Pardon my boldness but, I thought that posts regarding pro's, con's, and issues with the Cake deserved a "definitive" thread (as opposed to being headed under "Stability with a Cake" or "New to mtn biking, just bought Cake DLX2"). So I propose that we use this thread for reviews, technical questions, etc. It would be great to have all that useful Cake info. consolitdated. Feel free to post, or not.

The Loctite issue:
I have just returned from my LBS where I sat in on the repair (loose rear triangle after three rides). It took him about 1/2 hour. It was good to see because it's essentially the process we'll be using to replace bearings when they wear out. I could go into detail but, more to the point, the bearings had been "set" with Loctite but, hardly enough to do the job. GF/ Trek designed the bearing housing to allow the bearings to be hand-placed (as opposed to the typical press-fit) probably to aid in the assembly process. That is to say, the bearings are as easy to remove as a key from a lock. But, for that reason, liberal application of Loctite was also required. We removed the bearings, applied the 680 retaining compound to the outer race of the bearing and the inside of the bearing houseing, replaced the bearings, and that was that. The compound takes 24 hours to fully cure. There is no play in the rear triangle now though, I have yet to get out for a ride. I'll keep everyone posted.

Anyone with similar experiences or other Cake issues please reply to this thread.

Okay...it hasn't been long for me to see the weakness in my plan. If all the issues are addressed in one thread how will anyone know where to look for a specific problem. I suppose it should be called the "duh-finitive" thread. Still, I hate it when a thread takes a turn and the title no longer applies. Makes it hard to tell which threads to look into.

I have just passed about 300 miles on my cake 2 dlx. Have had oodles of problems with it, but still think it is awesome as most problems where simple fixes. I had the loctite issue which is now very well known. I have had some chain suck issues, but not too bad, although the swing arm has a few nice chunks missing out of the paint behind the chainring. Had some horrible rear derailuer problems for awhile but after a few hours of tuning that was ok. I love the way the bike handles over all. One problem I have been having is not a GF issue, because of the distance between the narrow wheels, and the black fork, sometimes my computer does not seem to register the magnet really well so I drop miles when it shuts off on me by itself. Had some brake issues with the rear hayes disc, it kept getting really squishy and losing its ability to stop, I always seemed to discover this had come up while heading downhill. That finally seems to be kosher now, after the latest bleeding which was the third time.

I am stilll having the automatic shifting problem occasionally, but usually only when I get a lot of dust on the chain and rear derailuer.

Over all its a great bike though, and I am glad I bought it. The local shop has been great not a dime of money or a second of the repairs have come out of me.

I had a 3 DLX for a week.

I gouged the chainstay real good after a careless shift caused chain suck. This happened way too easy.

I also found the standover to be excessive when on a frame that fit me in a riding position. Some bikes have a dropped top tube, it would help this bike out.

The high BB makes for a slow and ponderous feeling bike on fast singletrack. It's not an XC bike.

The geometry is not for everybody. I didn't feel comfortable on it.

The Black Elite fork on the 3 DLX is way too soft, and not a good match for the SPV rear.

That's the bad, the good is that it was a very smooth, plush, and fun ride. A good bike. With a few minor design improvements, it could be great.

Cake 2 dlx / 6'3" 205# / Ridden 250+ miles in rocky, rooty, muddy New England so far.....

I initially had a few problems with the drive train. LBS fixed / advised.

I had taken a spill and crashed it on the drive train side against a rock, this cracked the RD cable housing, bent the RD hanger, and caused lots of skippage, and frustration.
Once LBS replaced housing and re-aligned RD hanger, worked great.

I had chainsuck real bad, damaged chainstay (large gouges) this was caused by the extreme deflection of middle chainring/ smaller cogs in the rear, LBS advised to find a similiar gear ratio with the smaller chainring / middle cogs.

I haven't had any more problems since. Bike is riding great.

I try to keep the chain as clean and lubed as possible. (before every ride)

The suggested setup of the SPV is what I am now using, I have tried a few different settings and I am back to this. Sometimes it does feel like I have low tire pressure, though it is fine, may have to adjust the rebound. I like the way the bike climbs, (despite its weight compared to the hardtail). SPV works awesome!

The fork is really soft, I have had to increase the pressure setting to make it firmer. Will work fine until I can afford a FOX or Minute.

I am definatley faster on this bike than I was on my old hard tail, I am learning to pick a line and commit to it. Point and go method. My weakness was descending, and have seen dramatic improvements, my riding buddies used to catch me here, now they are cursing. Long time coming they say. I love being able to sit and hammer through rough stuff, instead of having to stand as I did on the hardtail.

The stand over is high (XL frame) and I have a 35" inseam! But when I am riding it, the bike feels like it is a custom fit, like a glove some would say! So I guess my fix here would be to improve my riding skills and not dab.

Haven't noticed any loose-ness with the rear triangle (fingers are crossed)

My 2 cents, to keep the post alive.

I've been riding my cake2dlx for a couple months. I too have had chain suck, but only during races when going fast downhill. I have had a lot of shifting problems repaired by lbs after my failed attempts. It is now shifting well except for occasional drop shift from middle to low in the front. I had to add loctite to the brake levers because they kept closing in on my hands after adjusting them every other ride, but that is good now. Now I have to pull them all the way in to activate the brakes - will try to bleed.

My big problem is all the ticking noises. I have never ridden a bike this noisy. I know one problem is the headset. I had the lbs look at this and they took a part and regreased. But then I had a lot of play with the fork in the headset. When I work on that I can either tighten and have the noises or loosen and get the play which would be worse on the frame so I go with the noise. When I go off a drop or over a log pile it sounds like the frame is going to bust open and smash me into the dirt.

But I love riding this bike.

I replaced the junky $10 headset they put on this bike and the noises up front went away. Bike is riding great. Had the shifting adjusted a few more times.

my problems with my cake 2 dlx began as soon as they opened to box to build it.

-broken front brake hose in shipping. had to wait for new one.
-replaced hose, lever started to leak
-replaced lever, then hose snapped during ride because of poor cable routing
-replaced hose, then brakes not working. loses pressure after few pulls of lever
-replaced entire brake unit
-chainsuck like mad from day 1
-5 bent chains, 1 broken one because of chainsuck
- gouged swingarm
-gear hopping
-dirty headset
-creaky bb
-creaky headset

i had the chainsuck problems, gear hopping, and eventually the loose triangle.

all the chainsuck destroyed my swingarm behind the crank. so my LBS had fisher send me a new swingarm. open the box and surprised to see the swingarm from the cake 1. the carbon part looks great on my bike.

loctited the bearings intot he frame. ever since it's been ok. i get the occaisional chainsuck but i use the tie wrap method for anti-chainsuck device. works great. only happens when it's really dirty.

the loctited bearings and (more importantly) insertion of spacer in bb seems to also have solved the gear hopping. obviously the loose swingarm was affecting the chain alignment when cranking on the gears.

i too suffered from weird creaking noises. the first time i traced it to the bb (removed bontrager, put in xt). when i pulled the cups out, all this water came with it! cleaned it up, relubed, replaced, problem solved.

now i'm getting it again. but this time i think it's the headset. clean and regreased last nite so we'll see how it goes. that's the second time i had to relube my headset. the bottom bearing race is looking ruff tho...

problem now? loose rear wheel.

i've got over 1000 km's on my bike, but as i said, problems started at 0 km's

After the loose swingarm, a leaking Minute fork, and all the other Cake issues, now my bike too creaks like crazy, it seems to be the swingarm pivot in my case, maybe the BB, the headset is fine. I've said it before and I'll say it again: last Trek product I ever buy... It was my first and even if it's an isolated case (the model, not my particular bike), it's enough to convince me to get something else, and soon!

Who wants a Medium Cake 1_DLX? I'm getting tired to have to work on the bike or take it to the shop every week or so.

ahaha, ya, for a while i was a daily visitor to my LBS. they know me anyways since i built their website, but to have me in there several time a week because of my bike was a bit annoying for both of us i'm sure.

i requested a replacement bike since the problems on my bike still occur. i'm just waiting on the status of the situation.


After the loose swingarm, a leaking Minute fork, and all the other Cake issues, now my bike too creaks like crazy, it seems to be the swingarm pivot in my case, maybe the BB, the headset is fine. I've said it before and I'll say it again: last Trek product I ever buy... It was my first and even if it's an isolated case (the model, not my particular bike), it's enough to convince me to get something else, and soon!

Who wants a Medium Cake 1_DLX? I'm getting tired to have to work on the bike or take it to the shop every week or so.

ahaha, ya, for a while i was a daily visitor to my LBS. they know me anyways since i built their website, but to have me in there several time a week because of my bike was a bit annoying for both of us i'm sure.

i requested a replacement bike since the problems on my bike still occur. i'm just waiting on the status of the situation.I think I'm gonna try to sell it back to my LBS, but I won't buy my next bike from them, they don't carry the brand I want so they wont be too happy...

Cake sounds like crap. I don't think i'll buy a Trek in the future. First sugar, now cake, lots of drivetrain problems. I think trek should quit baking alltogether. :D

Thats just the feeling i get from reading this thread. I am not trying to bash trek. My opinion is based mainly on that of others. That and my dad's sugar has issues.

There's a lot of good feedback in this thread. It's too bad that so much of it is negative but, I suppose that's to be expected (you don't hear a ton of "happy" stories on the nightly news either). I've had my Cake 1DLX since May and I am anxiously happy with it; anxious becuase of all the things that I've read going wrong with other Cake's, sqeaks, creaks, leaks, skips, gouges, etc., and happy because the issues I'm having aren't affecting my riding. I went riding at a place called Sleepy Hollow in VT last week, where the trails are fast, flowing, and technical. The bike rode like a dream. I still can't get over the plushness of duel suspension (let alone the 5 inches)! It climbs great, even out of the saddle,and descends like x-country bike on steroids. I am contemplating removing the big ring and the crank spacer to get better alignment between the middle ring and the low sprockets. I prefer to ride in middle most of the time. The only thing I really wish it had at this point is an adjustable 5"-7" fork. The bike is really just a jacked-up x-country rig and descending would surely benefit from the slackness that 7" up front would create. So, that's my 2 cents...let's hope I didn't jinx myself.

Well, while I don't like the bike's bugs and flaws, I must say that when I ride it and ignore the sounds, it performs flawlessly. It corners like a kart, climbs quite easily with a ton of traction, descends better than any bike I ever tried and pedals very efficiently. I'm just disappointed by Trek's craftmanship, assembly ability and quality control. Some say that's what you get for being an early adopter, my bike was made in the first production run and even my LBS told me that minor issues were to be expected. When it's ok, it's almost the perfect bike for my taste.

yep. i will agree that when i ride this bike, it rides like a dream. rocks, roots, whatever, bring it on! i've learned to climb with it, seated and standing.

i can't go back to my hardtail. i rode my buddy's stumpjumper fsr and i'll have to say, cake wins! spv rules!

rode tonite. the bike is making weird creaky noises. i'm totally hoping it's not coming from the bb. the threads are in ruff shape and i dont' think it will survive another removal. the last time was to place that spacer which solved the drive line issues.

i always look forward to riding it but i dont' like thinking about the things that go wrong while i ride.

why did i buy a first run/year bike? i wouldn't do it for a car!

i know why. i couldn't resist!

Well, while I don't like the bike's bugs and flaws, I must say that when I ride it and ignore the sounds, it performs flawlessly. It corners like a kart, climbs quite easily with a ton of traction, descends better than any bike I ever tried and pedals very efficiently. I'm just disappointed by Trek's craftmanship, assembly ability and quality control. Some say that's what you get for being an early adopter, my bike was made in the first production run and even my LBS told me that minor issues were to be expected. When it's ok, it's almost the perfect bike for my taste.

I forgot to mention that the skewers seem to loosen up on their own mysteriously. I am amazed that my wheels haven't fallen off while riding a couple of times. A buddy demoed a cake 1 at a race and his back wheel fell off. The wheels seem nice and look good but they are junk if you have to check for this before you ride. Bontrager wheels. I would never buy bontrager anything in the future. this bike is loaded with the crap. got rid of the bars right away. I still like riding this bike more than any other though.


Man, my homegrown hardtail was built well - but a rough ride on the body.

well, i have to say i haven't had the loose skewer effect yet.

my rims have yet to be trued.

my rear hub however....

the wheel developed a little play so i had the shop tighten it. it was still a bit loose but i ignored it.

then after a couple rides, i just checked the wheel and the wheel felt like it was falling apart. massive side to side play.

took it to the shop. my cassette thingy on the hub was all loose. they disassembled my hub and tighened it all up. now it's all good.

i've read stories about the bontrager wheels. that's my experience so far.

I have a Cake 3 DLX and I'm pretty encouraged by the messages here.

For those of you who are reading this thread trying to determine whether you want a Cake or not, just notice how most of the messages end with "I have had problems, but this is the best bike I have rode."

I have had a couple small issues with the chain suck and shifting issues, but that was cured when I had the LBS give me a great deal in upgrading the rear deraileur to an XT.

I have to say hands down, this is the best bike I have ever ridden and when I'm on it, my confidence level sky rockets and I hit things I would not have on my other bikes.

It's true that the stand over height is HIGH, but once your mounted, it seems ohh so natural.

I love this bike and can't wait until a couple years in production to upgrade to a new Cake (more refined) which can only be a dream!

If you're thinking, don't wait, but it now, you won't regret it!

well, there's no way that i would pay to upgrade my deraileur to solve a problem that comes from factory or design.

that's like buying a car and getting a good deal on a new transmission cuz the one that came with it doesn't quite work properly.

i pay for a product, i want it to work. i shouldn't have to spend money after the sale to make it work.

luckily i didn't have to. upgrading my crank was something i wanted to do anyways. well, i did pay for new chains cuz they keep getting bent from the chainsuck....



I have a Cake 3 DLX and I'm pretty encouraged by the messages here.

For those of you who are reading this thread trying to determine whether you want a Cake or not, just notice how most of the messages end with "I have had problems, but this is the best bike I have rode."

I have had a couple small issues with the chain suck and shifting issues, but that was cured when I had the LBS give me a great deal in upgrading the rear deraileur to an XT.

I have to say hands down, this is the best bike I have ever ridden and when I'm on it, my confidence level sky rockets and I hit things I would not have on my other bikes.

It's true that the stand over height is HIGH, but once your mounted, it seems ohh so natural.

I love this bike and can't wait until a couple years in production to upgrade to a new Cake (more refined) which can only be a dream!

If you're thinking, don't wait, but it now, you won't regret it!

I have had most of the problems go wrong with my Cake Dlx 3 that have been described here.
Recap:
Loctite problem: yes Trek fixed.
Brake problems: Bled 3 times.
Chainsuck: Numerous times, chainstay starting to look really bad, Trek sent the Bontranger Race crank and has been a lot better.
Seatpost: kept slipping.

Told my lbs that the next time I have to come in for a problem because of the design of the bike that I was going to trade it in. This was Saturday.

Since then, have been out twice and it rode flawlessly. If it would continue to ride like this, I would definitely keep it. Everything is dialed in and have smoked my friends my last 2 outings. I have had high hopes for this bike ever since I got it (spent more on this bike than my last 2 combined) and I feel it was money well spent on days when everything is working. But, I just can't keep it out of the shop.

I read in another post that a cake owner was blaming peoples riding abilities and I just can't believe that everyone that has had these problems are inadequate riders. I have ridden in 3 races this year and each of them I had to use a loaner from my lbs b/c mine was being worked on. I didn't have any problems on the loaners and they are the same trails I ride with my cake.

But once again, I am faster and feel better on the cake when its riding like it has the past 2 nights. It really is a nice ride. I wouldn't recommend this years model to anybody but if the proper changes are made to this bike, next years model could be awesome. Heres hoping they make the changes. Still optimistic. :D

well, there's no way that i would pay to upgrade my deraileur to solve a problem that comes from factory or design.

that's like buying a car and getting a good deal on a new transmission cuz the one that came with it doesn't quite work properly.

i pay for a product, i want it to work. i shouldn't have to spend money after the sale to make it work.

luckily i didn't have to. upgrading my crank was something i wanted to do anyways. well, i did pay for new chains cuz they keep getting bent from the chainsuck....

I guess I should have stipulated that I wanted to upgrade BEFORE I had the problem, it just gave me an excuse. :D

So I just finished racing my third 24 hour (4 man team-sport class)
and the previous 2 were done on alum hardtail w/ 3" fork.
I can actually walk after the race this year, the cake performed beautifully.
I think this bike was made for this type of duty.

I just got back from riding my Cake at Mammoth Mountain, in California, on XC/DH trails ranging from rolling/brake rutted pumice singletracks at high speed to gnarly XC descents to the actual "double black diamond" DH courses (but I skipped the 20'+ drops...ho ho).

I had an issue with my Avid Juicy brakes, but since those aren't stock I'll leave that out.

The Cake was definitely in it's element. Climbing was great (not counting the wheeze factor at 10,000' ) and descending the rocky, rolling, rock/root drop filled trails was excellent on a 5x5. The Minute is a great fork, the Swinger acts plush, gave full travel but doesn't bottom harshly at all --in fact, my travel-indicator o-ring was pushed to the very edge of the shaft, but I never felt the bike bottom. The high bottom bracket that I curse on steep climbs is excellent on rocky descents, and hey...the seat can be dropped plenty low, as I did.

Sounds like it was a good weekend for everyone. I just got back from an epic ride in the Belknap mountains, NH. A fair amount of hike-a-bike but, soooo worth it for the downhill. Lot's of technical descents and slabby trials playgrounds, and of course grueling uphills. The Cake performed flawlessly. It has definately given me the courage to start dropping lines I would have hemmed and hawed about before. The 5x5 is great but I'm now looking into the Sherman Breakout Plus (130-170mm travel) to make it an even better perfoming freeride machine. I second EBasil's comment about dropping the seat. I pretty much bottom it out for descents. It adds, what seems like, about a foot of travel and makes you feel like a kid riding your old schwinn.

a couple weeks ago i was riding along dealing with some shifting noises and all of a sudden the deraileur went into the spokes and a chain link bent half off. Ipulled over and fixed, but it was trying to do it again. So the lbs found a bent deraileur hanger that was my fault because of the small scratch on the deraileur. It is fixed.

This weekend the fork started dripping oil after one of the rides. Now my bike is in the shop until they can get it fixed.

This is going to suck when my warranty runs out. I need to find a good deal on a xt deraileur - it looks kinda bent.

I really like riding this bike, I don't know what could compare to it if i were to buy something else?

Sometimes I look at it and see all the bontrager labels and think it is a bontrager piece of junk.

a couple weeks ago i was riding along dealing with some shifting noises and all of a sudden the deraileur went into the spokes and a chain link bent half off. Ipulled over and fixed, but it was trying to do it again. So the lbs found a bent deraileur hanger that was my fault because of the small scratch on the deraileur. It is fixed.

This weekend the fork started dripping oil after one of the rides. Now my bike is in the shop until they can get it fixed.

This is going to suck when my warranty runs out. I need to find a good deal on a xt deraileur - it looks kinda bent.

I really like riding this bike, I don't know what could compare to it if i were to buy something else?

Sometimes I look at it and see all the bontrager labels and think it is a bontrager piece of junk.
I have no complaints about the Bontrager stuff, wheels are strong, bars, stem and seatpost do their job fine. Do you have a particular problem with the Bontrager parts? I have a dripping fork too and even after a LBS fix, and me putting a good amount of grease on the bolt, it still drips very slowly.

I too am scared to have that bike once the warranty runs out so I'll probably sell it before it does, this bike rides great but it's just too much trouble.

werd.

hopefully it won't be hard to find someone not informed about these threads on the cake to buy it.

the good thing is, i paid very little for my cake. bartering is fun! so, i'll try painting the chainsuck scratches, and selling it very, very close to local retail price. nobody needs to know i put on 1100 + km's on it this summer....

i'm thinkin heckler, enduro sx, or.... 2005 cake!



I have no complaints about the Bontrager stuff, wheels are strong, bars, stem and seatpost do their job fine. Do you have a particular problem with the Bontrager parts? I have a dripping fork too and even after a LBS fix, and me putting a good amount of grease on the bolt, it still drips very slowly.

I too am scared to have that bike once the warranty runs out so I'll probably sell it before it does, this bike rides great but it's just too much trouble.

werd.

hopefully it won't be hard to find someone not informed about these threads on the cake to buy it.

the good thing is, i paid very little for my cake. bartering is fun! so, i'll try painting the chainsuck scratches, and selling it very, very close to local retail price. nobody needs to know i put on 1100 + km's on it this summer....

i'm thinkin heckler, enduro sx, or.... 2005 cake!I'm not unhappy either, I had over $1K took off the price when I bought it in the spring but I'll stay away from the Cake, wonderful as it is, I learned my lesson... or did I? I'm pretty much decided on the Cannondale Prophet, another first year model, but I have always had good experience with them.

I had heard that the '05 Cakes had a lower BB and lower standover height. Is this true? What are the geometry differences between the '04 and '05 Cakes?

The website specs list them as being exactly the same. The pictures look very much the same.

Also, anyone heard about any changes to help the chainsuck in the DLX 2?

Thanks

I had trouble with the wheels skewers loosening up and the hubs were loose. I swapped out the bars. and the rest of bontrager are parts that could be any part. Except for the cranks. I took a part my chainrings last night and when I loosened the large the middle popped off like a spring. When I put the middle up against the crank two of the holes line up then you can rocker it on those two points with about a 1/4 inch of play. Now I am not sure if this is normal yet or if it is the ring or the crank that may be warped. I am wondering if this is the cause of the chain suck and shifting problems. I have not had a problem with the swing arm yet.

I sure would like the deals you guys got. I paid full price for mine. No one will deal around here - it is like the lbs's have an agreement not to go under a price. They offer different services to get you to buy from them.

Jim,

The strategy that I took when I bought my Cake1DLX was to cruise the net for the best advertised price (turned out to be some place in CO, selling them for $2,600) and told my LBS that I could get one for that price. I told them I don't mind paying a little extra to avoid shipping and handling but I wasn't about to throw my money away. It helps if you know something about bike maintainence, in case you do end up buying it from a remote shop and can't in good conscience take it to your LBS for tune-ups, etc. It also helps to have a good natured approach to negotiating with your LBS ( i.e. no veiled threats, just an honest explanation of you situation). In my opinion, it's a rare case that you should be paying actual MSRP.

I was wrong. I did not pay retail. All the bike shops were selling at 200 below suggested retail. Maybe that is a good deal.

My cake rode great this weekend. no problems.

mine rode great the first ride or 2

time will tell....

I was wrong. I did not pay retail. All the bike shops were selling at 200 below suggested retail. Maybe that is a good deal.

My cake rode great this weekend. no problems.

I got another weekend on the XC and descent trails in Mammoth, including an opportunity to preride big sections of the Mens Expert XC course for the upcoming NORBA finals on Sept. 25th. This time, with my Avid Juicy issues resolved before arriving, the bike was great and dialed-in perfectly for long XC/descent rides. I did have chainsuck at the end of the second day, after my chain got very dirty. I stopped and wiped it down with Kleenex, and the ProLink shed the dust...no more chain issues and I relubed that evening.

http://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/278ErikSkidmarks-med.jpg

Component-wise, I'm impressed with the Bontrager wheelset: it's taken quite a beating and maintained trueness. I haven't had machine-built wheels in a long time, and I'm pleased with these. The Manitou shock and fork are still doing great (particularly since I swapped the heavier spring into the Minute).

When i first saw the Cake's i knew i had to have one. I honestly have not been mt biking for very long. I own a hardtail fisher that i truly love. That bike took such a beating had such great geometry i took a chance on buying the cake dlx3 off ebay (for about $400 less than retail).

After building the bike, i had some issues getting the rear fork set properly. Not sure if other have experienced issues with the pressure not seeming to 'hold' at least according to the gauge on the pump. Either way...i didnt need to replace it, and it's seemingly ok...but i couldnt really follow the instructions.

I did have extreme chain sux, even just pedaling around my driveaway...to the point of bending my chain. I bought a better chain, and it happens less frequently. Adding a spacer has kept the frame/chain from taking damage.

I also do not like how high the bb is...but i guess that's to b expected with 5 inches of travel...but it has taken me some time to get used to being so 'high'. I have gotten used to it over time...and knock wood havent taken as many spills as i used to. The bad here though is that i find it a lot harder to get going once i've lost my footing, especially in hairy areas(where one commonly looses' there footing). On the plus side, i find i can really hammer through some areas that once caused me issues, especially rock gardens.

The real plus of this bike is def the travel and it's nimbleness on decsents. i truly cruise the single track downhills and the bike really handles dropouts extremely well. If i can say anything, it's that the bike simply eats up drops like nobody's business.

The hayes disc brakes are also super sweet. The truly stop the bike on a dime...

Probably too much to read for most, but what is the 'Loctite' issue? I dont SEE any evidence of rubbing but when i do go over drops, even small ones...i HEAR what sounds like rubbing...though i can't say it really has any negative effects...it's just kind of strange.

I don't work for fisher....and am not going to praise the bike to the point where i'd say RUN out and buy one...i honestly havent sampled enough other bikes to make that suggestion. i can say that i bike with friends that are in similiar 'shape' as myself...and i tend to be at least the the second to the top of the hill and feel i could be the first to the bottom on this bike. There are times when i'm biking and ripping over obstacles that i think 'damn...i love this bike'. But it certainly has it's flaws...and maybe i could be on a more 'bug' free bike and be thinking the same thing...or maybe not :-)

[QUOTE=darlok]
Probably too much to read for most, but what is the 'Loctite' issue? I dont SEE any evidence of rubbing but when i do go over drops, even small ones...i HEAR what sounds like rubbing...though i can't say it really has any negative effects...it's just kind of strange.

QUOTE]

Ah, everyones favorite Cake subject. The loctite issue. You will know it when it happens.
If you don't know what it is, then it has not happened to your bike... yet.

Basically the bearings in the swing arm on some of the first generation cakes where placed after the loctite had been allowed to set for too long, which resulted in them not being properly seated. They would come loose after a few hard drops and suddenly you would find that the bike not only had a rear end with 5" of vertical travel, but that it had developed about 2" of horizontal travel as well... not fun. Its an easy fix though, and every fisher dealer can deal with it quickly by now.

anyone suggest the best chain to use with the cake 2dlx? (from experience)

i use a sram pc-59. i broke thru several shimano hg-73 and 93's. mainly cuz of the chainsuck from the loctite debacle.

since i got that resolved i haven't broken a chain. i did have a couple incidences of chainsuck but i'm pretty sure that's related to dirt, but the chain survived.

i choose the sram cuz it was cheaper, and more convenient to use since i'm constantly trying to keep the drivetrain clean. the powerlink is very useful.

i have come across seveal people who have used the power link on shimano chains with no problems but i'm a bit skeptical on that one. i dont' see how it would cause problems but i'm not really sure i want to find out the hardway. but i do keep extra powerlinks in the camelbak and it has come in handy for a fellow rider who broke their shimano chain.



anyone suggest the best chain to use with the cake 2dlx? (from experience)

Thanks for the chain info, I'll check it out.

My frame shock is making ticking noises where it attaches to the frame at the very front of the shock. It happens when i push down on the seat and when i ride it is really bad.

anyone know what may be causing this or how to fix?

I thought it was the headset but when i looked at the headset and put it back together the ticking in that area stopped. and i greased the seatpost to make the ticking in that area stop. Oh, my 2nd headset is shot - it was an upgraded cane creak - i won't be buying a cane creak again.

My frame shock is making ticking noises where it attaches to the frame at the very front of the shock. It happens when i push down on the seat and when i ride it is really bad.

anyone know what may be causing this or how to fix?

I thought it was the headset but when i looked at the headset and put it back together the ticking in that area stopped. and i greased the seatpost to make the ticking in that area stop. Oh, my 2nd headset is shot - it was an upgraded cane creak - i won't be buying a cane creak again.I have the same noise, not sure if it's the shock mounts, the swingarm pivot or the BB. I can't say it bothers me too much but it may not be as bad as yours. Probably just some dirt somewhere in one of those area.

same here. but it doesn't happen all the time. i think it has something to do with the cables near the front of the top tube. i can reproduce the sound when i move them around but not sure if that's all caused by it.

what i'm gettig now is a loose swingarm in a vertical motion. it's caused by the shock mounts. when i undo, then retighten the mounts, the swingarm is solid as a rock.

after my rides however, it's all loose. when i bounce the rear of the bike (not seated), there is an annoying rattle. it's like there's play in the rear shock mount bold and the bushings or something. i just keep retighteing it. dont' want to go too tight since i broke the bolt last time.



I have the same noise, not sure if it's the shock mounts, the swingarm pivot or the BB. I can't say it bothers me too much but it may not be as bad as yours. Probably just some dirt somewhere in one of those area.

Maybe those bolts need a little Loctite...

i do that.

after the stuff cures i bolt it on and once my ride is over, ti's loose. the bolts are still tight, that's not what comes loose.

Maybe those bolts need a little Loctite...

Yet another Cake issue! :(

Just thought I would say thanks to all the Cake owners here that were honest about the Cake and posted the issues they have had. I really wanted a Cake and enjoyed the demo rides on the local trails here in GA but after reading about the issues most of you seem to have it got me looking in to other brands for a 5 inch trail bike.

I ended up not getting a Cake and found a bike I really love, I would have not even looked at other bikes and bought a Cake and missed out on my new ride.

Thanks and I really hope the Cake ends up living up to its name for you all as it can and I am sure will be a great bike once the bugs are worked out.

So, what did you get?

I picked up an S-works Enduro

holy crap, is that even in the same price range as the cakes???

I picked up an S-works Enduro

holy crap, is that even in the same price range as the cakes???Not at all, the 05 S-Works Enduro has a 5500$ MSRP !

I got it for $3400 out the door.

I have been trying to fix my tickking noises near the front shock. I took the shock off the frame to clean and the bolt on the rear was corroded in th middle. I cleaned for now and plan to replace because it has worn through the finish. Does anyone know how tight I need to tighten the two bolts holding the shock to the frame? I was thinking the shock needs to move on that bolt a little? So I tightened until it started to have a slight resistance to movement but did not have play from side to side. Is this correct?

This did not fix the noise yet. And I do know about the cable noises - they sound similar.

I have been trying to fix my tickking noises near the front shock. I took the shock off the frame to clean and the bolt on the rear was corroded in th middle. I cleaned for now and plan to replace because it has worn through the finish. Does anyone know how tight I need to tighten the two bolts holding the shock to the frame? I was thinking the shock needs to move on that bolt a little? So I tightened until it started to have a slight resistance to movement but did not have play from side to side. Is this correct?

This did not fix the noise yet. And I do know about the cable noises - they sound similar.

It should not have any vertical movement at all. It should be firm enough that there is a bit of tension when it rolls left to right, but the action should be completely smooth.

i have the vertical movement on my rear shock mount bolt. fisher rep comin in to my town on thursday and will check it out. gonna drop the list of other problems i've had. already mention of a discounted '05 cake... if i sell my current one! as if!

i made a warranty claim 3 weeks agon on one of my wheels. the guy didn't bother sending it, decides that he'd wait till he come to town to give it to me. mean while, i'm riding on a messed up rear hub, even risked it by goin on my bike trip! luckily nothing happened.

anyways, i'm thinking my bolt mounts are messsed. i think the bushings are digging some grooves into the swingarm mounts, and that's what is causing the free play on that mount. i can tighten it up and it will be fine, but as soon as i start riding, it loosens up again.

anyways, find the attached pdf that fisher sent me for the rear suspension assembly. it has all the torque specs for the bolts.

www.andyyu.com/cake.pdf

good luck, will let u guys know what the fisher guy says about my bike.


I have been trying to fix my tickking noises near the front shock. I took the shock off the frame to clean and the bolt on the rear was corroded in th middle. I cleaned for now and plan to replace because it has worn through the finish. Does anyone know how tight I need to tighten the two bolts holding the shock to the frame? I was thinking the shock needs to move on that bolt a little? So I tightened until it started to have a slight resistance to movement but did not have play from side to side. Is this correct?

This did not fix the noise yet. And I do know about the cable noises - they sound similar.

So if I tighten the rear bolt and the front bolt is not in yet It should be difficult to lift the shock up at the front?

Thanks for the diagram that explains it all well.

Cool move, posting the PDF on the rear triangle assembly, Nuker!! Thanks.

Thanks for the diagram that explains it all well.


When you said front shock on the post up above I thought you were talking about the forks and the headset assembly.... had me giving wrong information.

does anyone no if the rear shock should be greased anywhere when bolting it onto the frame? when i removed it, i didn't notice any old grease from manufacturer. i cleaned it up and it still creaks in that area. it is very loud when i ride - i can't sneak up on anyone.
i plan on bringing to lbs, but waiting for snow to stop me from riding, (could be soon.)

apparently you are not supposed to lube the bushings for the shock. it is coated with a lube already, and additional lube will cause premature wear.

be sure that is the area that is creaking. check the seatpost, bb, and headset.

does anyone no if the rear shock should be greased anywhere when bolting it onto the frame? when i removed it, i didn't notice any old grease from manufacturer. i cleaned it up and it still creaks in that area. it is very loud when i ride - i can't sneak up on anyone.
i plan on bringing to lbs, but waiting for snow to stop me from riding, (could be soon.)

apparently you are not supposed to lube the bushings for the shock. it is coated with a lube already, and additional lube will cause premature wear.

be sure that is the area that is creaking. check the seatpost, bb, and headset.


Thanks. I hope I didn't wipe off their lube when I cleaned the bolts running through the shock. I'll have to check the bb. I am on my 3rd headset and i know when that is the problem and have greased up the seatpost problem. It really seems like it is coming from the front of the rear shock on the frame. I think i can feel the creaks with my hand in that area while pedalling. Can you tear a part the bb and re-grease or is it something that has to be replaced? (maybe its under warranty - right, they'll tell me its my fault)

jimonthecake,

Are you hearing / feeling a ticking noise? or a creaking noise? I had a fair amount of creaking a while back and it turned out to be the saddle rails. Tightening up the saddle/seatpost connection helped but, I still get occassional creaking, especially when I'm way out on the nose of the saddle.

Just recently I did experience an odd ticking noise that only occured when pedaling under load (i.e. no noise when "soft" pedaling). It sounded like a cross between the noise the rear cassette makes when back-pedaling and the sound of the chain trying to jump sprockets. At the time, I was almost positive that the noise was coming from the b.b. I subsequently made some adjustments to the rear deraileur and I haven't heard the ticking again.

On a side note, due to the extreme chainline angle on the Cake (or any Genesis bike for that matter) I've found that it's vitally important to keep the rear deraileur properly adjusted. It really helps with minimizing "mystery shifts", chain suck, etc. In my case, it also didn't help that the factory used too short a length of cable housing for the loop going into the derailuer, such that the the cable enters the deraileur at an angle.

[QUOTE=Orthoptera]jimonthecake,

Are you hearing / feeling a ticking noise? or a creaking noise? I had a fair amount of creaking a while back and it turned out to be the saddle rails. Tightening up the saddle/seatpost connection helped but, I still get occassional creaking, especially when I'm way out on the nose of the saddle.

___________________________________

I had the same problem with the seat rails already. Kind of wierd since I am using the seat from my last bike that never had the problem. Must be the bontrager seat post causing this. I have my drivetrain adjusted by lbs occasionally because they give you lifetime adjustments if you buy from them. The noises are very loud my friends say they can here it as we ride through the woods. The noises increase a lot when climbing. It sounds like old rusty springs being bounced on.

Gary fisher was kind enough to send a 2005 Cake 3DLX demo bike while my dad is getting his '02 sugar warrantied. I was really excited to try the bike. Combined, me and my dad have put a good # of km on it so i feel i have enough evidence to do a review of sorts. The 2005 models are not posted under the review section so i'll just dump my review here.

The good:

Suspension. The Black Elite 120 fork has a few adjustments so you can tune it a little bit. Good amount of travel and does not bottom out under my 145lbs. Swinger rear shock, it gets a lot of positive feedback, and it deserves it. It's highly adjustable. Component selection is well done for the bottom of the DLX line. Jones 2.2 tires are good in a variety of conditions.

The Bad:

Chainsuck. It is a problem. Has not been terrible but it does occur more than it should. The cable routing is not ideal either. Rear hydro line pops out of its spot. Standover clearence is very low. High top tube.

Similar Products tried:

'02 sugar

Bike Set Up:

All stock.

Bottom line:

Overall, I was much more impressed with the bike than i thought i would be. I have an XC HT with only 80mm travel up front, so i thought that i would find the ~5" to be excessively squishy. However, the cake's suspention is highly tuneable, so you can make it as firm or as compliant as you want, and everywhere inbetween. That really impressed me. I have never used hydro brakes much in the past so it was neat to try the hayes. The light lever feel is really neat. You do not need to squeeze the levers hard at all, and the big rotor up front gives the bike a real mean look. I was very impressed with the bontrager jones tires. the knobies gripped really well, even in the mud, and the frame did not catch too much mud either. but all the good comes with its drawbacks. the cable routing to the rear der. goes around some really hard corners, and i could tell that i needed to push the levers harder than i do on my HT. Also the rear hydro hose does not stay put. Not a big deal but gary should not leave the bike like that. Chainsuck occured a few times. Once it got jamed and bent the chain as well as a tooth on the middle ring. the suspension needed to be compressed in order to get the chain free. NOT GOOD. Cs occured several times. The chainstay is way to close, and is pretty gouged already and it is only a demo bike. There were signs of cs before i even rode the bike, so it's not just me. Keeping the chain lubed and clean helps, but this is a MTB so a clean chain is not always possible. my giant HT is a 21 inch frame and i think it fits me well. this bike is a 17.5 and i feel good riding it, but the top tube does not give me enough "clearence" this could result in pain ;) if not careful. All in all the bike impressed me, but it is not something that i would buy. The drivetrain issues are not good, and i don't think that i would get a 5" bike because the trails I ride just are not that rough to need all the cush that is availible. The high degree of suspention tuneability definitely does qualify the cake as an able "all mountain" bike.

The End.



Edit. One more thing i forgot to mention. The fork leaks a little bit of oil from where the rebound knob is. I don't think that that is a good thing. Not sure if it is common with the fork or not...

Hi,

Yeah, I also got to take a Cake out for a Demo on the trails. No Chain Suck, but I knew the trails, so knew when and where to shift. I currently ride a Sugar, so I was expecting a similar ride with the cake. Not so, the Cake felt sluggish. Not a bad thing, but my first impression. It climbed well, but started to wander a bit when things got steep. I didi like the higher bottom bracket when hitting some big logs, the clearance was nice. Descending, definitely a little better than the sugar. More plush.

As I was riding my Sugar today, I could tell how much snappier it felt than the cake. 5", even with SPV, will take some energy to move.

I have been trying to decide whether to buy a cake or not, but it is a toss up right now. The '05 Trek Liquid is starting to look appealing for not a lot more money. I also tried a stumpy 120, not bad, not bad.

Oh yeah, f anyone is in the Norther Virginia area, Hudson Trail Outfitters has a '04 Medium Cake (LX, V-Brakes, but still with Swinger) still for about $990.

I haven't seen the frame weight for the cake? does anyone know what a large Cake weighs?

I wanted to post a quick follow up to my original review. I took my cake 3dlx to vermont during the first week in october(the last day of biking seasoning there) and must say that what was a miserable experience last year on my hardtail was totally killer on the cake.

This bike was seemingly designed to handle this type of environment and terrain. I ate up the drops and my descents were so quick and nimble i caught myself doing panic brakes.

Overall i would say the bike performed like a champ on the slopes in killington and those two days of riding were the best i've had in a long time.

<img src="http://www.darlok.com/james_in_vt.jpg">


my biking pics (http://www.darlok.com/bike)

I wanted to post a quick follow up to my original review. I took my cake 3dlx to vermont during the first week in october(the last day of biking seasoning there) and must say that what was a miserable experience last year on my hardtail was totally killer on the cake.

This bike was seemingly designed to handle this type of environment and terrain. I ate up the drops and my descents were so quick and nimble i caught myself doing panic brakes.

I know what you mean! I took my Cake to Mammoth, in California, where I had never ridden an FS bike, but had a lot of miles on my HT. After two days of riding there, I swore I'd never bother taking the HT on the gnarly trails again! The Cake really shines on the combo XC/descent trails.

[QUOTE=Orthoptera]jimonthecake,

Are you hearing / feeling a ticking noise? or a creaking noise? I had a fair amount of creaking a while back and it turned out to be the saddle rails. Tightening up the saddle/seatpost connection helped but, I still get occassional creaking, especially when I'm way out on the nose of the saddle.

___________________________________

I had the same problem with the seat rails already. Kind of wierd since I am using the seat from my last bike that never had the problem. Must be the bontrager seat post causing this. I have my drivetrain adjusted by lbs occasionally because they give you lifetime adjustments if you buy from them. The noises are very loud my friends say they can here it as we ride through the woods. The noises increase a lot when climbing. It sounds like old rusty springs being bounced on.
______________________________________________
i forgot to update on this in this thread...

My cake was making a lot of creaking noises. The shop installed the pivot upgrade that some of you have mentioned and it all went away. Now it rides like new - very quiet and smooth. What a huge difference. :D

Just wanted to update those that were trying to guess what was causing it. Thanks for the support.

Thanks to Struckman, we have the definitive answer, straight from Fisher, on their letterhead. Here's what it says:

1. There will be a mid-year modification to the 2005 Cakes, with new model number codes but the same paint jobs and names, ie Cake 1 DLX, Cake 2, whatnot. The midyear update has a "refined" frame design:
--dropped top tube that we saw in photos
--revised cable routing to accomodate the new top tube
--3-bearing main pivot

2. Pree-mid-year-update '05 Cakes all feature revised pivots:
--"Full bearing contact pivot forging (new for 2005)"
--tighter tolerance bearings
--"high torque" pivot bolt
--pin spanner-ready pivot axle
--Dealers get these bikes at a mid-year discount.

3. ALL DEALERS can get a FREE upgrade kit for any older Cake with pivot problems. It's free and includes:
--new bearings, the larger ones
--the hi-torque pivot bolt (presumably so you can cinch it down tighter
--the spanner-ready pivot axle.
--the part number for dealers to ask for is: 261425
--Fisher says these upgrades WORK, and that this information is public, but will only be honored through dealers.

I can't seem to edit my post, but i just thought i'd add a picture.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5282/dscf03064xe.th.jpg (http://img157.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img157&image=dscf03064xe.jpg)

Has anyone gotten the free pivot upgrade kit yet? My 1 dlx swingarm is constantly loose, despite two complete rebuilds using bearing retainer.

Jessep,

I just asked my LBS to put in an order for the "upgrade" kit. Ironically, when they called GF to request the kit the rep. was still in the "deny-we-have-a-problem" mode and refused to admit that there is such a thing. My guy's going to try to reach someone whose a little more in the know. I'm hoping to have the kit installed by next week.

I have a Cake 2 DLX and i have rode it every where for over a year. There are some simple things that do need to be fixed like the cable runs. I have never had any problem with chain suck at all. I have adventure raced this bike, and taken it to Moab. It really can do everything. As much as we complain about small things there is no other bike with 5 in of travel that weights in the low 27's. I have had problems with the rear waving all over the place. There is a retro fit kit that you can get from fisher. I have yet to see a flawless bike. So give and take some. All around the Cake is a pretty sweet set up. Its not for everyone. I love the bike which doesnt make it the best out there. Its fast, can climb, and can take the hits of Moab.


[

Has anyone gotten the free pivot upgrade kit yet? My 1 dlx swingarm is constantly loose, despite two complete rebuilds using bearing retainer.

I had the pivot come loose on my 2005 3dlx. There was no loctite on one bearing and less than 25% coverage on the other. I repaired using the loctite 240 as specified by the fisher retro kit literature. When I contacted fisher I was told about the upgrade kit and given the service bulletin but they said they didn't have any kits available and didn't know when they might come in. My lbs then called them and they said they would send one. It arrived, well, part of it. All they sent was the large aluminum pivot with a larger bolt (higher torque spec) and a few holes drilled in it so a spanner wrench can be used to hold it when tightening/removing. No bearings or spacer were included, even though the fisher literature specifically says that the bearings on the new upgrade are larger to make a tighter fit. Actually, the way it's worded is "Everything is different". To top it off, the aluminum part I received looked like it had been laying around in someones toolbox, it had lots of discoloration and just plain looked like crap. My lbs guy called fisher and was told that the bearings weren't really "that important" to the upgrade and that if I had further problems they would do whatever it takes to make me happy... How about sending the proper f-ing upgrade kit????? I have to say that so far fisher customer service has been pretty weak. I've had to kick and scream just to get a crappy looking part of an upgrade kit. For now i'm just going to shake my head, let lots of people know of my experience and ride on. Too bad their customer service is sooo bad, I really like the bike. Not sure I could lay out that much cash again though for a bike that is so poorly backed.

I just called my buddy at the LBS and he's going to see what's up with the kit when he talks to the Fisher rep. I should have some good info soon hopefully...

I just called my buddy at the LBS and he's going to see what's up with the kit when he talks to the Fisher rep. I should have some good info soon hopefully...


ya my LBS ordered my kit for me a few weeks ago but no word on it

They fixed the cable routing up a bit for the updated versions, along with the pivot thing. I agree, this bike is one of the best out there.

I thought cable routing was horrible. I hate the fact of high standover with cables across the top. The hydraulic line really bothered me flapping all over the place.

I removed the line holder from the front line to secure the rear line to the top tube. MUCH better and cleaner. I have a loose zip tie on the front line to hold it in place.

I'm going to be (most likely) purchasing a Cake 3 DLX this Friday and I was wondering if someone with one of the new 2005 models could comment. I am curious if all of the issues mentioned above have been worked out to your satisfaction? I'm new too mountain biking and really don't want to have a bike which I'm constantly having to fiddle with (at this point I'm more interested in learning to ride) or having to constantly take back to the LBS for repairs. I appreciate any info!

I'm going to be (most likely) purchasing a Cake 3 DLX this Friday and I was wondering if someone with one of the new 2005 models could comment. I am curious if all of the issues mentioned above have been worked out to your satisfaction? I'm new too mountain biking and really don't want to have a bike which I'm constantly having to fiddle with (at this point I'm more interested in learning to ride) or having to constantly take back to the LBS for repairs. I appreciate any info!

I love my Cake3 (not DLX). I had some buyers remorse but after looking around, I realized I made the best choice. My Cake is fast on the trails and handles my 207# fine. I had 3 chain sucks (first one scared the hell outta me) but that was fixed with the zip tie technique. The only issue I have right now is creaking from the wheels. Other than that everything is perfect.

I'm going to be (most likely) purchasing a Cake 3 DLX this Friday and I was wondering if someone with one of the new 2005 models could comment. I am curious if all of the issues mentioned above have been worked out to your satisfaction? I'm new too mountain biking and really don't want to have a bike which I'm constantly having to fiddle with (at this point I'm more interested in learning to ride) or having to constantly take back to the LBS for repairs. I appreciate any info!

I wouldn't trade my '05 cake 3 dlx for any other bike in the same price range. Pivot: fixed. Chainsuck: minor nuisance. Ability to ride over and down things I really shouldn't: priceless. :D

I love my Cake3 (not DLX). I had some buyers remorse but after looking around, I realized I made the best choice. My Cake is fast on the trails and handles my 207# fine. I had 3 chain sucks (first one scared the hell outta me) but that was fixed with the zip tie technique. The only issue I have right now is creaking from the wheels. Other than that everything is perfect.

I have heard of the zip tie mod, but never seen it.

Anyone have a picture of where to put that tie?

Ive had two bad chain loss episodes, on one I had to let the air out of the shock to get home.

Told LBS about the chain suck problem, they said dont believe everything you read on MTBR. :(

I have heard of the zip tie mod, but never seen it.

Anyone have a picture of where to put that tie?

Ive had two bad chain loss episodes, on one I had to let the air out of the shock to get home.

Told LBS about the chain suck problem, they said dont believe everything you read on MTBR. :(

I'm going riding this afternoon and will try to remeber and take a pic. of the cable tie. It definately works. If you have had a couple of chainsuck episodes, be sure to check your chain and chainrings to be sure they haven't gotten bent. Mine were after a few sucks and things just kept getting worse. I straightened the chainrings, deburred them, and replaced the chain before I got the cable tie on and the issue resolved. Haven't had any suck issues in the last 4 months.

Best of luck, sorry to hear the deal blew you off. You won't find Fisher reps. any more helpful in my experience. They will just tell you how many different ways chainsuck can happen and basically blow off any responsibility.

I have heard of the zip tie mod, but never seen it.

Anyone have a picture of where to put that tie?

Ive had two bad chain loss episodes, on one I had to let the air out of the shock to get home.

Told LBS about the chain suck problem, they said dont believe everything you read on MTBR. :(

Took a little while, but I figured out how to make the pics small enough to post, so here you go....

Took a little while, but I figured out how to make the pics small enough to post, so here you go....

Thank you!

I see your frame has taken a lot of chain slap, would a lizzard skin help in any way?

A lizard skin might help, but I'm not too worried about it. It is mostly cosmetic. The area that has suffered the most is along the side of the chainstay from the early chainsuck episodes, there are some pretty good gouges there. The bottom area that gets the slap really hasn't chewed the metal, just chipped the paint. While I love my bike and take good care of it mechanically, I don't get too wound up about cosmetics. I consider it to be a cost of doing business. :)

Are you still running a third chainring up front? When I had the third ring, the cable tie was positioned to almost touch it. Basically just get it in the way of the chains path between the ring and the frame. I dropped the big ring because I ride the same area all the time and it just wasn't necessary. I rarely used it.

Good luck, I hope the cable tie helps your situation as much as it has mine.

Here's another good pic. of the "Zip-tie Chain Blocker". I put two of them on becuase the zip-ties have a tendency to rotate after a while. The best solution might be to secure a little strip of rubber under the zip-tie before you tighten it. That should cancel out the rotation.

my 04 frame started creaking again and it turns out i need a new swing arm. when they removed it it sprung outward past the tolerance. If you measure the swing arm pivot bearing, you have to measure when it is off the bike. goodbye creaking.

so those tie straps really work, huh? I'll have to try it to keep my new swing arm from scratching up down there. thanks for the good picture.

A lizard skin might help, but I'm not too worried about it. It is mostly cosmetic. The area that has suffered the most is along the side of the chainstay from the early chainsuck episodes, there are some pretty good gouges there. The bottom area that gets the slap really hasn't chewed the metal, just chipped the paint. While I love my bike and take good care of it mechanically, I don't get too wound up about cosmetics. I consider it to be a cost of doing business. :)

Are you still running a third chainring up front? When I had the third ring, the cable tie was positioned to almost touch it. Basically just get it in the way of the chains path between the ring and the frame. I dropped the big ring because I ride the same area all the time and it just wasn't necessary. I rarely used it.

Good luck, I hope the cable tie helps your situation as much as it has mine.

I fully need all 3 rings, the bike will see some really steep hills, and will also be used with slick tires for smooth beach rides.

Thx for the pics, that shows me right where to put the tie.

I think I will get the lizard skin, if nothing else it should quiet the chainslap on the big hits.

--Fisher published a memo to all dealers admitting the design change to the '05 swingarms and advertising that they would give 2 of the newer, slightly larger bearings, the new pivot pin and the new pivot bolts to any Cake owner for free, as a permanent retrofit repair. The Dealer Announcement reads:

"3) OLD CAKE, NEW FIX
For 2003 and 2004 Cake models that have developed play in the main pivot we offer
FREE pivot repair kits (261425) to remedy any problematic bikes. Our technical
support staff can answer any questions about repair. Installation of this pivot repair kit is
quick and effective, it includes:
Tighter tolerance 25mm cartridge bearings
High torque spec pivot bolt
Pin spanner ready pivot axle
Please review this information with your staff to ensure that your customers receive
accurate information if they come to you with questions. We will openly provide this
information to consumers if they contact us but all servicing must be done by an
authorized dealer."

--Now, Fisher dealer reps and online Customer service are claiming the loctite is all that's needed, even where a previous application has failed, and that "there is no such repair kit". However, under repeated inquiry, a Customer Service rep admitted yesterday that the kit does exist, that it works way better than using loctite paste on a loose bearing, and that Fisher is trying to make Cake owners go away without providing the kit they advertised.

The Customer service rep suggested that they don't have the bearings ready yet...although this statement implies they don't have spare bearings for '05 Cakes, since it's the same item that would be sent to existing owners. I think they're trying to baloney their way out of a recall/repair that costs them several dollars per bike.

I was trying to install a michelin tubeless green tire on my bontrager tubeless wheel and couldn't get it on. i brought it to lbs and they struggled but said they can get it on if i really want it on. i envisioned myself on the trail with a flat trying to work with this and skipped the tubeless. (i really didn't want a green tire on my bike but it was a freebie that i was going to test out)

I need new tires for my cake that won't slide out around corners so easy. Any recommendations? model, width, tubed or tubeless that are easier to work with.

I was trying to install a michelin tubeless green tire on my bontrager tubeless wheel and couldn't get it on. i brought it to lbs and they struggled but said they can get it on if i really want it on. i envisioned myself on the trail with a flat trying to work with this and skipped the tubeless. (i really didn't want a green tire on my bike but it was a freebie that i was going to test out)

I need new tires for my cake that won't slide out around corners so easy. Any recommendations? model, width, tubed or tubeless that are easier to work with.

I changed the wheelset (Rhyno lites laced to XT hubs) and although they are heavier, I just like'em better, from my old hardtail.
The tire combo seems to work good for my terrain, etc.
Front=WTB Velociraptor FR
Rear=Conty Explorer

-dan

Has anyone received this upgrade kit yet? Mine's "on order" but no word from Fisher to my LBS.

As for tires... I slapped on a set of WTB Weirwolves. 2.1 Race. They are pretty sweet!

I've been thinking about the tubless option... These tires pop on ok, just make sure you have good tire levers. And wet the edges of the tires with soapy water so the bead sets into the rim easer.

Anyone have a 2005 cake? Any chainsuck issues?



I was trying to install a michelin tubeless green tire on my bontrager tubeless wheel and couldn't get it on. i brought it to lbs and they struggled but said they can get it on if i really want it on. i envisioned myself on the trail with a flat trying to work with this and skipped the tubeless. (i really didn't want a green tire on my bike but it was a freebie that i was going to test out)

I need new tires for my cake that won't slide out around corners so easy. Any recommendations? model, width, tubed or tubeless that are easier to work with.

I dropped my 04 Cake 3 dlx off at the LBS on 03/26/05 because of a loose rear triangle. I have followed up 3 times and there is still no upgrade kit. I am beginning to have a list of issues with the Cake, thus Gary Fisher and LBS:

* Hayes brakes are difficult to set-up and maintain. But I bought the bleed kit and I am learning.
* The bike is big. LBS part-time employee set me up on a large when I am only 5'10". Brought back next day for a medium which is still tall.
* Chainsuck sucks.
* Learning to climb vs. hardtail (if I have the bike I could pratice)

My riding buddies love to poke fun at me because I never get to ride my new bike and have to bring my stock 97 HKEK out, which I love.

I just want to ride with full suspension on San Diego rocky bumpy trails.

I was trying to install a michelin tubeless green tire on my bontrager tubeless wheel and couldn't get it on. i brought it to lbs and they struggled but said they can get it on if i really want it on. i envisioned myself on the trail with a flat trying to work with this and skipped the tubeless....I need new tires for my cake that won't slide out around corners so easy. Any recommendations? model, width, tubed or tubeless that are easier to work with.

Jim, the day I got my Cake, I took it home to swap out the OEM tires...and broke two tire levers. This was a bad sign about the slightly-oversized Bontrager "tubeless compatible" rims. I've learned since that, once a tire is on there and ridden for a month, it stretches a little and isn't so bad during tube chages, etc...but the bead-stip is so tight that I cannot get the beads to set after a tube-repair on the trail, even using an air cartridge to over-inflate, then bleed down.

However, this last Friday night, I "converted" my wheelset to use Stan's NoTubes sauce and whatnot. Stan has you "lube" the beads of your tires with soap suds, and let me suggest you do this even with tubed tires: my brand-new WTB's were still a beast to get on, but MUCH MUCH EASIER than usual, due to the lubricity of the soap. Plus, the beads set perfectly, very quickly, as I inflated the tire. The way I lubed was to shoot some dish soap in a bucket, foam the heck out of it with hard spray off the hose, then brushed the suds onto the beads of the tires before prying them onto the rims. Seriously, this is the way to go for your next tire change.

Now to the Stan's: I used his "Bontrager compatible" replacement valve cores (which just pop-in and are secured with the Presta nut), installed the tires and poured in the sauce before shaking the wheel to coat all the internal surfaces. It was very fast, very easy and I rode through thorns and sharp rocks on Saturday morning without the "if I get aflat I'll be here for an hour" feeling... :D

As for tires, I've been running the WTB Mutano 2.4's for the last year, and just switched to the 2.3 Weirwolf's, to try a tire with more lug. The Mutanos are outstanding is everything except mud or deep silt. I'll reserve comment on the Weirwolfs until I get more mileage.

Here's another good pic. of the "Zip-tie Chain Blocker". I put two of them on becuase the zip-ties have a tendency to rotate after a while. The best solution might be to secure a little strip of rubber under the zip-tie before you tighten it. That should cancel out the rotation.

Cool idea, similar to another thing I used on my old Cannondale. I couldn't mount a Third Eye Chain Stopper or an N-Stop on my old Cannondale to prevent the chain from dropping off the small chainring on a downshift, so I used a zip tie. The nub kept the chain from derailling.

I had my swing arm ordered a couple weeks ago, and brought my bike in yesterday for the surgery and am going to pick it up today. I am sure it will be all up to date on the pivots, etc. I am surprised it is taking so long to get your kits. i was able to keep riding my bike until they got the parts, but maybe your bike is not rideable without the fix. Your bike shop should order extra kits so they can fix within a day or two.

My cake is a small. i should be on a medium, but i didn't like the bar pushing into my nuts. i think i am between 5/8 & 5/9. i ride this cake up hills faster than any other bike i owned which were not full suspension. i think it is because it softens the bumps that would slow me down because of the beating they were giving me.

Has anyone received this upgrade kit yet? Mine's "on order" but no word from Fisher to my LBS.

As for tires... I slapped on a set of WTB Weirwolves. 2.1 Race. They are pretty sweet!

I've been thinking about the tubless option... These tires pop on ok, just make sure you have good tire levers. And wet the edges of the tires with soapy water so the bead sets into the rim easer.

Anyone have a 2005 cake? Any chainsuck issues?

Mine is a 2005, I had the same chainsuck issues as everyone else but it was easily corrected using a pretty large cable tie. You can see the pics on one of my earlier posts.

For the winter I was running 2.5 Weirwolf on the back and loved it, the thing is a tank but really hooked in the wet, muddy, snowy conditions. I'm back to the bontrager Jones ACX front and rear now that things have dried out. I like the ACX, but the sidewalls are very thin (making them light) and puncture pretty easily. They also are very susceptible to thorn punctures. I may be going tubeless soon, I'm getting tired of patching tubes. They are easy to fix though compared to dealing with tubless on the trail. Anyone have a favorite dry weather tire? Weight is pretty high on my list of characteristics. Seems that lots of racers are running the Hutchinson Python, any thoughts?

Has anyone received this upgrade kit yet? Mine's "on order" but no word from Fisher to my LBS.

As for tires... I slapped on a set of WTB Weirwolves. 2.1 Race. They are pretty sweet!

I've been thinking about the tubless option... These tires pop on ok, just make sure you have good tire levers. And wet the edges of the tires with soapy water so the bead sets into the rim easer.

Mine is "on order, too", but Fisher Customer service "online" claims the kit is unecessary and that the green loctite is enough. Of course, they put the kit in THEIR bikes...

I just switched my Cake to Weirwolf 2.3's and Stan's no-tubes sauce. So far, so good, although I am getting tired of my swingarm rocking back and forth after the green loctite failed.

i got my 04 cake back and it now has a 05 swing arm with the carbon fiber. niiice. i rode it today 14 miles, 1.5 hrs on a hilly twisty technical trail and it worked better than ever. smooth and quiet. if you are having problems have your lbs measure the swing arm to make sure it is in tolerance. they can get the info from the mfr.

another thing i think has helped was when i replaced the sram cassette with an xt (and new chain). i don't think a deraileur and cassette should be two different mfr's.

That's great news, Jim! Can you see whether your pivot washer has holes in it for a cup wrench? If so, that means they rebuilt you with the "retrofit kit".

It's okay to mix mfgrs on cassettes and derailleurs, though: the spacing between cogs is the same for Shimano and SRAM.

I'm just wondering if all of you guys are able to live with these problems that you talk about with the Cakes, are there any owners who've had no problems? I'm looking at a 2005 Cake 1 DLX and a Prophet 1000 and even though the prophet has a worse spec than the Cake with all of the problems I hear about the Cake I'm almost getting scared off. Is it all really as bad as I think it is?

yes, mine has the holes for the wrench. i rode on friday again with no problems at all. even went off some good jumps. woke up on saturday with the bed spins for no reason and couldn't stand or eat much until today - should be able to ride again in a couple days.

i rented a profit 1000 in vegas and thought it rode pretty much the same as the cake. the profit was having a problem with the shifting but i noticed the deraileur was bent from someone. i don't like the fork to wheel connection on the prophet - need a wrench for the brake caliper and wheel. and the cables running under the frame exposed. and the shifters. i would probably change a bunch of things on the prophet and like it as much as my cake. but i am glad i have my cake. having a good bike shop to take care of your problems helps a lot.

I'm just wondering if all of you guys are able to live with these problems that you talk about with the Cakes, are there any owners who've had no problems? I'm looking at a 2005 Cake 1 DLX and a Prophet 1000 and even though the prophet has a worse spec than the Cake with all of the problems I hear about the Cake I'm almost getting scared off. Is it all really as bad as I think it is?

Get the cake, it's a great bike. Mine has a little bit of a loose swingarm, but it does't bother me much. It climbs great, and decends just as well. Compared to my old AC, it's very lively and more fun to ride. I've even taken it off some pretty big drops with absolutely no problems. The wheels seem a little flimsy, but I've beaten the hell out of them, and only had to retrue the rear a touch (which might have been off when i got it, i didn't pay attention because i was too excited to ride it). Part spec is great too. (1dlx) Full xt is fairly durable and shifts great. The new cranks are noticebly stiffer too. Fisher had a year to work out their problems, I would let cannondale have that too, before i went for a Prophet.

I got my 2004 Cake 1 DLX a couple of months ago. It's still completely original and I love it!!! Best bike I ever had (should be, it's the most expensive one I ever had too :D )

Reading the feedback in this forum almost depresses me; I didn't know you could have that many different problems with a bicycle.

Anyway, would anyone care to explain to me what chainsuck is. And even better than that, what is "the tie wrap method for anti-chainsuck device"??

I've had no issues with the bike yet (100 miles so far), apart from that weird saddle (it only LOOKS comfortable), but I'd like to profit from your experiences.

Thx,
Erik

I got my 2004 Cake 1 DLX a couple of months ago. It's still completely original and I love it!!! Best bike I ever had (should be, it's the most expensive one I ever had too :D )

Reading the feedback in this forum almost depresses me; I didn't know you could have that many different problems with a bicycle.

Anyway, would anyone care to explain to me what chainsuck is. And even better than that, what is "the tie wrap method for anti-chainsuck device"??

I've had no issues with the bike yet (100 miles so far), apart from that weird saddle (it only LOOKS comfortable), but I'd like to profit from your experiences.

Thx,
Erik

Chainsuck occurs when the chain doesn't release off of the bottom of one of the front chainrings. The chain will then "suck" up the backside of the chainring and wedge itself between the chain stay and chain rings. Look at some of the earlier posts on this thread and you will see pics from myself and others of the cable tie solution. If suck occurs, inspect the chainrings for burrs and straightness and also check your chain to make sure it hasn't been bent/twisted by the episode. Frequently the problem becomes worse after it occurs a time or two due to the things I just mentioned. It can be frustrating trying to resolve, but you have made a good move by reading this site and asking for help. I probably wouldn't have done near the damage to my bike if I had put the cable tie on it the day I made the purchase. Good luck.

Kent

I fully need all 3 rings, the bike will see some really steep hills, and will also be used with slick tires for smooth beach rides.

Thx for the pics, that shows me right where to put the tie.

I think I will get the lizard skin, if nothing else it should quiet the chainslap on the big hits.

DAMN! Ever since you mentioned the lizard skin helping to quiet the chainslap, my chainslap is driving me nuts! Never paid much attention to if before:) Guess I'm going to have to cave in and give one a try.

Chainsuck occurs when the chain doesn't release off of the bottom of one of the front chainrings. The chain will then "suck" up the backside of the chainring and wedge itself between the chain stay and chain rings. Look at some of the earlier posts on this thread and you will see pics from myself and others of the cable tie solution. If suck occurs, inspect the chainrings for burrs and straightness and also check your chain to make sure it hasn't been bent/twisted by the episode. Frequently the problem becomes worse after it occurs a time or two due to the things I just mentioned. It can be frustrating trying to resolve, but you have made a good move by reading this site and asking for help. I probably wouldn't have done near the damage to my bike if I had put the cable tie on it the day I made the purchase. Good luck.

Kent

Well Kent, I found those pics allright and I decided it wouldn't hurt to put a couple of cable ties around the chain stay.....And then it struck: last 2 trips (since posting my questions) my chain sucked both times!

I wasn't sure how to install the cable tie(s) so I used 2 (as in pic). I have looked at my chain and it seems fine, no bent sections as far as I can see. My chainstay is still perfect, not a scratch.

When the chain sucked, I just had to paddle back a bit and it popped back.

Does this mean I have installed the cable ties in the right place? Yours seems to be in a different place, almost behind the front chain ring.....
When you had those major chain sucks (before the mod), did you have to pry it out? Or did it pop back as well?

It is truly not a good looking solutions, but I want to make sure mine works.

What's the latest news on that modification for the bearings of the rear triangle (better known as "the loctite mistery :rolleyes:")?

Cheers
Erik

Well Kent, I found those pics allright and I decided it wouldn't hurt to put a couple of cable ties around the chain stay.....And then it struck: last 2 trips (since posting my questions) my chain sucked both times!

I wasn't sure how to install the cable tie(s) so I used 2 (as in pic). I have looked at my chain and it seems fine, no bent sections as far as I can see. My chainstay is still perfect, not a scratch.

When the chain sucked, I just had to paddle back a bit and it popped back.

Does this mean I have installed the cable ties in the right place? Yours seems to be in a different place, almost behind the front chain ring.....
When you had those major chain sucks (before the mod), did you have to pry it out? Or did it pop back as well?

It is truly not a good looking solutions, but I want to make sure mine works.

What's the latest news on that modification for the bearings of the rear triangle (better known as "the loctite mistery :rolleyes:")?

Cheers
Erik

Erik,
Sorry to hear you have been hit with the dreaded suck... Make sure you pivot is not moving, mine was not horrible but I was able to see a small amount of movement between the bearing and the frame and it probably was a big factor in the episodes I suffered. As for the cable tie, I would get a much bigger one. The ones I use are about 2 ft. long before I cut them just because I want the larger head. Definately move it forward from where you have it. Position it so that the head of the tie is just behing the middle chainring and almost touching the inside of the outer ring. Make sense? Sorry, it's a bit confussing to describe, but the idea is to get the head of the tie to fill in the gap between the chainstay and the chainrings. It will then keep the chain from sucking by basically knocking the chain off the backside of the ring. Really check the pivot well for looseness, I'm pretty sure it was a big part of my issue.

As for the updates, I've been working in my LBS wrenching on bikes for the last couple of weeks and they just got an email from Fisher saying the updated Cakes are ready. They have a third pivot bearing, lowered top tube, and one other change that escaped my poor memory at the moment. Anyway, check with your LBS, it sounds like Fisher is going to be giving people new frame SETS (front and rear section) if you have been having problems. How old is your bike? I think the ones they are being most liberal with are fairly new, ie early 2005 and late 2004 models. I haven't seen that in writting, but that's the feeling I got from the LBS owner. Hopefully your shop can help you out. Also, I would document your chainsuck issues with your LBS as soon as possible, start a track record now so that you have something to fall back on later. Best of luck.

Kent

Well Kent, I found those pics allright and I decided it wouldn't hurt to put a couple of cable ties around the chain stay.....And then it struck: last 2 trips (since posting my questions) my chain sucked both times!

I wasn't sure how to install the cable tie(s) so I used 2 (as in pic). I have looked at my chain and it seems fine, no bent sections as far as I can see. My chainstay is still perfect, not a scratch.

When the chain sucked, I just had to paddle back a bit and it popped back.

Does this mean I have installed the cable ties in the right place? Yours seems to be in a different place, almost behind the front chain ring.....
When you had those major chain sucks (before the mod), did you have to pry it out? Or did it pop back as well?

It is truly not a good looking solutions, but I want to make sure mine works.

What's the latest news on that modification for the bearings of the rear triangle (better known as "the loctite mistery :rolleyes:")?

Cheers
Erik

Erik,
Never had to pry it out, if you catch it quickly and pedal back like you did it is easily fixed. Most of the time you don't even have to stop. My first and most damaging episodes occured when I wasn't familiar with what was going on and I kept pedaling until the chain came off the front ring.

Kent

Erik,
Just remembered the third change to the new Cake, improved cable routing.

Kent

Erik,
Just remembered the third change to the new Cake, improved cable routing.

Kent

Errrr.. Kent, dunno what to say to that...new frame set, gosh... Mine is a 2004 1 DLX. I bought it recently (Feb 05) from stock. I suppose it was difficult to sell because of it being the largest frame size Cake. I'm 6' 4" and I don't really think Cakes are that big :D
Anyway, I have 1 year warranty on the bike till Feb 06.
I checked the triangle for play; none whatsoever. This could be because I have only done 130 miles since I unwrapped it.....It could also be because I have only been doing cross country on it, no downhill yet. Could it be that yours has been taking some big hits before the triangle started acting up??? (I'm going to the Belgian mountains next month to give it a good thrashing, hope it won't come apart :(

Back to the Chain suck mod
I installed mine at first according to Orthoptera's pic. If the mod is to prevent the chain from sticking alltogether (is it?) then I have to agree my tie wraps are not in the right place (after all, I had 2 incidents with the tie wraps where they are now.)
If not, I understand what you are saying about placing the wrap closer to the chainring, but.....wouldn't it make more sense to have the closure point downwards? the chain is pushed upwards by the chainring...it should hit the closure of the tie wrap before hitting the frame...right?
( I went to the store to get a couple of big Black tie wraps, so I'm all set for the new mod)

Erik

I see what you mean about the closure pointing downward and I think you are right, it may work better and fill the gap more completely. I haven't tried it that way. This is the only tie I've ever put on the bike and aside from repositioning it occasionally, I haven't had to mess with it. I'll try your suggestion when I swap it out for a new one. Someone else mentioned putting a stip of rubber under it to keep it in place better since they will shift around a bit over time. As for big drop, I wouldn't say that I do those. I jump over wash logs and take a few small drops, but nothing I would call extreme. I was 230 when I started riding though, so I'm probably not the easiest on my bike. My problem was without question a lack of loc-tite. When I took the pivot apart, there was NO loc-tite on the drive side, and less than 25% coverage on the non-drive side. After re-installing them with the loc-tite 680 (I think, what ever the nubmer fisher recommended is what I used) I haven't had any trouble. I've been riding it now for 4 months with no problems. Have fun on your trip. You might want to get some of the loc-tite before you go, it was a special order in my part of the world. Everyone has the red and blue stuff, but the special retaining compound was not easy to find. Granted it takes 24 hours to set up, but you could still salvage your trip if you are going for several days.

Kent

Kent

I spoke with my old LBS about the loctite issue and they seemed to find a fix with a better type of loctite. It's by permatex and it's a bearing mount for worn parts. I think this is the right stuff on this URL, but I don't have the part number they gave me with me, so I won't know for sure until I get back to school.

http://www.iboats.com/products/16/39412_permatex_bearing_mount.html

I think this is the stuff. Also, does anybody know the dimensions of the pivot bearings? I think I'm just going to buy some wider bearings myself from an industrial supply company if this loctite stuff doesn't work. I'll keep y'all updated.

I spoke with my old LBS about the loctite issue and they seemed to find a fix with a better type of loctite. It's by permatex and it's a bearing mount for worn parts. I think this is the right stuff on this URL, but I don't have the part number they gave me with me, so I won't know for sure until I get back to school.

http://www.iboats.com/products/16/39412_permatex_bearing_mount.html

I think this is the stuff. Also, does anybody know the dimensions of the pivot bearings? I think I'm just going to buy some wider bearings myself from an industrial supply company if this loctite stuff doesn't work. I'll keep y'all updated.

You should just sell that noise and get a sasquatch

I love my Cake3 (not DLX). I had some buyers remorse but after looking around, I realized I made the best choice. My Cake is fast on the trails and handles my 207# fine. I had 3 chain sucks (first one scared the hell outta me) but that was fixed with the zip tie technique. The only issue I have right now is creaking from the wheels. Other than that everything is perfect.

Whats the story on the creaking wheels?

My Cake 3 dlx bonty wheels just started creaking on the front (130 miles), I can get it to squeek when I put a little extra weight on the front like when braking with the front.

I have been hitting the trails fairly hard, no huge hits, but lots of rocks, small logs ruts ETC.

I looked for and tightened the spokes that were looser than the rest, but it didnt seem to cure the noises.

My Cake must be defective. It has approximatley 300 miles with no problems except chain suck once in a while. Strange.

I love this bike, its unfortunate so many problems exist for it. I have alway stayed with Trek brands because of their excellent customer service. A few years ago the bearings went out in my bontrager front hub while I was away on a trip. I had a LBS repair (bike was 2 months out of warranty). Since the bike cost $2500 I called Trek to complain. They immediatly offered a refund for all my repair expenses. I sent the receipt for $30.00 dollars and they sent a check immediratly.

For me good customer service has always been important.

Just my 2 cents

I'm just wondering if all of you guys are able to live with these problems that you talk about with the Cakes, are there any owners who've had no problems? I'm looking at a 2005 Cake 1 DLX and a Prophet 1000 and even though the prophet has a worse spec than the Cake with all of the problems I hear about the Cake I'm almost getting scared off. Is it all really as bad as I think it is?

this is my first posting on this website, but i finally figured out how to get on, i think.

i've got an 04 cake 2dlx which i've put close to 2000 miles on riding in the colorado rockies. i blew the rear pivot in moab, didn't even notice any difference till i took it in to my lbs, 24 hours later i was back on the trail with the lock tite fix. i've had a few chain suck issues but only when i'm downshifting from the middle chainring under stress otherwise no problem.

all in all aside from the lock tite on the rear pivot which was a quick fix i've had no technical issues with my cake.

though at the moment i'm in the first week of rehabing from a broken collar bone so i've got nothing better to do than post messages on line, but i'm not sure my fixation with endos has anything to do with riding the cake, any other cake riders out there seem to spend alot of time flying over the bars?

this is my first posting on this website, but i finally figured out how to get on, i think.

i've got an 04 cake 2dlx which i've put close to 2000 miles on riding in the colorado rockies. i blew the rear pivot in moab, didn't even notice any difference till i took it in to my lbs, 24 hours later i was back on the trail with the lock tite fix. i've had a few chain suck issues but only when i'm downshifting from the middle chainring under stress otherwise no problem.

all in all aside from the lock tite on the rear pivot which was a quick fix i've had no technical issues with my cake.

though at the moment i'm in the first week of rehabing from a broken collar bone so i've got nothing better to do than post messages on line, but i'm not sure my fixation with endos has anything to do with riding the cake, any other cake riders out there seem to spend alot of time flying over the bars?

I have had a few probs,,,

Mine is an 04 cake 3DLX.

The shifters werent well adjusted when it left the shop and had shifting probs.
Ive mostly sorted that out myself, but I was having even more probs with the chain suck.
I could get the suck just shifting to the little front ring riding on pavement.
The worst thing about it was if it happens when you have the rear compressed, the chain
gets trapped between the frame and the chainstay on the arm.
The only way to get it out is to bounce the rear suspension (opens the trap up), or to let the air out of the shock.

I sollved that problem by puting on the tie-wraps to block entry into the "trap", but the chain still hits the ties, and wears them out.

I fear now that I may be having the pivot failure, the rear is starting to feel like it is knocking, and moving the rear wheel side to side shows close to 3/16 inch play.
Not sure if its the pivot, or rear bearings loosening up.

The bike has 160 miles and is only 2 1/2 months old.

Asked the LBS where I bought it if they've done the R&R on the pivot, and they even showed me the kit (2 bearings not 1). Asked if it was free, and they said the kit is free, but there is $40 labor.

Now forgive my ignorance here, but the bike is less than 3 months old, and doesnt have a
lot of milage, but I get to shell out $40 to fix a manufacturing defect?
I mean I'm not b!tching about the money, but I would figure that there would be some form of
warantee on this...

Lastly, the rear brake lever is getting much closer to the bar (when braking) as compared to the front. Granted I use the rear more than the front mostly for downhill decent, but I would expect the brake to hold up better than that.

Overall, I love the bike. The problems have not yet been great enough to wipe the grin off my face.

dude, i'd give your LBS the middle finger and tell them that's their $40 for labor and that they BEST be fixin your bike!

i bought my bike in april '04 and i was in and out of my LBS all season trying to figure out how to stop the chainsuck. and not once did i pay for a thing!

now things are sorted out, and the bike rides perfect. don't pay to have your bike fixed. it's too new! warranty baby!



I have had a few probs,,,

Mine is an 04 cake 3DLX.

The shifters werent well adjusted when it left the shop and had shifting probs.
Ive mostly sorted that out myself, but I was having even more probs with the chain suck.
I could get the suck just shifting to the little front ring riding on pavement.
The worst thing about it was if it happens when you have the rear compressed, the chain
gets trapped between the frame and the chainstay on the arm.
The only way to get it out is to bounce the rear suspension (opens the trap up), or to let the air out of the shock.

I sollved that problem by puting on the tie-wraps to block entry into the "trap", but the chain still hits the ties, and wears them out.

I fear now that I may be having the pivot failure, the rear is starting to feel like it is knocking, and moving the rear wheel side to side shows close to 3/16 inch play.
Not sure if its the pivot, or rear bearings loosening up.

The bike has 160 miles and is only 2 1/2 months old.

Asked the LBS where I bought it if they've done the R&R on the pivot, and they even showed me the kit (2 bearings not 1). Asked if it was free, and they said the kit is free, but there is $40 labor.

Now forgive my ignorance here, but the bike is less than 3 months old, and doesnt have a
lot of milage, but I get to shell out $40 to fix a manufacturing defect?
I mean I'm not b!tching about the money, but I would figure that there would be some form of
warantee on this...

Lastly, the rear brake lever is getting much closer to the bar (when braking) as compared to the front. Granted I use the rear more than the front mostly for downhill decent, but I would expect the brake to hold up better than that.

Overall, I love the bike. The problems have not yet been great enough to wipe the grin off my face.

Yeah, find another fisher dealer if you can't get through to those knuckleheads, that bike is too new for that ****. Or maybe try talking to a different guy at that shop, and bring in a six pack when you go to pay. At least that worked when I turned a wrench. :D

I have an 04 cake 3 dlx and I was wondering if it was worth it uo upgrade the swing arm. If it is worth it, how much does it normally cost and how do I go about getting it done. thanks

I have an 04 cake 3 dlx and I was wondering if it was worth it uo upgrade the swing arm. If it is worth it, how much does it normally cost and how do I go about getting it done. thanks


i *****ed to my lbs about how the chain suck chewed up my original aluminum swing arm. they had a look, agreed, and had a carbon one sent to me.

Thanks to all for the info. I called my LBS and asked them about the replacement bearing. THey called Fisher and Fisher is sending them the Kit. It should be there in a couple of days. I told them my bike currently does not have a problem, however I didn't want to have it go out of warranty and need it.

My 2 cents



--Fisher published a memo to all dealers admitting the design change to the '05 swingarms and advertising that they would give 2 of the newer, slightly larger bearings, the new pivot pin and the new pivot bolts to any Cake owner for free, as a permanent retrofit repair. The Dealer Announcement reads:

"3) OLD CAKE, NEW FIX
For 2003 and 2004 Cake models that have developed play in the main pivot we offer
FREE pivot repair kits (261425) to remedy any problematic bikes. Our technical
support staff can answer any questions about repair. Installation of this pivot repair kit is
quick and effective, it includes:
Tighter tolerance 25mm cartridge bearings
High torque spec pivot bolt
Pin spanner ready pivot axle
Please review this information with your staff to ensure that your customers receive
accurate information if they come to you with questions. We will openly provide this
information to consumers if they contact us but all servicing must be done by an
authorized dealer."

--Now, Fisher dealer reps and online Customer service are claiming the loctite is all that's needed, even where a previous application has failed, and that "there is no such repair kit". However, under repeated inquiry, a Customer Service rep admitted yesterday that the kit does exist, that it works way better than using loctite paste on a loose bearing, and that Fisher is trying to make Cake owners go away without providing the kit they advertised.

The Customer service rep suggested that they don't have the bearings ready yet...although this statement implies they don't have spare bearings for '05 Cakes, since it's the same item that would be sent to existing owners. I think they're trying to baloney their way out of a recall/repair that costs them several dollars per bike.

Thanks to all for the info. I called my LBS and asked them about the replacement bearing. THey called Fisher and Fisher is sending them the Kit. It should be there in a couple of days. I told them my bike currently does not have a problem, however I didn't want to have it go out of warranty and need it.

My 2 cents


funny, i gave my LBS the part number and they ordered it thru their fisher / trek rep. 4 months later, i still don't have it.

so..

I just got home from my lbs where i just purchased a Cake 3 (2004).

I paid $900, brand new.

Any advice as to what i should be looking for.

Background:
First dually, current bike is a POS Trek 6500 (with everything XT, nothing stock but cranks and BB....yah wanna buy it??)

Can't ride 'till this evening...

am i psyched, or should i be turning this thing around on Ebay right now?

thanks