Hello! I am looking to upgrade from my 1999 GT Agressor to a 2008 Cannondale. I am a little leary of the advice from my LBS ( I think they want me to buy the more expensive model ) and would like some of your opinions since you all are not gonna be selling me a bike and can give genuine honest opinions! Anyway, I am 5'6" and about 145 lbs. I think the small frame Cannondale fit me the best. I am trying to decide between the F3, F4 or F5. My main uses will be some dirt trail riding and the rest on sidewalks, in parking lots, and city riding. I like to jump off of sidewalks and curbs sometimes and was also wandering about the durability of these bikes that I have narrowed it down to. I believe that by upgrading to even the F5 would be a big improvement, but was wandering if going all the way up to an F3 is overkill for my needs/wants? I am hoping that I will get more and more into biking if I enjoy riding the Cannondale a lot more than the GT since I dont think it fits me too well. The F3 is $1200 and it will sting quite a bit if that is the one I purchase, but am willing to do that if it is a much better bike over the two others. If I am getting very minimal gains, then I would feel more comfortable with the cheaper options. Anyway, thanks you in advance for some help! -- Tim

it does not seem that you intend on severe use, so i would say purchase comfortably within your budget the f4 is spec'd alright and is the middle of the road for what you are considering. go test ride all three and see if one seems to stand out more than another.

Go with the F4. You're not going to need what the F3 offers over the F4.

The biggest jump in price comes from the fact that the F3 (Caffeine) frame is handmade in the USA whereas the F4-F7 (CO2) frame is made in Taiwan.

There are obviously a few component changes, but that American labor is expensive.

I actually just bought a 2007 F4 and it's pretty well spec'd compared to the F3...I went through this same ordeal, and the only difference on the F3 i was comparing it to was the adjustable rebound on the headshock of the F3 (same components and wheelset)...ultimately not worth the premium to me as i typically get my fork set up as I like it and won't usually touch it from there on...

That was when the F4 frame was still made in the USA though...(2007 was the last year for it).

If I were looking at the 2008s I'd seriously consider the F3 over the F4...the Caffeine is a VERY nice frame...and now the components are slightly different..

That's just me though....it sounds like the F4 would be great for your needs....don't think i'd go lower than that though... (does the F5 even have the 1.5"headtube?)

Mine

Why a mountain bike over a BMX style bike?

Thank you for the advice. I will strongly take all of it into consideration. I think I am choosing a mountain bike over a BMX style bike because I think I will want to be able to grow into the Mountain bike style of riding more as my skills increase. Plus I liked what the Cannondale MTB's had to offer.

Oh, I guess one more thing.... I just checked my e-mail and my LBS said that he can get a 2007 F2 for $1100 which is $100 cheaper than the F3,. He said that the F2 will have an even better headshock and better brakes. I didn;t know if this was an awesome deal or just another option that I didn't need to have thrown at me! Thanks for any last opinions on this! -- Tim

Awesome deal for a 1 year old NOS bike. Not that good of a deal if it's a 1 year old beaten-to-death bike.

get the 07....that's a good deal...