripped out of the ROAD bb that was in there. so there i was, climbing a hill in july-2 weeks before a 8 hr event and the bb shell sheared off of the frame!!!!!. i replaced it with a warranty frame and that started to go to!!. before it did i switched out to a jekyll frame , which is a lot nicer!! also the rear hub bearings and freehub had to be relaced 3 times before i got the hugi!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
WallMonkey
a Cross Country Rider
from Concord, MA Date Reviewed: July 8, 2000
Well, I posted my first review complaining about the creaky cranks hoping that it would be the only real problem with this bike, but, unfortunately, that was just the beginning... I bought this bike in the spring of 2000 for a sweet deal, and built it with pride. Right out of the box the cranks creaked (see previous post) so I replaced them with my old cranks and voila'! no problem. BUT, after that I was working for a bike camp this summer and the Lefty main inboard bearing failed causing all kinds of noise and slowing the roll of the front wheel. But "OK, its my fault, to many submersions", cause I mean, this IS New England right? So I paid for its replacement and moved on with my life thinking everything was Kosher. UNTIL, I was out playing a leisurely game of bike-POLO with some 13 year olds and CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKKKK, and I am sitting on the ground!!!!! I turned around and the BB, Swingarm Pivot Jnct. had come unglued from the frame! The whole enchilada just dropped right out of the bottom of the frame!!! ARGH! Anyway, I am now in race with Cannondale to get my frame warrantied before I leave for a UTAH trip for the same camp. Although I tried to be fair and give ol C-dale a shot, they still just don't get it, and their sh*t still stinks. Sorry guys, no love from the eastcoast today.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
WallMonkey
a Downhiller
from Concord, MA Date Reviewed: April 6, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Vietnam Trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Light Weight, Rigid Frame Design, Excellent Fork, Good Brakes
Weaknesses:
Cranks, Weight of components.
Similar Products Used:
SBI FSR S-Works, Santa Cruz Heckler X
Bike Setup:
Stock Except for Tires (swapped for Wilderness Trail Velociraptors), Cranks (Swapped for R.F. Next LP) BB (swapped for LX), and Saddle (Swapped for WTB).
Bottom Line:
This bike has only really been ridden once but the initial problems developed after that first ride. They are fairly small problems, but they bug me. The cranks had a "knock" to them which seems to have come from an issue with the BB-crank interface. Although it wasn't an issue for me cause I was upgrading the cranks already, it was a little unsettling. OUtside of that, this bike ROCKS. The fork is absolutely amazing, very stiff and smooth. The rear suspension is just as good. I would recommend this bike to anyone, and I feel that the cranks issue is isolated, or correctable. Cannondale is back!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Terry
a Weekend Warrior
from Bedminster, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: February 29, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Chimney Rock
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
great disc brakes, light weight, lefy fork, great rear suspension.
Weaknesses:
none so far.
Bike Setup:
Coda disc brakes, Lefty front suspension
Bottom Line:
Great bike, very supple suspension. Disc brakes are fantastic in the mud and the modulation is great. I actually like the hollow sound of the frame,plus the disc brake pads vibrate and make a nice, satisfying clicking sound when going over rough terrain. I also bought the "fork up" adapter from Hurricane Components so I could use my bike rack. It is fairly easy to remove the front wheel and put the bike on the rack, it only takes about 1 1/2 minutes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida Date Reviewed: February 29, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Santos / Bellview
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Cannondale, Lefty, Made in the USA, light, responsive, etc...
Weaknesses:
None that I've found. Maybe price but, you get what you pay for.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondle Super-V, Trek-Y, Fisher Sugar, etc.
Bike Setup:
Raven 900-SX, Race Face Next carbon/alloy cranks, XTR Ti Cassette, SRAM 9.0SL rear derailleur, XTR front derailleur, SRAM 9.0SL shifters, Monkey Lite riser bar, Thomson seat post, Mavic 317's with Chris King/CODA Lefty hubs, Hutchinson Python gold tires.
Bottom Line:
Although this is a very early review, so far I'm more than happy with the bike. The Lefty DLR is by far the best fork I've ridden. The bike tracks like it's on rails. It's stiff and exceptionally responsive. After some early problems with CODA disc brakes, it seems Cannondale has them figured out now. The brakes are very smooth, plenty of power, and excellent modulation. I suppose if there is anything negative to say, it would have to be that the thermo-plastic frame is hollow, and it's like riding an acoustic guitar. The sound of shifting is very evident. However, after riding it for a while, you no longer notice it. All in all, this bike is a blast to ride. I know that a bicycle can't make you a better rider but, it can make you feel like you are. It inspires confidence.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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