I’m looking for a bike that I can use to go for rides out with my family - they will only be short as my son is only 7. But I’d like a bike that I could have a go at mountain biking on. It won’t be anything serious as I’ve not done any mountain biking before (I’ve ridden motorbikes off road but not pushbikes.)
My local bike shop has a second hand Cannondale F4 for £300 ($450). Its VERY clean - when I first saw it I thought it was new. Its got hydraulic discs front & back and the single fork setup (Headshok?)
Does anyone know anything this model? I’ve heard Cannondale are a quality bike.
This is a quality bike but it is hard to say about price without knowing more about the components. Still, it should be plenty of bike for you if you can spare the cash. My first bike was an absolute tank that I thrashed for three years before upgrading. I haven’t been in the market for a new bike in a very long time but I know the prices have come down a lot.
One last thing is how much do you weigh? This is an aluminum frame and they are prone to cracking under heavier riders if worked hard.
The thing that is putting me off is the single fork suspension, most other bikes have conventional twin forks and I think Cannondale don’t do the Headshok system anymore.
[quote]Dave 966 wrote:
I’m about 175 pounds, so not heavy.
The thing that is putting me off is the single fork suspension, most other bikes have conventional twin forks and I think Cannondale don’t do the Headshok system anymore. [/quote]
I don’t know if they do but I don’t think it will take a conventional headset. I don’t know about there but you can get quite a bit of bike for $400 here anymore.
The headshok is odd to look at but it’s a decent fork. At that price point the forks on most bikes you’ll find will be at the very bottom of the barrel in terms of performance and weight so you’re not giving anything up by going with the c’dale.