Why no love for Cannondale?

[hydorah]

I think when it comes to this forum, Cannondale are a victim of their own success

They definitely were a premium brand in my youth too, those massive thin walled tubes had a definite ooh factor, when most of us had steel bikes that would be pretty well regarded on here

...It's a bit like the OCLV thing, the bikes may have genuine championship winning pedigree, but because you can buy a £300 new bike with the same name on it, it takes away a lot of the prestige... Possibly all of it

 

[saulus]

Cannondale 'M' frames have for me, in the main, have got the qualities that suit. I love the handling and responsiveness to rider input. They appeal for their lightness and simple lines. The craftsmanship is shown in its looks too. Love the tapered downtube and smooth joins. Yeah..No cracking, but I keep checking .

Bad points on a hard tail frame are:
1) A hard ride if you don't stay 'light' on the grips and pedals and see whats comin!
2) The mud clearance is not good for UK turf.
3) The paint job. On both M900's I have had, they seem to scratch too easy.
4) Prone to chainsuck -shark fin-sorted!

I have had 2 m900'S, both in 'Viper Red' with XT/Mavic etc. First one had Pepperoni forks, it got stolen 2 & half years ago :cry: and got replaced by my current one, which I bought 3 months ago and came with a set of 2001 Z1 Marz Bombers fitted to it.

Slightly off topic but... The pro's/con's of a rigid/susp fork set up on such a frame is obvious enough to you all -you dont need to hear me say it!
I'm pleased with the bombers and the relief they give my arms compared to the Pepperoni's. I'm tackling trails more aggressively but they do make it feel more hefty. The Retro heart within me is not too happy about having 2001 forks on a '95 frame :? ...I'm seriously considering buying a pair of P Bone forks lurking in the back of a friends cupboard to cleanse me of my guilt a little. It's a dilemma! Opinions/ Info are appreciated on this one

BITD my first MTB was a Proflex 550 (Tank) and I think thats why I love the Cannondale M900 now in my wiser older age.

Its true. Cannondales, esp M series, seem to be quite a rare sight on here..How many GT Zaskars/Kleins!?

Pictures follow as soon as I can get my act together.

Long live the 'Dale

 

[gtRTSdh]

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.

That area is exactly the same that my company buy metal from to avoid duff metal!!!

 

[thecannibal]

I desperately wanted a Cannondale when I first got into mountain biking, but seeing how many broke and hearing (from people who sold them for a living) that the only good thing about Cannondale was the fast warranty turn-around soon cured that. The crack'n'fail label is well-deserved, and that's why there's no love from me.

 

[mr_mr]

currently shopping for a bike for the girlfriend around the £650 mark. have looked at all the major brands and the biggest let down was the cannondale. had the worst spec for the cash, but the main problem was the geometry was all to cock. the 16" womens model had a super high BB and the top tube felt too long for me and im 5'10". whats the point! how many 5'4" women are no legs and all arms! i certainly wouldnt want to be dating one of the test beds for that bike! she would look like an orangutan!

 

[highlandsflyer]

Back in the late 80s early 90s they had a little bit of a yuppie image. They were the kind of bike the folk who used graphite tennis rackets bought...

The kind of bike your aviator wearing Audi drivers might favour.

Personally I love them, and they were popular amongst the professional riding fraternity for good reason.

 

[Groundoggy]

Always percieved Cannondale as a premium brand back in the early 90s. Maybe things went a little astray later in the decade but the rigid alu frames with 1 1/4" headsets I always liked. I liked them so much I bought one in preference to an s-works steel.

Anyhow there seems to be little interest in the brand here? Any reasons why I wonder? Are the paint jobs not flashy enough

Tend to agree with the sentiment. I thought they sort of dominated the market around the mid 90's. It would be tough to keep them out of any 'Big 3' discussion back then.

The fat tubes made them a bit unique but they seemed to always go in a bizarre direction. The HeadShock and the Lefty come to mind.

I am surprised they don't get more attention here. I can understand bikes like GT and Specialized standing the test of time. Even my beloved Pro-Flex seems to have carved out a larger following than Cannondale in the RB crowd. That seems a bit strange to me.

The thing that keeps me from really considering buying an old 'Dale is the somewhat unique sizing. I'm not real big into adapters and such so the fork options are limited. I just can't justify owning one now.

 

[ozone1]

I had a specialized sworks (92), it was fantastic to ride, great on technical downhills, it was stolen and I replaced it with a Delta V 600, awesome looking bike and performed really well and I loved how different it was for the time, but it was never that wonderful on downhill sections, just didnt seem to sit on the trail nicely,

So 13 years later i've just picked up a 91 Beast of the east from a member in NZ, i'm building it for the mrs and cant wait to see how it rides

 

[ez054098]

I had a specialized sworks (92), it was fantastic to ride, great on technical downhills, it was stolen and I replaced it with a Delta V 600, awesome looking bike and performed really well and I loved how different it was for the time, but it was never that wonderful on downhill sections, just didnt seem to sit on the trail nicely,

So 13 years later i've just picked up a 91 Beast of the east from a member in NZ, i'm building it for the mrs and cant wait to see how it rides

My 92 Beast is a fantastic ride. You will love it.

 

[walleater]

Back in the late 80s early 90s they had a little bit of a yuppie image. They were the kind of bike the folk who used graphite tennis rackets bought...

The kind of bike your aviator wearing Audi drivers might favour.

Personally I love them, and they were popular amongst the professional riding fraternity for good reason.

Having worked in a Cannondale dealership fairly recently, they still seem to attract the same crowd. The 'all the gear and no idea' people who see the 'Handmade In The USA' sticker and assume that means the bike is superior. Funnily enough, the Asian versions always had less issues. So we'll see what the future brings. The bikes will actually get better, but their clientele probably won't accept this due to the new country of origin. I remember building up a new road bike and couldn't find the country of origin sticker on it. I spent ages looking for it, and finally found the 'Made In China' sticker stuck under the BB shell, no bigger than a finger joint. The bike was actually really nice, but the Audi set will probably turn their noses up at it.

Personally if I never have to service another damned Headshok again, it'll be too soon! :evil: