[Sky1ne]

Hello guys I am new to mountain biking and I would like to get started with either a cdale f4 or caffiene f3. I have heard that people have had problems with their headshocks, like how they last only a year and are not as good as spring shocks. Is this true? Also, what do you mean by the headset being compatable with only a certain type of fork? Can I just replace the fork with another brand in the future without replacing anything else? My final question is do these bikes last a long time with not much maintainance? Im still in my teenage years, and I do not have a ton of $ to upgrade/fix/replace. The majority of my rinding will be on trails and roads. Sorry for all of the questions but I want to make a wise purchase.

 

[CdaleTony]

Hello guys I am new to mountain biking and I would like to get started with either a cdale f4 or caffiene f3.
I have heard that people have had problems with their headshocks, like how they last only a year and are not as good as spring shocks. Is this true?
Also, what do you mean by the headset being compatable with only a certain type of fork? Can I just replace the fork with another brand in the future without replacing anything else?
My final question is do these bikes last a long time with not much maintainance?
Im still in my teenage years, and I do not have a ton of $ to upgrade/fix/replace. The majority of my rinding will be on trails and roads. Sorry for all of the questions but I want to make a wise purchase.

If it goes out inside a year it is covered, and they dont seem to have an above average rate of problems. Perhaps a servicer like Mendon can expound further

The headset on a Headshock/Lefty Cdale is only comaptible with those forks due to the 1.562" diameter Steer tube. HOWEVER there is a simple $30 or so adaptor that allows you to use virtually any other fork

They will last like any other bike, primarily due to the fact that the components are the same as other MFR's components specs. They may be a 'level down' or something , but they aint going south much faster then their 'level higher' brethern. So simply put the parts on a Cdale are the same as on other bikes. Just perhaps a bit lower in the component line
CDT

 

[Sky1ne]

thanks for your help!

 

[plume]

Hello guys I am new to mountain biking and I would like to get started with either a cdale f4 or caffiene f3. I have heard that people have had problems with their headshocks, like how they last only a year and are not as good as spring shocks. Is this true? Also, what do you mean by the headset being compatable with only a certain type of fork? Can I just replace the fork with another brand in the future without replacing anything else? My final question is do these bikes last a long time with not much maintainance? Im still in my teenage years, and I do not have a ton of $ to upgrade/fix/replace. The majority of my rinding will be on trails and roads. Sorry for all of the questions but I want to make a wise purchase.

The new head shocks are really nice. I have an '06 DLR model and having the rebound control is nice. My fork was just over a year old and it was recently warantied by cannodale. I had a stiffer spring installed and it's really, really nice now. I was thinking about upgrading to a lefty but I'm so happy with the headshock now and the way it's set up it's likely that I'll just stick with what I have.

As far as your other questions, c'dales are just like any other bike. You're gonna need to maintain them. Think not only about the suspension fork, but more day to day stuff like the drive train. The more money you spend and time you take to make adjustments will make you happier on the trails. That's true with any kind of bike you get!

My first serious bike was a c'dale hardtail with a headshock. It was a great bicycle and I highly recommend them. These bikes are great on the road too because it's so easy to lock out the head shock. I did a lot of commuting and riding to trail heads in the past and that's a great feature a lot of people don't think about.

 

[Dan Gerous]

Headshoks are very reliable. I still have one that's 9 years old and I had the seals and oil changed once (not expensive, shop job so you get the bike back quickly) and just now, it would need a good servicing and new headset bearings but I just don't take care of it and 9 years is a long time for a fork that wasn't cared too much for. I have a teared boot (not good, check the boot often and replace it as soon as you see a hole or a tear in it) so the bearings are getting rough.

Just find a shop that can work with them and you'll be happy. Ask before you buy if they service Headshoks in-house, people who say these forks are unreliable and need to be sent back to Cannondale for maintenance are usually just stuck with bad shops who are not qualified so they wont touch the forks... They shouldn't even be allowed to sell Cannondales, right Mendon?

 

[Sky1ne]

thanks guys. Im liking the bike more and more now. I know of a large highly sucsessful bike shop which sells cannondales and could probably service them.

 

[plume]

thanks guys. Im liking the bike more and more now. I know of a large highly sucsessful bike shop which sells cannondales and could probably service them.

ps, go for the caffeine if you can swing it...

:thumbsup: