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Submitted by
Barry Jefferson
a Weekend Warrior
from Anaheim, Ca., USA
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Huntington Beach Ocean Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2299.00 | | Purchased At: | Kozy's in Chicago | | Strengths: | Unique design, Headshok fork, Disc Brakes, light weight | | Weaknesses: | Coda Expert brake Design | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 7000 | | Bike Setup: | See Bottom Line> | | Bottom Line: | Have read and re-read all about this unique bike.
I fell in love with the bike the moment I saw it at Kozy’s in Chicago. The salesman was a bit confused as to why I wanted to change almost the entire bike, but finally gave in to my infantile whims & just quoted to me what I wanted to do to the bike.
At $1499, the bike was a very long reach for my pocketbook, but after adding all of my changes and add-ons it was totally out the window…..
But what the heck, I was, at the time, booking rides almost every weekend with my girl friend, & simply HAD to experience the stares & questions that would soon encompass me & us wherever we went on our rides.
So what I ended up with is such a far cry from the stock bike that even I have to question my lunacy at the time.
I started out with changing the crank & gear set to Shimano Ultra – 3, a totally road bike setup.
Outfitting the bike with Shimano clipless pedals, changing to Continental 700 X 23 Ultra Touring (used commonly on tandems for strength, mileage & grip), installing a Profile carbon rise handlebar with carbon bar ends & then adding a Cannondale suspension seat made the bike perform & ride like nothing I had ever experienced before.
It seems that wherever I relocated to in the U.S., there were bike shops that had different & cool items that I could pick up at a steal & add to or refit to this now custom creation that even Cannondale dealers were looking at with wonder.
I purchased NiteRyder Extreme 12 lites, then later added the matching tail light. Next was a Topeak rear rack which incorporates a tool set inside its round body, & its large storage bag.
Having moved back to California I have made countless buys on clothing & stuff during drives & rides to just about everywhere, & can usually bet on at least 1 or 2 folks stopping to talk about this “seen it in mags but never in person” bike.
Recently have discovered several flaws, one in the headshok system the other in the Coda Expert disc brake system, but they are being repaired/replaced under warranty.
I followed the recommendation of a tech rep at Cannondale & chose Orange Cycle as my new shop, and lucky that I did.
Al, service manager, is not only on the cutting edge of info with Cannondale, but he shares a love of the product & is an avid rider himself, describing the mtn biking, cliff jumping, rock hopping & chasm jumping exploits on his bikes of choice, of course Cannondale.
The shop covers an entire corner of South Main St. in Orange, Ca., & is just 1 block south of the famed Orange Traffic Circle, a rarity in road design in California.
I was very much impressed with not only the inventory of almost every style of bike imaginable, but he carries quite an array of brands of bikes.
I commented to Al just how wonderfully the shop is laid out, almost as if done by an interior decorator, & he told me that the shops owner is quite into eye appeal as well as function ability.
The last thing I am changing are the handlebars, which I have discovered do not allow me a high enough riding position for comfort on long rides. After dislocating my right shoulder in a ’99 biking accident I find that the current position puts too much pressure on the joint & I usually end up with wrapping it at the end of the rides. I chose a 4 piece powder coated bar, still in black as not to detract from the “Bad Boy’s” Stealth fighter look, & will report back with just how the bike now handles with the new brakes & higher bars.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Travisano
a Cross Country Rider
from Barboursville, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | The one I'm riding | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Fun to ride. Front suspension. Ability to use either MTB or road wheels--like having two bikes. Disc brakes. Great looks and graphics. | | Weaknesses: | Like others, I had a hard time getting both MTB and road bike wheels dialed in. However, now that I've got them set up properly the bad boy is a multi-talented double threat. Paint chips easily. | | Similar Products Used: | A variety of road and mountain bikes. | | Bike Setup: | As per original specs. Ortlieb front bag when needed. | | Bottom Line: | the BBU is my first aluminum, first non-lugged steel bike. So it was a big leap into the 21st century to purchase a skinny-tired bike built around a CAAD4 MTB frame with disk brakes, The adjustment was somewhat slow, especially trying to get the mountain bike wheels set up. However, over the past year, I slowly warmed up to the Bad Boy's versatility, handling and overall fun factor. I still feel my classic steel bikes have more soul, but this bike has plenty of heart and, short of loaded touring or flat out road racing, is a go-to bike for any occassion. Looks great too, although leaning it against a bike rack means risking some paint flaking off. Utimate bottom line: There's nothing like it. I'm glad I bought it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
shredder
a Cross Country Rider
from St Marys, Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Benmiller | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1450.00 | | Purchased At: | Ziggy's, Kitchener ONT | | Strengths: | 2 bikes for the price on one
Lihgt frame + lighter, stronger rims than V brakes | | Weaknesses: | Frame flex during cornering, causes disc brake to drag
Had to replace the brakes, bottom bracket wouldn't stay tight & had some maintenenace on the pedals.
Had to dial in both road & dirt rims so disc rotors do not drag. Be prepared to spend MANY hours @ this | | Similar Products Used: | I own a Rocky Mountain Elemet Race, Specialized Ground Control & a Norco Torrant | | Bike Setup: | Mavic MTB rims, Specialized Mountain Baldies tires & light tubes.
Water bottle holder & computer | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike to provide me with a lightweight, fast racer for fast courses/rides without a lot of climbing. 2 X 9 gearing does not function well on long/steep uphills with my legs !
Have done some races only in big front ring, lightweight tires allow easy spinning
Love the lockout front suspension.
Took it to Italy/Spain last Oct & was an awesome bike as rides were dirt/asphalt combo's...either going up a hill or down.
Got it up to 74KPH on a long tailwind aided paved downhill outside Tarrifa Spain. F'n scary to be going that fast on a bike & passing cars.
What I really need is a full suspension, lockout Fr/rear, disc, lightweight...I just finished a 60KM race on everything from road, rail trail, gravel roads & single trac that horses had chewed up. I miss the suspension, or I'm getting older ! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Zweber
a Weekend Warrior
from Palatine, IL.
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Deer Grove Forest Preserve | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Kozy's in Chicago | | Strengths: | The CAAD4 frame is very lightweight. Quality construction. Fatty's dial lock-out is convenient and easy to use. Magura Julie disc brakes are excellent. All black color scheme is soooo cool. | | Weaknesses: | Built with tight tolerances so outfitting bike with a mountain wheelset might require Coda-only components. Coda crankset squeaks. Continental Ultra 3000 tires are soft and seem to attract glass. | | Similar Products Used: | Used a Trek 7700 for a year and there is no comparison. The Bad Boy is lighter and faster (it is also $500 more). | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Bad Boy Ultra stock. Magura Julie disc brakes, Shimano LX and XT components, Fatty Ultra DL HeadShock, CAAD4 mountain frame. | | Bottom Line: | I purchased the 2001 Bad Boy Ultra in April and have about 2000 miles on the bike so far. I really love the bike. It comes stock with 700 x 23c wheels so it makes for a great road bike if you like the upright riding position with a flat bar. Spend $400 for a quality mountain wheelset and you can easily switch to off-road. You get a quality roadbike and quality mountain bike for less than $2000. Cannondale does a great job on the frame but I'm watching the Coda components carefully. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
messenger
a Racer
from seattle, wa
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$900.00 | | Purchased At: | gregg's greenlake | | Strengths: | very light and versatile with many combinations to choose from. It is able to handle everything I throw at it and I ride very hard urban terrain. | | Weaknesses: | The cannondale headshock is difficult to maintain, and i have had to tear it apart a few times. This should not be a problem though if you only ride a few times a week, but i put in about 50 hours use. I was also not to keen on the stock components and that is why i bought the frame and fork. The geometry is a little screwed up because the 700C wheels make the bottom bracket so high, but nothing you can not adjust to. | | Similar Products Used: | kona, pinarello, custom frames by daryl funk, old cannondales, and a variety of other cross, mountain, and road bikes. | | Bike Setup: | general: xtr deraillers, hayes cable actuated disc brakes, and USE xcr suspesion seatpost, or control Tech seatpost
road:dura-ace shifters on profile aerobars with wtb hubs on mavic rims.
Mountain: gripshift, Avid brake levers, rolf dolomite disc wheels | | Bottom Line: | It took some time to get the disc brakes compatible with the road levers but thanks to sidetrack I have a great cross bike. As a mountain bike it is no wonder that this is a world class competer. the 700C wheels really screw things up by raising the bottom bracket but overall it is something i have gotten used to. I ride hard everyday so it is no wonder that i go through bikes, and i have hhad difficulties, but nothing that any new bike getting broken in by me doesn't do. So overall i am very happy with this combination, but i will probably get a cross bike made for me without the raised bottom bracket and includes the disc brake adapters. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MICHAEL LANGOT
a Cross Country Rider
from ALABANG GILID,PHILIPPINES
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | BISEKLETA NI GORIO | | Strengths: | KILLER FRAME&FORK COMBINATION,EXCELLENT DISC BRAKES(READ ABOUT REVIEWS ABOUT HUBS,BUT NO COMPLAINTS SO FAR) VERY LIGHT WEIGHT. VERY VERSATILE CAN SWITCH TIRE RIM COMBINATION(CAN BE A ROAD BIKE OR MOUNTAIN BIKE) | | Weaknesses: | SAY WHAT???? WELL UH.... NONE???!!! | | Similar Products Used: | YAMAHA R-1, HE HE HE..... | | Bike Setup: | STOCK W/ ADDITION OF SHIMANO CLIPLESS/REGULAR PEDAL COMBINATION(DON'T REMEMBER THE MODEL, AND VDO AERO 8.0 COMPUTER | | Bottom Line: | THIS BIKE IS TRULY AMAZING, GET TWO BIKES FOR THE PRICE OF 1
VERY WELL RECOMMENDED!!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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