The last couple years I have been lucky enough to have been racing on some of the best bikes around, Cannondale. The last two years I was even luckier and had both a Scalpel full suspension bike and a F29 hardtail. Both bikes rode amazing.
Last season I found myself on the full suspension Scalpel a lot of the time. For the style of racing we do here in Wisconsin, bumpy trails with not a ton of climbing, a full suspension bike makes a lot of sense. The hardtail got ridden too, but only at a handful of races, short track, Chequamegon, Iceman and a few others. The main reason was the F29 was fast, real fast, like flip over your bars if your not paying attention fast. This was awesome for some applications but for others, like when your trying to rip a steep rough downhill, it could be a bit much, at least for me.
So when I heard that Cannondale was coming out with a all new hardtail I was pretty excited to see how they could improve on the super fast F29.
The all new Cannondale F-Si.
My new F-Si ready to race!
One carry over from the my old F29, Hi-Mod carbon. Cannondale's highest end carbon, lighter, stiffer and stronger.
There are several big changes from the F29. Cannondale is calling the new geometry "system 29".
The first major change is in the rear triangle. The F-Si has an asymmetric rear triangle. The drive train is moved out to the right and the rear wheel is moved back to the left and into line with the rest of the bike. This results in a zero dish rear wheels, so its stronger, a ton of tire clearance, yet they can still build the frame with super short chain stays.
Super short chain stays make for a snappier feeling bike.
Si cranks with a offset chainring spider to bring out the drive train.
Tons of tire clearance. Thats a 2.25 tire!
The other big change with F-Si is up front. The F-Si uses a new Lefty fork, "Lefty 2.0". The new fork now has 100mm of travel and a new bigger diameter clamp area, which results in more comfort and stiffness. But the real story is the new 55mm offset, which in coordination with a slacker head tube angle gives the F-Si a very new feeling and handling front end. The new front end geometry and fork are a major change from the old F29.
The F-Si, as a result of the fork and geometry, steers amazing and gives another level of confidence when bombing down descents or diving into corners. The first time I rode the F-Si I immediately felt more confident pushing the front wheel and diving into corners than I ever did on my old bikes due to a significantly more stable feeling and steering bike.
So we've got an awesome new frame and fork...
What about the rest of the bike?
It doesn't get any better than SRAM XX1. Happy to be going into my third season on this awesome group.
Custom touch, a green "1" to match our Cannondale bikes and 5Nines/Motorless Motio Bicycles kits!
My butt has been happy on Fi'zi:k Aliante saddles for a few years. This year they redesigned it. I was scared for a while, till I tried it. The new saddle is a big improvement compared to the old one, longer nose makes it easier to slide forward. And a longer, reshaped tail, makes it easier to get behind the saddle as well. Now and even better mountain bike saddle!
I'm running SRAM XX brakes with 160mm Centerline rotors. The new rotors are smoother and quieter than other rotors.
I've been a fan of Gripshift for a long time. So I'm happy SRAM still makes a Gripshifter for XX1.
This year we are super happy to be working with NOX composites. Our wheels are incredibly light. They are also wider than most which results in much better tire traction and stability. They also set-up tubeless really well.
Early testing has proven them to be strong and stiff as well. Can you ask for anything more?
Front wheel on the F-Si uses the new Cannondale Lefty Super Max hub. The new hub has wider flanges which results in an even stronger and stiffer wheel.
Rock Shox Hydro lockout and XX brake levers play together very nicely.
The little things count on a full on race bike. Ti bolts throughout keep the complete bike weight to well under 20lbs.
Overall, the F-Si with its shorter chainstays and new asymmetric rear triangle design, and its new fork and front end geometry rides amazing. It is much more responsive than any hardtail I have ridden before. Yet it is also more stable and confidence inspiring. Often a bike that feels quick doesn't have the corresponding stability, the F-Si balances these two attributes amazingly.
Both new 2015 race bikes ready to go!
