Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Cannondale Bad Boy Blown Headshok - Please Help!

11K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  cdalemaniac 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, as you can tell by my username, I love Cannondales. I recently picked up a 2nd hand 2004 Bad Boy Ultra, and we all know about the notorious headshok failures. When I picked up the bike, I was well aware that the headhok was leaking oil and had issues with locking out.

Now, I considered overhauling the internals, but from what I gather, they will need to be serviced quite frequently so I looked at putting in an aftermarket fork. Luckily, I stumbled upon a used 2013 Cannondale Bad Boy rigid lefty fork (1.5" steerer) which includes the OEM headset. The question is, can I simply rip off the headshok fork and SI external cups and then slap on the rigid lefty fork using it's OEM headset?

Any help or insight is appreciated.


Thanks,
 
#2 ·
Can't help you with the rigid headset question other than to say if they appear to be of the same dimensions, as opposed to being say, a 1 1/8" headset, leave the existing headset in the frame, and install the rigid.

All that said, frequent service is something folks who want to turn you away will tell you.

Does it need service now? Sounds like it. Will it need it "soon" if properly serviced, and found to be in good condition? No, as long as a year or two which is the recommended interval by the factory (annually is their number) isn't "frequent".

Me? I'd run the Headshock, the pre 05 stuff is pretty bomber if it's in good condition, and being an '04 that likely never saw service, can't say that I'm at all surprised it needs some love.
 
#3 ·
Can't help you with the rigid headset question other than to say if they appear to be of the same dimensions, as opposed to being say, a 1 1/8" headset, leave the existing headset in the frame, and install the rigid.

All that said, frequent service is something folks who want to turn you away will tell you.

Does it need service now? Sounds like it. Will it need it "soon" if properly serviced, and found to be in good condition? No, as long as a year or two which is the recommended interval by the factory (annually is their number) isn't "frequent".

Me? I'd run the Headshock, the pre 05 stuff is pretty bomber if it's in good condition, and being an '04 that likely never saw service, can't say that I'm at all surprised it needs some love.
From the looks of it, the headshok has never been serviced and does need to be overhauled at this moment. I can see old oil stains all over the fork and who knows if there's any oil left in the headshok itself. I've looked at your guide as to how to service a headshok and by the looks of it, requires some special Cannondale shop tools. I'm not too keen on purchasing these special tools to upkeep the fork every 1-2 years.

I still need someone to shed some light as to whether or not I could simply bolt up a headset and lefty rigid fork off a 2013 Cannondale Bad Boy 5. If that's doable without much monkeying around, then I may slowing attempt to rebuild the headshok.
 
#4 ·
As I said earlier, if the headsets appear to be of the same dimensions, it's plug and play.

Cannondale head tubes have been the same for Lefty/Headshock for a very long time. So unless it looks starkly different, no need to even swap headsets.

Yep, several special tools are needed. If you don't want to buy them, there are many places that will do work on them, some more reasonable than others, but it's far from impossible to keep a fork running well.
 
#5 ·
As I said earlier, if the headsets appear to be of the same dimensions, it's plug and play.

Cannondale head tubes have been the same for Lefty/Headshock for a very long time. So unless it looks starkly different, no need to even swap headsets.

Yep, several special tools are needed. If you don't want to buy them, there are many places that will do work on them, some more reasonable than others, but it's far from impossible to keep a fork running well.
The problem is I don't know if the inside diameter of a 2004 Bad Boy Ultra headtube is the same as a 2013 Cannondale Bad Boy 5 headtube. I don't want to tear off the headshok fork and SI external cups only to find out they're not the same diameter internally.

After thinking it over, I think I will venture into overhauling the headshok myself. Worst comes to worst and I mess up big time, at least I have a rigid lefty fork I can throw on.
 
#6 ·
Just take the Headshock off, and offer the new fork up to see what the storey is. From a quick google this tells me this bike has a 1 1/2 headset:

2004 Cannondale Bad Boy Ultra - BikePedia

And your ridged fork you say has 1 1/2 steerer, might even be a straight swap without the need for another headset, apart from the crown race might need swapped over.

This being said, a little love on the shock and it might be as good as new!
 
#8 ·
I ended up contacting Cannondale directly and was told the headset and lefty rigid fork off a Bad boy 5 would swap directly into '04 Bad Boy Ultra. But now I'm having seconds thought of putting on the lefty rigid fork.

I ended up picking up the '04 Bad Boy Ultra because I found it for a really good price and the fact that I always wanted that particular year with the Gargoyle graphics. If I were to slap on a lefty rigid fork, it seems it just would't be the same anymore. Therefore, I will attempt to overhaul the headshok myself. I could send it into Mendoncycle, but I've always been a hands on kind of person.

Since the '04 Bad Boy Ultra is not my main bike, I won't rush into servicing the headshok. I've done more reading as to how to dismantle and service the headshok, and the biggest obstacle right now is trying to find an alternative to using the unique Cannondale castle tool.
 
#9 ·
the biggest obstacle right now is trying to find an alternative to using the unique Cannondale castle tool.
All due respect, this right here? It's your first step into finding out just how poor the service interval is with these forks. Only it has nothing to do with the fork, but the servicer.

Nothing wrong with DIY if it's your boat, but alternatives to the right tool, invariably don't end well.

What was it Dad always said? The right tool for the job?

Good luck.....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top