The CAAD 5 is different from everything in many ways. It mounts a custom suspension fork that cannot be used on conventional bikes and it is virtually impossible to mount a standard fork on this frame. This is maybe the point where you start to comprehend this bike is a class of its own when you ride it.

The top of the stem is very high, much more than the handlebar. This is very strange at first, but there is the lock ring for the HeadShock Fatty Ultra that makes the bike become a fully rigid one with only a quarter of turn. This fork is extremely stiff, and this translates to a bike that has high steering precision and agility.

The frame itself feels strong when pedaling, very rigid too, but it is not difficult to notice a certain vibration damping at the rear triangle when compared with other hardtails. Very good work at the seat stays, because that damping abilities do not result in an overly "soft" tail. The rear wheel follows the path the rider marks at the front triangle with hands and feet.

This bike is really "spacious". The top tube length, together with the stem, postion the handlebar far from the saddle. This puts the rider in a position that is very effective when climbing, the steeper the better. The wheelbase is also long, as usually in Cannondale. This makes it easy to ride at high speed and hold a straight line even if the ground is not as slick as you would like to. With shorter bikes you have to be very focuses under those conditions or the bike will start to move like a crazy horse. No problem with the CAAD 5, it will always follow the straight line.

The BB shell is pretty high so that large wheelbase doesn’t make a clumsy bike. This way the gravity center is higher and you will need to tilt less to start a turn.

Where this bike loses a bit, in my opinion, is at downhills. The stem length. allows a high proportion of the weight of the rider to fall on the front wheel’s axle. Although this is good for climbing climbing, but not so much when dealing with bumps or potholes while descending. If it only was that the top tube is long, it would be only an ergonomic problem: the rider’s position is not the best to ride downhill, but the large stem makes the gravity point be very next to the front axle under those conditions.

The problem comes when that gravity point overtakes the perpendicular line to the horizon that crosses the front axle. Then the fall is sure. Also, if you trace a vertical line from the handlebar to the ground, you will see that it passes in front of the lower headset cup. This makes the fork not as plush as it should because the rider’s weight does no come in a parallel line to the headtube axle, but under a large angle, resulting in friction between the sliding elements of the fork. Luckily, HeadShoks stand among the rest because of their needle bearings at the slider, so the fork still works fairy good.

The Fatty Ultra is really light (1,380 g the one from the tested bike) and to find such a stiff suspension fork you will need a dual crown or a 20 mm through axle model that will be much heavier. The price to pay is a larger head tube in the frame and an also larger head set, that increases a bit the overall weight if compared with a standard 1-1/8" system, and a less fine feel than the best regular forks available. The air spring, oil damper system of the Fatty Ultra is not as plush as the best creations from RockShox, Manitou or Marzocchi, but none of them can be locked on-the-fly as easily as this one. Compared with other lighter weight forks this on has the best steering precision.

The rest of the components is the standard mounting available in Europe for this frame under the F4000SL name in 2000, except for the drivetrain. The Sram 9.0 set was substituted for XTR derailleurs and a pair of Deore XT shifters only because the owner of this bike likes the Rapid Fire’s ergonomic more than the Gripshift’s. The cranks are also XT, the Coda cranks that came on the bike had to be replaced due to a failure. They could not withstand Albano’s powerful legs and they suffered a crack at the right arm, next to the attaching bolt.

The brakes are a pair of Coda CD. Most of the time these brakes seemed not to work very good. Cannondale has dropped them for 2001 and 2002. These bikes now are equipped with Magura units. The feel at the lever is good, as fast as a hydraulic system, and the stopping power is also good. There are more powerful discs, especially when trying to lock the wheels in the last meters, but the CD are very good when slowing from high speeds. They are also very easy to measure out (as almost every hydraulic disc) and work way better than V brakes when the going gets wet.

The KHS Alite 4000 can be mistaken for a mid range bike if you don’t look sharp. Maybe the first thing that tells you are not in front of "just another bike" is the paint. That golden color is really nice, with different shades depending on the light. But the bike we tested is really far from a regular one in several ways because of the components it has.

Starting from the way it feels when riding, as this bike is from a girl that uses a 15" size, we also used the 19" Alite 4000 from Carlos Pereda that is the 1998 model featuring Easton Elan tubes instead of the Ultra-lite from the 2001. The geometry has remained intact since then, so we could take conclusions better than with the small one.

This bike is more compact than the Cannondale, with a lower BB shell and a shorter stem that balances its XXXL top tube. 23" for the 19" and 21.1" for the 15" can be even the world record in top tube length, but such a tiny stem (90 mm for the small size, 110 for the large) makes the bike be a real good performer when climbing. It made it quite easy to avoid and corner at the steepest singletracks, so to ride it at La Picota uphill that August evening was a real pleasure. . .even though my heart rate reached 200 bpm!

But this is not only a bike for uphill pain, when downhilling it was easy to keep our weight between both axles avoiding to have a toss over the handlebar. The bike feels extremely fast, just a little move of the bars and it points here and there. If you are not accustomed to this, it can seem to"oversteer", but when you get used it is a real pleasure: "Can I pass between those stones...ooops, yeah I can". This is balanced with a quite low BB shell that keeps the gravity center close to the ground, so this bike is quite stable at high speeds even when the wheelbase is not very large. It was really funny to ride it on that curved singletracks by the sea where a mistake can take you into the water.

It does not feel as comfortable at rear as the Cannondale. You can feel the bumps coming sharper to your bottom, but it transmits also every movement of your legs to the rear wheel. To quickly gain speed, to abuse of the large chainring, and to hop and jump is very easy riding this bike because of the savage behavior it has as a result of joining its geometry, its stiffness, and its low weight. Easy to get back home breathless.

Elena’s bike mounts a Manitou Spider R fork. Most people don’t like it because it looks "weak", so they prefer a SX model with beefy legs and arch (Mr. Pereda, for example). Maybe the Spider is not very stiff for a regular rider, but if your weight is 50 kg (110 lbs) as Elena’s is it is more than enough. This fork features the TPC Sport system that does not allow to adjust the hydraulic system, but is easy to change the oil’s density to find the damping ratio you prefer. If you are not one of those guys that are turning the dials every time, maybe this is a good fork for you. The Spider R is also very light because of the aluminum stanchions and steerer (1,395 g for 109 mm/4.3" steerer).

It has the typical Manitou feel, not as extremely plush as Marzocchi, but with better compression and extension control that RockShox as they come from the factory. A very good compromise for competitive riders IMO.

The transmission is also out of the common thing: a complete Sram-Sachs Quarz DiRT set. Only the Deore LX crankset can be considered traditional, and I think it should be replaced as soon as possible. It works alright, but it doesn’t fit.

This shifting system feels as savage as the frame. Clear and quite loud clicks (two positions available, one harder, one softer), fast function and a very responsive feel. It seems as if you had the derailleurs in your hands, through the cable you feel what is happening back there. This is because the last half loop the cable casing describes to reach the rear derailleur just does not exist, and the cable does not describe strange routings inside the shifter as in older Gripshifts.

The DiRT technology works, and the result is a very reliable system, even in muddy rides. The downshifting action is incredible. It seems the chain is a hungry predator hunting a juicy piece. Not as silent as a full XTR (read our review for more info), but more reliable and a bit faster.

Apart from this, the most interesting thing are the wheels: A Dura-Ace hub at rear and a 110 mm alloy axle Deore XT at front (soon to be replaced by a Campy Record), Mavic X 517 rims and... 16 DT Revolution spokes on each wheel.  But, there are not Shimano hubs nor Mavic rims available for 16 spokes. Well, then get the 32 spoke version and let the extra holes useless. A few grams less!

Do they resist a true MtB use? Yes, if the rider weights only 50 kgs, and they are laced the way these ones are. They are not a child of the "test and error" method, but are developed using CAD techniques. The result is a very light wheelset and a good stiffness, but they are not very comfortable, because they do not adsorb the bumps and everybody questions the same: Don’t they break?

Some more curious things are the rear Continental Cross Country 26"x1.5" tire (again enough for a slim rider) with a 1.9"  Continental Navigator at front. This is in my opinion the best front tire ever: Light, comfortable ( maybe you will need the 2.1" version if you like to go down fast) and with a superb response when cornering and braking. The EDR stem is nice but a bit too heavy (for this bike) and a Race Face will take its place soon. Finally, the Shimano platform pedals are something I cannot understand in such a light bike. Imagine a Lamborghini with the steering wheel of a truck...

The Stumpjumper features a geometry that can be considered the standard today, but that is not because of a lack of creativity from the folks at Morgan Hill. What happens is that the Stumpjumper, together with Joe Murray’s designs showed the world how a mountain bike should be 15 years ago, and lots of manufacturers worldwide have based their geometry's on these ones from the eighties.

As everything evolves the Stumpjumper is not an exception. Apart from the various steel and alloy alloys used to build these bikes each year, the measurements do not remain exactly the same. The 2001 version combines the racing abilities expected from a top bike and a  naughty soul that arises every time you search for fun.

This bike is a good one climbing, although your body is not as horizontal as in the Cannondale and it is not so fast steering as the KHS. Also, the bike we tested mounts an Azonic World Force handlebar that rises a bit too much your arms when the ride gets steep. But, after all, you will never find yourself with your feet on the ground because the Stumpjumper is clumsy, because it is not, it is only that it has found two really hard contenders.

Things change when downhilling. The Specialized is maybe the most balanced bike of the pack we tested. Not as "snaky" as the KHS, nor as self stable as the Cannondale, it does not require so much attention and skill as the first at high speed, and corners better than the latter on curved singletracks as the ones we rode that evening. The handlebar makes really easy to lift the front wheel  to balance the weight when jumping from a higher to a lower part of the path as happens in "La Costa" ride going down to Covachos beach. Here, this bike gives you more confidence than the others.

The Stumpjumper also fells really stiff and is a sign of the times. As the high-end hardtails are almost them all made of high grade aluminum, but the tapering has not reached the extreme thin walls of some Italian road bikes available. These bikes feel as a oak plank when pedaling. In my opinion, the Specialized is the stiffest one. It is hard to say if the improvement comes from the frame or from the rear wheel, transmission, etc. The rear triangle does not absorb vibrations as well as the Cannondale’s do, but the bike is not too uncomfortable when the ground gets rough.

What also helps in downhills and bumpy tracks is the fork, a 1999 Manitou SX-R. As I said before, Mikel is not one of those guys that treat carefully his bike. Lately he has broken a frame, a Filte saddle, a pair of Shimano Deore LX cranks, two or three different seat posts...

Well, the SX-R has endured since October 1998 without any maintenance apart from pouring some oil at the stanchions (the Micro-lube system remains useless), and although some play is noticeable, and comparing this fork with the new one from Carlos Pereda’s Alite 4000 (also a SX-R) it does not work as plush, it still has a good ability to keep the bike away from bumps (so the spring and sliders still works fine) and the movements of the fork are well controlled by the TPC system, as well in the compression as in the extension stroke (so the valves are not damaged and the oil is not too much contaminated or has lost much viscosity). No leaks noticed until now, and the only thing that does not work as it should are the dials, but they didn’t work well even when the fork was new, specially the preload one. As Manitou has improved very much this last lately, it is easy to see that this fork is really recommendable.

The rest of the components is a mix of Deore XT parts from various years with the 9 speed version at the rear shifting system, except for the Deore LX cranks that get loose every ride and will be already substituted when this article is published, and the XTR brakes. The X-tas-Y seat post is a bit heavy, but it seem to bear what others did not. Also, the Mavic rims suffer Mikel’s "be quick or be dead" riding stile but endure. They are tough.

As the duals have evolved, so have these bikes. Just as you can’t compare a 1991 Cannondale Super V with a 2001 Jekill, the same difference exists between a 1991 Specialized M2 and the M4 of today. As this article makes clear, each manufacturer has put its special seal on their top hardtails. You should try them and make your choice, but I can tell you you will never regret if you buy one of the frames we tested that evening.

As the sun went down, we went back to Santander, watching how the people coming from the beach seemed to be birds trapped in a cage inside their cars in the traffic jam as they tried to enter the city. Then we were still breathing the breeze coming from the sea, and for a moment it looked as if we were the only wise people there. Surely, it is not true, and surely most people think you have to be a fool to sweat on a bike a hot sunny evening. Then, I hope I will be a fool forever...

Technical specs

Geometry Charts