[pbcrazyboy]

My lbs is ordering a cannondale f7 xl for me. It is one of the few left and I wanted to know what you guys thought about this bike compared to the trek 4300 disc. Its about 100 dollars cheaper and price is really the only thing I care about. Both of them have disc brakes and the shop has both of them.

 

[shopcat_cycles]

Out of those two or any more you are looking at in that price range I would get the one that fits the best. I looked at the components on both of them and they are pretty similar...main difference being the sram rear derailleur and shifters on the Cdale vs shimano rear derailleur and shifters on the trek. What prices did you get on both of those? I'm not sure how much the cdale is but the msrp on that 4300 disc is $599. I don't know if you have tried out the gary fisher's but they have a bike in that range msrp $559, the Wahoo, that comes with a little better components on it...fork- rock shox dart 1, RD- shimano deore, and FD-shimano acera to name a few. I think if you look around a little more you could find something with better components at that price. But the thing that matters the most is the fit.

 

[pbcrazyboy]

the cannondale f7 disc is 479 and the trek 4300 disc is 599

 

[djp2k8]

Both of them are spec'd about the same. For $100 cheaper I'd go with the Cannondale without a doubt. I might be biased, though, since I have an F7 and love it. :thumbsup:

 

[shopcat_cycles]

From posts i have read on those bikes under the review section here on the site you could probably get both of them a little cheaper...shops are pretty competitive. Maybe around 500 for the trek and 400 or so for the cdale. If it is between those two just get the one that feels better b/c they have very similar setups as far as component level goes, about on par with each other. What other bikes have you looked at or taken for a test ride? Like I said earlier I would definitely check to see if the Gary Fisher genesis geometry fits well...they generally put a little better components on the same price level bike as trek and some others. A GF Wahoo would be about the same price as the trek but better setup. There are also a few other brands out there that would give you more bang for your buck.

 

[pbcrazyboy]

Ive tried the 4300 disc but i didnt have the chance to try the cannondale because the shop didnt have my size.

 

[rock13]

I chose the F7 over the Trek. Got my first ride in a couple days ago and will be going in the morning. Love it. Got mine for $379 after I talked my lbs down from $409. I did not get the disk set up though. I don't think the quality is there to justify the price at this level.

I will tell you that I rode the F7 hard! Mud, rock, jumps, down hill, up. It took it all without a problem. I also decided to ride the 10 miles to the mountain so I put it through some road tests too. I'm very pleased with my choice. I got alot of bang for my buck. I'll keep it for a year or two and move on as my skills progress.

Just my $.02

 

[pbcrazyboy]

thanks mate.