[BritOnTour]

My local shop is offering a 2010 Cannondale RZ one forty 3Z for $2000. The price is right on for my budget, but before I make the jump, I wanted to see if anyone had anything good or bad to say about the bike. Also, if there are any other recommendations around the same price.

Here are the stock Q&A
1) Your budget. $2000-$2250. Nothing below $2000 since insurance is paying!
2) What bikes, if any, are you already considering? 2010 Cannondale RZ one forty 3Z
3) What type of riding do you intend to do? Mainly Cross Country and maybe some Freeride and paved paths
4) Do you have a preference over a hardtail or full suspension? FS
5) Age, weight and height. 40, 160lbs, 5ft6in
6) What sources will you consider buying from? Local Bike Shop preferred, online vendors considered. cannot be used or ebay as it is an insurance claim
7) Do you want people to offer you alternative suggestions to issues such as budget, bikes already considered, and sources? Please suggest other bikes of similar spec and price.

Looking forward to your suggestions

 

[dubdryver]

Could you specify which year the RZ-140 3Z is ('09 or '10)? The 2010 has a Hammerschmit with a Revelation fork...nearly a $4k bike. I am not a fan of the Hammerschmit, not that easy to work on, and requires a little bit more maintenance. The '09 comes with a Lefty fork which is proned to additional maintenance and rebuilding. The RZ-140 is a good bike..I just think in the recent years, they really haven't had very competitive offerings and have been coming up short on shootouts. Much of this is due to the political turmoil since the company is now under new ownership. They have had a decline in sales over the last few years.

Have you considered the new Giant Anthem X 29er 3? The 29er will take a little bit more edge off of the trail, and ride with more efficiency on paved paths. Also it will climb technical sections with a bit more ease. I would say that the Anthem's Maestro's suspension has the edge in climbing and pedaling. The RZ is decent, but not as good as a dual link. They are priced at $2350, but you can usually work a deal with a LBS...especially if you plan on walking out with one that day or demonstrate seriousness.

 

[BritOnTour]

DubDryver, I guess you missed it in the first post, but I did say it's a 2010 model. It does have the hammerschmidt crank. Have you had a bike with hammerschmidt on it? just curious to know if the dislike is from direct experience or not. Yep, it is a $4k bike, but on clearance and an extra discount gets it down to $2K for me. I thought it was a sweet deal.

I took a look at the Giant Anthem, saw a recall due to frame cracking, so that put me off. I've had a bike frame crack on me before and dont want even a remote chance of it happening again.

Anyway, since I'm only 5ft6in, i wasnt looking at 29ers. I have a 30in inseam and I'm concerned about the standover height of the big wheelers.

 

[dubdryver]

When I went to Cali I rented a santa cruz Nomad with it. Granted I don't know how to work on it, but it started making some weird ticking on the inside..not like a BB, and couldn't figure it out. At the end of the day, I brought it back to the shop, and they just gave me another bike..without the hammerschmitt. There is nothing wrong with getting a $4K bike for half price, and in the event that you don't like the hammerschmitt, you can always sell it to fund for another of your choice...since they are pretty pricey!

The recall that you are talking about never made it to the LBSs. They recalled before they released the first batch for sale to the distribution centers. The problem was corrected back in October, and you can consult many owners and LBSs on the issue, and I promise the bike has been flawless. The problem was identified early last year with their testers, and it was documented, all the test bikes were recalled until the problem was resolved.

All-in-all, you have to ride what you want to ride, and whats in your budget. Component-wise the RZ one forty is hard to beat and a very versatile bike. I only made the suggestion about the Anthem X29 because it probably the best "budget" bike out right now if you were interested in a 29er. The Salsa Spearfish is another one, but the travel is more limited and pushed more into the XC Race category. Don't let your height dictate the bike in such a way. Willow Koeber is only 5'4" on high heals, and she rocks a 29er...another local racer the same. I am 5'8" with a 30.5 inseam and the same. MOST 29ers have a dropped top-tube which decreases the standover.

 

[CaliforniaJed]

I've seen the One Forty 3Zs offered for around that price, too, and I've been tempted...

I guess the combination of the Hammerschmidt and the conventional (non-lefty) fork on a Cannondale made these slow sellers... The nearly $4K list price seems a bit high to me, too. I would love the hear from someone who owns one. I have not ever even seen one reviewed.

 

[661lee]

Bike mag reviewed it a few months ago and really liked it. I just saw one this week. Its a really sweet bike with a great component spec, especially at that price. Most important though, is how it fits you and if you feel comfortable on it.

 

[CaliforniaJed]

Any clue how much it weighs?

 

[BritOnTour]

I'll let you know on Saturday! I took the plunge and ordered the bike yesterday

 

[CaliforniaJed]

Hey, BritOnTour, congratulations! By my reckoning that will be an awesome bike. You must be excited as heck! When do you get it?!

There must have been something in the air yesterday, because I pulled the trigger on my first mountain bike in almost 20 years yesterday, too! I didn't go with the Cannondale. To get it at the price you mentioned I was going to have to buy it out of state, and I ultimately decided to buy another bike from the guy who runs my neightborhood LBS (who services my road bike).

Have fun!

 

[CaliforniaJed]

One more thing -- I noticed on your profile you're from Grapevine. Though I've been in SoCal for 15 years, I grew up in DFW, and I used to ride out at Lake Grapevine all the time. <tries to remember the name of the bar that wasn't too far from the trailhead>

 

[BritOnTour]

LBS owner said it should be at the store by Friday. I will pick it up on Saturday as he needs to Set it up for me. I've lived in grapevine for 2 years, but only had a chance to ride horseshoe trail due to family commitments. Then my bike was stolen last year. Can't wait to get back out on the trails.

What did you end up buying if you didn't get the cannondale?

 

[CaliforniaJed]

I ended up getting a Scott Genius LT. I'm totally excited to pick it up next week.

 

[BritOnTour]

I looked at a Scott genius at the local Sun & Ski Sports store. It was a good looking bike. Almost bought it, but the sales guy was an arse. He was not interested in dealing at all. In the end I think I did the right thing and shopped at the LBS. Guy was friendly, knew his stuff and knocked an extra $150 of the price! I get a $4000 bike for half price. Stoked!!

 

[CaliforniaJed]

That's AWESOME! I'm stoked too. Now I can't wait to pick up my bike!

 

[BritOnTour]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

LBS owner emailed to tell me that the delivery has been delayed and they won't see my bike until Monday. I was really looking forward to picking it up tomorrow. Bummer

 

[CaliforniaJed]

That SUX!!!!! If it is any consolation, I picked up my new bike but it is raining here, probably for most of the weekend!

 

[CaliforniaJed]

BritOnTour. I posted some pics of the Scott in this thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=689171

Still haven't gotten to ride-- rained out this morning. Maybe tomorrow...

 

[BritOnTour]

What really sucks is the fact that the weather this weekend was perfect for riding. I did manage to get a trailer hitch installed ready for my bike rack. Going to have to wait a bit longer till I get my bike though.

Have fun when the weather improves.

 

[hardtailkid]

Wow. I saw one of those at a bike shop today and I kept walking back to it. Pictures? :thumbsup: That looks like a really nice bike.

 

[BritOnTour]

Are you talking about the Cannondale or the Scott?