AntiZero

I'm new to cycling, and I've really got my eye on the Cannondale Bad Boy. I was wondering if anyone has one and can give me a quickie review. No shops around here carry it in stock, but they can special order it. I think I'm going to get the standard model without the shocks - the price difference seems too great to justify the shocks, and I'm primarily a city rider anyhow (besides - I don't remember having shocks when I was a kid!).

Thoughts? Opinions?

slotibartfast

Hi AntiZero. Welcome to the forums. Just a few questions/comments....first of all, Cannondale makes a great product but I would never buy a bike without first trying it out. You say that your LBS will special order it for you - I'd find out if you have the option of saying no to the transaction if you don't like how the bike rides. Second, it's impossible to tell if a bike will fit you without physically taking a ride and having a sales tech look at it with you on it. Thirdly, what kind of riding are you going to be doing? You say that your primarily going to be city riding - curb hopping and other rough manuvers or just cycling along the streets? The reason I ask is because I see that the Bad Boy comes with 26X1 tires, which is mountain bike size. If you're thinking of riding the streets only and have the need for speed, a hybrid style bike with 700c (road size) wheels will be much faster than the 26's and a full blown road bike will be faster than a hybrid model. It's easy to fall in love with a ride that you see in a magazine, on line, or in the shop (happens to me weekly, in fact) but until you actually take it for a test ride, you'll have no idea how it will perform. Keep your options and mind open to alternate styles and bikes but above all, go for as many test rides on different bikes that you can and get the one that sings to you - you'll know when you ride it! Again, welcome to the addiction and I look forward to your future posts. Let us know what you decide - asking questions is the first and most important step.

AntiZero

Thanks for the reply.

Apparently they sell enough of these bikes that the store will special order it and I can still say no later - they can sell it easily enough. They speak highly of the Bad Boy - they're the ones who told me about it in the first place. Aside from product listings, I haven't found much for real information or reviews on it. I've test-ridden several of their bikes and I definitely like the Cannondales best. This is my first "real" bike since I was a kid on a Wal-Mart mountain bike, so I don't think the nuances of each individual bike will have that big of an effect on me - I'm not "used" to any particular style or geometry - so I'll probably just grow accustomed to whatever I buy now.

I much prefer the mountain bike styling and ride positioning. I'd like to jump a few curbs, ride down some steps, and not cringe if I hit a pothole - but I don't see myself climbing over any logs or boulders (although putting mtb tires on later is a nice option). I feel like I'm going to break a road bike.

From all the bikes I've looked at, it seems like the Bad Boy sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for. I rode a couple hybrids and I just said "eh" when I was done. A test ride will be the determining factor - if it doesn't feel like a solid bike capable of my rides, then I'm not going to talk myself into buying it just for it's "cool" factor.

I just want to hear what any Bad Boy owners (or people who have decided against the Bad Boy) have to say about it.

slotibartfast

A few places online to check are: epinions.com or roadbikereview.com. You should be able to get some feedback there. Good luck!

AntiZero

Nothing at epinions.com, but there are some really positive reviews for the 2002 model at roadbikereview.com - thanks for the links!

descartes

I test rode one and it was a fun ride. Coming from a mountain bike it seemed very fast. The paint job is killer in both the flat black and the grey. I was offered a really good price on one but I passed. In the end it is just a rigid mtb with slicks and a great paint job. I couldnt really justify getting it as a second bike and instead i am opting for a straight road bike. Like hybrids, the bad boy is a compromise- not a road bike, not a mountain bike. I had a cannondale hybrid with 700c wheels until a few months ago and the bad boy felt similar. so if you dont like the ride of the hybrids, I am not sure how much difference you will feel with the bad boy. it is nicely equipped with an xt/lx mix. welcome to the forums

Bokkie

I settled for a Gemini but did ride the Jekylls as well. Don't buy without test riding. It'll save disappointment later. If you can, get down to a shop that has most things you'd want to look at. There's no substitute for actually getting on the metal...