I remember way back in the day like the early 90s I use to see Cannondales at races and always thought I would love to have a Cannondale...they where made in the US and their aluminum frames looked so clean...the welds where superb and they just looked great...I never got a Cannondale road bike as I used Specialized as that was the bike a lot of us where steered to and used and honestly in the early days even some of the Specialized models where awesome bikes...when I started really getting in mountain biking I went with a Specialized Enduro...and the bike was a great bike but the geometry and I never got along...so my search for a suitable replacement began.
Now some folks may say a six inch travel bike for the DFW area is a little over kill...and I would tend to agree with them..but there are some advantages...one heck of a plush ride to began with..pretty much tames every trail we have around here..and they are fun to ride...now the down side...heavy..yep..they will make the thighs and lungs work a little harder on the climbs..but I always tell myself I am getting a great work out...so I ended up a few years back getting a carbon Cannondale Moto..35 pounds...switched to a 2x10 11x36 drive train...slapped a dropper seat post on it and threw some Sun Ringle Charger Pros on there as well...final weight ened up being 35.7 pounds..the bike will climb and climb well...one just has to approach the hill in a methodical and deliberate cadence...going down..just point it and hang on..choose a line..slam it..air it out..roll over stuff..through stuff...it is like being on a tank...longer travel with a 20mm fork feels so connected to the trail...on the turns and curves it stays connected and planted to the trail...the choice of tires has a lot to do with that on any bike..but I have run several tire combos and always had positive results..
The Lyric 115-160 U Turn adjustable fork is great..this thing soaks up bumps and is confidence inspiring on the rough stuff...I hardly ever run it below the 160mm setting but when I do it does aid in the climbs by lowering the front end some...the fork provides great feed back and is fairly easy to set up..I have mine worked on by Sram and have had the internals upgraded..small bump compliance is great and when the hits get big the fork responds and soaks the stuff up...
The KS Dropper...allows me to drop the seat post on the fly for better control on down hill stuff...hardly use it...I suppose when you get use to a riding style of leaning back over the rear tire you stick with it...plus I have had to send the thing back as the first one was defective and would not stay completely extended (developed play) in it..took them 3 weeks to get it back to me..I think there are better systems out there..
Sram X9 drive train..in my opinion works great..sharp clean shifts...gotta dig that..looks..just a good system..
Sun Ringle wheels are awesome for the price..they came with everything in the box to go tube less and all the adapters for the three common axle sizes..they are solid and been bomb proof pretty much..
I have ridden the bike in New Mexico and Colorado..and all over Texas...one of the reason I chose a long travel FS bike...it pretty much allows me to ride almost any trail anywhere...when getting a bike like this weight was not a deciding factor for me...durability and function was..
And now for the Cannondale part...the Crack-n-fail...well mine has held up..no issues..I know others have had problems with Cannondale bikes..when Cannondale tried their hand in Motocross they pretty much doomed themselves...they have gone through the rebuilding process and being bought out their parent company is now Dorel I believe..not sure...I know they are one of the few companies left that offer a life time warranty on their frames and they used to have a trade in program where you could return your used frame and purchase a newer one at a discounted price..not sure if they still do..I also bout a Cannondale cross bike and have no issues with it either...would I buy another Cannondale...I do not think so..no reflection on Cannondale..but I will not buy another Trek or Specialized either..at least for now or the near future..there are a lot of alternatives to the major players in the bike industry and I have been exploring those alternatives and their products..I am seeing as far as bang for the buck I am coming out ahead going that route...as we consumers began to educate ourselves about the products we use and want and do our research I think a lot of us are looking for alternatives to the increasing rise in bikes and at least IMO the prices seem to be going up while they selection of components seem to lowering...when bikes are costing near 2g and have a Sram x5 partial drive train seems a little pricey for entry level type equipment on mid level type bikes..seems these days to get the real good stuff you better be prepared to shell out the coin...when prices start getting up there in the 3-5 grand area I think I would rather do a custom build and get the bike just the way I want it with what I want...maybe it is just me...but I think I would rather support the little guy as they vs the giants in the industry..I think we all evolve in out thinking in anything we are passionate about..maybe I am just evolving...later dudes!
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