Hybrid Bicycles - Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra... am I missing something?

Hello everyone... my first post, so be gentle with me!

As a more versatile alternative to my Cannondale road bike I'm looking at a Bad Boy Ultra... thing is I can't see ANYTHING wrong with this bike – and it looks like it would be soooo much fun!!!

I know it won't be as competent in any 'discipline' as a specialist bike, but then again neither am I – I'm not great off-road, not that fast on the road, fancy a bit of touring, a bit of this, a bit of that...

Where's the catch? Am I missing something? Is the Quick a better all-round choice?


BTW. I'm just under 5'10" and was thinking size Medium... can anyone advise if this is right? (Think I can track one down to try before I buy anyway.)

Bump! Not a good start (sob)... anyone???

OK, you get at least one opinion - the Bad boy looks more like a mountain bike, and, the Quick looks more like a road leaning Hybrid.

Looks alone, I like the quick!

Around here, they both get good reviews.

Buttttttt, you gotta buy the one that trips your trigger, and feels the best........

I'm a newbie to bikes but was wondering why you were going for the front suspension fork.

My buddy loves his Bad Boy... he's worn out the original groupo and had it all replaced with new XT and he loves it!!! He eventually removed the HeadShok and stiffened up the front end. He says it's one of the best all-around bikes he's ever owned. This from a guy (bastid) who has 13 bikes in his spare room.

Well in few posts i have found that Bad Boy Ultra can be very useful as HT Cross with 26" wheels, didnt see something like that for Quick cx ultra although my choice would be closer to Quick ..... i guess best answer for that will give you some of BBU owners (but both bikes are really nice)

I'm a newbie to bikes but was wondering why you were going for the front suspension fork.

That's a question I'm still asking myself. Here's my long-winded thinking so far...

I have a Cannondale CAAD8 road bike, for the smooth, fast (dry) road stuff (so I think the Quick is maybe too close). I want a bike I can ride in the winter and wet (disc brakes) and for the rare foray off road, hence suspension forks, bigger tyres etc.

I was into mountain biking until I decided I was sick of looking at tree roots all day long... hence I no longer have a mountain bike.

Anyway, back to the forks – my intended gentle off-road use will be limited to maybe 5%, so I'm wondering if I should just go rigid and enjoy a bit of weight saving for the other 95%.

Gone is my desire to do everything to the extreme, so I guess I like the idea of one enjoyable bike to do most things well.

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BTW, would anyone recommend the Alfine 8 over the 3x9 gear change?

Thanks to anyone who got this far! :D

I've got 3 BBU's('02/'05/'09). The Quick will be lighter(my Large BBU's average 25lbs),but not as versatile. The fork can be locked easily on the fly,the discs are def the answer for wet conditions and snow,and you can run 700cc or 26" wheels. Not a fan of the '10's though;the Solo fork looks cool,but it'll take serious MacGuyvering to put a front fender on it.

I own an '09 BBU. I think it's a great bike., It's my daily commuter and I have had no mechanical problems. As dynaryder mentioned, it will probably be a bit heavier than the Quick. I like the flexibility of running 700c or 26" wheels. However, the '10 BBU is spec'd with Tektro hydraulic brakes, I don't know how good they are compared to Avid or Shimano hydros.

The Bad Boy is a cool looking bike. I test rode it before I found my Road Warrior (thep recursor to the Quick series) and actually wanted the Bad Boy. I found the geometries different enough that I chose the RW out of comfort. I took the Bad Boy on a couple of test rides and never felt natural on it where as the RW felt perfect from the off. But to answer your question, you aren't missing anything. If the BB fits you nicely, its a great bike. Go for it!

HauntedMyst... I am still thinking about the Quick (in which case I might even ditch my road bike) – the RW/Quick geometry seems a little more relaxed (less stretch to the bars and bars a little higher relative to the seat) than the BB... is that right?

On the subject of the Alfine hub...

Can anyone tell me – in layman's terms – how the gearing of the Alfine on the BBU8 relates to 48-36-26 / 11-32? I can't get my head around the range that the Alfine offers.

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Go there and plug in the specs for your bike. Then follow the link to plug in the specs for the gear hub.

I prefer using the gain ratios to gear inches. I've found that I need at least 2.0 or lower to climb the hills on my commute comfortably,and at least 7.0 or higher to keep from spinning out when bombing down them.

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Go there and plug in the specs for your bike. Then follow the link to plug in the specs for the gear hub.

I prefer using the gain ratios to gear inches. I've found that I need at least 2.0 or lower to climb the hills on my commute comfortably,and at least 7.0 or higher to keep from spinning out when bombing down them.

Thanks, but the Sheldon Brown 'formula' is not exactly set out in 'layman's terms'... lol ... I'll ask at the bike shop.

Thanks, but the Sheldon Brown 'formula' is not exactly set out in 'layman's terms'... lol ... I'll ask at the bike shop.

I have the Quick 2 in Carbon Black (They call it BBQ) and it is AWESOME. I also had tried the Trek 7.5 FX, and GF Mendota, and I picked the Cannondale.

I think the Bad Boy is a little more beefy, and maybe made for more hard core city commuting, where as others say, the Quick leans more towards being a road bike for light off roading.

I know it is boring for you to hear, but try them both, and see which is more comfortable.

I was trying to find out how many teeth the Alfine hub has, to try to calculate what the gears were in 'layman's terms' when I found this info in a link to Singletrackworld.com.

With 18 tooth cog, the Alfine hub gears are roughly equivalent to a cassette with 11-13-14-18-22-24-28-34 teeth.

Thanks, but the Sheldon Brown 'formula' is not exactly set out in 'layman's terms'... lol ... I'll ask at the bike shop.

It's not really that hard. Ignore the crank length and use the default. Then just pick your tire size,cassette,and crank rings. You can look up your bike's stats on most manufacturers' sites,or read them right off the bike. Tires are always marked with size on the sidewalls,and most cassette cogs and front rings have the tooth count on them(or just count the teeth).

A question for all you Bad Boy owners, how compatable is the BB with a standard bolt on luggage rack and/or fenders?

A question for all you Bad Boy owners, how compatable is the BB with a standard bolt on luggage rack and/or fenders?

I can only speak for the 09 Bad Boy Ultra but I have no problem mounting a rear rack. I currently use a Bontrager non-disk "Back Rack" and it fits fine with no modification. I don't use Fenders, however the front fork does have mounting points (braze-ons) that can be used for fenders. The only real problem I see with the front is you will need to drill the fender to accommodate the air fill valve that points down over the front tire. The rear may be a little tricky because it only has one set of mounts holes at the lower seat stay. I suppose the fender struts will have to share that mount point with the rack. Also worth mentioning, the seat and chain stay bridges are not drilled.

I will say that this Bike gets ridden more than any other bike I own. besides the fact that it looks awesome, its a great road bike / hybrid that I have comfortably done some pretty long rides on. I also bought a second set of 26 inch rims that I swap with the 700s and routinely take it off road.

It's not really that hard. Ignore the crank length and use the default. Then just pick your tire size,cassette,and crank rings. You can look up your bike's stats on most manufacturers' sites,or read them right off the bike. Tires are always marked with size on the sidewalls,and most cassette cogs and front rings have the tooth count on them(or just count the teeth).


Maybe I'm being thick, but how do I find out the specifications for the 'cassette' in an Alfine hub?

Maybe I'm being thick, but how do I find out the specifications for the 'cassette' in an Alfine hub?

If you follow the link that says "Internal gear hub with more than 5 speeds? Click Here!", it takes you to the page where the last pull-down is all internal hubs. The Alfine isn't listed,but I think it has the same ratios as the Nexus 8.

A question for all you Bad Boy owners, how compatable is the BB with a standard bolt on luggage rack and/or fenders?

Depends on the year. Most don't have many issues with rear racks and fenders. Front fenders can be a pain due to lack of mounts around the fork crown and the air chuck. My '09 has mounts at the crown for a fender,think the '08 did too. You could also just use a Race Blade front fender since it mounts behind the wheel and uses straps to attach it to the fork legs. Only issue would be at high speeds you'd get some spray off the top of the tire,but this doesn't seem to bother the folks who run them on their road bikes.

I have a BBU from 05. what a great purchase. I love my pinarello road bike, but the BBU is my go-to bike for a wide range of riding. I ride all winter and it's great to switch out my 700's for 26 inch mtb wheels in dicier conditions and tough road conditions. I find that I go to the BBU throughout the year...just fits I guess. the only changes -- I had to switch to a higher geared road cluster and am getting ready to replace my wheelset (the sun rims developed a crack in the rear.), but I would buy this bike again. I wish fenders were a little easier to install, but not that big a deal for me.

A question for all you Bad Boy owners, how compatable is the BB with a standard bolt on luggage rack and/or fenders?

I had no problem mounting a raer rack on my BBU. Fenders were a bit more of a problem. The fork is the issue, the front fender has to be drilled to fit over the valve sticking out of the bottom the fork. I currently use Planet Bike SpeedEZ Road fenders. I liketo be able to remove the fenders. I sometimes like to ride without 'em, only for aesthetic reasons. :) Anyway, the Seed EZ were easy to install, but I still get tire splatter when riding over water.

:thumb: on the Cannondale BBU, it's a great bike.

Update three months on... thought it might amuse you to know I ended up with a Tommasini Tecno (gorgeous steel framed, traditional style, Italian road bike) and I'm after a CX9 Cannondale (instead of the Bad Boy)... I just can't get away from drop bars for all day comfort.

More relevant to the hybrid threads is that my wife is getting a Quick CX (different model names over here I think) this weekend. So above advice not completely falling on deaf ears!

Well that ended up being the complete other way!! But a Tommasini....Woo Hoo! For a moment I was eyeballing that pretty baby too. But ended up with a different road bike. Congrats and have fun!

......But a Tommasini....Woo Hoo! For a moment I was eyeballing that pretty baby too.

Another person with impeccable taste! Thanks, you have fun too!