Cannondale Trail SS 29er new bike

Bit of a report on my new Cannondale Trail SS 29er.

Bought his bike from Triton cycles for £420, what a bargain. Was stuck on whether to go for an 18″ or 20″ (6’2″ with 36″ inside leg), opted for the 20″ and now I’ve ridden it I’m glad I did.
Ridden it a couple of times, 1st commuting to work and then an offroad ride today and I’m well impressed.

-OUT OF THE BOX. Required alot of setup and things adjusting, the brake were shocking, needed setting up from scratch. One issue was too much tension in the chain, didn’t realise to begin with as the rear wheel was fitted from the factory but the chain was pulling the rear wheel out of the dropouts and I found it near impossible to get the rear wheel fitted without loosening the chain (not something to do trail side with the ebb).

-COMMUTING. Was really impressed with it on the road, stuck 50psi in the tyres and mangaged the 11miles to work only a couple of minutes later than on my previous commuter. The tyres roll surprisingly well on tarmac.

-OFFRAOD. What the bike is made for. Really really happy with it, my 1st 29er, thought I would notice slower acceleration and any handling differences but I honestly couldn’t feel any issues with it, ok it might not be as nimble as a 26″ bike but for ‘XC’ riding it’s spot on. To begin with it felt a bit more sit up and beg position than I’m used to, but after a full ride it feels more that I’m sitting in the bike rather than perched on top. The 29″ wheels roll well, over any lumps or bumps, found myself sprinting along any singlestrack whether it was up/down/flat (as opposed to just attacking on the downs/flat on my BFE). The bike doesn’t feel like a £420 bike (£600rrp), it feels like it should cost alot more. The forks are harsh (rigid aluminium with 1.5″ steerer), my arms were knackered after a couple of hours but that’s probably down to riding it like a bike with squishy forks. Basically it climbs well, descends as well as any rigid bike and is fast on the flat bits.

-PARTS. As you’d expect for a bike at this price, the components are basic but functional, well apart from the brakes. The brakes are psobably the only real problem. Even set up properly they are awful, they have loads of modulation but no power. Have ordered BB7s to replace them. I needed to remove all headset spacers and flip the stem to get the bars low enough (still wanted them a bit lower so have ordered flat bars). The wheels weight a ton, I imagine a combination of thick tubes, wire bead tyres an cheap rims add up to a hefty set of hoops… but the roll pretty well. The fram and forks are fantastic and are little gems. For me the bike will be upgraded over time with some lighter more bling parts starting with the wheels, but if you’re not bothered the bike is fine as it is… apart from the brakes.

Overall, if you’re after a SS 29er, then you won’t be dissapointed with the Tail ss 29er, I love it… Just replace the brakes.

Did I mention the brakes are c**p.

Thanks for posting! Was hoping you’d share your thoughts.

Sounds like you gave it a pretty thorough test!

I must admit I was expecting the brakes to be a bit rubbish so that was something I thought I’d want to upgrade. And i did wonder whether I’d want to change the forks for something bouncy… if I was to buy one that is…

damn… damn… damn…

Be aware the the fork is a lot taller than the standard 470mm a-c so fitting anything else might be problematic.
Also the sealed freehub body is a bit pish.
And the headset is’nt much better.

no worries.
My reasoning to myself and the missus was the £180 saving over the rrp will pay for the bb7s (£70 for brakes and levers from china), clipless pedals, some flat bars and still give a saving of £50. This, I think will trnsform the bike into something that can and will hold it’s own against bikes at twice the price.

I wasn’t sure what to expect to begin with, it was just going to be my 2nd bike for commuting and easy rides with the other half (she uses my main bike), but to class it as a cheap 2nd bike isn’t really fair. I can see the ‘dale being ridden alot more than I had planned.

It’s a damn good bike at a seriously good price.

If you’d prefer I can edit my original post and tell you the bike’s rubbish and not to touch it with a barge pole!

Cheers Rorschach, do you have one?

Just quickly measured the forks, a-c is 480mm and the lower headset cup is 10mm. So I think as long as you don’t get a shorter a-c fork and a low/zero stack lower headset cup it should be fine.
Yeah the headset is a basic loose ball type, but I’m sure regular maintanence will make it last a while.

Great write up mate, thanks for the insight and I’m glad you love it. It’s got me seriously tempted now…

Are they Promax Mechanical Disc??

Yeah promax mechanical disc with cannondale branded promax levers

ah – so worth budgetting for new brakes then. Did you mention the brakes?

Think I mentioned the brakes. Definately factor in the cost of new brakes.

I have the same bike, I changed the brakes.

Great fun

Nice one, don’t think I could pull off the pink brakes. How long have you had yours?

Really tempted to buy one of these as a winter/rubbish weather bike as I’m sick of knackering expensive gears and suspension in the mud. Anyone know what size rotors you could put on it without losing the warranty – would normally go 180 front, 160 rear, but not sure if 180 is too much for the fork?

Had it 2 Months, love it, its my mud bike.
the brakes, Hope x2 160mm in pink, a good price and its only a colour.

The conti Mountain King 2 2.4 made a big difference, about 30 psi in the takes the edge of the bumps.

I paid £600 for mine, but for £420 you got a real bargain

Yeah, was going to change wheels soon, but think I’ll just get some different tyres and a tubeless conversion kit.

Not sure whether 180mm rotors would void the warranty, can’t find an answer in the owners manual or on the website. but 180’s will easily fit the forks.

I really wish I had’t read this. £400 is just too cheap. I have some spare brakes too… But I just don’t need it!

Yes you do… go on you know you want to.

Cheers for sharing!

Just one thing not made clear in your critique – How do you rate the brakes… 😈

I’ve been tempted to sell my Swift (swap the finishing kit, wheels and brakes first probably) and get one. Is it a 1.5 stem or is th steerer tapered?

Anyone know what the frame or forks weigh?

will – Member
I really wish I had’t read this. £400 is just too cheap. I have some spare brakes too… But I just don’t need it!

I have a set of XT brakes, and a set of Crest 29ers. And now I have a dilemma.

Headset and stem is 1.5″, forks weigh around 1kg, not sure on the frame. The full bike with the original components size XL weighs 11.54kg/25.45lb.

Haha, it’s a tough situation to be in. Didn’t shakespeare once write, to buy or not to buy, that is the question.

As much as I want one, the problem is I literally have no room in my flat so it would need to live at my parents, so in reality I probably wouldn’t ride it that much… But it would be useful at Mayhem & SITS when it rains…

I’ve been contemplating one of these from Triton for the last week and this thread isn’t helping!

The reviews i read all slated the brakes (to be expected) but also the EBB which on MTBR was pretty much universally panned? Any problems from those who own one here?

At £400 i’m still tempted despite already having sold my SS 29er Inbred earlier this year as i rarely rode it and having 4 other 29ers in the garage (two easily SS’able). Probably overkill as i only really want it as a posh hack/pub/gym bike. Still tempted though……

I’m building up a Cannondale F5 with 26″ wheels for the winter.

I may now just sell everything and have one of these instead.

nwgiles – what size is yours?

And they are only £399 now!

MtTall, to begin with the EBB creaked and slipped a couple of times. Stripped it down and cleaned it, replaced it with a dab of copper grease on all surfaces and threadlock on the bolt and the creak has gone and it doesn’t appear to have slipped since.
Although I wouldn’t want to have to adjust it at the side of the trail.

Mine is a large
i need to adjust my ebb this week as the chain has stretched a little.
no issue so far and gets abused

Cheers for this, I just treat myself to one of these, can’t wait to get it!

Great stuff, me want one too

Agreed, brakes are rubbish. Wider bars and replaced the saddle to make the bike a little comfier. At £420 it really is a bargain.

im 6ft what size shall i order,i always ride a 19inch

Another Trail owner checking in.

Binned the brakes as soon as I got it home! Shed more weight than I expected by ditching the standard tyres for Beavers. I’ve also swapped the bars for something flat and unfashionably narrow.

Giving it a proper test in the 4 hour race at the Thetford Winter Series tomorrow.
Post race I might change my tune, but right now I think it’s an amazingly great value and an excellent ride to boot.

Good luck with the race tommorrow – Post your opinion on the Beavers to – I’m hovering to buy a pair ATM.

Horrific conditions at Thetford today. The organisers ordered in Mountain Mayhem’s weather!
The Beavers cut through it and found grip where others struggled. Punctures were frequent though, and the paper thin sidewalls don’t stand much. I’ve wrecked a new one already…

And the Cannondale? Marvellous. After 4 hours, my arms are not at all beat up. I thought that rigid fork would be a real bruiser but not so.
Bottom bracket is a mud magnet though.

How do they size up?. I am a medium usually in mtb 26″ bikes but unsure of the cannondale sizing. I am 5′ 11″ with 31-31.5″ inside leg usually more interested in top tube length as i no likey to stretched out.

anyone?

I’m 5,10 with a 31 inside leg on a medium

ngwiles…how does it feel are you stretched/tight or just fine?

Possible switch to a Lefty down the line if one chooses to do so?

Sorry to dig this old thread up, but everyone still happy with their bikes?

Hoping to blag one through C2W.