|
|
Average Rating
|
4.37/5
|
|
# of Reviews
|
94
|
|
MSRP
|
$ 1679.00
|
|
Weight
|
|
|
More Products from Cannondale
Submit a Review
|
|
|
Description:1999 Cannondale F1000, mountain bike, front suspension, Shimano Deore XT components, CODA HeadShok Fatty SL fork
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Roger Miller
a Cross Country Rider
from Center Valley, Pa., USA
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lehigh | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | Spokes | | Strengths: | I have had this bike since 1999. I find it hard to replace! I want to but then I don't because I like it that much. I love to climb and this is the bike to do it with. Its real light and easy to flick for a guy like me who is always bunny hoping and jumping trail obstacles (MX Racer)/ | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bottom Line: | Hard to give this bike uo for all the new cool stuff, I think I'll keep it around still. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Filipe P. J.
a Cross Country Rider
from Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Floresta da Tijuca | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Strengths: | Durabilite | | Weaknesses: | no one | | Similar Products Used: | varius. | | Bike Setup: | All XTR. | | Bottom Line: | Very good bike. No problens at all. The front suspention just need the appropriate maintenance!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
arie
a Racer
from belgium
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | This is just the best bike i ever ridden,and there where a lots before. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike W
a Racer
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Mt. Tamalpais Railroad Grade | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Private Sale | | Strengths: | Rigid rigid rigid, which I think is the most important thing in a mtb. Great frame. Strong brakes. Headshock is nice and stiff too. | | Weaknesses: | Coda cranks are crap. They loosen up and start popping and creaking every 3 months. When I have the $$$ I'm replacing the cranks for sure. The pedals got replaced with eggbeaters the day after I got it. The Coda pedals make better paper weights. The frame looks cool as hell (it's the battleship green one pictured above) and it's the recipient of quite a bit of bike-envy. | | Similar Products Used: | Scott mtb about 5 yrs ago. Univega (I know, don't laugh) before that. | | Bike Setup: | Crank Bros Stainless Eggbeater pedals. Second wheelset by Shimano with road slicks. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this bike as a dual purpose daily commuter / weekend offroader. It is PERFECT for this. I bought a second wheelset with Specialized slicks. This is my daily commuter from Haight to Downtown. I'm a competitive rider, and with this setup the bike is the same in weight and rolling resistance to most road bikes. Only strong roadies can keep up or pass me. It sure is fun to pass roadies on a mtb.
On the weekends I swap out the road wheels for the mountain wheels and I'm ready to go.
I'm not an all-out offroader. I like the Railroad Grade because it's the full height of the mountain, technically easy and lets you get some FUN speed on the way down. The bike's rigidity is great on the trails, climbing is efficient since it's a hardtail and light. The headshock takes all the pounding I give it on the way down.
I'd recommend this bike to anyone, especially if you can get at the steal price that this one was. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Chi-Town Illinois
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Cemetary Hill | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Crappy Ass LBS | | Strengths: | Incredibly Light, stiff, fork tracks like it's on rails, have had no problems with the fork, brakes are so strong my fillings shot out of my mouth when I stood on them, did I mention stiff and light? | | Weaknesses: | Stiff. Also stiff, and it's stiff. Had trouble with the front large chain ring, Rapid rise is confusing as hell after years with a normal rise. Remaining fillings almost shot out after hitting the bumps it's so stiff | | Similar Products Used: | TREK 9.9 OCLV, TREK 930, Stumpjumper FSR, POS Huffy | | Bike Setup: | Stock, just got a new thudbuster to correct the bleedin' ass and a WTB Stealth for the numb schlong. | | Bottom Line: | Bought the bike new, came with XT, XTR Fatty SL with 5 position dampner. Liked it because it felt similar to my OCLV in terms of handling, weight, etc. Turned out to be MUCH harder riding bike. Rode last week for an and hour and a half and could barely sit the next day. Ass STILL hurt a week later. Bought new bike shorts, seat, and thudbuster to correct. Not fun with numb hands from carpel tunnel like syndrome, numb naughty bits from crappy seat and seatpost, and throbbing ass.
Rapid Rise confused me for months because I still rode my old bike once in a while. Shifters worked well, but had trouble with front chainring. Chain kept falling off and lousy chain suck. Turns out I had a bent ring. I used to smash my old OCLV rings and never bent them. Don't remember ONCE hitting large chain ring and it seemed to happen almost from the day I took possesion. Bike shop lied to me and gave me the run around, eventually paid $60 to diff. LBS to diagnose problem and get new ring. Never had a problem with the wheels, brakes, or Fatty headshok after hundreds of miles.
Corners like a Ferrari and stops cold like you threw out the anchor. best steering I've ever experienced. Climbs like a scared cat on speed. I think I'm getting to old, I think my next bike will be Full suspension. Intrigued by Specialized Epic. Overall, love the lightness and nimbleness, can't stand the fact that it rides like a brick. My old Trek OCLV was MUCH more compliant while still being light and stiff. Five flamin' turds for value, incredible weight and performance for the cash, four for overall cause while it handles great, wish it was a little better with the ride and I think I got a bad ring from the factory. Wish I could give it 4.5 | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hardtailer
a Weekend Warrior
from earth
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | milwaukee river / john muir | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | sweet caad4 frame, xt & xtr shimano components, avid arch rivals, nice paint (reptile fade) | | Weaknesses: | coda components, aluminum (not just cannondale) frames tend to creek, hard to find knowledgeable headshok techs & aftermarket replacement parts for the fork/headset. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | '99 f1000, xt & xtr, race frace, avid, mavic. | | Bottom Line: | bought in '99. im a clyde (235 lbs) and ride urban and single track nothing crazy or with more than 3ft drop's. trashed the coda bar ends first yeat, trashed the coda crank first year, trashed the coda handle bars second year. the hubs have held out but are not smooth at all. the mavic 221's lasted almost 3 years but needed to be trued often. everything else rox0rs. love my caad4. bottom line, great hardtail that can be built up w/o replacing every piece of componetry, if you don't mind being tied to a particular fork/headset brand. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dr. J
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal Canada
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Rougemont | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | ABC | | Strengths: | Light, Stiff, Perfect Geometry, Good Parts | | Weaknesses: | A bit bouncy, Weird road cogset, Defective small chainring, cheap Damping Dial on the fork | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain, Kona, | | Bike Setup: | Stock + SPD 747, Sram shifters, 2x9 drivtrain (32/44 - 12/27) | | Bottom Line: | It's a 1999 model I bought in 1998, before 9 speeds were available from Shimano. So it has a weird setup: GripShift 9 speeds shifters, XTR RapidRise rear derailleur and a 12-27 Ultegra road cogset. I got powerful legs now! I changed those cheap Coda pedals, took off the bar-ends.
I had a lot of trouble with the small chainring. The chain seemed to just fall off of it, everytime. I thought it was a bad front derailleur adjustment, but it turned out to be a warped chainring. I took it off and never put it back (since at the time, I was riding almost always in the city).
It's a climber's dream machine. I'm not a big fan of Rock Shox and Manitous, I love the Headshok! It's very stiff (on par with the old Girvin Vector). This bike wants to go fast, all the time. It's not a cruising bike, it's really stiff and could be unconfortable to some (I had a Proflex before so I wasn't used to Alu Hardtails). I'll be buying other Cannondales that's for sure! Maybe a Scalpel 3000 next summer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric
a Racer
from northridge
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | chumash trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | bought from friend | | Strengths: | this review is for a 1997 f1000
the weight is nice and that's it!!! | | Weaknesses: | everything, first off, 2 or 3 spokes break every 70 or so miles, 2nd, i cracked the frame, and i'm only 125lbs, 3rd, everything breaks down all the time,and last, i'm just never satisfied with the damn thing | | Similar Products Used: | none as bad as this bike | | Bike Setup: | pretty much stock | | Bottom Line: | this bike WILL BREAK DOWN !!!!!!!!! but for a 22lb bike, from 97', i guess you can't expect too much from that. for 300 bucks, thats what i got. i guess i deserved it? | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lauren
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeUSA San Diego | | Strengths: | Very light, responsive, cool color (green->brown fade) w/ yellow decal, | | Weaknesses: | Can have more grip on loose gravel or downhill. Don't have disc brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | 1999 F900, 2001 F600 Disc | | Bike Setup: | Stock + XTR shifter | | Bottom Line: | I paid only $1k(altho of an older model) for a new 1999 (it is now Oct'01) Cannondale CAAD4 frame + XT/XTR components, I'm more than happy with the performance and everything.
This is definitely a racer-grade weight and setup. I am looking forward for years of mountaining raiding on this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barrett
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa, CA USA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Whiting Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Jax | | Strengths: | A natural born climber
Unique proprietary fork design
Durable frame with a lifetime warranty
Razor sharp handling
| | Weaknesses: | Super stiff...makes it a great climber but comes at a price downhill
limited suspension and headset choices
limited travel on the Headshok | | Similar Products Used: | Trek aluminum hardtail | | Bike Setup: | Set up at varying times as both a hopped up xc racer with all the chi chi titanifiber parts, and as a 100lb touring bike with front and year panniers | | Bottom Line: | Overall, this bike has given me years of service and, considering I have a lifetime warranty on the frame, will continue to serve well into the future.
Originally, I bought the bike to hop up and build the stiffest, lightest, climbing machine xc racer out there. It was a perfect frame for that, really light at around 3lbs, and really stiff. It worked well for me. I raced a bit and had some success at it. The frame was a complement to my strengths at hillclimbing, yet it also tended to emphasize my squirrelyness going downhill. Like I said, the frame is REALLY stiff, specifically in the rear triangle. Bear in mind the fact that the newer CAAD 4s and 5s have much narrower, and bent, seat stays, which I'm sure take a lot of the sting out of technical downhills and rock gardens. With me, however, I'm fairly light, and the bike was disguntingly light, and I just got bounced all over the place.
Not only have I raced with it, but I went on an extended bike tour from Vancouver, BC to Southern California over the course of six weeks. It was the perfect bike for that; light, rugged, and durable. What was great about the CDale as a tourer was the fairly standard fork blades of the headshok. Although I had to find extra large U Clamps for my Blackburn lowrider front racks, the design of the fork allowed my to have a front rack AND front suspension. I can't think of a better testament to bike frame durability than several years of xc racing and a 2000 mile bike ride over countless rolling hills lugging around 80 lbs of stuff....and still stiff as a board.
I'm looking at getting a new racing bike, and I'll tell ya, the new CDales are still on my short list. Who knows, I might go with a Trek OCLV or even a dualie, but the same qualities I liked on the CDale design five years ago...the slop free steering, light weight, etc, are still attractive now. Some may hate headshoks, but give them points for originality; there's nothing else like it.
Some of the gripes about parts I'll go along with too; but do what I did. Buy it at a place that will allow you to leave off particular parts (the weird Coda crankset in my case) with the commensurate deduction in the total price for the bike...then just get your own stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Blake
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham, WA
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$999.00 | | Purchased At: | Fairhaven Moutain Sports | | Strengths: | FRAME FRAME FRAME. Top of the line drivetrain. Really lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | CODA parts not as burly as other brands; Recommend different pedal setup than CODA ones | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rockhopper Comp, Stumpjumper, Trek 8000 | | Bike Setup: | STOCK | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. It is a serious climber: The lightness of the bike makes it go up pretty much anything, and you'd have to work much harder with many other bikes. Downhill is a different story. You have to really be concentrating or the bike will get away from you. Also, the CODA crankset is not the best...I'm probably going to replace with something else. The bottom line is that when you buy a Cannondale, you buy the frame, and the CAAD4 frame simply rocks. Also, the new F1000 has a lefty shock--which may be some technological advance in dropping the weight by some minimal amount, but as a vain biker I would feel stupid riding such an incredibly ugly bike (because as we all know, it's not about how you ride, it's about how you look when you ride! ;-)). Also, the 2001 F1000 has XT rear and LX front--1999 has XTR rear and XT front. I wanted the better drive train over the lefty shock myself.
Overall: I LOVE this bike. Its a great all around bike that, if you can find any, you will get at a great price if you buy today. Highly recommended...
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
greg
a Cross Country Rider
from sweden
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | light, stiff, avid brakes, nice paint | | Weaknesses: | headshock, coda parts, too stiff sometimes, wierd bar-ends, rapid rise, feels like its made of glass, 1 1/4 head is retarded | | Similar Products Used: | GT's and Treks | | Bike Setup: | stock except for seat (got a serfas) and pedals (shimanos) | | Bottom Line: | this bike is a pretty good all arounder. i use it to go to school and to work and sometimes ill take it on the trail. not too much anymore, since this is my second bike. on the trail it excells going up, on the downhill i wouldnt recomend doing anything too hairy. the headshock is good until you actually need it. it is terrible at soaking up small bumps when the pressure is high and if you lower it then you will bottom out really easily. although it does have good tracking abilities. the coda parts do thier job but are not on par with the other companies that are out there. the seat wasnt good at all. on the plus side....this bike is light enough to do some racing on even with the stock setup. the frame is very stiff which gives excellent power transfer to the wheel. although its easy to tell how stiff it really is after a long ride and your ass hurts. for slowing down avids arches are in my opinion the best v brake you can buy. probably the only ones that can hang with xtrs. no doubt the best thing about this bike is the frame. its made very well and has a good paint covering. the only this bad i can say about it is the lack of choice that you get when you buy it because of the dumb 1 1/4 head. the other things is if you tap the downtube near the bottom bracket it sounds like the bike is made of glass and is paper thin. i havent crashed this bike but if it took a good shot i dont think it would survive. if youre looking for a light inexpensive bike that you can have fun on or maybe do some light racing this could be a bike for you. if you are a serious trailrider that gets pretty dirty opt for the light fs cc bikes or longer travel models. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Santee Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Uh...Santee
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | "Flying W", Noble Canyon, Sping Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1250.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle World (now Bike USA) | | Strengths: | Light, INCREDIBLE handling & braking. Show me a better paint job - the "Reptillian Fade" is AWESOME!!!. This bike is an excellent climber, but (in my opinion) even better on the technical downhills. On the technical downhills I wonder: Is this really a XC bike? | | Weaknesses: | I concur with some of the other reviewers in that: 1)There may be some problems with the CODA BB, mine also started creaking after about 8 months - I may replace it with another brand. 2) I too needed to have the Fatty SL Headshock serviced (oil leak). This I can live with (as long as it is not a common occurrance) since the Cannondale headshock design is a major contributor to its lightness and "INCREDIBLE handling". This is not the best bike for technical uphill climbs because of fairly low ground clearance (pedals tend to hit things like rocks, etc...). | | Bike Setup: | Stock, with a few minor changes. | | Bottom Line: | First: Those that complain about tires and seats on any bike don't have a clue - that's trivial stuff that is not intended for this type of review (in my opinion). REPLACE them if you don't like them and get on with life. Personally, I like the CODA 900 seat and I think that the MythosXC tires are a perfect match for this bike.
This bike is speced out real nice with the possible execption of some CODA parts. The "Avid Arch Rival" brakes KICK ASS!!!. The main reason I purchased this bike was so that I would have a lightweight bike that I could take on longer XC types of rides that I generally don't go on, but that I am occasionally invited to go on by some of my XC racing buddys. I couldn't have made a better choice. This bike actually is better than my 1998 Specialized FSR Comp on the real technical downhills (steep, lots of loose rocks) . I plan on riding this bike for a long time to come.
I would recommend this bike for anyone that is interested in getting into XC racing or for anyone that simply wants a quality lightweight hardtail for specific types of rides. This is not a bike for entry level riders (unless your hobby is throwing away $$$). There are a ton of less expensive pretty good quality hardtails out there (check out Voodoo Al Comp - Mtn Bike Magazine June 2000 ). Happy downhills!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay Ramer
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin, USA
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lake Kinkaid, Murphysboro IL, | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Gear N' Up Bikes Shop, Neenah WI | | Strengths: | Stiff climber, great paint job (Chromalusion Purpleen), Good ergonomics, disc Compatible, Headshock | | Weaknesses: | Headshock tougher to work on, tall Cdale specific front end, downtube cables. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn Homegrown Factory XTR, Balance FS Pro w/EFC, Cdale M600 w/EFC, Specialized Stumpjumper Cromoly W/EFC, Have Ridden virtually every MTB in existence, own 27 bikes currently.
| | Bike Setup: | Crossmax Wheels, XTR Brakes and deraillers, XT Rapidfires, Azonic World Force Flat bar, Ctrl Tech Barends, Stem in "rise" position, Suspension Seat Post, Flite Max saddle, 747's, UN72 BB and XTR cassette are only changes | | Bottom Line: | Bike looks great, I have only a few miles on it off road before the snow came, but so far it fits me well. The headshock will be more maintenance than I like, and hard to seal off. The Coda Cranks are great quality sugino units, regardless of what anyone else says about them. Original seat did suck, and the rear end is rather stiff, so Suspension seatpost was a good upgrade. 9 spd is good, rapid rise is wierd. Would suggest buying new seal for upper headset bearing (avail. from dealer) and upgrading cassette and bottom bracket to XT units to save weight. Bike is a good deal for the paint job alone. Stock bike is good deal for aspiring racer on a budget looking for world class handling, do not buy it if you want longer travel or hate headshocks. XC use only. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Grammer
a Weekend Warrior
from Lawrence, Kansas
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Lawrence River Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | *bank repossession of local store | | Strengths: | Climming ability, Headshock with lockout and lightweight frame with aggressive riding possition (put stem "down" like Tinker) | | Weaknesses: | Seat - ouch! 9 speed doesn't stay tuned very long. | | Similar Products Used: | none like it | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | I absolutely love the bike. I had a V-700, which was a lot of fun in the mountains of Colorado, Utah and Idaho. However, the lightness of the F1000 makes it easy to handle on the down-hills (where I thought I would really miss the full suspension) and it kicks ass on the climbs!!! But, the Head shock with its lockout on the fly capability is probably one of the single most innovative concepts/components in all mountain bikedom - I would not be able to say enough about it here.
I would recommend this bike to anyone interested in fun, off-road riding to rippin' the trail to shreds! Don't waste this beauty on just pavement riding (i.e., only to and from school)! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Isaac
a
from ohio
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | light | | Similar Products Used: | f500 sv500 | | Bike Setup: | XTR cassete race face cranks Jr T fork | | Bottom Line: | I'm a bigger rider 260 and 6'5" to be exact and this frame holds up to everything I put it through. Ive broken alot of stuff on the bike but at my size that happens I love the ride and the way it climbs even with the big Jr. T up front The headshock worked well but I blew three of the 5 position adjuster ones out but the lock out one held up great. I race this bike and occasionally win and I love the frame | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas, TX
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Cedar Hill, Grapevine | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Strengths: | The bike is fast and light - sometimes almost too light on the downhill stuff. It tends to "get away from you" on a quick downhill. But it is a great climber. | | Weaknesses: | I hate the way Canondale is getting in the habit of spec'ing the bike out with its own parts (Coda). For the most part, I find them inferrior to other brands that should be used on bikes in this price range. Also, hate the headshock. And where can you turn? It isn't like you can just put on the newest fork from another company. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher | | Bike Setup: | Added Shimano 858 pedals, XTR brakes/levers, Flite saddle, and Michelin tires. | | Bottom Line: | It is a really quick bike, and I can imagine it is quick enough for racing (not that I do). Despite what you may think about the alumni stiffness and the stiff rear triangle, the bike is really fairly comfortable. I can easily stay on the bike for a 25 mile ride. It is supper light and easy on the uphills. I just wish Canondale would stick to making bikes and not components. If you buy this bike, get ready to shell out some bucks to get rid of those lousy Coda parts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
LD Harrington
a Weekend Warrior
from Cupertino
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Sausalito Cyclery | | Strengths: | Bike is a late 97 model. Stellar climbing bike with perfect geometry for my body. I'm 5 ft 6, and like many women, gain most of my height in the leg with a short torso, so I needed a shorter top pole on a Med size frame. Great components package; super shifting, lightweight and I love the bike...it lives INSIDE the house. | | Weaknesses: | HORRIBLE SEAT and HORRIBLE SEAT POST. Had to replace them both before I could even ride the bike. Thank god my boyfriend suggested the seat post might be the problem. The worst was the cheap aluminum seat post, which made every seat I tried on miserable until he realized it was more the seat post than the seat. Ended up buying a 100 plus dollar high end perfectly balanced seat post an anatomically correct seat...solved all my problems. Hate the clip in pedals and put pedals with toe clips on as soon as I got aggressive on the downhill stuff. Warning; Head shock got some water in it on some of the wilder, wet n rainy rides, and rusted...had to be rebuilt. Bummer. | | Similar Products Used: | Tried the Specialized, Gary Fischer, Klein. | | Bike Setup: | All original except the crappy seat and post which could have ruined the whole bike experience had I not pursued a new setup aggressively. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. The frame is stellar for climbing. I'll have the bike for the long haul. I'd buy it all over again in a heartbeat and would pick it over the other's I've ridden since. Just watch out for the crappy stock seat and seat post. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Heber City, Utah
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Wasatch Crest to Pipeline (Millcreek) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Weight, components (1999 model), Fatty SL, climbing, overall toughness | | Weaknesses: | Seat (I want to have more than one child - numb after every ride), maintenance on Fatty SL (too frequent) | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized, Jamis | | Bike Setup: | 1999 Stock (CAAD 4, FATTY SL, XTR/XT COMBO, CODA CRANKS, CODA HUBS, MAVIC RIMS, MYTHOS TIRES | | Bottom Line: | I posted shortly after I bought this bike in May of 1999. Well, after a year of great riding my 1999 F1000 is performing great. I still hate the seat, but that is no big deal. It climbs great and the shock is incredible. I love the Avid Arch 50 Rival breaks and the FATTY SL is just perfect. I don't like taking it to a bike shop for a tune every 100 miles, but it is one the best shocks I've ever used.
My F1000 hasn't had a thing go wrong expect for a few minor adjustments when it was new. Everything is stock and working well.
I'm glad I bought the 1999 F1000, the 2000 model doesn't have quality components the 99' does, but I'm sure it will perform well.
I'm sold on Cannodale. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duke
a Weekend Warrior
from Kingsport, TN USA
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Creeper, Bays Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Frame, Headshock | | Weaknesses: | Coda Seat | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn, Nishiki, GT, Fuji, Cannondale | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Seat, Seatpost, and Pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I thought I was ready for Dual Suspension, and tried several models. But anytime I climbed, I quickly lost interest in Dual Suspension bikes. When I told my LBS my delema, they told me to try the F-1000, and what a bike! It is a great climber in or out of the saddle. My first ride was a 25 mile rail trail, and the Coda seat was the worst seat I have ever sat on. I had pressure on the prostate the whole ride, and could never get comfortable on it. I re-adjusted it, and gave it one more try before replacing it and the seatpost (Serfas RX Seat, and Coda Seatpost Suspension) I also replaced the pedals, but not because I didn't like them. I have never moved up to clipless pedals,(Still stuck in the 80's) so I am using some old used ones. Will probably go clipless, as I am about to change my mind on this one. One more comment on the seat. My buddy at the LBS says that when people come back into his store, they either say, best seat I have ever ridden on, or they say, That saddle is terrible! He says it runs about 50%. Also, I am 40, and enjoy bicycle touring. One note: If you ever want to add a rack, there are no brazons in the rear to do this. There is a way around it, by mounting a bracket at the base of the seatpost, which is what I have done to take a two day overnighter in West Virginia, then its coming off. All the Caad 2's and 3/s have them, but the Caad 4 doesn't. Just FYI if that is in your future plans. Thats not a flaw, because it is a bike built to race with. The headshock Suspension has been perfect, and something I have been very impressed with. I like to bounce this bike, (I wish I was a trails rider)and the shock has held up flawlessly to my abuse. I am going to give this a 4 star rating, only because I hated the Coda seat, that much! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from China
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Great frame, considerably more forgiving than my old M800 without any apparant loss in efficiency. The headshock is a revelation.
Aside from chain suck, the gears are silky smooth | | Weaknesses: | Not sure that I like the "non-sevicable" hubs. The press in bearing cones have come loose a couple of times, but seem ok with a quick twist. I like to be able to take things apart. Mind you, I had the same concern about cartridge BBs 10 years ago and am sold on them now.
Loads of chain suck compared to any of my previous bikes, however I am hearing rumors of 9 speed having something to do with this. I'm not yet sure if the extra 2 gears are worth the hassle. (I missed out on 8 speed, too busy enjoying my 91 M800.)
I'm not a 'merkin, so the brakes are the wrong way round for me. The "floating" design of the v-brakes (which work superbly) makes it a little difficult to swap the levers, without the cable housing pushing the block onto the rim. Serves me right for being English, I suppose.
Also unsure about the longevity of the shifting, with the reverse action rear derailler, once the cluster rings start to wear, but it works great at the mo. | | Similar Products Used: | '91 M800
'00 F something (lefty fork - wow) | | Bike Setup: | Off the shelf | | Bottom Line: | This seems to me to be a very well put together bike for the price, considering the options I had when I bought it. Choice in Asia is somewhat limited compared to North America. Having said that, my wife went to Canada last summer and, after test riding about 20 different bikes (and failing to find a shop that had a Kona Stinky in stock) she ended up buying an F1000 aswell. In order to avoid "matching bike" type piss takes, I may have to get a new steed, but it won't be because there's anything wrong with this one.
The headshock works superbly, I'm suprised that more bike companies aren't licensing the tech. from them. Very difficult to service, though, Particularly if you live a 4 hour flight from the neares "authorised" C'dale mechanic. Cannondale were very helpful in that regard, sending me out a service manual (more stuff to take apart!)
I would say that anyone could benefit from owning this bike. Heavier (and / or less "subtle") riders might have some issues with some of the lighter weight parts, like the wheels and, I have to admit, full suspension is looking tastier and tastier each year... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
fred
a Racer
from fredville
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | it sucks | | Weaknesses: | it really sucks | | Bottom Line: | it really really sucks | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
FunBob
a Racer
from Maple Grove, MN 55369
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Theodore Worth | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Fast, efficient ride. It is pretty light for the money. Head Shock works well. Good climber | | Weaknesses: | Saddle,weak rims,Coda cranks,9 speed in general,water bottle mounts,creaks from stem/handle bar/shoch area. | | Similar Products Used: | stumjumper m2 | | Bike Setup: | I use Time pedals which are a lot better than the coda pedals. I switched to an 8 speed drive train because of 9 speed issues that seemed to pop up. | | Bottom Line: | This is a good race bike but I have had my share of problems. The saddle started to come apart at the rails on the 2nd ride. The rear wheel required constant truing until I tweaked it bad and had to rerim it with a 517 mavic. The bike had spinal reflex-like chain suck when things got dirty. This was fixed by changing to a shimano crank. My bike creaks a lot too, which is very annoying. Also, when I was installing a cage the bolt could not be tightened because the threaded piece inside the frame would spin with the bolt. I'm glad I work at a bike shop so I can maintain this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Racer
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything technical and hilly. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light, strong, responsive. | | Weaknesses: | Friggin' bottom bracket creaked from day one. Normally do my own work, but took it to the shop and they tightened it back up. Bought a BB tool for it while I was there. Loosened and started creaking again. Pissed me off. I'm not a big CODA fan, so I bought a new XTR BB and cranks and replaced the whole deal. Since then, no problem.
Only other problem is the lightweight nature of the frame. Already have a nice big divot in the bottom of the downtube where a rock popped up and hit it. Nearly severed my shifter cable as well. :-) | | Similar Products Used: | Original MTB was a '90 Cannondale. Broke the frame at the BB in the fall of 1998 after eight hard years. | | Bike Setup: | Started out stock. Now have XTR BB and Cranks XTR hub-based wheels. Upgrades are always cool. | | Bottom Line: | Love the bike. Problems with the creaky BB had me a little upset for a while, but think I'm past that. The original wheels are a little poofy (lightweight) for riding the rocky trails in Arizona (especially when you're a big rider), so I'm replacing them with new ones (XTR hubs, Mavic 517 rims and DT 14/15/14 spokes). Maybe a little heavier, but I can stop replacing broken spokes and having to retrue the wheel every month. Love the bike, but still not sure about the lifespan it's going to have riding on the rocks of AZ.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan day
a Weekend Warrior
from geneva NY
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Rim Trail at Taghonic Falls | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Head shock, stiff, fast, cannondale-'nuff said | | Weaknesses: | chain has dug a gauge in the bb housing, thats it
| | Similar Products Used: | gt,trek,fisher | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/times and xt brakes | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks. It is the best hardtail i have ridden.
Just a comment to all of you how complain about tires not gripping or your saddle hurting or that your ass hurts when you sit down when riding over rough areas:SHUT THE HELL UP
Tires have different uses-if you dont like yours buy new ones
Saddles can make your ass hurt-if your does buy one that doesnt
And lastly if your ass hurts when you go over rough areas- remember your riding a damn hardtail and your ass will hurt if you dont like it buy a duely or a soft-tail.ok so shut up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | strong, stiff,light, forgiving | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | trek 8000, klein attitude,fisher supercaliber | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | This is an excellent race bike or aggressive trail bike. I have no complaints about this bike....friend of mine has a 94 F1000 and it has been through 3 or 4 24hrs races and alot of aggressive trail riding...and he has had no problem w/ the frame so far. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KING
a Weekend Warrior
from Salt Lake City, UT
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
great handling
great climber
great price | | Weaknesses: |
original brake system sucked, no problems after replacement | | Similar Products Used: |
giant
marin
specialized
mongoose | | Bottom Line: | bought it new in '95. have taken it everywhere. always reliable, climbs like a goat | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KC
a Weekend Warrior
from AYLMER,PQ,CANADA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 1999 | | Favoriate Trail: |
Powerline Gatineau Park | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
HEADSHOCK
CLIMBS LIKE A BILLY.
| | Weaknesses: |
STOCK WHEELS TO SOFT
Paint chips | | Similar Products Used: |
SCOTT TEAM
GT
KONA
GIANT | | Bike Setup: |
CANE CREEK WAM WHEELS
RACE FACE BAR
SEATPOST
CRANK & RINGS
HUTCHINGSON TIRES | | Bottom Line: | Soon after I received the bike I had problems shifting up front.C-Dale replaced the front derailer right away.I also had problems with my stock 221's going out of wack.
I've beat the living poop out of this bike and it's still going strong.The headshock is smooth and quite,it's the best shock out there. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Rankenberg
a Racer
from holland
Date Reviewed: December 20, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Stiff frame, stiff fork, light, haven't got much faith in coda, so I replaced it with XTR(it rules, but XT is almost as good but much cheaper) | | Weaknesses: |
not a bike for non-racers(too hard on the rear) | | Similar Products Used: |
cannondale cad 3 with rond-fork and XT | | Bike Setup: |
cad 4 with ultra-fork(2000-model f1000)full XTR except magura hs-33(=best rim-brakes),plasma shifters(good), time pedals(ultimate pedals, except the lateral float, i would be very pleased if i could get shoe-plates with no lateral-float, but with rotation-freedom, please e-mail me if you have a solution for this problem), coda hubs.
Also flite saddle(i also have had a pave, but it did not satisfy for my MTB), syncros alu seatpost, mythos tires(nobs in front and semi-slick back, the original mospuito's are very good, but after 300km they were hal |
|
|
