Longevity of Cannondale Headshok?
Andre Jute
Reading on the net, there is a lot of *very* diverse opinions. I like
the idea of the sharp, stiff handling. There is nowhere that I can try
it, so I'll be buying blind. You guys are my substitute for an
informed, extended test ride!
I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
Ultra 80mm) will survive. I define light use as no offroading and no
really rough roads, just a little downhill speeding on blacktop lanes.
On the other hand, the climate where I live is wet, and I ride rain or
shine. I don't want a finicky fork that will seize up at the first few
drops of rain.
Andre Jute
Dave
Given the riding you are planning on doing, its hard for me to
understand why you would need "sharp, stiff handling". Under these
conditions I don't believe you would be able to tell any difference in
fork stiffness.
Why are you considering suspension at all? Perhaps you have a joint
ailment or something? A larger volume tire at a slightly lower air
pressure will do much more than suspension to smooth out your ride if
all your riding is on pavement. Mountain bike suspensions are made to
absorb much bigger impacts than you'd encounter on the road, and are
NOT designed to soak up road imperfections.
Tom Sherman
> [...]
> I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
> Ultra 80mm) will survive. I define light use as no offroading and no
Lorry assisted to 100+ kph? ;)
--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the precipitate.
steve
I've been working with headshocks for about 8 years now and I love the
concept quality and construction of the fork. I like how strong it is
for its 2.8 lbs. There are a couple of things that I would caution you
on before you buy. One, the headshock is not designed to be worked on
by consumers. You have to have special tools to take it apart and
those tools are hard to get since cannondale will not sell them to
consumers. Two, I find the headshocks to very quite a bit in terms of
how often you need to inflate the air cartridge and how well the oil
cartridge holds its oil. Sometimes I will see headshocks hold there
air for months without loosing any. Other times the customer will have
to pump in up every couple of weeks. As for the oil cartridge, It can
last years and years without any problems but I also see them leak
more often than I would like to. This sometimes is a result of the
fact that the lockout is a real hydraulic lockout so there is no
blowby valve. This can result in oil blowing by the seals or damage of
the cartridge if you hit to big of a bump when you are locked out. I
find the head shock to be reasonably sealed against the elements. the
important thing is to make sure the rubber boot is in good condition
since it is what seals the needle bearings from the elements. If you
get any tears in it, it needs to be replaced. I do find that
condensation can be a problem in the bearing area. So for you, I would
say that you would want to overhaul the bearings at least every other
year. One nice thing is that even if the shock completely freezes up
from rust you can take it apart and replace the bearings and races and
it will feel like new. What other fork can you do that to without
spending 1/2-3/4 the cost of a new fork? If I was to sum everything up
I would say that the headshock is great but it is not as impervious to
elements as a fox fork. Hope this helps.
steve
Brian
I've owned 2 Headshoks. I still think it's my favorite front
suspension for cross-country-ish riding. It feels very light and
smooth and precise, even compared to much more modern forks. The
downside is that, unless you're inclined to take on interesting
projects, service needs to be performed by a Cannondale tech. I've
seen one DIY how-to on the web, but that may take some googling to
recover. That said, my most recent Headshok bike as only required
service once in the last several years - Cannondale seems to have
improved the reliability of this fork over the course of it's
production (~15 years now?).
Another big downside (for me) is stem availability - Cannondale still
offers a variety of stems, but the selection is nothing like what's
available for conventional forks.
So, given the service and stem issues, I mostly happily use a Trek
Fuel FS bike with a conventional fork. It just took conventional forks
about 10 years to come close to the feel of the Headshok.
BP
Anthony DeLorenzo
> I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
> Ultra 80mm) will survive.
One of my friends had one that lasted for years with no maintenance
whatsoever. He would still be riding it but the rear triangle on his
frame cracked a couple of months ago. I've seen him take that fork off
3-4 foot drops, so I would be surprised that it couldn't hold up to
the use you describe.
Regards,
Anthony
Andre Jute
Thanks for that full reply, Steve. That's what I come to RBT for, to
get the sort of info you can't buy -- hell, most of the time you can't
even find out which of the techs really knows.
What I really wanted to hear -- of course -- is that the Headshok
lasts indefinitely without any service whatsoever. But hearing that it
is indefinitely serviceable is the next best thing. I went ahead and
ordered the bike; we'll see if it actually arrives (the merchant's
computerized order tracker reports "awaiting stock").
Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html
Andre Jute
> On Oct 24, 10:48 pm, Andre Jute <fiult...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Who has experience of the Cannondale Headshok?
>
> > Reading on the net, there is a lot of *very* diverse opinions. I like
> > the idea of the sharp, stiff handling. There is nowhere that I can try
> > it, so I'll be buying blind. You guys are my substitute for an
> > informed, extended test ride!
>
> > I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
> > Ultra 80mm) will survive. I define light use as no offroading and no
> > really rough roads, just a little downhill speeding on blacktop lanes.
> > On the other hand, the climate where I live is wet, and I ride rain or
> > shine. I don't want a finicky fork that will seize up at the first few
> > drops of rain.
>
> > Andre Jute
>
> I've owned 2 Headshoks. I still think it's my favorite front
> suspension for cross-country-ish riding. It feels very light and
> smooth and precise, even compared to much more modern forks.
Light and smooth and precise will do me. I'm not overly enthused about
the latest and the greatest -- I used to be in the business of making
whatever was available into the latest and greatest; I just want what
is classic and permanently dependable, like an old Bentley.
> The
> downside is that, unless you're inclined to take on interesting
> projects, service needs to be performed by a Cannondale tech. I've
> seen one DIY how-to on the web, but that may take some googling to
> recover.
Found it, thanks. There are a net articles of doubtful reliability;
one guy admits he didn't get the fork together again! I actually doubt
that mine will ever have to be opened up if it is regularly greased;
my conditions are pretty mild compared to what the fork was designed
for. My bike is very rarely exposed to really heavy rain for more than
the few minutes it takes me to find shelter or reach home.
Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html
Andre Jute
wrote:
> André Jute wrote:
> > [...]
> > I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
> > Ultra 80mm) will survive. I define light use as no offroading and no
> > really rough roads, just a little downhill speeding on blacktop lanes.[...]
>
> Lorry assisted to 100+ kph? ;)
I was thinking of the 100mph next, 160kph, perhaps repeated every year
on my birthday until I'm 70. For that you want a very well-damped
suspension or you'll be all over the scenery in no time at all.
Andre Jute
Visit Jute on Amps at http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/
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Andre Jute
wrote:
Biggest thing I ride off is the edge of the pavement, at pedestrian
speeds, and I always lift my bum off the seat over the pedals. Quite
contrary to the belief of some on RBT, the roads in Ireland, where I
live, are rather well-surfaced these days, including the little lanes
where I actually ride. I can think of only one major dent in any of
them, where a big pothole must have been filled before my time (I've
been here more than a quarter-century...). That will send you airborne
on an unsuspended bike, if you're travelling at anything over 30
klicks, and crash through the town suspension on my Gazelle
stadsportief, but the stiffest front suspension I own, the Shimano
Nexave electronic adaptable fork in the Cyber Nexus groupset on my
Trek Navigator, handles it with just a dip. I therefore expect a
really well-damped suspension, such as I am told the Headshok is, not
to notice the anomaly at all.
That's a good point: that the rating of the fork for longevity, which
is not quite the same as reliability, must take the intended use into
consideration.
Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/BICYCLE%20%26%20CYCLING.html
Tom Sherman
> On Oct 25, 7:32 pm, Tom Sherman <sunsetss0...@REMOVETHISyahoo.com>
> wrote:
>> André Jute wrote:
>>> [...]
>>> I'm trying to determine if in relatively light use the Headshok (Fatty
>>> Ultra 80mm) will survive. I define light use as no offroading and no
>>> really rough roads, just a little downhill speeding on blacktop lanes.[...]
>> Lorry assisted to 100+ kph? ;)
>
> I was thinking of the 100mph next, 160kph, perhaps repeated every year
> on my birthday until I'm 70. For that you want a very well-damped
> suspension or you'll be all over the scenery in no time at all.
>