| |
Submitted by
brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from wilmington NC New Hanover County
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Blue Clay @wilmington NC | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$625.00 | | Purchased At: | used from private seller | | Strengths: | frame is sick and strong, fox float RL, mavic 117 disc rims, hayes hfx9 disc brakes,XT drivetrain is perfect.i might as well just say the whole thing is rad. XC/freeride geometry adjustment. will take pretty big tires( i had panaracer FIRE FR 2.4 on it at once) | | Weaknesses: | the way the cables run cause it rub the frame pretty bad. i have noticed some spots at the bottom of the down tube that i had to address(wraped a peice of bar tape around the tube) seat post is too long to do freeriding my lefy MAX fork has no compression adjustment. so it you are doing freeride type jumps and drops, the fork will bottom out as you start to go over 6 feet. my LBS said it would probably be alright because it was a coil spring shock and not an air shock. | | Similar Products Used: | jamis dakar, kona Dawg, trek liquid | | Bike Setup: | fox Float RL, lefty MAX fork, nokian 2.1 tires. XT drivetrain, hayes Hydro brakes. wellgo B-67 freeride platform pedals. | | Bottom Line: | i have beat the crap out of this bike. i bought it used about 8 months ago and it looked real clean. now id is dirty. i would not consider myself as an XC racer but i do race sometimes. this bike is awsome for racing. i also do dirtjumping and lite freeriding. because i am new to MTB that pretty much means i am flat on the ground just about as long as i am in the air. i crashed this bike so many times it's not funny. i have never had anything break(on the bike). i have had to dig it out of the dirt from a few crashes also. my bottom line is this. this bike is nimble enough for the most experianced XC racer and strong enough for those who really want an ALL MOUTIAN/Freeride bike. i would maybe not go too huge with the lefty fork but it has not blown out on me yet. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nic roc
a Downhiller
from USA Miami FL
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | bikemax | | Strengths: | Lefty front fork, ajustable geometry rear sytem | | Weaknesses: | Hi matainace but isnt every hi performace machine, brakes can be squeeky. | | Similar Products Used: | GT RTS-3, Trek Y, 24" GT Cro-mo Dirtjumper/Street Killer, Iron Horse Porter pro, P2, | | Bike Setup: | Dirtjumping, yes dirt jumping cut seatpost down to 4 1/2 inches with Planet X dirt saddle, Wtb velacoraptor 2.1 out back Maxiss 2.5 up front, rear lockout removed handelbar lever | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike light nimble can take pretty much whatever u can throw at it up hill or down. In the rythme section its a killer just dont crash to much or she wont like it.Manuals like a dream Ive killed a couple of skate parks on this and ppl r always like, Damn Man nice &^%$#$ bike.Couple things, thing is any drop over 10 feet are kinda sketchy the suspension likes to bottom out, Front brake kinda squeeky but whos listining other than that if u want a killer bike that every one stares at (mines sobe team edition and I wouldnt trade it for any thing )and can perform then this is the bike for u. Also Its Hand Built In The USA. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Enschede
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | E-bay | | Strengths: | Fast downhill
Very direct because its light at the front.
Comfortable
Good looking
| | Weaknesses: | Breaks (squeek)
The front wheel doesnt run smoothly because of the seal on the lefty, cannondale says it takes 1000 km to get it running smoothly but I dont think it will
The Fox Float rear shock loses air
The front tire has not much grip, the back tyre wears off fast. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 850
Scott G-zero Fx-3
Cannondale f400 | | Bike Setup: | Standard european (no remote lockout, hutchinson scorpion tyres) | | Bottom Line: | This bike rides well and it seems to be a good allrounder but it has some weaknesses which shouldn't be there at the price for which its sold. I bought it cheap but new it costs 2400 euro over here, not worth the money.
I wouldnt have buyed it if the price wasnt so low and if i had knewn it gave so much problems. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Rittig
a Weekend Warrior
from Midlands Uk
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Roman Roads in the Peak District | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Leasure Lakes | | Strengths: | Lefty fork!!! Absolutely plush and stiff. Rear suspension shows very little bobbing and kicking for a single pivot. | | Weaknesses: | with the Lefty fork you are totally dependent on original Cannondale parts: bye bye ebay and any special offers ... Lousy customer service in Europe: all Cannondale parts have to be shipped from Holland and take a couple of weeks to arrive, and I never got any replies on my emails. Absolutely flimsy XC specific components (BB, cranks, rear hub, rims) which needed to be upgraded for freeriding. Very low BB which means you are constantly touching ground. The worst thing is the stupid trunion mount which doesn't work (the lockout gets stuck in the mount, which means you have to disassemble to mount if you want to change the position of the shock) and just adds dead weight; again it restricts you to Jekyll-specific shocks. Also annoying is a missing mount for a computer sensor on the Lefty fork (how ignorant can an engineer actually be? The discussion forums complain about this for years now). | | Bike Setup: | upgrades: Truvativ Gigapipe DH BB, Hussefelt cranks and chainrings, Mallet C pedals, Hope bulb rear hub, Mavic XM321 rims, Conti Gravity 2.3 tyres | | Bottom Line: | An excellent bike (once upgraded) with severe flaws, the most important being the dependance on Cannondale parts (i.e. expensive, slow delivery, very restricted choice, non-existing customer service). Also, the bike comes much more expensive as it seems due to light XC components which cost of lot of money to upgrade for freeriding (other bikes already have better components from the start). I love to ride the bike but never would buy one again. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a
from Salt Lake City, USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Crest | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Very nice ride. The LEFTY is the best. Lots of travel, cuts nicely and takes bumps like a cadillac. The rear fox suspension is also great. | | Weaknesses: | A little heavy. Be careful if you want to take your hands off the handles, the Lefty will sometimes do its own thing. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Liquid | | Bike Setup: | XT components, Julie Magura hydrolic brakes (I like them), | | Bottom Line: | For the money, I think this is one of the better bikes you can get. I have never had any probs with it over the year I've owned it. I have taken it down some really rough trails and it handles them like a pro.
Great bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from Concord, Ca
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Tahoe technical | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | LEFTY!! This bike is PLUSH! Super comfortable, intuitive geometry, plush ride and XC race capability (2nd place, 2005 Shasta Lemurian). | | Weaknesses: | Front Hayes 9 is a squeeker; still gets good grab though. Cable rub on multiple areas, but it's a mt. bike and has many other scratches and trail scars. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Dawg Dee-lux -- fantastic bike
Rocky Mountain ETSX -- very nice bike, just not the perfect fit of the Jekyll | | Bike Setup: | 2.0 Hutchinson Scorpion up front with either 1.95 WTB EpicWolf, 2.1 Maxxis High Roller, or Michelin Wildgripper (green mud-specific tread) in back. | | Bottom Line: | Gave a review about six months ago when I was still trying to get used to the bike and had taken some nasty falls. NOW, however, I've successfully raced the 2005 Sea Otter Classic XC Mtb race and taken a 2nd in the 2005 Shasta Lemurian Classic on this bike. Also, many fun local rides and ride in Tahoe. With the right tires and some experience, this bike is unbeatable!
Climbing can be controlled with a smooth, even pedal stroke and quick right turn of the rebound nob. Singletrack travel is unparalleled -- in race situations, the Jekyll's singletrack and technical, rough downhill ability will eat other F/S bikes up like CRAZY, gaining you a lot of time and a couple places up! Think Animal Planet . . .a cheetah or tiger chasing down a gazelle and you have the jekyll vs. other > XC F/S bikes.
An amazing ride. All day comfort. Amazing singletrack manueverability. Lightweight for 5" F/B and dual disc brakes.
Buy it, get used to it, ride it and enjoy.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
john
a Cross Country Rider
from st.catharines, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | squezzer | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Liberty Bicycles | | Strengths: | Everything | | Weaknesses: | Brakes | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Stock exept brakes were repaired. I dont pointlessly upgrade, if it aint broke dont fix it. | | Bottom Line: | This is an exellent bike, I used to be fast but my first race after buying this i WON!! This bike works great for me becasue im a cross country racer who also likes to do long enduro rides, and hit some rough terrain. I suppose you could use this bike for freeride (i took it downhilling once) but i think with ecessive and agressive downhilling it would fall apart. The only thing that gave me trouble were the hayes hfx nine brakes. I was constantly having to adjust them becasue the screw in the master cylinder slowly creeps back out (that problem is notorious with all hayes). So finally i put the screw really far in, and it snapped!!. I got stuck with a $150 dollar bill because i should have brought it into the shop (for the hundreth time). But otherwise an exellent bike, just make sure you talk to your shop owner and agree any problems with the brakes will be fixed no charge. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas,Texas US
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Northsore @ Grapevine Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheels in Motion | | Strengths: | Great Suspension, very light set-up, excellent all-around. | | Weaknesses: | Brakes are very noisy, but work extremely well. Stock Conti Explorers. And the fi'zi:k saddle has to go!!! | | Similar Products Used: | 1999 Marin Rock Springs | | Bike Setup: | Coninental Explorers Hayes Disc Brakes, Fox Float RL, Shimano Clips, Truvativ Firex. All Stock for now. | | Bottom Line: | I've already had to put my bike back in the shop for 2 weeks due to the poor assembly of the Haynes Brake Levers. My rear brake lever stopped releasing due to a missing washer Hayes supposedly left out in production. Apparently they sent boxes of washers to all Cannondale Dealers for people bringing their bike back with this problem. SOME RECALL...The Conti Explorers have to go. I've already had 7 flats on trails caused by thorns. Other than these problems, I am very happy with this upgrade from my Marin. It climbs great and sails down hills. I'm hoping the brakes eventually stop making noise. I've never had disc brakes so loud and annoying. I also had the shop take off the rear suspension lock out lever from the handle bar, to save the paint on the Cannondale logo. Great bike for the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunrise, FL
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | OutBack - Markham Park | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Lee's Bicycles Hollywood | | Strengths: | Excellent suspension (both front and rear), good brakes, comfortable seat, light for a full suspension bike, color (SoBe team replica). | | Weaknesses: | Didn't like the clipless pedals, the brake rotars sometimes rub making a noise. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Azonic A-Frame pedals | | Bottom Line: | EXCELLENT bike! I am not sorry I upgraded to this machine. I came from a hardtail and was hesitant with the Lefty fork and I couldn't be happier with the Lefty. This fork rides like a dream, absorbing every hit I give it. I had a problem with my rear shock (Fox RL). There's a shaft that controls the lockout and it snapped in half causing my shock to be permanently locked. No one can explain why this happened, but I suspect it was due to the way my LBS installed it. I noticed that when I got it back from being fixed that the lockout bracket was positioned differently from before. Overall I would recommend this bike to anyone looking for a full suspension bike in the medium price range category. Take the chance and you will not be disappointed!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Weight, Lefty!, travel, brakes, agility | | Weaknesses: | Paint quality, and.... | | Similar Products Used: | Stumpy FSR disk, Prophet 800, Cake 2, Kona Stinky DLX | | Bike Setup: | Stock, platform pedals | | Bottom Line: | I don't know how people could complain about weight, on a calibrated scale this comes in at 27.9 in medium. I have dropped 4-5' and felt nothing. Amazing. This bike is a very good (not great) climber, will track anywhere you point it downhill, and actually has made me a much better rider in the month or so I have owned it.
I test rode several other bikes in the same class and they were all nice, but were missing something. They just didn't invoke the confidence that the Jekell does. This bike feels so nimble and light (again, Lefty aids in this). I just can't get over how Cannondale accomplished makeing such a responsive, yet fully capable light downhiller/ XC bike all in one. Even a couple of bikes I test rode for fun in the $3000 range didn't feel like they could deliver at the same caliber.
My advice is if you are a weekend racer and love to take mid range drops (3-5') while downhilling in your spare time, check this out. This bike is so versatile and feels like it can take a beating. If I had the extra $1000, the only thing I would have done is move up to the 1000 or 2000. The frame cannot be beat.
I will have this bike for a long time. This is my first Cannondale and I am HOOKED! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Swager
a Weekend Warrior
from Riverside, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Ana River Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2100.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Lefty Max Front Suspension Travel, Adjustability, Frame strength, 5 inch rear travel, Did I mention Adjustability... | | Weaknesses: | Rear Lockout Lever Design is Not too good, Jekyll only rear shock design, Paint Scratches easily, No option for a kickstand (read review), Prioritized front wheel hub limits choices for wheelsets. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Liquid 30 | | Bike Setup: | Full Shimano XT except hayes discs | | Bottom Line: | I use this bike as my bike for bike patrol as a security officer and hopefully soon a police bike officer. The colors meet the application well (black and white... hmmm) but the paint is horible for scratching riding with lots of gear. I am not the typical Jekyll rider and the adjustible geometry is nice for the "free riding" (typical stairs, drops, etc) at work and the XC on the weekends. The bike came with a decient set of components but I wanted XT so on went the new front derailuer, crankset, chain, cassette, and shifters.
The sore spot is the cannondale prioritized components that make upgrading hard. I am 6'6" and the stock wheels do not take the abuse. I have already destroyed the rear wheel doing jumps but the front seems to hold up well. Unfortunity a better wheelet means relacing the wheels for the cannondale hubs unless I want to spend 700+ on a new wheelset. Likewise the rear shock is jekyll only and a pain in the butt to get if you want to replace it later.
Overall I put the bike through a lot of abuse and it holds up well... just wish it could have a kickstand... hate trying to find a tree to hold the bike when writing tickets... oh well, will be modifying a greenfield soon. Also the bike is a little heavy in the xl frame... 33 pounds
If you want a good bike that does as well and many of the others in the class get the jekyll... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max
a Cross Country Rider
from Gothenburg, Sweden
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Purchased At: | Conte Bike Shop, Newport News Virginia | | Strengths: | Great looks, great feel, fantastic shocks- Lefty is amazing and fox float is plush. Great parts, rear lock-out is good, although I don't use it that much. Hayes breaks are great so far, but squeak a little it you don't clean them off with compressed air (nothing out of the ordinary) | | Weaknesses: | Cable rub at some places, creaks and makes other noises when standing up pedeling and after jumping (small jumps). | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale V500 | | Bike Setup: | Stock.. | | Bottom Line: | Fantastic bike! Has the looks, and the feel in my oppinion. Has some small flaws that can easily be fixed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Harris
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ, US of flippin A
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Tucson Desert/Chutes/Fantasy Island | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1370.00 | | Purchased At: | Loco Jims (FL) | | Strengths: | Suspension, umm, suspension...and umm suspension. Incredibly comfortable ride...10 miles today in desert and loose sand. "Just a walk in the park, Kazanski." I had some concerns about my 190 pounds maxing out the lefty max and Fox Float Rl, but no worries!! Easy to up/down shift. I love how the downshift is loaded, then just an easy click to to get goin in a hurry. | | Weaknesses: | Hayes disk brakes sometimes get "nails on a chalkboard" sound, but probably just sand getting between the caliper and disk until the particles are ground down. No other weaknesses that I've seen yet. Although, sometimes shifts gears on me during a steep, bumpy dirt-hill climb at the most inopportune time (could be just a setup issue--read "Operator Error.")
Not impressed with the stock pedals and will probably replace. They're already squeaking. | | Similar Products Used: | Die-hard Cannondale fan...Back in my days of mini-triathalons (before college, wife, kids, and 10,000 cheeseburgers), I had two other Cannondales that were nowhere near to what this bike has on it. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Lefty Max (no lockout-SIGH), Hayes disk brakes, Fox Float RL rear shock. Oh, and most importantly: NO CODA PARTS!!! | | Bottom Line: | This is easily the nicest bike I've owned, of course without getting stupid with the prices. You can always own bigger an better, but if you don't need the features, don't buy 'em. I've got a 2004 Sobe (lime green and yellow) Jekyll 800. Wouldn't trade it for another bike in its class! I'm looking forward to putting tons-o-miles on it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Armitage
a Weekend Warrior
from Leeds
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Skipton | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | Leisure Lakes in Bury | | Strengths: | Lefty Max!!!!!!! Fantastic! plush rear suspension, colour (blue limited edition), Weight, handbuilt frame and handling. | | Weaknesses: | Not alot but cable rub and Tyres in soft mud (Hutchison spiders) | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Enduro/Epic and stumpjumper (boring), Marin wolf ridge and GF Cake 2. | | Bike Setup: | Standard setup apart from XT shifters and eggbeater pedals (ace) | | Bottom Line: | Top all mountain bike that does everything asked with no problems.Turns heads on every ride as well. The two guys from Leeds who state they bought a Jekyll 800 2004 from Chevin cycles are talking out of their arse because Chevin have only in the last month started selling the 2005 Cannondale range, so get a life you dickheads. This bike is 5/5 no question I got mine for a bargain price of £1350, if you have the cash buy, buy, buy! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Sellmo
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Sideshow | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Mountain Bike City (Brad treats you well) | | Strengths: | Letfy (obviously), Remote Lockout, Rear Suspension Design, downhills sweet | | Weaknesses: | Conti tires (switched them asap for Nokian NBX), cable rub, find the brakes to lack proper stopping power - have had 'em tuned several times and they still don't envoke confidence | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Stump Jumper, Kona Dawg DeeLux | | Bike Setup: | Mainly stock (tires, few minors, might switch to crankbros pedals) | | Bottom Line: | This bike has delivered exactly what I expected and then some ...I can out-climb buddies (and love the remote lockout - no problems like others have described) and can descend as fast as I want (actually staying in control). The suspension sucks up everything - you can take the Jekyll to a terrain park and drop a 5 footer and then take it out for a full day XC ride no problem - it does it all.
Geometry took a few rides to get used to, after moving to full suspension from a hardtail, but once I got my legs I've had full confidence in it. My butt/wrists,jiggly biceps are thanking me for this purchase. Have never changed the geometry setting - looks like more of a hassle to do than it's worth - will try it next season. All in all, this is a fantastic bike, probably wouldn't race either pure XC or downhill on it, but for general all mountain riding the Jekyll is a perfect middle of the road. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a
from Exeter,NH
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Ft. Rock, Bear Brook SP, Pawtuckaway SP, Walker Ranch(Boulder,CO) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Exeter Cycles | | Strengths: | Very Plush, Sharp Looks, Lefty-as good as it looks, Hyd. Discs, AMAZING, Fast, Great climber, KILLER FRAME | | Weaknesses: | Broke the single pivot Screw, and the bearing in the rear shock wore out... not sure if these two things were just over-tightened/poorly installed to begin with, or I just rode them too hard....
The Remote lockout lever is worthless....I took it off within days
I have the black/white gloss paint.....makes scratches and rock scrapes very visible in the rear half on the white paint
CABLE RUBBING---the cable positioning is horrible, but a few patches of duct tabe does the trick. | | Similar Products Used: | Bought a 2004 Cannondale F300 last year, built it up, rode it hard, and then sold it. Then I bought this 2004 Jekyll 800. | | Bike Setup: | White/Black Paint, Swapped in a shorter stem, ditched the remote lock-out
I want to upgrade tires, maybe pedals? | | Bottom Line: | The stock Continental Explorer 2.1 tires are a fast, XC application. I am looking to upgrade to a more aggressive tire, maybe a larger width also, better suited for downhill and technical trails. This bike will get you into trouble sometimes, or maybe it's just because this is my first Full suspension bike---I have become more daring and feel like this bike will take ANYTHING. But on the other hand, the lefty has saved me from major endo crashes, it soaks up the pressure and helps you land safely. I haven't had any trouble with climbing, FS makes it even easier than a hardtail--I ride in full travel on all trails, and lock out on the road rarely. The Hayes HFX 9 discs work well, except for a an air bubble in the cable, which screwed up the rear brake. GREAT ALL MOUNTAIN BIKE
Also, my friend just bought an 05 Prophet 1000--very impressive.... but it isn't a replacement for the Jekyll, it's a heavy-duty freeride/aggressive bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin Meiklejohn
a Cross Country Rider
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Three stage (Collingwood) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | the Source | | Strengths: | -5 SMOOTH!!!Inches travel front and back
-Superior Free ride Geometry
-very tunable suspension setup (recomend purchasing compression dampening cartridge for lefty max. well worth the money.)
-Lefty Max is the smoothest fork I have ever ridden A++
-Fox float RL Very smooth and rebound dampening works great!
-stock Continental Explorer tires are great, they tear into any turf, and even climb steep accents with wet clay on them,(very impressive, I will purchase these again) | | Weaknesses: | -I do not reccomend riding this bike in the XC geometry set up. I find that the pedals hit the ground way to often and the bottom bracket is way to close to the ground. for me this caused a few to many nasty unexpected tree huggings.
| | Similar Products Used: | Kona Dawg Delux
Santa Cruz Blur...........(NICE!)
| | Bike Setup: | LX Front, XT REAR, Hayes9 disc,Continental Explorer rubber, Lefty Max 5" fork, Fox Float RL 5"rear,Fi-z-ik saddle, Firex riser bar & Stem, Cannondale SI hubs. | | Bottom Line: | Well worth the Money for anyone looking for a XC racer or moderate Free Ride.
I have personally done well in XC races with this bike, then just lowered the saddle and hit some table tops, log rides and some 3 to 6 foot drops.
The 5 inche travel front and back ate it all.
I will bye another JEKYLL!
I Weigh 140Lbs | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Logan
a Cross Country Rider
from Concord, Ca
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Tahoe technical/Jeep trails | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1750.00 | | Purchased At: | Mike's Bikes, Berkeley | | Strengths: | Two friends, two FS bikes -- one a Race-spec'd Santa Crux Superlight, the other a XC/all-day Specialized FSR -- and both say that my bike is So much more plush than theirs! Handmade, in USA. Not too heavy for 5"front/back, plus dual disc brakes. Lefty is an Amazing fork! | | Weaknesses: | tires -- should have OEM'd w/Hutchinson Scorpion tires, or WTB Mutono, Veloci, or EpicWolf. | | Similar Products Used: | tested: Kona Dawg Primo -- Very good bike. Bought Cannondale due to good 20%off MSRP deal I got, otherwise, would have stayed w/Kona. Also tried Rocky Mountain Slayer, and ETSX-50 & 70 -- both good bikes, but the Jekyll just felt right in comparison. | | Bike Setup: | Just a quick note, re:remote lock-out: have your LBS turn the "switch" upside down, and you won't have any more troubles -- works like a champ (not that I use the lock-out but every super great once in while) (ummm, who would ride a Jekyll on pavement, anyway?)
Quickly wripped off the unpredictable, unstable and unsafe Cont. Explorers, and put on the trusty WTB EpicWolf up front, and Pana. XC pro in back. Otherwise, due to good financial stewardship, I've resisted the upgrades to drop the two lbs. I'd like to have done. | | Bottom Line: | Coming from a true XC race hardtail with only 63mm travel up front, I've had a heck of a time adjusting to this bike, it's geometry, the Lefty's cornering, etc. The bike is Great, but I've taken enough hard falls (more than on any other bike, ever) to shatter one helmet, break a rib, bruise an entire ribcage, sprain a wrist and strain my back enough for two months off work (two different falls). Not so much the bike, but it's so drastically different from anything I've ridden -- again, I can't seem to find the confidence I've had on other bikes; weird, considering all this bike is capable of.
Careful! This bike has so much possibility to it that it can get you into trouble before you can blink.
Extremely fun when ridden for fun; so far, dangerous when ridden hard.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Noemi
a Weekend Warrior
from Laurel, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Gambril, MD | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1899.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Doctor of Crofton, MD | | Strengths: | Lefty fork (yes, its as good as you've heard) and rear shock have loads of travel. Rear shock was easy to dial into. I've had no problems with bob. Sobe paint job is tight (worth the three month wait). Welding of frame is clean. Tremendous bang for the buck. Adjustable geometry (xc to free-ride) is nice to have (I ride in the middle). Saddle is comfy. Love the high bottom bracket. | | Weaknesses: | Lockout would not stay engaged. No Problem. Once the rear shock was dialed in I didn't even need the lockout so I had it removed.
Its kind of heavy but its not for UCI racing. If you're planning on racing xc get an Epic. If your just the average trail rider, I think the Jekyll is the bike for you.
Hayes HFX-9 disc brakes were disappointing. I wish I had read the review of these brakes before ordering my bike. I had them adjusted more than three times but they could never stay adjusted. The brake levers would quickly and repeatedly lose their sensitivity till the point that I had little or no brakes. Save yourself some heartache (and skin, too) and get Shimano Deore. They're about the same price.
If I really had to look for one more thing to complain about I'd have to say that the shifters are a bit stiff but bearable.
| | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Look 4x4 (Egg Beaters) pedals, Shimano Deore disc brakes and Cane Creek Ergo Control bar ends | | Bottom Line: | TRAVEL, value, handling, fit & finish are the top reasons I believe that this is really a smart buy.
This is my first FS bike and I absolutely love it! It can take some punishment. Its given me so much confidence and has made me a better rider.
***Note to Cannondale (because I know you guys read these reviews): How about partnering with Specialized and putting a brain on the Jekyll? Scalpel?***
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith
a Weekend Warrior
from New Jersey, USA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Diablo DH trail's | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Strengths: | Lefty Max Fork, remote Lockout, corners well, Hayes HFX 9 disc brakes (I love them, for my weight I don't even need the 8 inch rotor for downhilling), front end is light good for jumps and 4x & dual slalom style riding, Sobe edition paint quality, strong for it's weight. | | Weaknesses: | pedal bob, thankgod for the lockout. Continental explorer tires, The "attitude adjust" it's a great idea but with a shock with lockout on it you have to take apart the shock to change your frame geometry, so it's kind of useless. No compression adjust on the '04 Lefty Max. | | Bike Setup: | Fox Float RL, Lefty Max, Hayes HFX-9 6" inch rotor, WTB Velociraptor tires with Stans no tubes. Haro magnesium block pedals, XT rear derailer Lx up front, Truvativ Firex cranks | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike for what it's intended for. Technical XC and light freeride. (After riding some downhill trails on it I want to race DH and I'm looking to get a DH specific bike in the future.) Fox could use some work on their "pro pedal" but it has a lockout that's easy to use so it's not really an issue.
The Continental Explorer tires might be good for some XC but nothing aggressive. I got rid of them within the first 3 months and put on Velociraptors. I had 2 flats with the Continentals. One pinch with 50-55 psi in them from a 3 foot drop, and one thorn. No flats since I got the Velociraptors with Stan's No Tubes. The bike handles so much better now it's like night and day. More rolling resistance but a lot more grip and better control in the turns too. 10 chilis to WTB and Stan's.
The frame is a little burly for XC and a little light for downhill but can be used for both. It excels in rough technical trail and light freeriding (I weigh 150 pounds and feel safe with it up to about 5 foot road gaps and drops onto flat.) On the jumping freeride note I should add that I had it set up how they recommended for my weight, but would bottom out on 3 foot drops onto flat, I added 15 psi in my shock and now it doesn't bottom out till I get to about the 5 footers, and it's still just as responsive on the small stuff. For a single pivot design there's surprisingly little rear wheel jack while braking over rough stuff or riding down stairs with light braking.
I love the geometry, the front is light and it's easy to get off the ground for clearing logs on the trail and jumps, but not too light for climbing. For a trail bike it holds its own descending on the downhill trails. I think it's one of the best sub 30 pound bikes for descending. Credit the Lefty for that. I have the bike set to the freeride position, about 69 degree head angle. The Top tube feels shorter than it is and you don't feel stretched out like an XC specific bike.
Overall for riding technical rough XC trails and occasional downhills it's the perfect bike. There are better XC bikes and there are better downhill bikes, but if weight is a factor, and you want a bike that can handle both, this is the bike for you. I love the bike and think I made the right choice in getting it.
P.S. The Yeti 575 might be better for aggressive riders who occasionally downhill, and who are concerned about weight. BUT, it costs about $1,000 more, doesn't have as good of fork and is nowhere near $1,000 better than the Jekyll. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TIM ARMO
a Weekend Warrior
from LEEDS ENGLAND
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Camels back skipton | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | Leisure lakes | | Strengths: | This bike is the dogs, it climbs, decends, jumps, you name it it can do it and do it well. The bike feels quality with it's US hand made frame and lefty fork (also excellent). Fast and light 28.5lbs weighed on calibrated scales. | | Weaknesses: | Cables rub on paint work. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized enduro 04 owned for 2 months and sold back to shop, (good going down hills but very inefficient getting back up) | | Bike Setup: | Std set. | | Bottom Line: | If you need a genuine alround bike then this is it. Good for XC, Freeride and even the odd jump. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Buck
a Cross Country Rider
from Asheville, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Mills River | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Mountain Sports, Ltd., Bristol, VA | | Strengths: | Simplicity. I hope to ride the Great Divide Trail and wanted a single pivot rear suspension for reliability and ease of maintenance. The Lefty is pretty straight forward, too. A pretty good, durable parts spec., as well. I also like the ability to adjust the handling characteristics (though I haven't done it yet). | | Weaknesses: | Can't lock out the Lefty, cables rubbing the paint, remote rear shock lock-out could not be controlled in bumpy situations & kept switching the shock off. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested and researched many other full suspension bikes, road a C'dale hardtail for years. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except WTB velociraptor tires; I removed the remote rear shock lock out and added a Cateye Enduro cyclometer and front and rear Grundge Guards on the deraileurs and Lizard Skin sheath on the rear shock. I may add bars with more rise, and bar ends or a bar which offers more hand positions. | | Bottom Line: | What a thrill to ride this bike! I've had it for about 10 months now and look forward to each ride. And what an improvement over the hardtail (duh!), both for my rear-end and for my hands and wrists. The extra suspension travel makes the ride plush and dreamy. I go a lot faster when I want to on the downhills, rocks and roots be damned. The Jekyll weighs about the same or a little less than my old hardtail, plus the gears are a bit lower, so I can climb better than before. It is a little light on the front end, which the bar ends may help. I do not notice any suspension bob, except when riding on the road and standing. The brakes are great, the steering is great, the suspension is great, its fun to ride, its very comfortable, and even the stock saddle turned out to be comfortable (much to my amazement). I am VERY pleased with this purchase and am riding more every week. And it should do very well on my Great Divide expedition. I also consider it to be a good value. I highly recommend the Jekyll 800! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Stancill
a Cross Country Rider
from Holland, Michigan USA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Fort Custer | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1950.00 | | Purchased At: | Alger Schwinn | | Strengths: | I really like the way the bike feels, faster in corners and downhill. The suspension is awesome, the brakes work great. | | Weaknesses: | Tires, a bit heavy at 660grams | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Eggbeaters | | Bottom Line: | The 800 is a great value for your money. I had to wait almost a month for mine to come in. If you are looking to buy this bike check to see how long it will take to get to your LBS. I really love the suspension, and can't wait to hit more trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto Canada
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere I can ride | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Top quality hand-built frame , Lefty , adjustability .
Beefy single privot.
Handling , climb , decent all very well , an all round frame for most riders .. unless you do drop off from rooftop then look else where.
| | Weaknesses: | The 04 Lefty has no lock out , not that you really need it on the trail , but would be nice on the road. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized , trek and Giant | | Bike Setup: | Stock except new tires. | | Bottom Line: | For $2000 , is hard to beat the value on this bike , Giant come close but the frame is mass production frame with so-so welding at the seams.. the Cannondale hand welded smooth frame sets this above the others.
Ride one , you will be hook , up the hill like a Hardtail and let you keep up with the hardcore DH rider with their 45 lbs rig. 5X5 travel also helps too..
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Roseville MN
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | HPT in LAX WIS and Lebannon Hills in Egan MN | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Valley Ski and Bike La Crosse WI 608-782-5500 | | Strengths: | The Lefty MAX, components, frame geometry, fox float RL, lockout, Brakes, Color, Price | | Weaknesses: | On mine the Fox float RL makes a squeaking noise when locked out, which can get annoying, it would be nice to have a fork that locks out, the saddle is not great | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Liquid, Jekyll 600, Klien, Scalple 900 | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for a new 44 tooth FSA Large chain ring (the stock one lost teeth quickly) | | Bottom Line: | Go out there and look at bikes in this price range, this bike can't be beat for the price. The adjustable frame geometry works very well, the fork is plush and has loads of travel. I've heard later production bikes in this year have the new Manitou Swinger 3 way air shock- that would have been nice to have, but the fox float RL with lockout is more than capable. This bike is an awsome trail bike. I ride this bike hard and it responds well to everything I throw in its way. The brakes are good. My suggestion is to get off your ass and buy one. Another plus, they are made in the USA; I've had to deal with thier customer service people and they've answered my questions and solved my problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Orsini
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Petersburg, FL USA
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Mo Bridge |
|
$ 1899.99
