Cannondale Prophet?

I've decided that this is the year to finally get rid of my rigid frame Cannondale mountain bike and upgrade to a full suspension bike. For the past few years, I've been eyeing the Cannondale Prophet with the lefty fork, but, alas, they have been discontinued and I don't like the replacement as much.

So, I've decided to look for a used one. I found one that I'm going to check out tomorrow. Is anyone here familiar with them? Anything I need to look out for?

After riding suspension for years, I went back to ridgid this year.

I love the ride but I don't really do any crazy stuff either, moslty fire roads and fast singletrack.

Shawn

I still have my Cannondale M500 rigid frame mountain bike from 1992. :) Definitely much lighter than my wife's Cannondale we purchased in 1999 with front suspension and small light rear shock. My bike you could pick up with 1 finger. Her's has got to be 10-20lbs heavier than mine.

Yup, my '93 Univega Carbolite is only 19lbs

Newer does not equal better in mountain bikes, it's hard to find a nice XC bike nowadays that doesn't weigh a ton.

Shawn

Back in the day, I had the good fortune to work for Kieth Bontrager:

http://www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/page.cfm?pageid=6&memberid=47

who like to say "cheap, light, reliable, pick two, that is all you can have" There are many wonderful and light (sub 25 lb) full suspension bikes. $$$ required. here is a 21lb 6.5k!!!! version hot off the press.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/2009-trek-top-fuel/

Good full suspension 24-25lb cross country bikes are now more like 2k. My 2000 Bontrager racelite hardtail is 24lb with 3k of high zoot parts on free frame. MTBs have evolved for the better IMHO. Full, suspension bikes are mush easier on my aging frame and neuro system.

I have stopped paying close attention to the MTB scene but i thought it was interesting that until just a couple of years ago nearly all the fastest cross country riders everywhere were still on hardtails. They work just fine, not as comfy is all.

I've got a Prophet.

Was like this:

then went to this

and I would have a picture of the new fork (yes, I ditched the Lefty) but I haven't taken one yet.

My advice? Go 29er. It will have more lasting value and will be a better bike to ride all-around that a full suspension.

The Prophet is a great bike, but it's design is NOT cutting edge any more, and if I had to go do it again I would have gone with a 29er XC bike and a more aggressive "fun bike" for messing around on.

Woody wrote: they have been discontinued and I don't like the replacement as much. Anything I need to look out for?

The Rize and the Prophet are similar riding bikes. If I was suggesting a 26" bike that felt similar to the Prophet to someone it would be the Rize, simply because I haven't ridden to many bikes that feel as good all-around as my Prophet.

However, they are not without issue.

The key area to look at it the swingarm pivot area. They tend to crack the forward facing edges. On the picture below, you can see just a tiny hairline crack in the paint. On my bike, this wasn't a problem because it hadn't become structural yet and I don't think it would.

Also, do yourself a favor and get a Lefty MAX TPC, TPC TPC TPC...don't get a normal Lefty Max, it sucks. If you can, try to find one with a Rock Shox Pike. Way better fork in my opinion. In order to get a decent Lefty you've got spend a good amount, or get one a 2009 bike (THE PBR IS SWEET).

Also make sure to get the right size, and aim for hydraulic brakes over cable brakes. Derailures, cranks, wheels, and all that other stuff really doesn't matter as much as the fork, rear rock, and brakes, in my opinion. I've got really awesome shifting bikes, and very light bikes that ruin the ride with a crappy fork...and being that the fork is the most expensive part...I'd look for upgraded versions on a used bike.

All in all, I'd try to get you away from going full suspension as a single bike. I'd probably suggest looking at a basic 29er and a basic full suspension downhill or freeride bike.

I love hydraulic brakes! And still, every time I talk to a dealer they shrug and say, "Eh. V Brakes, cable disks, hydraulic disks... they're all the same.". No they're not! The second you hit a bump wrong, your v brakes are going to be berkeleyed up until you buy a new wheel. And cable actuation is not nearly as smooth (or IIRC) progressive as hydraulic.

I ride a road bike now (my F-400 was stolen by some clown in Baltimore). I loved that bike. It was basic (it had v brakes), had the head shock, and it was a hard tail. But it was stiff as hell, it could take all the abuse I could throw at it (riding up and down stairs, for example) and it looked good with the sky blue paint and black wheels. sigh I'll miss her.

By the way, what is the advantage of a bike with rear suspension? I've never really ridden one (except for a test ride on a 2002ish Jackyl (spelling) 700 LTD).

Those Leftys just look so weird.

I was a die-hard rigid rider for years, not even running front suspension on my old Stumpjumper. I could move pretty well on it. But then I rented a Rocky Mountain ESX-30 for a race and fell in love with it. So that's what I ride now.

Most full suspension bikes are too squishy for me, aimed more at absorbing big drops than going cross-country. But this one doesn't suck when you're climbing. In fact, I think the rear suspension helps traction on the climb by making sure that rear tire is in contact more often. You also don't get a kick out of the rear end when hitting rocks on a quick downhill. If I want, I can lock out the rear shock which still allows a bit of movement but gives me really good power transmission without a bounce. I'll usually do this at the start of the ride, which around here means a long climb

I don't see mud at all. I don't do downhill so much, but exclusively cross-country. My riding conditions are basically just like Moab, which is not surprising considering that we're just down the road.

I am not sure I could do the "lefty" either.. all I see is stress on the front wheel spindle.

I just weighed my C/F trek 9700. Front suspension only, but also with lights, battery pack, rear rack, pack, pump, and waterbottles.. I was surprised to see it weigh in at 24 pounds

I like the Lefty. I read a bunch of reviews about it when it came out and it had more lateral stiffness than the bunch that it compared to. Of course, this review was done by Cannondale . . . but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

It does look like it's broken though, doesn't it?

I always liked the Lefty, and even the Headshock too. I wasn't as concerned about it when I bought my Prophet because I wanted a lighter All-Mountain bike.

The problem with the Lefty is not the performance, it's the price. It's just so much more expensive to run a Lefty that compares with the offerings from Rock Shox or Fox, but still hits the price point. The Lefty is a great fork if you're really concerned about weight...but even then I'd probably rock a 09 SID vs a 09 Lefty...unless someone gave me the Lefty.

As far as full suspension is concerned, if you have only ridden a full suspension around in a parking lot, then you should stick with a hard tail bike.

I rode full suspension lots before I bought one. I had ridden FS bikes that my friends had quite a few times on the trails, ridden demo bikes for quite a few miles on trails, and spent numerous hours riding shop bikes around in back alleys.

I didn't buy my Cannondale because it was full suspension, it was because I got it for half price. I was a poor college kid and I couldn't find a better deal.

If I had to spend my hard earned cash on a bike right now, I'd spend it on a 29er hardtail.

confuZion3 wrote: By the way, what is the advantage of a bike with rear suspension? I've never really ridden one (except for a test ride on a 2002ish Jackyl (spelling) 700 LTD).

Keeps the rear wheel planted so it rolls over rough stuff instead of bouncing over it. I was stunned at how much it helps on singletrack climbs. Felt like I was cheating vs. my old hardtail.

If your still interested in a Prophet I'll sell you mine with the Lefty for $800. Might even drive up to meet you somewhere in New York. SpeedingMusic@hotmail.com

I built a full-suspension ride over the winter & I've been really happy with the result, especially considering I built it from nothing for under $500.

It's a Mongoose Wing Comp Pro, and while certainly not high-end, it not a department-store bike either. Most of the parts I got from eBay, some new, some used. It's not a light bike at 34lbs, but it climbs and rides much better than my hard-tail KHS.

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IMHO unless you're ready to spend over $2000 on a bike, stick with a hardtail.

I'd rather have a hardtail with better components that a FS bike in the same price range.

I have a gary fisher 29er hardtail that I bought on ebay last fall for $700. It's an awesome bike. I absolutely love the way it handles. The big tires just cruise right over even the big rocks and roots.

2002maniac wrote: IMHO unless you're ready to spend over $2000 on a bike, stick with a hardtail.

...and Mountain Bike Action said $800 for that figure.

My bike is a Decathlon Rockrider 9.1 (unavailable in the States now). It was a $900 Deore LX bike 3 years ago. About as competent as can be. The rear suspension design won an award in some euro mtb mag when it first came out.

If you're doing downhill/freeride, yeah--upgrade. For XC--$8-900 will get you a more than decent bike.

http://chambana.craigslist.org/bik/1177047692.html

Want me to pick that up for you? I can drive over and get iand then ship it to you. if you want.

I have a Gary Fisher mullet for downhill, and I had a hoo koo e koo but it got really berkeleyed up and I sold it when I needed the cash and didn't have space... BIG mistake I miss that bike so much.

Now I live somewhere with lots of flat paths and I'm trying to find something similar to the hoo koo e koo for normal trail riding... want to keep my mullet for downhill ski resorts and stuff though.

I never thought the cannondales were a good value for the money.

I just offered the guy an $800, multiple award winning full suspension bike, and your showing him a Killer V? ugh...

Cannondale makes good AMERICAN bikes for the money. There are tons of American bike builders out there, but there frames start at the prices of Cannondales mid-level bikes.

I don't know if I'll buy another though, not because I don't like my Prophet, but I wanted to stay US-Made

I've always run Gary Fishers and Konas....

I had a decked out Kona Stinky that was AMAZING.

I think a Kona Stuff would fit what yuo're looking for. I don't know about current prices, though.

If "US-Made" stretches to Canada, check out the Rocky Mountains. I love mine, I've always liked their geometry, even back in the days of the original Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Koo 20+ years ago.

mad_machine wrote: I am not sure I could do the "lefty" either.. all I see is stress on the front wheel spindle.

Search youtube for Aaron Chase...he puts em thru the paces and then some. Leftys are more dependable than a 9" rear-end

I posted this thread moments before my laptop endo'd and now I see that it's taken on quite a life.

I still have a rigid frame bike that I love, my old Cannondale M800, but I'd like to get into the full suspension game. I ride in the East where the hills are covered with baby heads, so any serious downhill speed comes with the risk of a two month vacation from work, which I cannot afford.

I've been drinking the Cannondale coolade for so long, my choice has been between a new lower end Rize, or a used Prophet (which I like better) for about a grand less. Now that I may need a new laptop, a used bike looks more likely.

And, Mr Heller, your Prophet looks good, but it also looks too small for me.