Super Vs - why so unloved?
- Thread starter BlackCat
- Start date
dirttorpedo
Senior Retro Guru
Where I live Cannondales were widely derided due to an alleged penchant for cracking and I think that and the general ugliness of the design has coloured my perceptions permanently. We loved our Rocky mountains, Konas, Norcos, Banshees, Santacruz, Brodies and tolerated Specialized, and Giant.
I don't think they're visually the best looking bikes, and I've had a few of them Over the years. They're a bit "Marmite", they have their fans , but to others they're a bit gangly and gawky. If you didn't know better you might think they were a cheap BSO just by looking at them.
And they crack, I've done a couple of swingarms, and the shocks fail, and the headshoks are a pain to service when they fail, and parts are scarce, and and and. ......
I still quite like them though.
And they crack, I've done a couple of swingarms, and the shocks fail, and the headshoks are a pain to service when they fail, and parts are scarce, and and and. ......
I still quite like them though.
Vesatoro
Cannondale Fan
Well, you could expand this question to Cannondale bikes alltogether… for some reason not too appreciated, even they were the cutting edge of aluminium design and rad marketing. Or maybe just because of that and only (British) steel is real. Maybe parly because of what later happened to the brand after economic disaster with trying into motorsports… I don’t care because I love them.
Chopper the ex Copper
Alpinestars Fan
Because Gary Glitter had on BITD. His close association alone was enough to taint its image, never mind the frankly dreadful cantilever rear end that turned on a pivot that had less rigidity than John Inman's wrist.
My primary bike is an ‘07 Prophet. My favourite bike ever, and I’ve had a few. It’ll never be sold.
Which reminds me. Need to get that shock serviced.
joglo
Senior Retro Guru
Hi, interesting thread and very good question.
I was wondering the same thing, here in Germany there are so many unloved Super-V bikes in classifieds for weeks or months and even ones in apparently good condition are cheap, low spec V400 are offered for 150-200€.
Sure, the Super V was definitly an very iconic bike, years ahead of other bikes when introduced in 1993!
It was a bike many have adored and the overall brand image of Canndondale was superior in mid nineties, also based on the race team and guys like Tinker or Missy. Here with Super V frames in an Ad:
Personally, back in time I would have loved to have one but already at this time I wasn't fully sure if I really like the new bike design.
This Ad may provide a bit of clarification why nowadays quite the large majority doesn't like the design any longer:
(just in case if you need a translations, it's something like:
"Sheep are cloned in Scotland,
globally they are cloning our Super V,
we can't speak for the sheep,
but we feel honored")
The Super V was just the spearhead of the new, innovative bike design and full suspension trend in the mid nineties.
From 1995 till early 2000, millions of bikes have been sold, with new full suspension frames and by design avoiding the use of the traditional Diamond-frame bike design, but come with V- or Y-type of frames in many ways, sometimes driven by technology reasons, sometimes driven by almost bizarre bike design ideas.
Almost every other serious bike manufacturer was starting to sell similar bike designs.
Even bikes without rear suspension and especially cheap bikes sold in typical retail store chains have been using a look-a-like design for decades.
Just one good example, the Pinifarina bike sold at Shell gas stations:
While in last 10 years, all bike manufacturer returned completely to Diamond-frames again, and nowadays full suspension bikes come mostly with a pretty nicely integrated suspension like the Trek below:
To me this is the reason why Super V's aren't loved any longer, because the non-Diamond-Frame design is simply considered as obviously out, or in my case even as the bad decade for bike design.
And be sure, a Gary Fisher Yoshua (or Univega, Diamond Back, Scott, you name it...) - Bike with Y-Frame from End of 90ties is even less loved as a Super V.
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Lhatch4
Fat Chance Fan
I believe the reason they are less loved is due to difficulty with maintaining the suspension and a reputation for them to crack and fail. Cool bikes back in the day. I don't know how many people are looking for a wall hanger now but if you are you don't want to pay what you would for a bike you can ride.
