I'm hesitating between two Cannondale hybrids: the Bad Boy and the Road Warrior. Both have models at a comparable price (around $800). I'd use the bike for regular exercise loops in my local park, city riding, and the occasional commuting. I prize nimbleness and speed, as well as a certain stability for those potholed New York City streets I have to ride on. Any advice?

aren't they basically the same bike with a different paint job?

https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/07/c...model-7BR.html

https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/07/c...odel-7HR4.html

anyway - I'd go for the bad boy - at least you can upgrade to disc brakes - apart from that they seem to be almost identical (components, geometry, etc)

(speaking as a Bad Boy Disc owner)

Between, say, the Bad Boy and the Road Warrior 500, I could go either way. Maybe the only things I'd consider are the survivability of the 500's carbon fork (I'm talking about nicks & scratches) and the potential bonus of the Bad Boy being disc-ready (if you're into that sort of thing). The suspension seatpost included on the Road Warrior would be nice, though.

I guess it'll come down to the geometry of the frame and how it feels while you're riding. The Bad Boy has a little longer wheelbase and its crank is a little higher, but it feels nimble enough to me (in my LIMITED experience, since I haven't tried a Road Warrior; and with a shorter handlebar stem on my own BB).

If it's possible, try them out back-to-back. If not, I wouldn't worry too much, because they both appear to be pretty equal otherwise.

Yeah, it's hard to tell why there's two models that seem to offer the same thing! The Bad Boy's frame seems slightly different (smaller) but apart from that...

If you are considering the Bad Boy, then I have to suggest something very comparable and much less $$$.
Marin bikes makes the "Muir Woods" , "Novato" , and "Point Reyes" . Check em out.

I tested both. RW seemed closer to a traditional road bike in feel, geometry, lower weight, more precise and/or lighter components, with slightly wider tires than a regular road bike with some tread. Very quiet ride.

BB and BB disc to me felt closer to my recollection of the old (1960s) Schwinn banana bikes--close to the street feel, bigger gestures, heavier, more rugged wheels, better for off-road and city streets than road trips. Great commuter ride if you have a secure spot to keep it. I very much liked the disc model. Initially intrigued by non-reflective paint, but wonder how that can be kept clean and clear of ugly scratches.

The paint isn't reflective, but all the logos are (including the "Handmade in the USA" on the seatstays), so at least it's not 100% stealthy. It shows dirt really well -- nice if you want "ratty"; bad if you want "pimpin'" -- but cleans easily enough.

No doubt that the BB's are heavier, though. You could also say "sturdier", too.

I'd get the Bad Boy. The matte black is pretty nice looking. Course, it might be more of a magnet for theives, too. Get a good lock for NYC.

One difference between the two bikes appears to be wheel size: 700c for the RW, smaller for thre BB.

The Bad Boy line rides on 700c wheels, too; 700x28c. It's when (or if) you swap fat MTB tires onto them that you'd use 26" wheels.

Can the BB take fat tires? The BB Ultra can(same frameset as the F600),but the old BB's with 26's were only running like 1" tires.

Cannondale says you can fit fat tires & wheels on the frame. I'm still trying to learn if fatter tires can be swapped onto the existing wheels (cheaper, but less convenient, than swapping complete wheels).

I tried both as well and ended up getting the RW (though an older model they had on the floor but it felt the same) because it didn't feel as hunched over to me. I liked the more upright feel of the RW for a city bike. There is no doubt the BB is a killer looking bike though.

I liked the idea of the bad boy. I really liked the look of the frame. I bought one off ebay that someone had built up from a frame with high-end parts. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely hated riding it. I rode it to work three or four days, making tweaks to the fit each day. My desire to ride it was so low that it took me about a month to get those four days in.

I finally gave up and resold it.

As a disclaimer, this was during the time that I was making the transition from MTB-based bikes to road/cross bikes for my commute. The odd thing was, I could jump on my old mid/early 90's mongoose MTB that I'd made a commuter and it rode much better than the BB.

I'm still not sure what the problem was for me, but it just wasn't working.