paste_me

caad 8 is the most recommend, highest user rated, and affordable entry level road bike according the most people in the road forums. what is the equivalent of that here? what bike do you guys brag about?

zeo_max

..

KTse

It's mostly price ranges... Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, etc, all offer XC hardtails in the 1000 range that are similar in parts spec. It comes down to geometry and fit and what your local shop sells.

ed 

What is it with all the roadies l8ly?

junkyard

Hard to say. When noobs come looking for advice in this forum, I'd say they generally get beaten up pretty badly, everyone insults everyone, the noob leaves in disgust and we never actually get to settle on an answer.

santiago

Ever since Lance and the Leadville 100 thing happened they all want to be like him.

ghettocruiser

Fortunately, the road forum continues to set BF's gold standard for polite and constructive discussion.

m4ximusprim3

We felt like you needed some reinforcement for your superiority complex. Continue to abuse us to make yourself feel better.

dminor 

zeo_max

Way more action in the road forum. You're supposed to be the Pcad of the MTB forums, but you need to step up your game

stapfam

Like most road bikes- MTB's within a certain price range will be very similar. What you have to look at are the components. Drivetrain and LX is generally the lowest recommended (Equivalnt to 105 on road) Then there are two other components to look at---Wheels and Forks. OM wheels are not my favourite so I try to look for Mavic rims on LX- or better still- XT hubs.

But Forks--Bit of a problem. Depends on the type of riding you are going to do- How aggressive you are going to be and how much you want to spend on the bike.

But the heart of any bike is the frame. Some are not worth upgrading but some cheap bikes have frames that are only cheap due to the components fitted. You can buy frames with crappy forks and OM wheels and Deore components that as parts wear out- you can upgrade into a decent bike- Or you can go the whole hog and buy a top of the range bike and just replace parts as they wear out.

So the equivalent of a Dale Caad 8--- whatever you can afford- but take your choice on the manufacturer and choose the spec of the components.

Daspydyr 

Its some of these responses in the Mountain Bike thread that will keep marijuana outlawed. All you need to do is point to some of these discussions. Stepfam and Zeo excluded.

santiago

How about a touch of of SS/FG forum?

Hey OP, reading the ****ing FAQ.

DX-MAN

OK, who gives a sh** about CAAD 8? As shown above, CAAD 8 can be had for under $1200.

Cannonfail is into CAAD 9 already, and has been.

ed 

Why has Cannondale become some sort of standard that we grade frames by?

Daspydyr 

Brother Mountain Bikers-sometimes guys just have a straight up question. I like sarcasm and BS more than most. BUT HEY-when someone wants to start riding a real bike, let's help a roadie out!

I thought C-fail was the Honduran brand of MTBs, not a standard? when did that happen?

dminor 

I think it's a carryover roadie mindset - - They seem to think it's still a viable brand.

ed 

Perhaps I have been a tad harsh to the nooblets in recent days. Though Specialized should be giving me kick-back on how much I PIMP out the Hardrock.

m4ximusprim3

That's finally changing for roadies too- we're just late to the party.

2010 is the last year of the american made cannondale alum frame (which is why I updated my caad9 this year- after this year, it's all taiwan). As of next year, they're just another giant subsidiary.

ed 

And yet...I'll bet nobody will notice a difference in how they ride...though it's nice to keep our money here.

junkyard

I'd suggest Verizon. According to their maps, they have the best 3G coverage.

santiago

And by "here" you do mean Canada, right?

m4ximusprim3

Oh, i didn't mean to denigrate overseas manufacturing- I just like to keep my money in the states if I can. I was referring to the demise of Cannondale as an american brand.

Ride wise, you could put me on a bike assembled by moon elves on PCP and I probably wouldn't know the difference.

zeo_max

Yeah but when you realize that you can't download songs fast and you don't have no cool apps your map is gonna fall all over your soup

ed 

Of course...cough, cough...RMB...

I'm sure you could buy some'a'dat somewhere.