Why no love for Cannondale?

[mikee]

the delta vee's gotta be a high , come on ,btw i still want one

even the crosser phase was defining , polaris took them onto a better place
for me the first low for cannondale was the move to asia , but maybe thats not so bad

 

[Can of Coke]

Horses for courses, but they look ugly.

Had I bought (ahem...my parents bought me for Christmas) a Beast of the East instead of a 1993 Kona Cindercone back in the day, maybe my opinion would differ???

They just remind me of the yellow Boss bike that drug dealers used to cut about on, Cannondale are good comedy value.

Leisure Lakes used to have one of their frames cut in half, the inside view didn't inspire much confidence either.

The Kona was/is beautiful though, I should never have sold it.

 

[ez054098]

for me the first low for cannondale was the move to asia , but maybe thats not so bad

Yep. I will not buy another new 'Dale. I just don't buy bikes made in Asia.
Frames from USA, Europe and Canada only.

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Yep. I will not buy another new 'Dale. I just don't buy bikes made in Asia.
Frames from USA, Europe and Canada only.

In all fairness, frames/bikes built in Asia are just as good as those built elsewhere, as long as they are built to exact specifications.
Having owned both the European-made and Taiwanese-made versions of the same European-designed bike, I really can't tell the difference in terms of handling, weight or general performance.

Bikes designed in most of Asia are a different thing. You can clearly feel that they're built as a "white good", like a washing machine or a home appliance. They just have no character whatsoever.

I don't mind buying a bike that's built in Asia, as long as it's designed in Europe. That being said, I wouldn't mind having a go at a true Japanese bike.

 

[ovlov440]

I too am confused by the apparent lack of love for Cannondale.

I worked for Evans in the mid '90s and sold loads of them. I remember the shock when we pulled the first Super-V out of the box (especially the SV4000) and the number of Killer-V900's we sold (polished of course!) was incredible. Can't remember the last time I saw either......

I have just purchased my first bike in 20 years (my last purchase being a 1992 DB Apex which I still have), which is a 2007 Prophet 3SL (USA made). I resisted for so long as I am not a great fan of how bikes (especially the full-suspension ones) look now, but the Prophet to me still looks balanced. The ride is of course superior to my Apex, and at least now full suspension has moved on to a point where you don't change gear when you stand on the pedals (Super-V, take a bow at this point!). The discs brakes are fantastic, although a faff to bleed and I am still not sold on the merits of aheadset. The bike feels strong, smooth and rides well.

We (Evans) did have some warranty frames when I was there, and yes more than the steel manufacturers but not lots. The 90's were a funny time when weight was the be-all and end-all and from memory ended rather horribly with everyone chasing the last gram at the expense of safety. It is disappointing if a frame breaks but at least they are warrantied for life......

As a company I think they have pushed the envelope, and this will always divide opinion. At least they are a company you can have an opinion about, rather than disappear into the background. Lets celebrate the weirdness!!

Ade

 

[hamtaro145]

love my old m2000, really is sweet to ride

love the looks of my raven 900sx....really is a mixed bag to ride though.

I think the raven/raven 2 frames really pushed the limit of what could be done when they were manufactured, maybe pushed the limit a bit too far? as far as an object to look at the raven with a lefty is hard to beat.

not sure about the modern cannondales, they don't seem to be good sellers here anymore but that could be due the price of them

 

[grogee]

24" rear wheel?

What was the 'Dale with the 24" rear wheel? That showed some lateral thinking... Didn't last though did it.

I agree with most people on here - they were too expensive, and if you did manage to raise enough funds to buy one there was too much other good stuff at similar prices.

I wonder how this thread would read on the roadie's forum? I don't know if they're more or less respected in the tarmac world.

 

[24pouces]

Re: 24" rear wheel?

What was the 'Dale with the 24" rear wheel? That showed some lateral thinking... Didn't last though did it.

Cannondale build its first mtb in 1984 and they begun with a 24" rear wheel.
They stopped the little wheel in 1988.
For the price, you could find a frameset for 300$ or a whole bike for 700$ in 1985

 

[grogee]

Someone was doing well off the US - UK currency conversion then!

BITD I bought a Raleigh Technium (1990) as they were favourably priced compared to other rivals on a like-for-like basis - presumably due to exchange rate, but possibly because no-one else wanted them!

If that were true then Cannondale should also have had an 'affordable' period - and I can't remember one. Certainly wasn't on my shopping list.

 

[hamtaro145]

over here cannondale have never had an "affordable" period, still don't. only way they become affordable is when they are at least 10 years old or thrashed to an inch of their life.

have always wanted a Raleigh Technium though, but only ever seen one over here.