Description:The Rize is the Swiss Army knife of the trail bike world. It's a bike that brings all-new metalforming technology to the industry, and combines it with carbon-fiber fabrication techniques. It uses a dreamy-riding multi-pivot suspension with 130mm of balanced travel. The means that riders can use it as a do-it-all rig, whether you're riding notoriously gnarly rock gardens in the Northeast or the gently rolling foothills of the inter-mountain West.
Submitted by
Silentfoe
a Cross Country Rider
from Eagle Mountain, Utah Date Reviewed: September 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Wasatch Crest
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Purchased At:
Bike Peddler
Strengths:
Light weight, climbs great, adjustability.
Weaknesses:
Tires (Maxxis Rendez)
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Enduro Pro, Titus MotoLite, Gary Fisher Hi-Fi, Trek Fuel EX 9
Bike Setup:
All stock
Bottom Line:
Looking for a light weight, aggressive all mountain bike. I have ridden all of the above and the Cannondale is hands down the best bike out there. I will go with the Carbon 2 model with some upgrades but essentially the two bikes are very similar. I flogged this bike over 4 days and 60+ miles of single track in the Utah mountains. At first I thought I wouldn't be very happy with how the bike rode with the propedal off (it is two completely different bikes with the propedal on/off) but I very rarely had to switch it on, only on long climbs. Even then I didn't really need it. The bike climbs like a mountain goat, especially when you stand up. I had several instances where I'd come around a tight corner, not expecting a quick transition to uphill and I'd have to come out of the saddle to make it up. The bike jumped ahead each time and felt very smooth under power. The suspension was easy to adjust and it only took one ride to get it balanced. I am a big guy (6'2 and 200lbs) and the bike rode like it was designed for me. I may adjust my own bike for a longer cockpit but the front end very rarely got light on long climbs. It was easy to move around and took downhills and rock gardens like an all mountain bike should. However, that brings me to the one downfall of this bike. The tires are horrible. No real side knobs for cornering and they break loose on corners too quickly. They could also use better center knobs to help breaking. I am good with the size of the rotors, even for a big guy like me. My hands did get tired on real long downhill single tracks but it wasnt' bad and I'm not sure I'd go with a bigger rotor. A larger tire choice would help with breaking more and also solve the cornering problem. I'd try that first. All in all a top quality bike with a solid component spec that worked flawlessly.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
crazylax42
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill, NC Date Reviewed: September 5, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Cannondale
Strengths:
Super light but retains strength, Lefty, plush, controlled feel, looks, awesome saddle
Weaknesses:
mine came with a bad chain, needs larger front rotor and tire, minor chainslap, stock pedals suck
Similar Products Used:
Prophet, Trance X, Mongoose Canaan, numerous HTs
Bike Setup:
stock, upgrades: crosstrail wheels, x.9 shifters, larger front tire, shimano pedals, ODI lock-ons
Bottom Line:
This is a great do-it-all bike, even better than the previous prophet. It's super light but very tough and has a confident, controlled manner both ascending and descending. This bike is as laterally stiff as a good hardtail, read the brochure for why. you will want a larger front tire if you have more technical trails with lots of hills. The bike is super light, and once you switch to kevlar-beaded tires, it's an easy 27 lbs on a plush 5" bike. Awesome. Also, the bike has a fairly short wheelbase so it handles great. Stock setup is perfect except you'll want the larger rotor/tire combo if you want a true all-rounder. Highly recommended! Made in USA, lifetime warranty!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dmarra
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong Date Reviewed: August 14, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At:
Flying Ball HK
Strengths:
Lightweight, great balance, smooth suspension feel, cool looks
Weaknesses:
lefty fork
Similar Products Used:
Giant Trance XO
Bike Setup:
mainly stock but have changed crankset (race face), saddle (Fizik Gobi), seatpost (USE) and bars (Easton mokeylite carbon)
Bottom Line:
I have just finished riding a transalp (7 days from Southern Germany to Lake Garda in Italy) and almost everything on the bike was faultless. Only problem was the lockout went on the first day (before we even started riding) and the fork was leaking oil from the top. Rebound progressively stopped working over the course of the week and the lockout occasionally came on of its own volition after a big drop on rocky descents-not very useful. fork has now gone in for a service after getting back to HK. Some play also developed in the rear linkage.
Avid juicy 7s were superb and dealt with the terrain far better than the Hope minis on my Santa Cruz would have.
Overall a great bike but jury is out on fork reliability
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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