Whyte 805 vs Cannondale SL1

popeye87

Hi guys,

Trying to buy my first bike at the minute.. The more time I spend looking for a bike the bigger my budget seems to become!!!

Anyhow Im currently loving the new 2012 Whyte 805 but then again the cannondale 2011 SL1 is tempting and cheaper...

Wondering what opinions you guys have on these bikes? Any other recommendations? Possibly looking around £800-900 mark, if cheaper though I wont complain...

Also im a big lad 16 and half stone (to much time to go the gym) and 6'3 so yeah really would be after 100+mm front suspension...

Cheers fella's

robmanic1

Popeye,

Recently had a 2011 Whyte 805 which was a replacement for my beloved Cannondale F800SL, which was stolen. Only had the Whyte a couple of months before that was also stolen :evil: .

Enjoyed the Whyte eventually, after dialling in the forks and fitting a longer stem as the cockpit was a little cramped for my tastes. Nice looking frame, quite forgiving, decent fork, spec was ok. I would say a good frame for future upgrades.

As for the 'dale, not had any experience of the modern frames, mine was one of the last USA made ones. Always had a soft spot for Cannondale's though, although the forks do look better spec on the Whyte.

The Whyte edges it for me.

As always, best to try both before you buy, if you can.

Pudseyp

I would have a look at the CUBE LTD
LTD £859 with Recon tk air and deore/xt
LTD Pro £949 with Reba motion control & poploc with deore xt
LTD Race £1,030 2ith Fox Float RL, SLX/XT

All fro Leisure Lakes....they also have 2011's with decent discounts.

robmanic1

Cubes are unbeatable spec for the money, there are a lot about though, so if exclusivity is your thing might not be for you. We call 'em clitoris bikes around here if you get my meaning

grenw

Just bought a Cube LTD race 2011 for £880.... looking forward to riding that cli....

Was also looking at last year's Whyte 809 which was coming in at £960. Was tempting but £80 for worse spec but better brand/exclusivity didn't add up for me.

JonoStevens

Got a Cannondale SL3, which is the same frame as the SL1 model. The spec on mine isn't top notch, but the frame does make for a really nice, responsive ride.

popeye87

Thanks for all the replies so far guys and gals...

I have did a fair ol' bit of research into the Cubes too. I cant work out the differences between the Acid, Attention, AIM, LTD... In other words which bikes are more suited to which discipline? There have been some cracking deals on 2011 bikes but I can not to seem any in my size 22+ frame, preferably 23+inch frame. If you guys had my budget of approx £800-900 which Cube would you go for?

Oh and in terms of exclusivity, what i'm after is best spec for my money to be honest, I don't want to be 'that guy' who stands out from the crowd on a nice exclusive bike only to not have the skills to make it look good... I definatley don't want to be 'that guy'...

robmanic1

Blimey, if we're only allowed to ride bikes that match our skill levels I'd better dust off the trike!

Monkeypump

Robmanic1 wrote:

Cubes are unbeatable spec for the money, there are a lot about though, so if exclusivity is your thing might not be for you. We call 'em clitoris bikes around here if you get my meaning

Is that because you can never find one?

robmanic1

Not even with both hands, a map and a head torch!