Cannondale Bad Boy Disc

Price Paid:  $1800.00 at Bicycle Express

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Bad Boy Disc

Bike Setup:
Shimano PD-A530 Pedals.
Conti GP4 Duraskin 700 x 25C Tyres.
Sram X9 shifters and rear derailleur.
Sram 11-26 Rear cogs.
HID Technologies Lumen8r-LED Quad light.

Summary:
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:
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.

Similar Products Used:
Kona Dr Dew
Kona Phd
Giant CRX Zero
Avanti Blade
Specialised Sirrus

Price Paid:  $600.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
Potomac

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.

Summary:
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.

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...").

Price Paid:  $999.00 at bike shop

Model Year:
2006

Bike Setup:
Lemond Poprad

Summary:
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:
frame, aesthetics, disc brakes

Weaknesses:
little high on the price

Price Paid:  $849.00 at Mikes Bikes

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
Bad Boy Disc

Bike Setup:
11-23 R9 rear cassette, tortec rear carrier, moonshine HID headlamp, Abus Granit 54 just fits inside the crank

Summary:
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.

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

Similar Products Used:
Dawes 201

Price Paid:  $960.00 at Bicycle Garage India

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Rural S. Indiana

Bike Setup:
Changes from stock:
Race Face Next Low Riser bars
Race Face Deus stem
Easton EC70 Seatpost
Koobi PRS saddle
Speedplay Frog pedals
Continental GP 4-Seaon 28 mm tires

Summary:
I'm one of those crazy people who enjoy riding mountain bikes on the road. Road racers have their place, but for most conditions, I fail to see the need for the streamlined position and bone jarring 23 mm tires. And for a road racer you really need good roads, an increasingly rare commodity with the proliferation of chip seal. OTOH, mountain bikes can eat up chip seal, patched roads, potholes and curbs. They are 90% as fast as road bikes (for most of us) and have vastly superior low speed handling and maneuverability. In short, for the overwhelming majority of casual and fitness riders, a mountain bike with slicks makes much more sense.

That's why I never bothered with hybrids. Put slicks on your mountain bike, and presto, you have a hybrid. The majority of bikes marketed as hybrids are better described as comfort bikes, and their owners most likely won't ride very often or for very long. They typically have cheap parts, cheesy suspension forks and a truly abysmal riding position.

The Bad Boy Disc was pointed out to me by the bike shop when I was looking at mountain bikes and opined that I would take a rigid fork over a cheap suspension fork any day, but that, alas, they appeared to be extinct. Of course you can get good suspension forks, but they are not needed and even a liability on the road. I have an older rigid mountian bike, but mountain bike frame geometry and riding position have become much more refined in last 10 years or so and the ride doesn't compare to newer bikes.

The Bad Boy really was a pleasant surprise. Stock, the bike has a unique feel that is ideal for urban riding. I was amazed by the handling. It is perfect for taking fast 90 degree turns on pavement. Most people say that with a Cannondale you get a cool frame and a mediocre parts selection, but I didn't find any parts particularly offensive for the price point. It has an FSA Mega-Exo crankset that has a good rep, Avid disc brakes and what appears to be a good enough wheelset. I have been gradually upgrading mine with bling components to try and shed some fat, but what I'm finding is that as it becomes more like the racing type bikes I am accustomed to, it starts to lose some of its unique character.

The Bad Boy Disc is the bike I have wanted for a long time: a modern fully rigid mountain bike made for pavement. One could argue for a road drivetrain--for example a compact crankset and a 12-27 in the rear, but obviously one of the selling points for the Bad Boy is that with a swap to a 26" mountain bike wheelset, it becomes 100% mountain bike. We could try to pursuade the masses that a road drivetrain would be an excellent choice for just about any off-road use a Bad Boy is likely to see, but most would never believe it. That isn't to say that the Bad Boy gearing isn't up to road riding. the 44/11 combo is good for more than 25 mph at a leisurely 80 rpm and most people probably wouldn't believe that either.

Strengths:
A well executed hybrid with a unique feel
Acceptable parts selection
Looks cool

Weaknesses:
Porky compared to a road racer
Silly name

Similar Products Used:
Titus Loco-Moto
Cannondale Six13 R2000