Cannondale

Comments about cannondale F29 CARBON ULTIMATE:

Ok, let me say that I have no affiliation with Cannondale or the bike industry at all currently and never have. I am 50 years old and have spent many years in the saddle on motorcycles, Triathlon, Mountain bikes and BMX.

I grew up with my best friend's (like Brothers) and hanging out with the Gurney Family (Dan Gurney F1, Indy Car, Stock Car racing legend & Car builder) so I have a fine appreciation for top-level composite/racing engineering. I can tell you right now that Cannondale bikes are the closest thing you will ever find to a F1 racing machine "HANDS DOWN, PERIOD, END Of STORY".

I am a feel rider and not a tech geek; so do not expect to be bamboozled by technical jargon from me. This review is for the common rider. But, the way I see it is a common rider does not want to waist his/hers time and money figuring out what is the best bike.

I just can't believe this bike! It is a life-altering object for me! Oh yeah, I got up at 2AM waiting for the sun to come up today just so I can go ride it! I disagree with anyone including Lance himself, when they say, "it's not about the bike". "It's about the bike" for me, and it is changing my life for the better. I have already started the process of ordering a Scalpel Ultimate now because of it. But, I want it with the new Cannondale SiSL2 cranks and a 1x11 set-up. I am more of a power rider so I do not need so many incremental gear changes. For most riders the stock set-up is the best way to go and that is probably why Cannondale set it up with a 2x10 gear train.

So let me review a few things here for the common rider that wants to "FEEL" the passion for his/her Ultimate dream bike…

The bike is so light and stiff combined with the Lefty fork it can be hurled into the air with a quick pull-hop-pedal push to reach over nasty obstacles nearly without a thought. I was very concerned with the fork while considering which MTB to buy but now I can't imagine another fork on my mountain bike. The fork, or lack of, on the right side actually improves my ground vision in technical sections because there is nothing there to get in the way. When Cannondale makes a "Magnetic Levitation Fork " someday, I will be the first to buy it! :-) The biggest problem for me is the frame transfer's so much of my power to the rear wheel I have traction problems with my normal forward seat position. I have found I can move the seat back a bit and achieve a really comfortable seated climbing position even in slippery loose conditions. Since I have been out of riding for 10 years and now returning to it, my bike handling skills are not what they used to be. This bike seems to think it's way through the turns. Even when I am out of shape entering a turn it seems to right itself. The only way I can explain it is it must be the technology! It is not me, I know that for sure! The wheelbase is really short so that must help too, but the fork and frame just "hold me in" even when I am getting sloppy and tired. The front-end vision and lightness matters, trust me, or trust it, which ever you like. I also have found that the Cannondale OPI/SI is not just a slogan, it works!
This is not a, "Just do it" slogan thing! Well I guess unless you are talking about stretching up to the bike you really want and this is it.

I will finish by thanking my LBS Cannondale Dealer for insisting I try the Cannondale bikes before I make a decision on what Mountain Bike to buy.

I will close by saying, "THANK YOU" to Cannondale and my LBS for making a dream bike a reality".

Do yourself a favor, "DO NOT BUY ANY MOUNTAIN BIKE UNLESS YOU HAVE TRIED THE CANNONDALE LINE OF BIKES FIRST".

Phil D.
(Average Joe Rider from San Diego, CA)

Comments about cannondale F29 CARBON ULTIMATE:

Last year I was on a flash29 carbon 2, so I was a little concerned that I wouldn't feel much improvement for the cost of the ultimate, boy was I wrong. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing the enve wheels are, they really make the bike come alive. XX shifting is fantastic, as expected, and the hollowgrams still stoke jealousy in other riders. The MT-8s are not as quiet as the XTRs I ran last year, but stop harder and sill run circles around anything Avid makes. The new lefty feels firmer than the old one all the way around, small stutter bumps are not dealt with quite as easily, but throw that thing into a corner at all the wrong angles and it's still enough to carve through it.
Bottom line is this bike will not only make your friends green with envy, but it also will make you not want to take those rest days off the bike.
Oh, and with pedals and cages on it mine came to 19lbs 3oz for a large, so it's not just your wallet that will be lighter.