Mountain Bikes > Cannondale Mountain Bikes

Advantages: nearly everything including the frame, forks, brakes, wheels and 1.5 big headset
Disadvantages: the shimano alivio front mech and the double chainrings on the front

I had owned an older model of the cannondale chase 2, i think it was the 2004 one and it was excellent, only flaw being the avid cable disc brakes which i had to upgrade. I had had this for a while and thought of getting a new bike so i looked at the cannondale range as i liked my old one so much. I saw the chase 2 2007 model and fell in love with it. Among the strengths is the chase hardtail frame which is chunky, made from cnc machined 6061 aluminium ...
...Also the ISGC BB is great as it give you a better ability to keep the chain on when used with a suitable chain guide and single ring at the front. The forks are an upgrade from the 2004 model. The 100mm Marzochi dirt jump 3s are slightly better than the manitou stance 100mm which used to rock bottom if used for jumps. Although these are better than the old ones it would be good to invest in an even better set of forks if you are half decent at jumping ... Read review

Advantages: Lightweight, Durable, Value for Money
Disadvantages: No lock out on the forks, no disc brakes, poor quality chainset

...After coming across the Trek 4300 my mind was quickly made up, lovely lightweight frame that wouldn't be out of place on bikes twice the price. A reasonable set of Shimano Alvio shifters and forks with adjustable pre-load. Perfect for what I wanted, something I could commute to work on but also give a good thrashing around the local MTB routes. The bike is versatile, the adjustable pre-load works well and although the forks aren't fantastic, they'll ...
...off 6 foot drop offs. The only things really letting this bike down are the Suntour SR cranks. Mine were poorly fitted and the pedals had been cross threaded which meant that when I went to fit some SPD pedals it stripped the threads rendering the cranks useless. Que an upgade to a Shimano Deore chainset and the bike is now even better than it was. One thing to note is that if you're planning on getting into mountain biking, I would seriously consider ... Read review