kccyclist

So, I'm thinking of taking the plunge and buying a cross bike (mountain bikes only for the past 7 years) to use for occasional commuting, bad weather training rides, trainer time in the coldest part of the winter and maybe an occasional cross race. Its a long story, but I can pick up a new 04 Cannondale CX basically at EP pricing. I don't have access to any other brands that make a cross bike with this kind of price break so I'm wondering about opinions on the Cannondale. Any riders out there care to share your experiences? Roadbikereview seems to say good things, but not a lot of comments really.

The 04 spec looks decent at the price point, especially the carbon fork, but I'm curious what folks think! So, talk to me............... Thanks.

uberleet

I just got one, my first ride was today; I love it. I also tried out the Poprad, a Trek X01, Specialized Sequoia and some others but the Cannondale was my favorite. I upgraded it to a triple with 105 cranks (I think it comes with Truvativ?).

I've been commuting on a Trek 930 MTB with slicks, which wasn't bad but the Cannondale is like riding a cloud, it's an incredibly smooth ride.

tmessenger

In the past the canon's use to punish their rider (harsh ride) but it's been a long time sense I've tried one and a lot of progress has been made in metallurgy. If you have access to one crank the tire pressure up and see how it goes. Personally I prefer steel frames for the comfy ride quality and resilience but I do a lot of gravel road and packed snow / ice riding in the winter so I place more importance on ride quality then having the lightest bike.

I club ride my cross bike with 23's in the summer and like it better then my old Tommasini road bike, very stable in a pace line even with aero bars. In the winter I use Michelin Sprint cross tires they're fast on hard pack and don't roll on loose gravel also work very well on snow pack.

Good luck

Tim

aguyinportland

I bought a Cannondale last summer and raced it in Portland's great series last fall. I like it, but the sealed bottom bracket and the rear sealed hub have both already failed. I hope to get Cannondale to replace them on warranty we'll see tomorrow. I'd look at Kona's if you're not too tall...

RacerX

Jump on that Cdale, it's a good ride. I guess they don't make the headshok version anymore? It's a good bike and a steal for what you can get it for- just remember the sizing will be different than a road bike as the bottom bracket is quite a bit higher.

MKRG

I love my 1999 XS-800 with a headshock. It's stood up to thousands of miles and still going strong

kccyclist

thanks to all of you for the comments, I rode an 03 last night (aluminum fork) and it wasn't to bad (based on my perception) so I'm guessing the carbon fork on the 04 model will help a lot. I think I will go that route. Thanks for the info!