[Franco94]

Prophet owners - I need the benefit of your wisdom. I've scoured the reviews and forums for opinions on the prophet but would like to ask for specific help.

I'm currently on a '04 100mm Stumpjumper with a new Reba fork and it's a good ride for someone straddling the line between XC racing and trailriding. I ride rocky, rooty east coast trails where the lower bottom bracket of the SJ can be a slight disadvantage - nothing to sell a bike over but you know what I mean. I like the burn of the climb as much as flying downhill.

I continue to entertain the idea of less racing and more "fun" riding. The Prophet seems to be a great bike going up and down which are equally important to me. And the bike is just one of the best looking rides out there - truly unique. I've tested at the bike shop but have not taken one on the trails yet.

So here's the issue - do I just have a case of bike lust or would the Prophet be a signficantly better ride?

 

[SlipperyPete]

Cannondale makes great East Coast bikes--good in tight, twisty, rooty, rocky areas. But the Stumpy is a darn good bike too.

Are you able to find a dealer who will rent you out one for a day? Maybe you could find someone in your area who already owns one and you could meet him on the trail and test ride it. Or wait until Cannondale comes to your part of the country again with their demo tours.

I think determining whether or not the purchase will be worth it depends on your opinion (and bank account), not others. And the best way to do it is with a test ride on a trail.

 

[RideFaster]

This is the Cannondale forum. Pretty much everyone here will say buy it...including me! For a variety of opinions, go to the "What Bike to Buy" forum. Less bias (I think.) Anyway...I live in Mass. and I know where you are comming from with the rocky east coast stuff. I just bought a Rush 1000 for racing and trail riding. As you know, it's a more XC type of Prophet. So far, so good. It climbs insanely well and goes down faster than my hardtail. If it weren't for the fact that I was going to be racing, I would have gotten the Prophet.

For you, try and ride someone's Prophet on real trails like Slippery Pete recommended. Make sure you get the right size. I think you'd enjoy the Prophet on any ride. Light, simple and has a bit more travel than the Stumpy.

What model are you looking at?

 

[hugh088]

I just purchased a Proohet 4 and I love it. It replaced a Sugar+2 which I broke. It was a toss up between the Prophet and a Stumpjumper. I went with the Prophet and to tell the truth if it had not been in stock at the bike shop I'm not sure which way I would have went at the time. Now it's a no brainer, the lefty makes the difference. I'm a big guy 220lb and I was never really happy a regular suspension fork. The Lefty is so much stiffer. You hear people talk about one bike or crank being stiffer then another. I could never really tell that much difference, ok I could tell on the old Vitus al road bike but that was a noodle. On the first rocky, rooty decent on the Prophet I could tell the Lefty was stiffer. Another thing is Cannondale spec's a heavy spring for the larger frames, you would think all companies do that but they don't. Try a bike with a Lefty on a rocky downhill that you know and you will know what I'm talking about.
The question of it being signifcantly better, The stumpjumper is a heck of a good bike and it has a lot going for it and I would not bad mouth it but for a big guy the lefty fork is significantly stiffer. Hope that helps.

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

Hey there, well, the best thing to do is ride one, on a trail. This would seem to be obvious, but, being a single pivot bike, it will feel very different as it moves. The SJ has a near vertical axle path, so if you were to imagine your saddles position, as it moves through travel, it does so, pretty much straight up and down. A SP bikes saddle will move in a rearward arch, taking you with it. To some this is disconcerting, to others, it allows for much morebody english on log crossings, jumps etc. The choice is yours, but ride one off road if at all possible. FWIW, I love my Prophet.

 

[Dotkom]

First, check out this outstanding article
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Cannondale-Prophet-4X-Review.html

I bought my Prophet 600 (lowest range model with Lefty) in April, and since then I am upgrading it according to my growing riding abilities and experience. The keyword to Prophet is "versatility", it accomodates up to 2,5 wide tires, up to 200mm brake discs, DH coil spring, or you can ride it with XC lockout/weight wheenie setup and be happy.

 

[XR400R]

Prophet owners - I need the benefit of your wisdom. I've scoured the reviews and forums for opinions on the prophet but would like to ask for specific help.

I'm currently on a '04 100mm Stumpjumper with a new Reba fork and it's a good ride for someone straddling the line between XC racing and trailriding. I ride rocky, rooty east coast trails where the lower bottom bracket of the SJ can be a slight disadvantage - nothing to sell a bike over but you know what I mean. I like the burn of the climb as much as flying downhill.

I continue to entertain the idea of less racing and more "fun" riding. The Prophet seems to be a great bike going up and down which are equally important to me. And the bike is just one of the best looking rides out there - truly unique. I've tested at the bike shop but have not taken one on the trails yet.

So here's the issue - do I just have a case of bike lust or would the Prophet be a signficantly better ride?

Hey franco, i had the same your bike (Stumpy 100mm. - 2004 with Manitou Black) and i bought in the 2006 to the Prophet 600 (with lefty fork TPC).

I find the Prophet a very funny bike and it climbs very well. I didn't note any disadvantage except the weight (i think about 1,5kg.).

The first time i used Prophet it seems to me to have no limits in the suspension ... very great!