Those bikes were considered rocket like back when they first came out. Great bang of the buck. Performed like a race bike that cost 3x the price. I had a later first gen Cannondale that I rode through much of the 90s. It's one of the bikes (Klein did it first) that led us to where we are now.

Yeah, it's the stiffness of the frame you are feeling...

(Lay it on me BQ fans, I don't care.)