Why no love for Cannondale?
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rienster
Retro Guru
After my first mtb (giant terrago 
) got stolen I traded a friend a box of beers for his old dale SM 700. Fantastic bike, loved the colour as well, black with green splatter all over it . Really stiff and ideal for the dutch winter crosses. Destroyed every single part on the bike. Frame held up well until a few years back on holiday in France the BB fell out. Still have the frame with ritchey fork somewhere and hope to build it up again one day. Perhaps with a mavic BB.
) got stolen I traded a friend a box of beers for his old dale SM 700. Fantastic bike, loved the colour as well, black with green splatter all over it . Really stiff and ideal for the dutch winter crosses. Destroyed every single part on the bike. Frame held up well until a few years back on holiday in France the BB fell out. Still have the frame with ritchey fork somewhere and hope to build it up again one day. Perhaps with a mavic BB.
I've still got my 93 M500 that I was going to rebuild as a retroesque project(possibly changing mind). Anyway I always liked them because of the fat tubes and were always a bit different, bit pricier for the spec but felt the money was in the frame which reviews at the time commented on. I remember a super v, possibly the first ones with a lovely carbon/thermo swing arm, very cool. The newer ones don't really float my boat as much.
velomaniac
MacRetro Rider
Friend of mines got an M400 he's had since new, its his only bike and I suspect will continue to be for the rest of his days.
I have always drooled over that machine, its the ultimate rigid mtb as far as I'm concerned although a higher end M series would also be fantastic !
One day maybe.....................
I have always drooled over that machine, its the ultimate rigid mtb as far as I'm concerned although a higher end M series would also be fantastic !
One day maybe.....................
I've always admired Cannondale's efforts with R&D, and their willingness to produce really different (perhaps a bit too much) stuff.
In 2000 I very nearly bought an F700 (IIRC- would have been looking at '99 MY bargains). One of the main attractions for me was the idea of the headshok with lockout - I'm quite surprised to hear all the complaints about them here.
I'm not into suspension at all, really; much prefer going up hills to going down them and the only suspension I'd be interested in would be something to take the edge off the odd "unseen rock" hit etc. To me, the headshok seemed like a great idea; most of the stiffness and accuracy of a proper rigid fork, and all the guts nicely hidden out of the way in the head tube.
So - are they really that bad?
PS - In the end, I didn't buy a bike at all. I bought a Rickenbacker (guitar) and am still very happy with my same old lowly rigid steel Kona
In 2000 I very nearly bought an F700 (IIRC- would have been looking at '99 MY bargains). One of the main attractions for me was the idea of the headshok with lockout - I'm quite surprised to hear all the complaints about them here.
I'm not into suspension at all, really; much prefer going up hills to going down them and the only suspension I'd be interested in would be something to take the edge off the odd "unseen rock" hit etc. To me, the headshok seemed like a great idea; most of the stiffness and accuracy of a proper rigid fork, and all the guts nicely hidden out of the way in the head tube.
So - are they really that bad?
PS - In the end, I didn't buy a bike at all. I bought a Rickenbacker (guitar) and am still very happy with my same old lowly rigid steel Kona
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hey ajm, yes, they can be that bad, needs regular servicing to keep them working well.
dh phat, i did know it wasn't cannondale's design on the cranks but couldn't remember who it was that did design them! thanks, coz it was bugging me not being able to remember! but you have to give them kudos for recognising a good design when they see one!
and stew b, that's the type of dale i like, that one i would consider buying, not that that is an offer!
dh phat, i did know it wasn't cannondale's design on the cranks but couldn't remember who it was that did design them! thanks, coz it was bugging me not being able to remember!
but you have to give them kudos for recognising a good design when they see one!and stew b, that's the type of dale i like, that one i would consider buying, not that that is an offer!
I ride MTN since 1987-1988… For me, Cannondale was the first dream bike I saw. I remember, the first time I have seen one in the 1988 summer. All the MTB were in still with very huge geometry. When I mmet my first cannondale, I fall in love for these so original big frame, and the small geometry : It was like a BMX ! Cannondale was exotic, there were no more 50 cannondale inFrance in 1988 !
The bike were very expensive, but, I had the goal to buy one
For the history, the first cannondale I saw was really this bike :
I have bought it last year (my first old school bike)
In 1992, I bought my first cannondale : The EST frame. I crossed Australian desert with it, I did a lot of kilometers of pleasure with it.
After 1992, The cannondale's philosophy have changed, and this Brand was no so exotic : every body wanted to have a cannondale, and the prices dropped a little. The dream was gone, and I discovered titanium frames.
For me, cannondale is dead since a long time, when they stopped to built the 3.0 frames, and the beast of the East.
The bike were very expensive, but, I had the goal to buy one
For the history, the first cannondale I saw was really this bike :
I have bought it last year (my first old school bike)
In 1992, I bought my first cannondale : The EST frame. I crossed Australian desert with it, I did a lot of kilometers of pleasure with it.
After 1992, The cannondale's philosophy have changed, and this Brand was no so exotic : every body wanted to have a cannondale, and the prices dropped a little. The dream was gone, and I discovered titanium frames.
For me, cannondale is dead since a long time, when they stopped to built the 3.0 frames, and the beast of the East.
Others have said it already, but I'm pretty sure that it was the Headshock and Lefty forks that killed them off.
Why tie myself into using one particular suspension system at a time when manufacturers were delivering better performing forks with each year that passed?
Cyclists like to upgrade.
Why tie myself into using one particular suspension system at a time when manufacturers were delivering better performing forks with each year that passed?
Cyclists like to upgrade.
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Liked em during 89 -93 but they were always way out of my price range, strangely never thought of buying one these days :?
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