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Submitted by
Jeff Grove
a Cross Country Rider
from Elizabethtown, PA, Daphin
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | local shop | | Strengths: | light weight, very responsive, I weigh 160#, got bike for trails and due to overall gerat ride, have been using bike for everything, just switch tires or wheels. have toured 7 states using this so far and can't believe I am no longer riding any of five other bikes! | | Weaknesses: | just started to get loss of air in chamber after 10000+ miles of trials dirt slop rain. I guess I can't complain! | | Bike Setup: | have rear rack and very large clip on bag for front. almost always have rear bag on rack. other than saddle & tire changes bike is essentially stock Volvo team bike | | Bottom Line: | I would buy another Cannondale with the Fatty Head shock again but this one just won't stop going. (Although I would like to get better info on repair of head shock). I do all my own repair / maintenance.
I own 3 other Cannondale bikes, 2 racing frames 1 touring (Plus a tandem a bent). The touring bike has over 80000 miles & I never thought I would ride anything else on week long road trips, with 80 to 100 mile days.
Due to the performance and comfort I get from this bike with the Head Shock I expect to get even more miles than the old touring bike on this one.
The fork is the whole reason I started riding this bike almost exclusively. This bike is so smooth and quick I go on "B" road rides and am usually in the front of the pack. Trails are essentially the same experience.
Thumbs up Cannondale. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Rolf
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas TX
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Cedar Hill | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great handling | | Weaknesses: | This G-D piece of crap blows a seal on a monthly basis and if you do not have an extremely good repair shop who can get parts then expect many weekends of bike-less adventures because it takes the better part of a month to get it repaired-that is if the guys at the shop even know how to work on the stupid thing. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shock Indy, Judy, | | Bike Setup: | SV 500 -mostly XT components | | Bottom Line: | It blows constantly!!!!!!!!!! I am saving up for a different shock. Worked great the first 6 months and has been a battle with performance ever since. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ren
a Cross Country Rider
from NY
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Amazing tracking, very plush.... more than anything, light. The simple design of the heashok puts other clunky dual telescoping forks to shame. Excellent acjustability, excellent rebounding rate, plush and extremely quick. | | Weaknesses: | The design rears of the front of the bike, limits amount of travel. Shrader valve is right in the crotch of the fork, which leaves it succeptable to mud and dirt. A sealing shrader cap (purchased at an auto parts store) keeps your valve dry and happy. | | Similar Products Used: | Anything on the market which can be used for serious cross country riding. I'm not big on downhill. | | Bike Setup: | 98 Cdale F2000, 98 Cdale Raven 2000 | | Bottom Line: | If you're looking to make a DH fork out of a headshok, don't waste your time. Cannondale is not a downhilling company, really. If you want the quickest XC fork on the market, something capable of making scalpel turns, on the fly adjustments, and having lethal acceleration without sucking up your pedal stroke, the SL's for you. If you're a heavy person, don't get a headshok. The headshok is designed for people who weigh sub 170 pounds, want the quickest fork on the market which is designed to make you faster, not give a big fatash butter ride. I won't lie. The Fatty SL isn't some big sofa, but it's light and it's fast and it's worth it's weight in gold. It sucks up bumps to make you go faster, period. Best fork I've ever owned, best for I probably ever will own. I love air shocks due to ease of adjustability and (lack of) weight. I actually prefer the air version over the newer elastomer version cannondale came out with.
Buy it if: You're lightweight, and do seriouds XC racing.
Don't buy it if: You're a heavier person and do downhilling of any sort or are looking for some buttery ride. If you want something which can take huge hits and soak up bumps like crazy, go with a zocchi. nuff said. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zack
a Cross Country Rider
from St John's NF Canada
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Canary Cycles | | Strengths: | i'm a small guy and this fork works well for me. there is not to much travel but enough for just rideing and raceing. (not good for freeriding) | | Weaknesses: | well the ony bad thing is that it costs a fortune if something breaks. | | Bike Setup: | it's a 98 cannondale F3000 sobe/headshock tram bike | | Bottom Line: | i would say that this fork is good for the smaller lighter person that has xc on thir mind not freerideing. i've done a bit of free rideing with it and i've doen a bit of damage, i evan crackes the small spring. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich S
a Cross Country Rider
from Hoboken, NJ 07030
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | SoMo | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | Super plush, handles medium bumps great. | | Weaknesses: | if the fork isn't in perfect condition, it can't respond to little bumps, and not enough travel to handle the bigger stuff. It is a money pit for repairs. | | Bike Setup: | 1999 F2000 | | Bottom Line: | This was a sweet fork, for about the first month... then it started bleeding air. Not a big problem, I just pumped it up (I found it hard to get within 10 PSI of the desired presure due to it's small volume),... then the boot tore open on a ride. It needed a rebuild, which wasn't cheap. Even after the rebuild, it still had some sticky spots. I rode on some steep downhills one day in VT. and the shock blew, dumping all the oil. I wonder how much it'll cost this time to fix | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris ader
a Cross Country Rider
from saginaw MI 48603
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | northcountry manistee | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | grand blanc cyclery | | Strengths: | THE FATTY SL. When it works it has the smoothest preload I've ever felt. very smooth afterload too. | | Weaknesses: | This shock has taken me back to the shop 5 times in one season of riding and the latest has require it to be shiped to cannondale because it was beyond the repair capabilities of the bike shop.
This shock is so high maintainece and expensive when repaired its far from worth its attributes. | | Similar Products Used: | rock shock | | Bike Setup: | CAAD 4 F1000 HARD TAIL | | Bottom Line: | When a company makes a product that is so high maintance,expensive and so difficult to repair without cannondale's "special tools" you'd think the company would have great customer service-- CANNONDALE'S CUSTOMER SERVICE was not very helpful. If you have cash to blow, buy a head shock, if not Rock Shock (with elastomere) shocks are a fraction of the price and more reliable than the fatty airshock. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent,Wa
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Well 1st of all Cannondale has made me believe. its a great shock and i really like it. im not a very heavy person so that does help. if your a person who is over 200lbs. you may want to try something else. but otherwise its a nice one to have if your a cannondale fan. | | Weaknesses: | none as of now. its soild. | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Raven 2000-98' | | Bottom Line: | My next bike will be another Cannondale Raven as soon as I figure out how to get this Raven really broken in. Cannondale Raven and their head-shoks are very special indeed. Thank you Cannondale for such a nice ride. I won't ever ride a HT again. I have one in my shade as we speak. Good luck to you Cannondale riders. May you have great rides with your bikes. And always remember its all about personal reference when it comes to riding. It's what you can afford and what you can't afford? Anyhow good luck. Be safe on those trials. Well, im off to ride now. Peace boys and girls.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Crash
a Cross Country Rider
from Buffalo, NY
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Steering precision
Light weight
On-the-fly damping adjustment
| | Weaknesses: | Not user servicable (big weakness for me)
Poor location of air valve
small volume shock/hard to fine tune | | Similar Products Used: | RockShox Quadra | | Bike Setup: | F2000 frame with USE seatpost, and mix of Shimano/RaceFace drivetrain. | | Bottom Line: | Unlike Answer's forks, Cannondale does not tell you how to do routine maintenance. So every "40 hours or one calendar year" you have to take it to the dealer and shell out $90. I just had mine done for the first time in two years...it feels great now, but I'm not sure how long it will last.
Durability hasn't been a very big issue for me.
Tunability is. First I tried setting it up according to the chart in the manual. Way too soft! I'm 210 lbs. and ride like a dump truck. Usually 145-150 lbs. works for me. However, the chamber is so small that it's very easy to put too much pressure in. If they developed a Headshok with a large volume chamber, the ride would be plusher and easier to tune.
I love the weight and stiffness. My whole bike weighs 22.6 lbs. and overall I like it. But my next purchase...a steel hardtail, or full sussy, will have a `zocchi shock. I have no problem doing my own maintenance -- I can rebuild my whole bike -- but not being able to work on the fork myself is a sore point with me.
I guess I can't complain too much, considering the price -- $700 for the frameset! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex the biker
a Racer
from montreal/quebec/canada
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ste-anne | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | very smooth, very stiff and vey light | | Weaknesses: | break very often, need a lot of work to keep working | | Similar Products Used: | manitou, rockshox, marzocchi | | Bike Setup: | super v 1000 1999 model | | Bottom Line: | when it works, it works grea, the 2000 models, the dl, is much better, it needs a lot less work. i higly recommend this product, but it breaks very often, i've been waiting 3 months for a new cartridge for my headshock, the guaranty is rather crumby... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mad wrench
a Weekend Warrior
from the heart
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | anything sick!! | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | great idea, smooth when it works. Good bearings in the headset. thats about it. Great idea | | Weaknesses: | Where do I start? I am a wrench at a LBS, and have the displeasure of working on these POS forks. Like I said it is a great idea, but the exicution is sh!t. The cartrige never keeps its oil inside, it eather blows its seals or its end caps come unscrewed and dump all the oil. the ai chamber is sealed with only one small o-ring at the top. It goes and "smack" no fork. Now for the best part! Those great bearings in the fork. Wouderful little things! The main flaw in the fork. There is nothing to keep water, sweat, mud, dust, or other grime out of the bearings. So all kinds of sh!t gets in and goes to work on them. Then its time to replace them, but don't look to ole C'dale for help nooo. You must take your >$1000 bike to a auth. C'Dale dealer. What? you don't have one in your area? Tough sh!t we can't help you!
So what am I saying? No customer service from C'Dale. and the bearings are not much fun to replace(even with C'Dales little tool $et) | | Similar Products Used: | I had a SV900 with a DD60 for a year, sold the bike becouse the fork kept dieing. | | Bottom Line: | A great idea but C'Dale forgot the rider/owner. If it is a pain for me to service with all the tools, just think what will happen if it needs some TLC at a race or 1/2way into a ride? If you are going to design something make it serviceable! Not some frigging puzzle that you need a grands worth of tools to work on!!!!
OK enough with the ranting I do not hate C'Dale bikes (i ride a R500 on the road) and the frames are ok. BUT dealing with the company is not fun. They have been very rude to me, everyone else at the store and our customers. Warranty?
Not likely. By the time you jump through all the hoops you will be too old to ride.
There were 6 C'Dale dealers in this area , now there is only one. Our store dropped them in Jan. Just got tired of their attitude and poor service.
I don't care what brand you ride but if they treat you like dirt why support the company? so one chilli for value, and I'll give it three for a great idea(it is good when it works).no I take one back because they were jerks the last time I had to call them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Tecumseh
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Its light and i must say that cannondales claim that it is very adjustable and it precice handiling but..... | | Weaknesses: | over all this fork is well a pile, ive blow to of the cartriges out during races this is a terible fork. It was good for 2 weeks but then problem arose like the constant oil leakage, I dont know how you other cannondale riders feel but this has been a big disapintment (the fork i love the frame) please email me of your feeling or any specific setup tips, thanx. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzochi Z-1, Headshock Fatty D | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F900 disc, Sram Esp 9.0sl, XTR | | Bottom Line: | This fork is pile sorry cannondale ut until you fix that constant oil leak i shal feel the way i do. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Tacoma WA
Date Reviewed: December 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Suntop, Mt. Rainier | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
NO Lateral Flex - Stout!
Extremely Adjustable
No Maintenance! | | Weaknesses: |
Could use a little more travel
Not very plush (oh well, it's an air shock) | | Similar Products Used: |
Halson Inversion
Judy T2 (complete S*@t!) | | Bike Setup: |
'98 CAAD 3 w/ XTR drivetrain, Magura Brakes, Time ATACs... | | Bottom Line: | For bigger guys (who dig a light, fast aluminum frame), this fork works really well. In two years I haven't had any problems with air leakage or contamination. I've only had to lube it up after every 3-4 rides. I would buy one all over again (if they hadn't come out w/ the Lefty - I want one!) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Gatos, CA
Date Reviewed: October 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Flume Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Light, Handling, Control | | Weaknesses: |
Looks goofy | | Similar Products Used: |
Rock Shox | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale CAAD3 | | Bottom Line: | This shock is the best shock I've used. The first thing I noticed was the improvement in handling. The steering was precise like that of a ridgid fork only better when I have to maneuver in the rough stuff. The next thing is that the shock is light. It is also provides a fair amount of travel. One of the best features is the ability to adjust the shock while riding. Who wants to stop, adjust one side, then the other and then get back on the bike and proceed? Especially while racing? Great Shock. It will be a long time before I go back to the old style shock. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Racer
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
White Rim | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Tracks well, reasonably light, disk-ready, stiffer than heck. | | Weaknesses: |
Tough to tune, bearing contamination, heavier than a SID XC (Judy SL too?) | | Similar Products Used: |
Manitou SX Carbon | | Bike Setup: |
C'Dale F3000. XTR V's, Race Face cranks, ESP 9.0, blah, blah, blah. | | Bottom Line: | When I first got this fork, it was WAAAAY to soft (I could bottom it by pushing on it hard.) After I raced a muddy race, the fork completely froze up. All the bearings got pitted, and something in the fork needs replacing, and C'Dale needs to send the part. One hassle too many for me. Other than that, the stroke was very smooth, and the fork tracks wonderfully! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DENNIS M
a Weekend Warrior
from SF C.A.
Date Reviewed: October 2, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
SKAGGS MT. | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
On spot steering
No-flex !!! | | Weaknesses: |
would like it lighter
then again if I can afford the ultra? | | Similar Products Used: |
Sid
manitou
marzocchi | | Bike Setup: |
Super V 400, stock but upgraded to sl shock and still going...(lighter) | | Bottom Line: | Tried a lot of new bikes but never been satisfied with their design. Cannondales are expensive for my budget. But they're one of the best out there. They really put a lot of effort in the bikes. Now if I can just afford te get lighter parts hmmmm?! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
roberto martignone
a Weekend Warrior
from genova italy
Date Reviewed: June 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
mt.beigua trail | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
extremely rigid
fully tunable
you can drive with unexpected precision your hard trails.
powerful in braking performance due to stiffness of the fork.
(you can use v brakes, magura or your old cantilevers) | | Weaknesses: |
special tools required to change internal parts of the fork. | | Similar Products Used: |
headshok fatty dd50 | | Bike Setup: |
my bike is an old super v 900 with headshok fatty sl fork. the other components are: white industries traker ft hub, hope titanium rr hub, mavic 217 sup ub control rims, wheelsmith spokes and tioga fat 66 factory 2.30 tires.
sram xray shifters with sh xtr derailleurs, control tech pulleys and bolts. titec titanal seatpost, flite titanium sadlle, cannondale-control tech 177mm stem, white bros ti bar rise bar. avid sd 2.o levers, critical racing mag ti cantilevers ritchey red pads and gore tex ride on cables.
ritchey logic crank with sh rings, titec ti bolts and pmp ti bottom bracket.
| | Bottom Line: | extremely rigid an stiffer than a normal fork. responsive and fully tunable that fork help you to attack hardcore trails and trash nightmare hills like a sunday's daemon.
no matters my old zokes mx100 and xc70 are other things. I hope you can enjoy that different way to clear your favorite track forgetting your brakes.
the fatty sl 70 is a good deal, powerful when you brake and rigid when you drive.
(I use my old critical racing cantilevers with force 4.0 , gore tex ride on cables and avid sd 2.0 levers)
una forcella molto rigida precisa nell'impostazione in curva, ottima nei percorsi molto impegnativi. rigida e scattante anche durante le ascese tecniche.
potente nella frenata anche con i miei critical racing cantilevers con force 4.0.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ron
a Cross-Country Rider
from charlottesville, va
Date Reviewed: June 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
light weight
true fork tracking
air adjustability
simple design
limited to specific frame design | | Weaknesses: |
limited to specific frame design
poor valve placement
v brake squeal | | Similar Products Used: |
judy T2 w/ englund air system
answer manitou | | Bike Setup: |
'99 cannondale caad 3 frame
full xtr (except xt fr. derailleur)
etc., etc., etc. | | Bottom Line: | this is arguably the best xc fork design on the market today. it tracks precisely, absorbs hits with decent plushness (good fork if you don't like really soft suspension) and has the least amount of lateral flex as compared to other forks. the dual telescoping fork design is inherently inferior to the headshok, especially for heavier riders. in the month that i have been riding this fork, i have noticed a remarkable improvement in my technical riding-- simply b/c the fork responds to my input with no slop and no flex. too bad you can only get this fork on either cannondales or merlins-- everyone should have a fork this good.on the downside, the placement of the air valve is less than ideal... you have to remove the front wheel in order to pump the shock up-- and that requires the bike to be upside down or on a stand. better do so before you get to the trailhead! frankly, it's a pain in the arse. but it's not a fault issue-- it's more of a design comprimise. with the headshok design, it's obvious that you only have one place that you can put that valve. and since cannondale engineers the HELL out of their products, you can bet they tried to put that valve everywhere before settling on the crotch of the fork. ah, but it is the price you pay for near perfection. i'll accept it (until they come up with something better).also, better prepare for frustraion in setting up that front brake. it'll howl until you do one of two things: 1) use the jedi mind trick to stop the brake from squealing or 2) buy a brake booster and apply. no matter how much tuning i did to the front brake, it refused to stop howling. i finally gave in and bought a brake booster... squeal stop, me happy.bottom line: 4.9999 chiles. this fork shames all others. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
loren
a Racer
from hershey PA
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
ones you can ride on | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Very precise steering
no dive
no slop (doesn't feel mushy when you hit bumps while cornering) | | Weaknesses: |
probably not as plush as some would like , though that's kind of a tuning issue | | Similar Products Used: |
judy X-C
older rock shox | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale caad4 | | Bottom Line: | I started racing about a year ago, and realized that my plush Y-bike with equally plush Judy were sucking up a lot of my limited energy and power on the climbs. I needed all the help I could get in this area, so I got the most rigid frame and fork I could find. The Cannondale fit the bill, and after getting used to the super-firm and predictable ride and extermely precise steering, I don't think I could go back to anything else. I have my Fatty SL pumped up to about 200 psi (I weigh 190), which makes for an extremely firm ride - not real plush for downhills, but no bobbing on out-of-the saddle climbs and sprints either. The bottom line is that although this set-up isn't as plush as some other forks, you more than make up for it in steering precision - you don't hit as many rocks because it's so easy to steer around them. I like it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cjm
a Cross-Country Rider
from Syracuse, New York
Date Reviewed: May 18, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Responsive spring action.
Effective dampening action.
Precise steering.
Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: |
Need special tools for everything. | | Similar Products Used: |
Judy XC w/Englund | | Bike Setup: |
F700 w/upgrade cartridge. | | Bottom Line: | The distinctive advantage of the Fatty SL is rooted on its simple design. It probably takes a lot of $ to match the performance of the SL using a double barrelled shock. I compare with my other bike and can notice each strength when riding. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tony estrada
a Racer
from nashua, nh (just moved here)
Date Reviewed: April 8, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
markham park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
-smooth as silk
-true 70mm travel
-awesome plushness
-no flex/brake rub
-unobstrusive and clean design
-fully tunable
-excellent tracking
-very light weight (3lbs)
-excellent value compared to similar models that offer equal performance.
-great customer support | | Weaknesses: |
-need special tools to take it apart (for tuning purposes)
-would like to be able to adjust rebound damping on the fly as well
-would like for the shock to be reactive to bump speed. | | Similar Products Used: |
-headshok DD60
-headshok DD20
-WhiteBro 90's | | Bike Setup: |
-CAAD3 cannondale
-fatty SL 70
-XTR: rderailler, hubs
-XT: brakes, shifters, cranks, fderailler
-mavic 517 rims
-747 pedals
-moxey seat post
-coda 15°/130mm stem
-coda performance handlebars
blah blah blah | | Bottom Line: | I am very very please with this shock.
It is extremely plush.
There is enough travel for Xcountry riding. Compared to other shocks that offer equal performance this is about 1/2 the price.
I have been using this shock hard! for a year and have not had it blow out like I've read (you know how people tend to blow things out of proportion).
Definitely 5 stars.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
glenn
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft.collins
Date Reviewed: March 22, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Good beefey fork, adjustable with air and on the fly. | | Weaknesses: |
As of yet nothing noticeable. | | Similar Products Used: |
Original frame set head shock. have riden other low end shocks and two high end shocks I like the fatty head shocks best for my riding. | | Bike Setup: |
Got a cannondale delta v 1000 for a first F.S.that had a monoshock pepperoni | | Bottom Line: | I am a 245 pound rider that beats it up. This Fatty SL kicks the bomb, adjust with air to your preference and 4 on the fly settings it will take you any where, a real good all around shock | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a weekend warrior
from Boone, NC
Date Reviewed: February 21, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently purchased the Fatty SL on a CAAD4 frame and am really pleased. As I am a large rider I was scared that I would blow out this lightweight fork but as of two months I have yet to have a problem. The ride is plush yet progressive and the steering just can't be beat. Even with an extremely long stem, my steering action is quick and precise. The disk brake mount is absolutely flawlessand has served me well. Definite 5 chillis. | | Overall Rating: |
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