mountain bike age concern

devocr

Greetings, I have ridden and raced for many years but have not ridden much for the last 6 or 7 but I have started once again. My bike is a 1999 (maybe 1998) Caonnondale "F" series (hard tail, aluminum frame). I have owned many many bikes but this is my favorite of all time...it just fits me perfect. I had ridden this bike very hard for 2 or 3 years..taken falls, jumps, slammed rocks etc.. My question is as I'm riding now more and more offroad can I trust the frame? I've made visual inspection and to me a layman I don't see damage. I just start to think about it as I'm descending a steep hill and start to hit the rough stuff.

Any thoughts anyone?

Thanks in advance for any input.

P.S. Also what about other componets, handlebars, pedals (xtr)? Should they be changed?

dave_hill

Cannondale have a long history of producing quality aluminium frames and they test each design to destruction. Their frames are very trustworthy (unless you count the early production Scalpels, but that's another story!).

However, aluminium work hardens over time - effectively if you beat it, flex it or subject it to any stresses at all the molecular structure starts to break down. It becomes hard and ultimately brittle which can result in failure. This is why all aircraft are checked over from top to bottom with monotonous regularity.

Also, I would suggest that if you have lost confidence in the ability of your frame to do its job, might it be time to start looking for a replacement? If you are constantly worried that it is going to fail, it's going to affect your riding.

supersonic

Cannondale have a bloody awful history of cracked frames and failures! Just check it over for signs of stress, craks and fatigue, especially around the welds.

dave_hill

There you go! Two completely conflicting points of view! How much more help do you want??? :roll:

supersonic

Lol, overall advice is the same though - check it! It was the 90s dales that suffered mostly, with dale filing the welds down very thin.