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Submitted by
wes
a
from houston texas
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | the one thats not flooded | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | really light, headshok is cool once you get used to it.
| | Weaknesses: | the cranks on this bike suck!!! its because cannondale uses a road bottom bracket. my cranks click and creek all the time. the tires are weak for anything except a nice paved trail. weird frame design means that your seatpost will be extended to around 12". | | Similar Products Used: | gt i-drive 4.0, rocky mountain oxygen | | Bike Setup: | stock with profile design stiffy stem, yeti DH riser bars, wtb velociraptor tires | | Bottom Line: | this bike is cool for a weekend ride around the block with your family. it is clearly not designed for any type of aggressive use. i dont know what i was thinking when i got this thing, i entended on fixing it up with some hi end components but i think a new bike would be cheaper and smarter. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
REZ
a Downhiller
from Raleigh
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Strengths: | Light, out of the box.
Climbs, climbs, climbs. | | Weaknesses: | Coda.
Travel on the headshock
Tires | | Similar Products Used: | Giant
Trek 8000 | | Bike Setup: | New tires
new crank | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. Light and fast out of the box. Climbs very well. The head-shock works well but could have some more travel. The tires that came on my bike were terrible. The shop needed to replace the bottom two chain-rings after two months and the entire crank set after two more months. I think that this is a good bike for someone looking for a light, cross-country rig.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a Weekend Warrior
from maine, USA
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Strengths: | Light. Well mannered on any trail you throw at it; tracks well. Climbs well. Excellent fork (looove that Fatty) Good looking. Cool paint, which appears to be bomb proof from the few knocks I've given it so far. | | Weaknesses: | I don't know? Some would say Coda, but I've had no problems and no complaints.
One recommendation would be to have the Fatty knob switched over to the Lefty version. Mine had the round Fatty knob on it at first, but it's a pain to use on the fly. Had it switched before I bought it. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 7000 | | Bike Setup: | Stock. Trying to decide on a good disk setup. | | Bottom Line: | I love it. Maybe it just comes down to personal preference over my Trek, but this bike feels so much better. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JACKYL
a Cross Country Rider
from Staten Island NY
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Rocky Point | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Light and agile. Love that copper color! Stiff as a gent during his first slow dance. | | Weaknesses: | The stock wheelset. Not so pleased with the coda pedals.
| | Similar Products Used: | Trek 830 with a RST air shock | | Bike Setup: | Stone stock. Mavic 221 rims. Misquito tires. | | Bottom Line: | This was my first upgrade. I was extatic with the bike from day one. During the first week I picked a bad line and put a dent in the rear rim. From then on had to true the thing every ride. As the months went on, I had to true it during rides. I never bent my sucky wienman rims on the Trek. After 6 months of serious riding the rear rim now resembles a parellogram.(sp) I'm going to xt hubs on 517s. I love the tires contrary to previous reviews. They grip and grab on every thing but wet slick rock. I'm going to try the Panaracer fire xc though for a change. The pedals have really sticky bearings that don't allow them to rotate freely. I have always have trouble with releasing with them. Maybe due to my inexperiance, Maybe not. The stand over hight was a judgement call. The Trek had less room but I was starting to ride more techical stuff. I ended up going from a large to a med. The only this is that the seat post is now almost at full extention. I would definately recommend this bike to anyone looking to make thier first serious upgrade. Just be sure to spec the components to suit your needs. In my case the wheels and pedels have to go. Possiblely a longer seat post, maybe suspension.
One last thing, the left side crank arm kept coming loose on me at first. The shop tried to fix it then ended up replaceing it all free of charge. Just the way it should be.
Ratings take a hit due to sucky rims. Four flaming hochcows. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
WeedHopper
a Weekend Warrior
from LA, CA
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Chesebro Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Very Rigid, Headshock tracks extremely well ! Light, climbs great. Great bike for tight singletrack. Love the comp. Blue color.Lockout is nice on the Headshock getting back and forth from the trail. | | Weaknesses: | CODA, CODA, CODA ! I wish that Cannondale would just stick to making frames and leave the other stuff to the people that do it best ! Also, if you get a Cannondale, MAKE SURE IT IS SPEC'd correctly ! I ended up with Weinmann rims instead of Mavic and and EX1 crank instead of an EX3. I'm told this happens alot, especially early in the model year. If you are going to be riding hard you probably want to upgrade the LX items to at least XT. | | Similar Products Used: | TREK 8000, GT Avalanche, Spec. Stumpjumper | | Bike Setup: | Replaced seat (Selle Italia Flight), brakes (XTR), Wheels (Crossride), Tires (Python Golds). Will be replacing crank and upgrading LX stuff soon. | | Bottom Line: | Great feeling bike, fit me perfectly, light, perfect for tight singletrack. In between the super stiff frame and the Headshock (Great tracking, not too plush though) this can be a punishing ride on the wrong trail. You will get used to picking a smooth line going downhill !!! Climbs outstanding, very quick handling. Love the look and the color. If you are riding alot be prepared to upgrade the CODA (crap) and LX components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
miles
a Weekend Warrior
from canada
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | n/a | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | bsp | | Strengths: | headshock fatty DL
"on the fly lock out"
Coda components
very stiff and rigid | | Weaknesses: | seat is too thin
handlbars are too straight
tires are terrible
LX components | | Similar Products Used: | GT zaskar X | | Bike Setup: | F800
headshock DL
shimano XT-LX
Coda components | | Bottom Line: | great bike!
Cannondale could improve on a couple things like the tires and the seat. Great deal for your money! Don't get no crappy stupid trek wannabe bike or some other dumb bike the cannondale800 is the way to go all the way!
Cannondale kicks but all the way | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fraser
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | hanging out around UBC | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | BSP | | Strengths: | I have only owned a few bikes so far and this is a major jump for me.I worked all summer for this bike and once I got it I was amazed at how it handled on the trails behind the LBS.the lockout shock is definatly the best and as long as one of the lefty knobs are added to replace the hard to turn original then it's perfect.I'm still getting used to the lack of flex in the bike but it can only be a good thing compared to my older bike.
-V-BRAKES!! v brakes are much easier to fix and considering the bike shop around the corner doesn't understand how to fix the cannondale disc brakes then it's easy enough to fix it yourself or take it down to them.plus the feel isn't mushy and you feel connected to the bike. | | Weaknesses: | the seat is a pain in the butt! kinda skinny for my ass so I replaced it with one of the crotch saving liberators that are supposed to be good for the groin.it's kinda wide but it does the job well
-the 9 speed cassette is too big and I really dislike the rubbing when you're in the opposite gears from the angle of the chain.
-the handlebars aren't wide enough to accomodate someone's hand with the addition of bar ends.I had to get my LBS to switch the handle for no extra cost so that I can hold the bar tight without accidentally gripping the rapid fire shifters. | | Similar Products Used: | nothing very similar
norco screamer P.O.S. is the closest | | Bike Setup: | stock except for the following...
-extended seat post (the frame size is barely suitable because large is too large so medium it was.the seat posts needed extending so I switched it all together.)
-fenders (a must in B.C. climates)
-wider handlebars to accomodate barends and my hands without accidentally switching
-lefty lock-out knob instead of the original for more grip and leverage when switching (especially downhill) | | Bottom Line: | Damn good bike! costs a bit but damn good! take it for a spin before you buy and you'll notice how everything fits together to give you an almost perfect out of the package machine.the ridgidity of the frame is strange but my old frame had lots of flex so it's something to get used to and should be expected.I got th enice brown color! not my fav but hides the dirt and isn't that bad considering it' s just a color of a bike not your entire wardrobe.
The Bottom line:
Great bike for the money.Do your research and you'll see why it's so great.
I give it 5 flamin piles of crap! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kyle
a Cross Country Rider
from Ohio
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | -Great Frame
-Great Fork (Fatty DL)
-Light | | Weaknesses: | -A little trouble with the crank after my first ride with the bike.
-LX front derailleur takes too long to upshift | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for my awesome hutchinson python gold tires. Looks awesome. Easy to pass off for a team bike. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike for the price. IRC Notos tires didnt grab much on tight turns, so i got the python's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geoff Ovens
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | New Light | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | This is a follow up on a previous posting That can be found in the 1999 F800 section even thought my F800 is a 2000, site error? | | Weaknesses: | Fixed every one i found | | Similar Products Used: | several | | Bike Setup: | Here are the modifications I've made:
Ar 50 brakes
Easton CT2 seatpost
LP B3 handlebar
Profile Stiffy OS stem
Pedros slimwall grips
ditch barends
XTR/517/DT rev. wheels
XT cassette
Panaracer Fire XC pro 1.8 yellow
XT hollotech crank
Es-70 splined BB
Performance Lunarlite tubes
Speedplay Frogs pedals | | Bottom Line: | This was already a great bike and a great value now it just better and far lighter probably around 22lbs. probably should have just got a F100sl that would have been cheaper but not as much fun and not at all original | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wes
a Cross Country Rider
from North Carolina
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Hobby Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Nice light frame, great suspension fork, good components, wheelset is very nice, great all-around bike. | | Weaknesses: | tires (i got the mosquitos), they work well on road, but aren't so nice on mountain trails, they are already starting to wear out. | | Similar Products Used: | trek y-3 | | Bike Setup: | stock for now | | Bottom Line: | if you looking for a nice 24 pound bike and want to not spend 2500 dollars, buy this bike. It climbs extremely well and the blue color is exellent. This is a great bike for the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Arne Bjørnvolden
a Weekend Warrior
from Hønefoss, Norway
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Nordmarka/Ringerike | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light frame, XT rear, Nice colors (team blue) and good paintwork. And of course the Head-Shok Fatty with lock-out possibiliti. | | Weaknesses: | LX front derailler is a little bit "low end" on this bike. Stock tires: In Europe Cdale state Hutchinson Mosquito, but my bike came with IRC Notos. They both get bad reviews so i changed to Mosquito Python Air Light. | | Similar Products Used: | Diamant Off-Road, no suspension | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except the tires Changed to Hutchinson Mosquito Python Air Light, no costs for me. | | Bottom Line: | This is my first "real" MTB. The frame is brilliant. Coda components have a good quality feel. The Fatty works well if right adjusted, but it almost never feels necessary to lock out the suspension. Before i got this bike, i did not know it was possible that biking on forestry roads with up and downs could be so fun. Especially climbing ability is great. Everything works, and i plan to upgrade when and if components wears out. You have the CAAD 3 frame anyway. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Flat Top | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Very lightweight
Adjustable HeadShok Fatty DL
CODA Cranks | | Weaknesses: | Shimano LX grip shifters, gears skip, take to long to switch
CODA Saddle not comfortable, to small
CODA Handlebar, to low
Shimano LX Front Derailer, takes to long to switch up gears
IRC Notos Tires, no traction down hills, and sharp turns
| | Similar Products Used: | GIANT Rincon | | Bike Setup: | First thing I did before I took the bike off the floor was replace the Gear Shifters from Shimano LX to XT speed shifters, then I replaced the CODA Handlebar with a Tranz x high-rise w/CODA short Paquito ends. After a few rides I noticed the front derailer was lagging so I upgraded from an LX to an XT. A couple more rides, and then I added a CODA Competition Suspension Seatpost, rides better. | | Bottom Line: | I like this bike for the price. You get alot of crank and lightweight action. Aside from the minor component changes this bike is very fast and maneuverable. Climbs hills easily, cranks through the mud, but downhills are a little unpredictable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve M
a Cross Country Rider
from Kingston, ON Canada
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | -Fairly light bike
-Lock out for the head shock fatty
-Cartridge bearings in the front/rear hubs
-Mostly Coda components
-Handles very well in technical sections
| | Weaknesses: | -The crank arm bolts continuously come loose after rides..some lock-nut stopped that for the time being
-Personally, the seat is to narrow for my liking
| | Similar Products Used: | Trek 7000, Kona cindercone | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for the coda hadlebars which i switched to axiom riser bars, and the hutchinson semi-slicks are now jones tires. | | Bottom Line: | So far so good. I have only been riding this bike for a couple weeks and only one problem with the crank arms. Everything else is good especially the head shock. I used to have judy xc's on my old trek which had a very springy feeling but now with the head shocks I feel much more incontrol and I hear there is hardly any mantenace involved with them! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vic
a Weekend Warrior
from Elizabethtown, KY, USA
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Otter Creek Blue | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very light. Awesome frame. Headshok fork. | | Weaknesses: | CODA hubs. Rear is noisy as stated in other reviews. CODA Clipless pedals (you can almost hear the bearings clunking around when the pedal is rotated). | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 8000 | | Bike Setup: | Stock. Shipped with LX crankset (catalog spec'd CODA) and Hutchinson Mosquito tires (spec was IRC Notos). | | Bottom Line: | Extremely light, responsive bike. I have been riding this bike for a few months now and am very impressed with it. It climbs very well and its handling capabilities have improved my riding greatly. The CAAD3 frame is incredibly light and stiff. I shopped around for a couple of months before buying and the frame is what swayed my decision towards the C'dale. I shopped around and found one for $1050($50 over my budgeted amount), the extra $50 was well worth it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olivier Fournier
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Too many | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Stiff, very stiff frame.
Overall weight of the bike. HeadShock Fattys are the best forks ever made!
9-Speed Megadrive
XT Rear Derailleur
| | Weaknesses: | The frame geometry took me a few days to get used to.
The stiffness of the bike is creepy at first, but no big deal.
The 8th and 9th gogs being very similar, by one "tooth" about, makes it really odd to shift from 8th to 9th, no matter what chainring you're on.
The bike comes with the crappiest tyres ever. IRC Notos.
If you have an extra 80$ CAN, get Hutchinson Pythons, best XC tyre I've ever ridden | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR Extreme
Giant Sedona SE | | Bike Setup: | Factory setup except for the following
Hutchinson Python tyres
Large frame
No bar-ends
Team colours (blue + yellow) | | Bottom Line: | This F800 remains an amazing bike for its price.
It weighs nothing, the Fatty is very active and can be locked out, although it can be quite annoying to have to unlock it at high speed.
DO NOT GET IRC NOTOS TYRES, unless you're riding road.
Best 1700$ CAN bike out there for sure.
(Plus it makes a good team replica if you put the right tyres on) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean O'Malley
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Wayne Nat'l Forest--Snake Hollow | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | quick handling
light weight
headshock lockout
traditional 3 ring crank (vs the "2x9" setup on pricier models) | | Weaknesses: | weird frame sizing (for me anyway)
IRC Notos tires (LBS warned me that they would wear out in a few months, weeks if ridden on road)
headshock clunks in cold weather | | Similar Products Used: | 5 year old Trek 6000 with Manitou Magnum
test rode the lefty version (f1000sx?)
M2 comp | | Bike Setup: | Medium sized frame.
Pedals replaced with Speedplays, drivetrain changed to 8 speed cassette and XC-Pro thumbshifters, replaced barends with my 10 year old Onzas, replaced IRC tires with Smoke/Dart Compes (shop was good enough to credit me for the oem tires), replaced seatpost and stem with longer ones
| | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike, so obviously I liked it overall. If our local shop hadn't been forced to drop Specialized, I might have gone with an M2, since I'm partial to the way Specialized frames handle. But a small town shop can't afford to stock the number of high-zoot bikes that Specialized now requires, and I didn't want to go to a corporate/city shop for one of those.
The 'dale tracks much better than my old Trek/Manitou, and the shock lockout is wonderful. The back end chatters on rough trails more compared to the Trek, but that's probably because the chainstays are at least twice the diameter of the Trek's (both frames are aluminum). OTOH, the rear brakes don't suffer from frame flex like on the Trek.
Peeve #1: Cannondale doesn't seem to like giving riders standover clearance on their headshock hardtails. I'm 5' 10" tall, 31 inseam. Reach-wise, I would have fit on a large, but the standover clearance would've been more appropriate to a road bike. So I ordered a medium and dealt with swapping out the stem and seatpost to get the proper height and reach. I guess maybe C'dale thinks all of its customers live out West, what with the no-dismounts-expected frame sizing and those overgeared 2 ring cranks they include on their high end models...
Peeve #2: When the temp gets below 50 or so, the headshock roller bearings' grease gets thick enough that the entire unit--rollers and retainer--slides in its race. This wouldn't be a problem if the race wasn't ~1 cm longer than the retainer itself. As it is, each time the shock changes direction on a cold ride, the bearing unit slides in its groove until it hits the groove's end--CLUNK. Or, if you're on a corduroy gravel road, CLUNKETY CLUNKETY CLUNKETY ad nauseum. I'm wondering if maybe they put the wrong bearing retainers in my shock...
Peeve 1 isn't worth knocking off for, since it's just my frame size preference, but Peeve 2 is worth knocking off for.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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