Cannondale SL2/3 '11 or GT Avalanche 1 '10?

Fatdgits

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, first post After finally getting the cash together to buy a trails bike, I've been road biking for a while but can't get my head around all the reviews and opinions. Here's what i'm considering. I've got a thread going here too but i could do with more advice

http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussi ... st10444358

I'm open to suggestions. I'm 5ft 7 and my LBS recommended a 17" for the Cannondale.

GT-AVALANCHE 1.0 2010: http: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s2p245 ... -DISC-2010
CANNONDALE-TRAIL SL 3 2011: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s2p36 ... -SL-3-2011
CANNONDALE-TRAIL SL 2 2011: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b65s2p36 ... -SL-2-2011

bartimaeus

I love my Avalanche - which was a stock 2010 1.0 when I bought it second-hand at the start of last year... but it's a bit different now. I've not ridden a Trail, though, and that SL2 looks interesting.

Fatdgits

What have you changed/upgraded?

bartimaeus

I changed the bars and stem almost immediately - to 745s on a 65mm - which worked really well for me, and I also changed the pedals (Nanos) and saddle.

It stayed like that for a good while - but when one of the wheels took a bad ding I got some new ones from Merlin (Sun Equalizer rims on Shimano 495s)... must get round to getting the old ones fixed as they were fine.

I recently replaced the Toras with some second hand Rebas (an opportunity too good to miss) which are much lighter and better controlled, and when the drivetrain wore out I changed to a 22/36 double and bash. EDIT: the rear mech is a downgrade from the original XT to a Deore... sadly the XT got bent in crash. This is (supposedly) my cheap bike so I'm not allowed to spend too much on it :oops:

So lots of changes... but I've ridden it over 2,000 miles in 15 months including two winters and one summer of grit and mud, so it's done me proud. I bought it as a 'winter bike', but it's much better than that - definitely a keeper

EH_Rob

i can recommend the Trail range, I paid quite a bit more than that for an SL3 back in 2011, and whilst ive since sold it it served me very well. the fork was a bit pants so i changed it, but everything else was solid.

for that money the SL2 (which has a different fork to the SL3) is decent value i reckon. that being said, so is the avalanche.

Fatdgits

I feel like i'm settling on a GT now. Solid reviews and the standard forks appear to be far superior than other bike brands. I'm having a dig around on eBay, Gumtree and forums to get a second hand one. The 2010 model on Paul's Cycle is the same price as it sold for in 2011 which is odd. But then, maybe that shows how good the bike it is!

Fatdgits

You can ride backwards on a GT 1 - 2009 model anyway
viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12624140