Cannondale Rush 800 - opinions needed

[orgasmicliving!!]

I just got a Cannondale Rush 800 as a gift. Anyone got any opinions. Am a bit worried since I read about the Trek frames snapping in the other thread. Also a little annoyed at the fact taht the front wheel is not quick release, so I can't put it in my boot. I will have to do the yuppie thing and get a bike rack now.

Some questions:
1. Does anyone know if it's possible to retrofit a quick release mechanism onto a bike wheel with a mono shock?

2. Any advice for someone just starting out with mountain biking? I am not too fit and I am *really* worried about taking a hard fall! I am not much of a mountain biker (just started doing road biking a couple of months ago).

3. With falling off in mind, should I put clips in or regular pedals?

Any opinions on the specs:
Frame Rush, 110 mm
Fork Lefty Speed Bonded DLR2, 110 mm
Rear Shock FOX Float R
Rims Mavic XM117 Disc, 32 hole
Hubs Cannondale Lefty front, Shimano M475 rear
Spokes DT Swiss Champion
Tires IRC Serac XC, 26 x 2.1"
Pedals CrankBrothers Egg Beater
Crank FSA V-Drive MegaExo, 22/32/44
Chain Shimano 9-speed
Rear Cogs SRAM PG-950, 11-34
Bottom Bracket FSA V-Drive MegaExo
Front Derailleur Shimano LX
Rear Derailleur Shimano XT
Shifters Shimano LX Dual Control
Handlebars FSA XC-281AOS, 25 mm rise
Stem Cannondale XC3 HeadShok, 31.8 mm
Headset Cannondale HeadShok Si
Brakeset Shimano LX
Brakelevers Shimano LX Dual Control
Saddle Fi'zi:k Nisene II Sport
Seat Post FSA FR-270

Thanks!

Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Tuesday 22 August 08:32

[White_van_Man]

orgasmicliving!! said:

1. Does anyone know if it's possible to retrofit a quick release mechanism onto a bike wheel with a mono shock?

2. Any advice for someone just starting out with mountain biking? I am not too fit and I am *really* worried about taking a hard fall! I am not much of a mountain biker (just started doing road biking a couple of months ago).

3. With falling off in mind, should I put clips in or regular pedals?

Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Tuesday 22 August 07:29

1. Not that i know of. The front wheels arent hard to take off its just 1 allen key bolt takes about 30 seconds to do.

2. Just take it steady and build up. start on the easy trails and work up to the more technical ones as your confidence builds up

3 i would start with regular pedals and when your confidence improves move over to clipped pedals

As for your worries of the frame snapping...i have never heard of a connondale snapping the quality of welding is top notch. There frames go through strict quality controll including 1 in every x number of frames is cut in half to check the welding quality. The lefty forks are lovely to ride, they are a bit strange to start off with but once you get used to them they are great. They are quite specalist to service so make sure you have a cannondale service centre near you.

Hope that helps
Alex

[PH5121]

Nice gift!
I don't know about Cannondales other than they are good quality, so cannot comment other than to say I would have one.
But I do know that if you are relatively new to mtbing use normal platform pedals until you are a little more confident, then use the egg beaters.
Have fun with the new bike.
Paul

[orgasmicliving!!]

Thanks for the advice, guys. It came with eggbeater pedals, and a clear acrylic "platform" pedal that clips onto one half of the eggbeater. So you can use that side for regular shoes or flip it upside down and clip in. Pretty nifty.

Thanks for the info on the frame strength. That's reassuring. And I didn't realise the wheel would be that easy to remove. So, to put it back on, is it just a matter of tightening the allen bolt up nicely, or is there a specific torque that I need to have it at?

The fridge-white colour is erm, interesting. I think I am going to put some stickers or splash some paint on it it add some colour.

I can't wait to discover some trails and try it out.

Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Tuesday 22 August 08:34

[neil_cardiff]

As far as I know, you'll not need to worry about the Cannondale snapping.

Even if it did, I'm sure Cannondale would be interested and replace it if so...

Lucky Bastard being given it!!!

[orgasmicliving!!]

Yeah, it was a surprise. I can't wait to try it out!

[orgasmicliving!!]

Should I bother with a trip computer for this bike? I mean, do people track distance while doing mountain biking, or is that more of a roadbike thing?

Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Tuesday 22 August 08:42

[beanbag]

neil_cardiff said:

As far as I know, you'll not need to worry about the Cannondale snapping.

Even if it did, I'm sure Cannondale would be interested and replace it if so...

Lucky Bastard being given it!!!

My bro-in-laws cousin had one of these not so long ago, but swapped it for something else recently. I always wondered about the front suspension....especially when you hit some serious bumps.

How good are the lefty forks and do they flex much? (Must do more than standard forks.....)

[pombstard]

beanbag said:

neil_cardiff said:

As far as I know, you'll not need to worry about the Cannondale snapping.

Even if it did, I'm sure Cannondale would be interested and replace it if so...

Lucky Bastard being given it!!!

My bro-in-laws cousin had one of these not so long ago, but swapped it for something else recently. I always wondered about the front suspension....especially when you hit some serious bumps.

How good are the lefty forks and do they flex much? (Must do more than standard forks.....)

Friend of mine has one - and does some serious mtb racing stuff with it - says he wouldn't bother going back to regular forks, seems to work for him. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but not heard too many bad things about them, other than specialist servicing and lack of alternative parts (strange headset/stem arrangement)

Almost forgot - jammy git!!!

[neil_cardiff]

beanbag said:

neil_cardiff said:

As far as I know, you'll not need to worry about the Cannondale snapping.

Even if it did, I'm sure Cannondale would be interested and replace it if so...

Lucky Bastard being given it!!!

My bro-in-laws cousin had one of these not so long ago, but swapped it for something else recently. I always wondered about the front suspension....especially when you hit some serious bumps.

How good are the lefty forks and do they flex much? (Must do more than standard forks.....)

It never bothered Cédric Gracia



My hero

Edited by neil_cardiff on Tuesday 22 August 09:38

[White_van_Man]

orgasmicliving!! said:

Thanks for the info on the frame strength. That's reassuring. And I didn't realise the wheel would be that easy to remove. So, to put it back on, is it just a matter of tightening the allen bolt up nicely, or is there a specific torque that I need to have it at?

Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Tuesday 22 August 08:34

I guess there is a recomended torque to do it up to, but i have seen a few people do it and they just make sure its nice and tight and they have been fine

[orgasmicliving!!]

I went to unbolt the wheel and it seems to come off the threads adn then rotate freely, as if it's a captive bolt. Fine, except the wheel doesn't go down (apparently the bolt is catching on something) and it doesn't go sideways because the brake disc is still in the caliper. Grrr. I will have another play in a while, but I put everything back together and just rode it for a bit. It feels nice and light!

The acrylic pedal thing fell off so I just pedaled on the eggbeaters with regular shoes. I already have two bikes with the SPD pedals but it seems my SPD cleats are not compatible with the eggbeater pedals on this bike, so I either have to replace the pedals or get new shoes just for this bike or deal with switching cleats all the time. Replacing the pedals seem like the best option?

[orgasmicliving!!]

White_van_Man said:

orgasmicliving!! said:

Thanks for the info on the frame strength. That's reassuring. And I didn't realise the wheel would be that easy to remove. So, to put it back on, is it just a matter of tightening the allen bolt up nicely, or is there a specific torque that I need to have it at?

I guess there is a recomended torque to do it up to, but i have seen a few people do it and they just make sure its nice and tight and they have been fine

Yeah, it says 133 ft-lbs recommended torque right by the axle bolt. So I did it up nice and tight, like.

[pdV6]

orgasmicliving!! said:

Replacing the pedals seem like the best option?

Good as the eggbeaters are, as you already have SPDs on 2 other bikes and compatible shoes, the cheapest option is to switch the pedals on the 'Dale.

[orgasmicliving!!]

On my way to the shops now. By bike!