Cannondale BadBoy 700 - 1 year on

JonS123

Had by badboy for a year now and thought I would post a mini review for anyone whos considering a hybrid. Cannondale made some changes to the 2010 version (replacing the tripple chainset with a double, shimano shifters compared to sram on the 2009...) so do take that into account!

I chose the Bad Boy for a few reasons, I wanted a flat bared bike over something with drops, since the bike was for commuting a 7 mile each way commute with various degrees of traffic, and after trying both bikes with drops and flat's I felt flat was for me. I was also wanting something with disk brakes and 700cc wheels. A few bikes matched the bill, but then they were whittled down by the choice of my works C2W scheme and approved shops, saw the bad boy and fell in love with its looks :-)

First thing I did was get rid of the octopus pedals that came with it, they look great but not really suitable for daily commuting, after a couple of weeks the grips started to fall apart to - they were bar tape wrapped over some plastic holder that bolted onto the handlebars - I just kept unsticking the bar tape, so replace them with some rubber ones.

Riding it is fun, very fun I feel confident leaning into corners on it, the frame feels well balanced, and its always doing what I want it to do. I even did a few days of commuting over the ice/snow (still with slicks on) which made for some interesting moments, but I didn't fall off I don't see the need for it to have a triple chainset, I never use the granny ring (and on the 2010 model they removed it to!), and for me I do prefer having disk brakes as they work consistently every time what ever the conditions are.

Maintenance wise, aside from the normal accounting for cable stretch on the gear shifter cables, and continued lubing/regressing bearings/etc I have not had any problems at all. Its done around 3000 miles and so far the chain/cogs are not showing signs of needing replacing yet, though I have had to replace both sets of brake pads after 2000 odd miles.

The Schwalbe Kojak tyres that came with it are great, only had 1 p******* (was a snakebite) and they grip well in the wet to.

It does not have any mounts for panniers at the top of the seat stays, though you can get around that with p-clips if needed.
It comes with a small led light that clips onto the saddle, great for dusky conditions but not bright enough for in the dark.

It looks amazing which is both good and bad, bad as it makes it quite prone to being nicked, as a result I keep it indoors (luckily I have a understanding girlfriend) and somewhere secure at work, but having to leave it locked up outside does make me worry.

To sum up, if your contemplating a flat barred hybrid, then do give the Bad Boy range a look at, it is a great bike to ride, though what works well for one person won't necessary work well for someone else so test ride, test ride and more test ride!! (my next bike is a proper road bike just for weekend rides!)

merkin

Did you ever fit any mudguards to it? I have one and am want to get some mudguards fitted. Just wondering what would fit best. (and look best too, but that is less important than function)
It is a great bike around traffic isn't it.
I too want a weekend road bike

JonS123

I've never bothered with mudguards on it, I think some of the crud race guards could just about fit on it though (not sure on the front with the brake mount?)

SamWise72

How can they make a commuting bike with no rack eyelets? Madness!

geordiefella

it has eyelets. just get the SKS blumells 35mm guards. they're the best, toughest and leanest looking.

if you've not bought yet, seriously consider something suited to high mileage like the CAAD10. after a year and a half commuting 30 miles a day on the Rohloff Bad Boy, I can say that the weight and position are not like a road bike. it's good but i'd think twice depending on your riding distance.

Dave