Eric0901

Hi All. Great site. I'm in the market for a new bike. Been riding my 92 Diamond Back Apex for 14 years now! Ugh. Here's the deal. Realistically, most of my riding is on the roads to get to the trails. Probably 60% on the road. I'm also interested in doing some of the local off road triathlons so I need something that will stand up to some racing. I think the courses are fairly tame x-country stuff. I'd like to stick with a hardtail due to my style of riding.

My question is......sorry if this is a stupid question....Are most hardtails pretty much the same as far as geometry goes for speed and comfort. Is there a mountain bike out there that also does well as a road bike?

I can get a great deal on Cannondale and Kona at my LBS. Around 10% over cost. (homeowner discount) I was initially interested in the Cannondale f600 because of the ability to lock out the headshock wich I thought might be nice on the road. Doesnt have much range of travel though. The f800 seems cool but the lefty fork seems a little weird. Then I started looking at the Kona Kula/Kula Deluxe. Unfortunately the Kula is sold out for the year. (at this bike shop) When riding on the road, can you lock out most forks. The Kula Deluxe has a Fox Vanilla R. Am I dreaming that I could get a bike that fits both worlds? My budget is around $1200-$1400 US.

Okay, no Cannondale bashing unless you have a legitimate gripe! Are there other bikes you might recommend? I must admit, I am leaning toward the Cannondale f800 solely because of my discount (around 1250) unless someone can talk me out of it. Thanks for your responses.