Thrashing the 2013 Cannondale F29 Carbon 3.

[leoferus]

How hard do you guys beat up your carbon Flash? The most rocky terrain mine has seen has been French Creek, PA. It felt fine going through those rock gardens. The rest of it's time has been spent in Fair Hill, MD and White Clay/Middle Run in DE.

It's my first carbon frame. Should I always look for the clean lines or is it okay to take the alternate lines as well? I'm a 220lb rider. Thanks. I beat the crap out of my aluminium GT Zaskar 9r without regard but from what I've read, it seems the Flash requires a more gentle approach? Set me straight, please.

[Nick_S_Africa]

How hard do you guys beat up your carbon Flash? The most rocky terrain mine has seen has been French Creek, PA. It felt fine going through those rock gardens. The rest of it's time has been spent in Fair Hill, MD and White Clay/Middle Run in DE.

It's my first carbon frame. Should I always look for the clean lines or is it okay to take the alternate lines as well? I'm a 220lb rider. Thanks. I beat the crap out of my aluminium GT Zaskar 9r without regard but from what I've read, it seems the Flash requires a more gentle approach? Set me straight, please.

Hi, can`t talk for the Flash but I have a 2008 Cannondale Taurine Carbon frame which I cannot break - the harder and rougher you go the better it feels and apart from many scratches and marks its fine. Each mark tells a story. In fact I managed to break an alu frame before (non Cannondale) and many wheelsets but not the Taurine.

[jdinsj]

Ride it like you stole it.

[Posher]

Deleted, posted in wrong thread.

[leoferus]

Thank you all for your responses. I plan on beating it up like I don't like it.

The last post... I get what you are addressing, thank you. But you aren't addressing my question.

But, in regards to what you have mentioned, well, there were some compromises made in the components but It's not all bad. The 13 comes with wtb i19 wheels. They are pretty stiff and they track well. The brakes are decent but I do prefer formula. The derailleurs aren't top of the line but they do the job. The XT rd has a clutch, that is an upgrade. The slx shifters, well, they perform satisfactorily. The thing is, the new lefty is on it. Time will tell if it's an upgrade. So far, it kicks A$s.

SL cranks, trivativ carbon bar, time pedals, SAVE post (soon), and Arch EX wheels are on this bike already.

So, the question isn't how to build it. The question is how hard can I go before all these components sit on top of a pile of broken carbon. In other words, how aggressively have you ridden your flash before it broke (frame failure)... If at all. And what kind of terrain.

[BoostN7]

Ride it like you stole it. If I breaks then its not fit for purpose.

Obviously keep it XC, don't start downhilling on it.

[leoferus]

Define DH?!

Your advice may be too late.

[BoostN7]

Danny Hart's 2011 World Championship Winning Downhill Run at Champery - YouTube

[leoferus]

I did that multiplied by a factor of 0.00001. I think I'm safe. Thanks.

[parkincake]

ballistec carbon frame.

i do believe that means it is bullet proof.

[leoferus]

One would like to think so.

[Stumpjumpy]

Danny Hart's 2011 World Championship Winning Downhill Run at Champery - YouTube

I love watching that amazing run. The commentators are nutz!

A carbon frame SHOULD be stronger than its AL counterpart in terms of the loads it can handle from jumps, etc. Rock impacts and deep gouges that would dent AL can cause cracks in CF, however.

Ride that ****, Leoferus!

[leoferus]

Roger, wilco.

[BoostN7]

Roger, wilco.

I've been raggin my bike about for te last 18 months. No reason to believe the frame isn't strong enough. I've had rocks and stuff flick up at it and not a scratch..

[leoferus]

I've been raggin my bike about for te last 18 months. No reason to believe the frame isn't strong enough. I've had rocks and stuff flick up at it and not a scratch..

Thanks. I'm not too concerned with big crashes. Those trash AL frames as much as Carbon. I was mostly concerned with stuff flicking up and hitting the downtube or BB. I'm 220lbs and I ride aggressively. Thanks for the input.

[Cormac]

Good to know about the F29 carbon as that was one of my main concerns was how well it held up to abuse. I still think I want a scalpel though.

How's the carbon do on your back after a long ride?

[leoferus]

Only legs are sore after a ride. The F29 Carbon 3 is an amazing all day machine. I did upgrade to a carbon bar immediately after purchase.

I've put in 36, 55, and 63 mile trips on it. My Al GT, however, would have me begging for a Novocaine bath.

[88 rex]

I'd say if you ride MR/WC or FH most of the time then you are good to go.

I ride BW all the time and chose aluminum. I've always been nervous of cracking a chainstay/seatstay from a tumble in the rocks.

[leoferus]

Fellow local! I'm not exactly afraid of breaking the frame. I was just wondering what people have found, through field tests, to be the limits of the frame. We have locals riding carbon race bikes in BW and other more chunky places without regard. I just wanted to make sure that it's okay to do that with the Flash.

I've ridden BW on my GT Zaskar. I think that although it gets chunky in some spots the Flash will be safe there. Thanks for the feedback.

The F29 is my race bike so it's got to be able to handle Rattling Creek, French Creek, Patapsco, Fair Hill, Marsh Creek, and Bear Creek. Damn it!

[leoferus]

I love watching that amazing run. The commentators are nutz!

A carbon frame SHOULD be stronger than its AL counterpart in terms of the loads it can handle from jumps, etc. Rock impacts and deep gouges that would dent AL can cause cracks in CF, however.

Ride that ****, Leoferus!

You were there for it this weekend. Cool riding with you. I'm still a bit cautious but I put her on the rocks and dropped the hammer on the cart path on the way down. The bike can take it.

[Stumpjumpy]

You were there for it this weekend. Cool riding with you. I'm still a bit cautious but I put her on the rocks and dropped the hammer on the cart path on the way down. The bike can take it.

Yeah, man - was big fun!

I would not worry about your bike's ability to handle what you dish out, at all.

[leoferus]

Damn dude, sounds like I don't ride hard enough!

We'll fix that next time you come out.

[Stumpjumpy]

LOL! Not at all what I was trying to convey!

You were torture testing it.

I just believe carbon is VERY stout stuff when executed properly.

[wallstreet]

I seem to be the same 2012 29F C3, we have category 1-3 climbs and it gets both muddy and messy so I daren't go in the bad weather. However, for XC trails it's a blast. I go quicker than my friends & feel adrenalinised. It's a great bike, all I changed was the seat post to SAVE. Very positive comfort difference and my seat to selle italia.

I think I could be harder too but it's probably more to do with care not to spill my guts.

[leoferus]

Wallstreet, the flash does give you more confidence than your skills can handle. I've taken two wheel slides a bit too far a few times already. Luckily, it is very forgiving. Push it. It will reward you.