GaryBy

Well, it was a mostly maiden voyage.

Summary bike review: I'm happy

Pros:

1. Fit: It's the right size, and I'm confident I'll get the fit to be perfect once I break myself into the bike. I had them raise the handlebars during my fitting session, but I think I'll get it lowered when I go back. For now, I'm very glad I chose a bike with an adjustable stem.
2. Twist shifters: Much to my surprise, I think I'm going to love these. I felt no risk of accidental shifting, and really like being able to shift with minimal hand motion.
3. Gearing: The gear range seems perfect for me.
4. Top tube: It's great being able to straddle the bike without feeling like I'll be turned into a soprano if I sneeze.

Cons:

1. High gears felt a bit rough. The large chain ring only seemed to work with the three smallest cogs, which is a smaller range than I'm used to. Hopefully this is just an adjustment when I bring it in for my free tuneup.
2. Brakes. The brakes have a long reach. I've never had V brakes before, and I realize this is normal for them. But I have small hands. I don't yet know how safe it is to adjust this, but I think safe improvement is possible. They're also missing the bell that's described in the spec on the Cannondale site, though I realize that specs are always open to change.
3. Suspension: I didn't really notice any benefit from the suspension fork or seat. I'm not sure what adjustments are available on the fork. I don't know yet if I'll replace the seat, but it's a possibility.

Headset: No, not the bike headset, but my new Jabra BT3030. It works fine with my phone, and the music quality meets my needs, but the earbuds are unacceptable. They're the first in-ear earbuds I've ever used. They don't leak sound, which is normally good but unsafe for a bike. Even worse, they do have an annoying wind whistle. My old standard earbuds rest outside the canal, with more than enough leakage to hear cars or other important sounds. Fortunately, the Jabra lets me use any earphones I want, though I'd like a shorter cord than my old buds. In the meantime, I'll start moving more music onto my phone.

So why was it a mostly maiden voyage? Apart from being only about 8 miles, I haven't moved my pedals over, so I was in street shoes, and I don't have my new computer mounted yet. The latter isn't a big deal as far as the bike goes, but I really won't know how I really feel about the bike until I ride it with cleats.

gholland

I'd be interested to know your continued thoughts. My wife is looking at an Adventure 2. She initially wanted something akin to a Felt cafe 8, but thinks that the position is a bit too upright. She needs a little leverage to haul our kids around in a Chariot. Does the Adventure give you a bit of forward-leaning leverage, but not too much to make it uncomfortable?

Magmol

Your initial 100 mile tune up solves a lot of shifting issues. There are a mess of adjustable v-brake levers out there that will solve your reach issue. And you never seem to notice suspension until you don't have it.

Ear buds + Bike = Crash
If your lucky it will only be another cyclist that hit's you. Please be carefull.

GaryBy

The Adventure 2 and 3 have different adjustable stems. The Satori UPS on the 3 seems long to me compared to other adjustable stems, so it has a fairly broad range. I don't know how the stem on the 2 compares. I don't do a lot of forward leaning or posting, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask, anyway. Cannondale has a couple of other lines in this general category - I think the Quick is a bit more aggressive.

I'm very aware of how much I depend on hearing. I won't use ear buds unless I can still hear cars behind me - which means I haven't used the headset since the first trip. Even when I do use them, they'll go in and out depending on road conditions and traffic. I may try my iPod buds, which I know let sound in, though the cord is too long. Mostly I'm not actually listening to the music, just using it to keep me focused on the cycling.