Folding Bikes - Cannondale Hooligan review?

Anyone out there have any experience with the Cannondale Hooligan (1 or 2) that they can share? If you haven't seen it yet, it's Cannondale's version of the compact bike - it's a non-folder - but it's got 20" BMX wheels, Avid Juicy brakes and some kind of internal hub gearing system, depending on the model. I think they're only available in the UK for the time being.

Edit: I've eaten my words. I want one.

Looks like a giggle.

I'd love to own one.

I think after I have speced up my curve and road bike, this could be my next target on the horizon..?

I love Cannondales, but I have to agree 100% with Snafu on this one: This bike is just a (wrong) lifestyle statement.

The bike has big fat tyres so it should ride ok.

I'm disappointed they didn't stick a Headshok in it though. The fork looks like it's suspension corrected, so maybe they have that in mind.

I like small wheeled bikes - they are much snappier to ride, and I reckon this one could live up to its name. If I had one it would soon be out playing on the local singletrack :)

I love Cannondales, but I have to agree 100% with Snafu on this one: This bike is just a (wrong) lifestyle statement.

Aren't you reacting more to the marketing spiel than to the bike? Perhaps the riding-down-stairs-get-outta-my-way aspect of it? The bike doesn't have braze-ons for a handgun holster ;) It's just built sturdy to handle city pavement. The ad hypesters are the ones who bring Bruce Willis into the picture.

Regards
T

Here's some evidence that small wheels can be fun offroad. This is my Dahon HammerHead and the course is the one used for the StrathPuffer 24 hour race (run in winter), and yes it did ride over that stuff.

Edit- BTW I don't understand the "lifestyle statement" part of the discussion. Surely the point of the Hooligan is about getting out and having active fun on the bike rather than posing around where the arbiters of cycling style may see you - it doesn't have Campag, and isn't a no-brake fixie, so you're stuffed anyway :)

The Chute looks like fun.

Maybe Cannondale will come out with a 20" city-streets-suspension fork too. It couldn't hurt to have more entrants in the 20" urban conquest niche.

Regards
T

how does it fold?

It doesn't, its a tough little bike :) and I want one grrr

It doesn't [fold] ...

But with its straight tubes, you could use Bicycle Torque Couplings (http://www.sandsmachine.com/) (but only if the frame is CroMo -- the Cannondale site says the frame is 'Hooligan' -- very helpful bit of info, Cannondale. EDIT: I phoned them: aluminum, and they have a prototype folder that may come out in 2010).

Regards
T

... Probably better than I expect, apart from the brakes.

Well, it would almost have to be, eh? Great review, though!

The bike is simply overpriced, and I highly doubt that the bike is actually manufactured by cannondale.
I know a number of bikes that look exactly like that one... and they are sold at under $200 here (Although they use V-brakes and derailleur shifting instead)

Aren't you reacting more to the marketing spiel than to the bike? Perhaps the riding-down-stairs-get-outta-my-way aspect of it? The bike doesn't have braze-ons for a handgun holster ;) It's just built sturdy to handle city pavement. The ad hypesters are the ones who bring Bruce Willis into the picture.

Regards
T

I believe I am reacting to what I consider to be a city bike. the lack of fenders, rack and a type of wheel that does not make the bike drag would make this bike a better match to it's target audience. I see no benefit on having this bike instead of a conventional sized urban bike like the Bad boy (with fenders and rack)or a Cube.

Now, for a 20 inch city bike, I would take the Mr20 from Giant way before this Cannondale. At least it folds.

http://www.chansfamily.org/folding-bike/photos/10sep05jimmy%20mk2.jpg


http://www.cso.co.jp/bikeshop/giant06/photo350/mr20fd.jpg

... a city bike. the lack of fenders, rack and a type of wheel that does not make the bike drag would make this bike a better match to it's target audience. I see no benefit on having this bike instead of a conventional sized urban bike like the Bad boy (with fenders and rack)or a Cube.


I would think this bike is for former BMXers who have joined the work-force and are looking now for a bike for recreational riding. They don't envision themselves on skinnier tires or on 700c wheels or crouched forward gripping the Cube's bars. The wheel and tire choice are probably on the mark, in that regard.

Regards
T

I already have my 'sensible' commute bikes. I don't care about a rack etc on this. Imagine it as a car, a track day special, a bike for fun, for going down a random tracks, for bunny hopping up curbs, for not worry when you mess it up a bit (as I always do lol).

"Now, for a 20 inch city bike, I would take the Mr20 from Giant way before this Cannondale. At least it folds" Is it me but that bike looks bigger folded than unfolded? lol

Is it me but that bike looks bigger folded than unfolded? lol

I was about to say the exact same thing!

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and just wanted to let you know I just posted this review on my blog.
Cannondale Hooligan: The Beetle of Bikes (http://poleriders.blogspot.com/2009/12/cannondale-holligan-beetle-of-bikes.html)

I have never done a product review on this blog but the Cannondale Hooligan (http://www3.cannondale.com/bikes/10/cusa/model-0HL3.html) has captivated my interest to such a degree that over the last few days since I first spotted one at my LBS I have felt compelled to tell all of my cycling friends about this very cool little ride. As best as I can tell the Hooligan has been available in Japan, UK and Europe since 2008 in a single speed or 3 speed version. The US version is available with an 8 speed derailleur listed for $649 or a Sram internal 3 speed for $979. The 3 speed also comes with better brakes and better tires as well as the single bladed Cannondale Lefty Fork. The Delta-V frame and Lefty fork are borrowed from Cannondales progressive mountain bike designs.

I would describe this bike as fun, quick, agile and durable. The front end picks up very easily to wheelie over obstacles and the handling is very responsive; more like a road or 20" BMX bike than a mountain bike although I am curious to see how it would handle on a trail with fat tires. Visually the Hooligan is unique and almost futuristic. At first glance the form of the bike reads "folder" but conceptually it is really much closer to the Moulton Bicycle (http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/index.html) which has broken speed records and has been ridden around the world. Alex Moulton has a lot to say about the advantages of small wheels that is worth looking into especially in light of the 29er/ bigger is better philosophy that currently prevails. Briefly, smaller wheels accelerate faster, are stronger, lighter, more aerodynamic and provide a lower center of gravity for better turning.

I don't own a Hooligan yet but I am very close to pulling the trigger on a 3 speed in black. Here is the 8 speed in white with a conventional fork. I wish they painted the fork white. The plainer paint jobs on the earlier versions are less distracting and do a better job of showing off this beautiful, well resolved design. I also prefer the old stem and bars.
Previously I have not been a huge fan of the Lefty fork because I tend to favor symmetry however in this instance I think I would be willing to try it and I am sure it will perform just fine. Despite my prejudice I know that there is a lot of reasoning and sound engineering that has gone into Cannondale's development of the Lefty and it has been use for years on the most demanding race courses not to mention the use of single bladed forks on motorcycles and airplane landing gear. On this bike I think it enhances its hip visual appeal.

I see the innovative Cannondale Hooligan developing a cult following and becoming the Beetle of bikes. I predict a lot of people will buy these and customize them and a lot of accessories will become available such as a seat post mounted water bottle cage and rack/panniers as well as fenders to make it even more commuter friendly. The compact size makes it perfect for small apartments, parking next to a desk at the office, throwing in the car, or carrying it up a few flights of stairs without hitting the walls on the turns. It seems like it would be the perfect bike for so many types of riders.

"Especially pole dancers!"?

I tend to agree with snafu21 here, I put up with a lack of suspension + small wheels as it makes for a compact lightweight folder; I'd never choose those options on a non-folding bike. I'd much rather have an old Moulton or a regular road bike. Those tyres are very heavy too, that'd kill a lot of the snappiness one associates with small wheels.

I would be all over this EXCEPT for the fact that the front fork is NOT a Lefty, but the Solo, a rigid fork. If I could put a Lefty on my Reach, I would, but I'm afraid the headtube is too long to do the conversion. Love the Lefty. My other bike is a Cannondale Prophet. Cannondale designs and makes great frames.

I saw this bike at REI. Very nice. Perhaps at the forefront of the mini velo boom (?)

It was $899 (i think). The derailleur version was $200 less, though. And, it had the regular dual front fork. Interestingly, the price tag of the $899 said it was a "special order".

But Shimano's cable disk brakes are pants compared to V brakes in terms of stopping the bike,

Bollocks! My daily commuter has M495s;they've stopped me reliably in all weather,with full panniers,and down steep hills. Not as slick to adjust as BB7's,but I've zero complaints with them.

As to the Hooligan,I'm actually considering one for a bar hopper. I recently commuted on my FlyBy(rebadged Dahon,story as to why I never rode it before) and really liked the exceleration and flickability of the smaller wheels. I think this would be a sweet bike for running around town.

Is that folder the One Concept bike from a while back?: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/cannondale_on_m.php

However if the Hooligan were a folding bike, I'd buy one.

In case anyone is still following this thread, I just bought a Cannondale Hooligan 8 and took it on a 15 mile test run yesterday. The verdict?:thumb: Fast and fun is how I would describe it. Capable of explosive acceleration, responsive, but able to burn a trail in a straight line. Very rigid, feels (and is) much tighter than a folder. The supplied seat is a loser, but aren't they all? The ride is comfortable thanks to the chubby tires, but unlike what some people might believe, the tires don't feel heavy at all, possibly because their circumference is so small.
This is more of a cross between a city and a road bike than a city and a BMXer, although Cannondale is stressing the BMX aspect of it more. Having the axles less than a foot off the ground gives it a low center of gravity, which takes some getting used to, but it also feels much more stable for that very reason. I'm glad I got the eight instead of the three because I found myself using the whole range of gears. Only at the highest speeds did the lack of a large front chain ring become noticeable, but this is a bike to be driven more like a sports car than a cross country cruiser anyway.

Thanks for the review!

...........................

Thanks for this review, sounds great! Any way to transport a KID (or two) with the Hooligan????

I love my Brompton, but:

- roads here in Brussels are so bad it sometimes feels like I'm going to break the B. in half
- tram rails have a gap significantly wider than the B. kevlar tires
- when the subway cars are crowded, even a folded B. is too big.

Pat, you might be able to attach a child seat to the back of the Hooligan - the frame is definitely sturdy enough, and the low center of gravity would make it more stable than most bikes with such a hook-up. But I don't think there are any braze-ons (maybe in the back? I forgot to look), so you would have to attach it to the bike some other way. Plus I don't think you will be able to fit this bike into any crowded subway cars. However, as far as rutty streets go, this bike could handle some fairly fat, knobby tires if that's whay you wanted. I was thinking of buying a set to go mountain biking with - I think this bike would be a blast on the trails!

Hey Dguy, thanks for that extra info, appreciate it!

Just spoke to the LBS, and they think you could attach a trailer bike or trailer to the seatpost. And that it would look hilarious (wiseguys) :-)

But hey, I just want something with a step-through frame that I can carry the kids with, but that rides more aggressively than those 5-million-lb. Dutch-style city bikes.

Let us know how that mountain biking works out. Happy trails!

How much does the Hooligan weigh? I might like to get one, if its fairly lightweight...

Its the first American mini-velo. Its a definite break from the conventional mini-velo we see on the Asian market and in the US-based Silgey Piccolo mini-velo. The frame design is certainly unique.

I'm going to retract what I said about the Hooligan, because suddenly I want one.

(dynarider - I have no complaints about your disk brakes, but the Shimano cable disks on my 26" Matrix were pants compared to the V-brakes on my CAAD 9.)

And now, back to the suddenly desirable hooligan.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNN8nMY9JTc

Now on the REI site:

http://www.rei.com/product/798527



I see this one at REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/798506

$1799

What I'd be interested in would be a good quality lightweight non-folding road or track-type bike with 20" wheels.

I'm going to retract what I said about the Hooligan, because suddenly I want one.

(dynarider - I have no complaints about your disk brakes, but the Shimano cable disks on my 26" Matrix were pants compared to the V-brakes on my CAAD 9.)

And now, back to the suddenly desirable hooligan.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNN8nMY9JTc


Holy crap that's a sturdy bike, well also cause it's a non folder. Anyone else trying that with a folder is risking their life. It's not a folder but more of the moultonesque type bike. But You wouldn't see anyone do that with a moulton either. It seems like a nice small bike where removing the wheels would make it small enough to slip into the boot of a car.

One question for Dguy, how easy is it to remove the front and rear wheels? is there a quick release? I don't know anything about those mono forks cannondale makes. If the wheels come off easy would make it a quick getaway bike that you throw into my car trunk when I feel like going for a ride.

Azreal, sorry about the late response. Yes, the bike has quick releases, but I have the standard fork version of the Hooligan, so I couldn't say what it's like to remove the wheel on the single fork version. With the wheels off, you could probably fit this bike into a decent sized trunk, but once again, I have a hatchback, so I can't say for sure. I don't bother taking off the wheels when I pack my bike, though, because it fits into the back of my car as is (but then again, I have a ScionXb, which has a pretty roomy interior with the seats folded). The one snag might be the tall seatpost, which puts the saddle at the same height as a normal sized bike in relation to the pedals. The Hooligan feels a little heavier than you might think it would feel from the size of the tires, but the frame is made of some VERY beefy tubing in terms of size. I think you would bend the rims before you could dent the frame, and the rims are rock solid.

Thanks Dguy. that's pretty good to hear, and cannondale makes some pretty solid frames that world class racers use so I doubt the frame would brake before the wheels on a bad landing.

Dguy, just another question... Does the seat post have one of those quick release latches? I might need to lower the seat to fit into my vehicle. Also, did you ever determine how much your Hooligan weighs? Just trying to get a handle on whether I want one, or get a similar size folding bike. Thanks loads!!

Guys, ever try a Swift?

I have a feeling that you might be happier with one.
Stiff, fast acceleration, and it folds.
That being said, this Hooligan looks like a lot of fun.

Dguy, just another question... Does the seat post have one of those quick release latches? I might need to lower the seat to fit into my vehicle. Also, did you ever determine how much your Hooligan weighs? Just trying to get a handle on whether I want one, or get a similar size folding bike. Thanks loads!!

Newsjeff, the seatpost does not have a quick release. I don't know how much the Hooligan weighs (I gave my scales away because I thought I didn't need them!), but it is heavier than a folder - it's built for rigidity, not ease of transport. That said, it feels lighter than the older model cannondale city bike I also own. I wish I could give you a more specific answer, but I never paid much attention to bike weight before. As long as I can pack it into my car that's all I care about.

It's no Cannondale, but it might be an alternative . . .
http://www.koga.com/nl/bike.asp?collectionid=11&segmentid=94&id=3655513

I've actually decided that the Hooligan 3 will be my next bike, so i'll put up my own review of it in a few weeks.

I've been looking to trim it down to 1 bike. Personally, i'm a huge fan of discs, small wheels, and tough stuff. Now, if only it weren't such an ugly duckling.. I'll work on that, too.

The Hooligan 3 has an eccentric bottom bracket. Looking forward to measuring it up for an I-motion 9. Going to see about some Big Apples too. Maybe fit a rack, throw on my On One Mary bars, it'll go from an ugly duckling.. To the ugliest duckling.

Oh yes, and braze ons for a handgun holster too. Yippie Kay Yay!

Hey, just a quick update, I called Cannondale and found out a few more things about the bike:

1. Seatpost should be fine. Its a 31.6mm, and the Hooligan has a longer Seat tube length than most folders (14.6")

2. There's a pair of threaded eyelets at the dropouts. You should be able to fit a rack with long stays and p-clamps, or a 20" rack and some p-clamps.

3. Hooligan 8 does not have an eccentric bottom bracket, only the 3 does.

4. The black hooligan 3 is a hard bike to get a hold of. I'll be waiting until late June for mine -_-

Edit: Oh yes, also decided that i'm going to try this chain guard with it: http://www.chainrunner.de/index_en.html

(That's the chain guard they're using on the new Dahons. Interesting to see if its any good or not)

I just got mine an hour ago. I love it!

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3185/cannondalehooligan1sm.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/cannondalehooligan1sm.jpg/)

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/8044/cannondalehooligan2sm.jpg (http://img94.imageshack.us/i/cannondalehooligan2sm.jpg/)

Woo-hoo!

Congrats!

What's the weight? How many speeds is that IGH. Where'd you get it?

Woo-hoo!

Congrats!

What's the weight? How many speeds is that IGH. Where'd you get it?


I think about 24 lbs.

It has three speeds.

I got it at a Schwinn dealer in Pasadena, TX. It was the last one they had. It could be the only one they had.

Congratulations on finding one! I got a glance at the computer when the sales guy was checking availability, Cannondale only had 4 bikes left for their June 12 refresh.. That's right, they've got more coming in on the 12th of June and they're almost all already sold out.

Availability looked good on the other colour, and the other model. Just the 3 in black seemed popular.

Tell me, does that fork have the steerer exposed at the bottom of the crown? I was thinking about machining some mounts for a fender, but a suspension fork fender would just be an easier fix if that's possible.

Schwinn dealer in SW Houston has the 8 model for $599. I test rode it 2 wks ago and it was a blast. My only complaint is the stem (110mm) is too short for me even when it is fully elevated but fortunately the dealer has a 135mm stem.

I've had my Hooligan for a few months now, and I have a few more observations to make:

1) Don't overinflate the tires. The wheel base is short, and too much air will definitely harsh your buzz. I've found 55-60 PSI to be a good compromise between rolling resistance and comfort (unless you've got really good roads, which I don't).

2) The front disc would not take alignment, and kept rubbing. I had to loosed the grip (it was too touchy anyway). Problem solved.

3) You have to keep your left foot reasonable straight or your heel will bump into the rear disc brake, which sticks out slightly from the frame. Again, not a major problem, unless you are bowlegged.

4) You won't be doing any stump jumping, but this bike is great for twisty mountain bike trails. The ride can be bouncy, but never uncomfortable.

5) I kind of wish I had bought the 3 instead of the 8, because after riding my friends internally geared bike, I realize they are not the gimmicky contraptions I thought they were, but quite sturdy and smooth. Oh well. Next time.