Epic dump find... now what do I do with it?
 

I was looking to snag a pair of v-brakes off of a bike at the dump for a project... and then I realized what the brakes I was looking at were attached to. This is a 1997 1998 Cannondale F2000 CAAD3. The dump attendant said someone had just dropped it off because they "hadn't ridden it in 10 years".
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1564d215c4.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49a72c8228.jpg

It's the right size for me, and there's nothing wrong with it other than normal wear & tear for its age BUT:
1. I'm not really a mountain biker.
2. At 280lbs I think I'm too heavy for it. This is a light frame, and I've read that the headshoks aren't a good fit for heavy riders.

So, do I sell it? If so, how much should I sell it for? Should I have the headshok serviced before selling?
Do I part it out on ebay?
Am I too heavy for it? Do I keep it for singletrack/occasional rides with friends?

Thanks in advance!

You could probably make $100 from it.

I would have left it at the dump.

Those brake levers are worth around $60 alone. The shifters are about the same if working.

In my market, tuned up, it would sell complete for at least $300. You should get more by parting it out, but that takes more time.

Nice score.

There are quite a few of us that are suffering from skimpy parts bins... Good Find!

Cherry! I'd dust it off, lube the drivetrain. check the brakes, adjust the saddle, and ride the snot out of it !
280 lbs? No Problemo! This is the perfect Heavy Gravel/Light XC Trail bike. There's nothing you could do to break that frame.
The Headshok is the perfect low travel suspension fork for gravel roads/mostly smooth forest roads.
With racks would also make a fine tourer for 'come-all-conditions'.
at 280, I might consider having the wheels/spokes checked by a wheel guy, for balanced tension.
Tires might be a little old/hard, but then you could get some great, less knobby gravel tires, wide (42+, maybe 48). A lot of good 26 gravel worthy tires out there for around $50/pr.
You'll be pleasantly surprised by how quick that bike would be with nice tires.
There are a lot of riders jones-in for something like this to convert to dirt road use.
Yeah flat bar and old school drivetrain - but you can;t expect everything, and this stuff is bulletproof and will work well for more years than you'll care to keep it.
If you don;t already have something like this, the hand of god just dropped this in your lap.
pump up the tires, get aboard for a ride around the neighborhood, and see what you think...
Ride On
Yuri

Nice find! How much it is worth as a whole bike will be heavily based on the condition of the headshock.

Those parts would be welcome in many peoples’ parts bins for project builds. Those are great brake levers.

You may have a hard time setting that shock up for your weight, but it should be easy enough to find out.

Haha! Fair enough. One person's treasure is another person's trash.

Thanks Yuri! I think I'll try this approach. If I were to buy a mountain bike this is EXACTLY what I would be looking for. Since the hand of god dropped it in my lap, I'd be a fool to let it go to waste.

It's funny, when I was 16 I bought my very first bike with my own money. I read the year 2000 Trek and Giant catalogs over and over again, knowing I only had enough money for the lowest of the low end. I bought a Trek 820 for $300. Having this bike then would have been a dream come true.

Thanks Kapusta, I did have to pump the shock up quite high to get it to a reasonable stiffness, so I'll be watching to see if there are signs of seal failure.

I'm thinking about having the shock serviced anyway, there's a guy in upstate NY who does them for about $85 plus shipping & parts. Maybe he can put in a beefier return spring or something.

Hope it turns into a 'keeper' for you.
Certainly worth a try... And, right now, riders are spending for 'bikes' which can ride varied surfaces nicely - the latest Big Thing ! 'Gravel Biking' . Riders with old school bikes have been doin this for years. Having the 'Head Shok' is a serious plus for varied surface riding!

I recently decided to do much less 'road' riding and do more mtb and varied surface riding - to reduce my exposure time in motor traffic...
I 'updated' a couple old school mtb bikes to get more 'modern' riding (and more comfortable) traits. Like more upright position (less of the old XC racing 'forward and down' lean) and larger front wheel to aid better roll-over for easy off-road riding.
For more comfort and better handling:
I changed the long, low stem and and narrow, straight/flat bars, to a 60mm stem with more up angle and 720mm 1" riser bar with 9 deg back sweep.
HUGE improvement in comfort and control - simple swap of controls (same as what you have on the C-dale) !!!
Then step 2 was to swap out the 26" front wheel for a 27.5" wheel. Went to my LBS, and we tried a Quick Release 27.5 wheel in the current fork - if you have 1" of space at the fork crown with the current 26" (to the top of the tire), then the C-dale might also fit a 27.5 wheel, without any mods... Since the Headshok is independent of wheel size, no problems there at all.
The larger front wheel has WAY better 'rollover' on rocks, roots, curbs, any obstruction in the riding path. AND it rolls faster ! Steering is improved ! All win situation/change.
The LBS got me a "Quality Wheels built - 27.5 shimano hub, WTB i23 rim wheel - available in either disc and rim brake, for $99 ! great wheel ! Spec has a nice 27.5 x2.0 Tire for $25.
Here's a pic of my '04 Specialized Epic, with Quality Wheels 27.5" front wheel - but before adding the new stem and bars - need to take a pic with the new cockpit...
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2a2b972f2e.jpg
Ride to Sunbird Quicksilver mine on 04 Epic Mullet (27.5 x 26)

Ride On
Yuri

IMO, great find and a bike to clean up and ride. I agree with those who said to have the shock checked. There was a thread about an individual who rebuilds old shocks, but I can't remember it; maybe someone else can post.

I would definitely do a rebuild if you plan to actually keep it. If you are looking to flip it, it is likely not worth it. On the other hand, considering the bike was free you would still get your money back, though.

Hard to say what it is worth. As a functional MTB, Its pretty weak by today's standards. For what most people actually use 90s era hardtail mtbs for these days, the shock may be of little value. OTOH, to someone who wants a sort-of-vintage bike in what looks to be fairly original period-appropriate dress, this could be worth more.

Personally, if it were me, I would likely get the shock rebuilt and see how enjoy riding it.

I've heard good things about www.mendoncyclesmith.com/. That's who I was going to contact.

Service it and make it your new Gravel Bike. Modest hills and long country roads are perfect for that bike :)

I cant read the lettering but are those XT brakes?

i looked at the 1998 catalog and it states this color was available , but the '97 had Sachs shifters and not Shimano and was in a different colorway. Does it still have the XTR rear derailleuer ? That would be nice, but nice find regardless

1998.pdf (vintagecannondale.com)

For a while you could find adapters that would let you run regular suspension forks in headshok frames. Even with tapered steerers. But there’s few enough 26er forks still available. Much less for QR and rim brake.

Left it at the dump...dude that is XT good stuff from back in the day Sure the headstock stuff is not worth it but it looks to be in good shape otherwise and likely good parts on it that aren't seen. I would certainly put that to use especially for free.

Yes, the brakes are XT, and it does still have the XTR rear derailleur. It's all original as far as I can tell, it even still has the reflectors :lol:

Ooo good catch! You're right about the year. I had originally identified it from that catalog, but then forgot to write it down.

I know nothing about mountain bike geometry, so correct me if I'm wrong, but if I got an adapter headset and changed the fork out I wouldn't be limited to 26". Theoretically I could change to a 27.5 or even 29er front wheel kind of like cyclezen did above, right? I have no idea how that would affect handling, aside from the increased BB height.

I recommend keeping as a off road rider.
I think it will support your weight.
Why dont people drop off such descent bikes to thrift shops so hopefully the needy will find more healthy transportation ?

Yes..."Back in the day" when that's all that existed. Not so much compared to what he have now. Kind of like back in the day all the cars had drum brakes. Now we have disc brakes.

Maybe it was harsh of me to say leave it at the dump. I know I personally would have not brought that home nor do I ever go scavenging for stuff at the dump. But maybe if the OP doesn't ride it, it could be donated to a local neighborhood kid.

Because someone was cleaning out their garage and wanted to make one stop with everything else they planned to bring to the dump that day.

Maybe but still probably passed several thrift shops on the way so a drop off would have been easy

Well if I were to clean out my garage right now and make a dump run I would pass by exactly zero thrift shops. Not everyone lives in town. I live in the country out of town.

If the headshok system is working properly, or can be salvaged and serviced to do so , it would provide more joy than a frankenstein fork swap. I rode one of those bikes for a few months and actually liked it a lot compared to my rigid steel Paramount MTB.

Cannondale built that bike properly back in 1998 . It will still perform as good today as it did in 1998. It wont equal a new Cannondale in performance - evolution has taken place -- but it is a high end bike for its time and can support going anywhere any other hardtail could go

Put a little elbow grease in to it and ride it till the wheels fall off. That's an awesome find, hope you enjoy it.

This is the plan! I can't help but dream about what could be done with any bike. However, my true love is bikes that were excellent in their time but have been made obsolete solely due to the machinations of marketing departments. If this bike was great in 1998, why is it not a great bike today?

I can understand the sport changing, and people wanting different types of bikes to ride different terrain in a different way, but the trails near my house have the same rocks and roots that they did when people drooled over this bike.

Cool find and cool thread.

I will argue for old XT. I have two old XT derailleurs (7 and 8 speed) running 9 speed quite nicely and yes a little more vintage but shifts like a freakin' dream. Maybe a notch down from my XT 11 speed but on par with my actual 9 speed XT rear.

I get it is vintage stuff but it is acres better than the modern stuff of that number of speeds and honestly for the average rider not a bad way to go. Having a vintage bike in the stable is fun sometimes. I love my high end bikes, Di2 is awesome, Rohloff E-14 awesome all that sort of stuff but it is fun to just have a bike to mess around on.

Search the web for "cannondale headshock rigid conversion". Looks.like it's feasible but not entirely straightforward.

However, if the headshock is still functional, maybe try it first? I agree with what others have written, that this bike would be better for gravel-type riding than for MTB trails. (That's true of any MTB from that era! Modern MTB geometry is very different.)

Getting some nice non- or at least less knobby tires will really help. I'm a very big fan of René Herse' 26" x 2.3" Rat Trap Pass tires, but anything similar should also be nice.

You shouldn't try to convert this into a 2022 bike. There's just too many differences. Most of the new differences are good, bikes are easier to use and ride more easily more places... except new bikes are way heavier and more expensive!

However it's a great bike for its year and as good as it ever was at anything it once did. If this has the premium version of the head shok with all air and oil, no polyurethane foam, you should be able to set it for your weight (and then set about using it to lose some).

However I disagree with the hot take that it's only good for dirt roads now, or that gravel bikes are just like old MTB's. It's a solid MTB, the kind that was used for everything except downhill. Gravel bikes are ruggedized road bikes.