Strengths: As it's a "Made in the USA" model, it has a very strong paint job with a dupont coat so it rarely gets scuffed. It's welds are smooth and beutifully finished.
Weaknesses: The spring in the Avid BB5 calipers both front and back snapped after just 13 months and I couldn't get replacements. The rear SUN rim developed cracks around the eyelets after only 7 months. This bike has never been ridden "off road".
The stock pedals were crap.
Bottom Line:
I replaced my full carbon Giant with the Cannondale after an accident cracked the Giant's fork. I wanted something that could handle city riding and a frame I could have confidence in.
The Bad Boy's M size geometry perfectly fits my body. This bike is by far the most comfortable bike I've ridden in a city situation and I absolutely love riding it. What first attracted me to it was the all black look BUT I quickly got bored with the black black and more black look, so I had to add some colour.
I wanted to make it even more road / city compatible so I made some changes to the gearing ie. triple to double chain rings, swapped the deraileur to a short cage shimano ultegra and swapped the cassette to a road. For the shimano deraileur I had to marry it with a Deore shifter as the stock Sram has a diff. actuation. I also run 700 x 23 slicks.
Strengths: Handling at higher speeds.
Tuff, Cool looking bike. I like the black matt coloured finish.
Weaknesses: The bike is a bit heavy, my sons Giant ATX 1 hard tail is way lighter.
The Med Frame is a little to big for me.
Bottom Line:
I find the bike to be a firm, fast, commuter, I have only ever owned MTBs, so this is my first road bike and I am loving it. I'm finding my self taking the long way to and from work. It is the bike I should have brought years ago, and as I have been clocking up more k's I have also found a new found love for riding again. The brakes are great for a cable disc type and the sram shiffters are awsome. I test rode the Kona Dr Dew which was also a nice ride and the Kona PHD which also an awsome ride.
Strengths: Strong, beefy frame, quick gearing, nimble & fast. Too fast to be labeled a hybrid.
Weaknesses: Not really a mountain bike, and not really a road bike, either. And, yes, it's really a silly name, although I've involuntarily said it myself (as in, "Man, look at that bad boy...").
Bottom Line:
One of the other reviews mentioned putting slicks on a mountain bike to create a badass street bike. That was my plan when I went to the shop to get street tires for my eight-year-old Schwinn mountain bike.
I can't remember how, but I kinda let myself get talked into checking out other bikes, and I was pointed towards last year's Bad Boy Disc that was on clearance. I took it for a test ride, and man, it was fun. It's my first "legitimate" road-specific bike, so I was impressed by the agility of the light, skinny wheels & tires and by how the fully rigid bike translates every pedal movement into forward motion (no bouncing like on my hardtail MTB).
I think it looks fantastic, too. It seems purpose-built for banging around city streets.
I'm not sold on the idea of putting 26" knobbies on it for off-roading, though. If I had gotten a Bad Boy Ultra, then yeah, I could see myself getting a second wheelset and selling my Schwinn. But, I think that offroad duties are best handled by bikes with some form of suspension (you never race a Lamborghini on hardpacked snow & gravel, do ya?), so I'd use this bike strictly for roads & streets.
It's not exactly a road bike, either. The seating position is high enough to not be aerodynamic, and the MTB handlebars don't allow you to tuck at all. I've actually begun to think about getting a purpose-built road bike to take on long, fast runs up & down the Potomac.
So, it's not a road bike, and it's not a mountain bike. It's also too racy to be a hybrid, and it's not laid out like a comfort bike. Instead, it's a damn fast city bike with a stable, wide-bar riding position and a strong frame that doesn't waste any energy through flex.
Cannondale markets this thing as an urban bike. That's exactly what it is, and it appears to do a great job.
Bike Setup: Slightly shorter stem than stock, Crank Bros. pedals (first Mallet C, now Quattro); Ergon grips are next. Got some lights and a fender, too.
When I first noticed this bike at the shop, I had to have it. It's eye catching, but not too flashy that people want to try and steal it.
It offers more flexibility than just a road bike or just a mountain bike. I do a lot of commuting and this bike had been perfect. It's super fast, durable and smooth. Stops on a dime even in wet rainy weather.
Strengths: Inconspicuous, & so far it's had a new chain & a new rear cassette
Weaknesses: It'd be nice if the dealer had bled the brakes, the maxxis detonators aren't conti GP4s
Bottom Line:
Nice. It's inconspicuous that I can leave it locked up at the station, it stops in the wet & it still feels fun. Changing the back cassette to an 11-23's made it more pleasant in the wind round Cambridge.
Okay, here's the deal. I've just gotten rid of a Trek 2.3 since now I have a little baby and haven't been able to ride much. I also have a burley carrier for the baby and would l Read More »
