orfeo

Hi,

i'm about to buy a cannondale bad boy and i was considering upgrading the standard avid bb5 brakes it comes with, perhaps to the bb7's which i've been told are worth it, however i'm wondering whether i should consider going to hydraulic brakes? is there a noticable difference? less maintenence? can anyone recommend any models in the avid range (assuming thats what i have to stick with if i'm buying the cannondale).

thanks in advance

orfeo

BarracksSi

I don't know the answers to most of your questions, but I'll say that you wouldn't have to stick with Avid if you don't want to. Brakes are brakes, and switching to other disc models is no big deal as long as they fit the mounting standard (which your current setup also fits).

I'm pretty much sticking with the BB5 on my own Bad Boy, though.

seely

I would say the BB7's are not worth the upgrade. All you gain is some extra pad adjustment, really. Its nice--but not really necessary. If you want to go hydraulic, you can choose any disc system you want. I like Shimano and Hayes for their servicability, Avid for their feel.

Bushpilot

Why not just go with the Cannondale F3 and put some slicks on it.
Its the same bike with Caffeine frame The F3 has Juicy 3 hydraulic some burly xc rims and the F3 is almost a pound lighter some how. And they are the same price. I was considering the Bad Boy but just picked up my F3 last night. I want to move up to a 8 inch front disk and maybe some Juicy carbon's when i have some money burning a hole in my pocket. But the Juicy 3's are more than adequate.

Assuming your talking about the Bad Boy Ultra

F3 https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/cusa/model-8FS3.html

Bad Boy Ultra https://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/cusa/model-8BS.html

orfeo

yeah i am thinking of the ultra, i'll go check out the f3 , not sure if i trust those weights...i'll be on a xl frame anyway so there's an extra pound there

Bushpilot

so what have you pulled the trigger on a new bike yet?

orfeo

i haven't bought it yet but i'm still leaning towards the badboy, although i haven't gotten a ride of the F3, if i was to go for the f3 i'd end up puttting skinny tires on it with slicks and basically turn it into a bad boy so there doesn't seem much point. it is odd that there's a pound weight difference.

ps, when you got your f3 did you pay sticker price?, its xmas time so i figure i can get atleast 10%? more ? what do you reckon?
orfeo

badger1

As said, frame/fork are identical. I'd let your riding preferences guide you, but fwiw I'd go 'slickedF3'. Differences are: Ultra: 700c wheels/tires, 'trekking' chainset (48/34/34) rather than mtb, rear rack mounts (I think), mech. discs, and paint job. Can't see the point, meself, unless you know you're going to use it 'road only,' and even then I'd rather 1.5 or 1.75 by 26" slicks anyway -- but that's just me

orfeo

yeah i ride 99% on the road, so that's why i'm thinking the bad boy, but i prefer it to others i was looking at (trek 7.7fx) cause its got the option to be able to put on some off road tires and go on the trails. I'm wondering, do you think that the pound difference could come from the bigger wheels? probably not, and i wouldn't have thought the brake were heavier, infact the juicy 3's are 400g while the bb5 are 330. Anyway i'll check out the f3, i do find the 700c wheels a little weird as i'm not used to them so maybe i'd prefer staying on 26s but since i'm basically a tarmac rider then it probably makes sence to switch.

ps , so did you get a discount at all when you bought your bike?

orfeoo

BarracksSi

The 700c wheels don't feel weird to me at all -- they don't feel much taller than 26" wheels with fat MTB tires.

Bushpilot

Did i get a deal???

No, not really. I got them to drop sales tax which is 12% here. Also get 2 major tune ups and 20% off of goodies and swag. So all in all its better than a punt to the marbles.
Also Cannondale gives you a year warranty on parts and life time on frame. As well if you ever want to upgrade a frame they have an exchange program were you get the new frame at cost. I just bought an 8" disk and adapter today, 30$ total. I found the 6" a little weak although i am a Clyde. But other than that i really like this bike. Bad in black. Its really tight. I would go F3 man. It also has the rack mounts if thats the way you role.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...24#post5791224


https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-biking/369026-brake-power-temp.html

orfeo

Hey,

So i went to try the f3 today, sold out, but i got to talk to the guy there and he said the discrepency in the weight is from the f3's better componentry, also he said that the head set was better on the f3, while the bad boy uses the old headset from 2000. He basically agreed with you about putting slicks on the f3 instead of the bad boy. So i'm now contacting the bike store i'm planing to buy it from to see what sorta deal they can offer me (i'm having to do this by email as i'm not in canada yet). I was thinking of going to juicy 7s on the front, but after reading those posts wonder if instead i should consider going to an 8 inch rotar, but does that get complicated with all the adaptor kits i might need? I also want to change the crank to one that has a higher gearing since this basically a commutor bike.

Thanks for all the tips, i am now leaning towards the f3, oh yes and in black , to be kept by my bed

orfeo

Bushpilot

Good choice

Just get the bike first and take it on a couple of good rides to see if you will need to upgrade brakes or gearing. The only way i can spin top gear is down a steep hill. But thats just me and my "high" level of fitness . I may be wrong but i think you can just get a bigger chain ring(sprocket) not a whole new crank.
The 8" disk and mounting bracket are both cheap and easy. Put them on last night and now have all the power i want muwha ha ha. My parts guy had them in stock. (different place from where i bought the bike) The Juicy Seven as mentioned before only have more bling and adjust ability, not more power.

orfeo

yeah i'll see how the test ride goes, i figure i want to upgrade now while i have buying power where as if i do it later it'll be full price. I don't think i need too much power (ie 4 pistons) since i'm not doing downhill in mud but there are a lot of hills in sydney where i live so i'm constantly maxing out the top gear (there's no way thatt would happen on a flat though, i'm too lazy for that

orfeo

badger1

Your lbs has been straight with you (re. weights), and fwiw I think you're doing this the right way. Re. weight, the BB's crankset and wheels probably account for most of it, and remember -- if you put really high quality 26" slicks on the F3, the weight difference will be even more noticeable, both static and (especially) rotating--acceleration will be phenomenal. Re. gearing: I completely agree with the comment above -- use it as is for a bit; if you do anything right away (and you really are on road most of the time), chuck the cassette and stick a good 12-25 road cassette on there. That's how I run, and imho that makes more difference (the closer ratios) than a bigger outside chainring (though that's just me -- I tend to spin anyway, because I'm old and weak Good choice -- good luck with it!

orfeo

i spoke to the bike store and he said to swap the 26" rims off the f3 and put on 700cc slicks would cost $500 cad with a $250 refund for the 26" wheels, which makes me think it isn't worth the change. I do all my riding in the city, so 700cc slicks are really a better choice for me, and if the extra 0.8 pounds is accounted for in the wheels and crank then there's not much i can do about that, i'm thinking now that i'd just stick with the stock bad boy with an upgrade to 8" juicy 7s on the front. then perhaps down the track i'd change the cassette to a 12-25 and maybe one day get a spare pare of 26" wheels for mountain riding.

Orfeo

Bushpilot

you dont like mtb slicks on a 26" ???

https://biketiresdirect.com/search_re...FRsFagodMGwk8A

BarracksSi

Of course, you could also put street tires on the 26" rims...

In my case, I went into the shop to look for street tires to replace the knobbies on my older MTB, and I also started asking about replacing the component set -- the front shifter had crapped out and needed replacement anyway. I also test rode an overstock '06 Bad Boy Disc.

Long story short -- I got a new shifter on the MTB and bought the Bad Boy at a heavy discount.

orfeo

wait a sec, you repaired your old bike and got the bad boy ontop of that? did you buy that this year? so a 2yr old bad boy? (ok ...1 yr old)...i guess that was your bargining ground for getting a heavy discount?. I could put slicks on the 26" but mor important than the slicks is the width, so much less rolling resistence. Do you know if i'll be able to simple swap in 26" mountain bike tires if i have the BB with 700cc wheels? (as long as the rotars are the same size etc)

ta

orfeo

BarracksSi

Well, it was last year's model (I got it this April), and it was the extra from when they mistakenly ordered two instead of just one. $600 for a bike that's normally $900+ is a pretty good deal. The MTB is now my beater; I might sell it to one of the guys at work, or I might save it for crappy weather.

You'll be able to put 26" wheels with knobbies & discs on the Bad Boy, but no, you won't be able to put 26" tires on those 700c wheels (if that's what you're asking).

It'll cost more to have a complete 26" wheelset to swap on & off the Bad Boy, but the swap will be quick; it'll be much cheaper to just get 26" street tires for the F3, but it'll take a little longer to swap them over.

Bushpilot

There is a highway race down a mountain road called the Red Bull Road rage. Out of all big dollar road bikes a MTB won the race. I was very surprized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93gGn2OZDrc

https://www.redbullroadrage.com/results.php

Bushpilot

26" slicks https://www.dailymotion.com/relevance...allora_extreme

ha ha

orfeo

yeah i was meaning swapping 700cc wheels out of the f3 and putting some 26" wheels in (with knoblies) for downhilling

bidaci

To clarify, the winner was a mountain biker but he rode a stock Giant road bike.....

Bushpilot

oh....shhhh....dont tell orfeo