Here is my ‘97 cannondale killer v 900 ht. it’s a high end bike from the 90s, I was wondering what would be better for xc trails, so the type of natural stuff you’d find in a forest in New England, this, or a $500-600 new bike like a trek marlin 4/5.
mine is basically mind condtioon, has deore xt/lx 3×8 drivetrain with sram mrx comp shifters, and pc/pg 850 cassette and chain.
it has deore lx v-brakes with kool stop salmon pads and servo wave levers. stop great in dry.
literallt just serviced headshok dd60, but with a fatty 70 air/oil damper.
hubs are shimano stx rc, front rim is a sun cr18 with 32 15ga spokes, rear rim is a weinmann zac19, 36h 14ga spokes, with brand new modern shwalbe rubber.
new large crank brothers stamp 1 pedals.
i really only ride in dry weather, sometimes trails are damp but that’s it. I am a beginner rider, but I’ve only ever ridden this bike and I’m used to the skinny bars/ 140mm stem. can absolutely wrench in it when it gets out of tune, love the bike and don’t really care about any new stuff. I ride sometimes on asphalt for a commute, ride trails purely for fun. no big jumps or steep dh.
not planning on gettin a new bike soon, but just curious: what would be better for ME, this, or modern entry level hardtail? I rode my friends marlin 4 for a little, noticed that mine shifts, stops, climbs, looks better and I’m sure will last twice as long. The marlin only descends better.
by Confident-Milk3422
10 Comments
Maybe see if there’s somewhere you can borrow or rent one to try out. The only way to really know is to try it and see how you like it.
Geometry changes since the 90’s are quite a lot.
like a 30000% a new bike
new bike
I will begrudgingly agree with the new bike opinions here but don’t get rid of that Cannondale. That’s a cool bike with great parts and still plenty trail worthy.
I wish I still had some of my 26” hardtails to ride every now and then.
Whoever is downvoting new bike day doesn’t understand the changes over 3 decades. Yup, bikes are built to ride on trails so much better than before.
Also, what are you going to do when you break 90’s parts? Replace them with 2026 parts?
Any bike with modern geometry will be miles more capable. That’s not to say that this won’t be nice to ride though. I have an old steel Kona that gets used for family rides / going to the pub and it’s still a lovely steer.
New bike with proper sized wheels (29er) and logical head tube angle.
if you enjoy riding it then keep riding it. I rode “high end” 90s bikes in the 90s and they are objectively awful compared to a $500 ten year old hardtail you can get today.
Modern bikes are so much better. They have different geometry that lets you go faster without being nervous. Wider handlebars increase control. Gearing has shifted to 1x which has the same range but without front derailleurs and all the baggage that brings. Disk brakes are an absolutely massive upgrade. Suspension “can be” so much better. Bigger wheels roll over crap easier. Tires actually grip. Dropper posts let you get crazy.
You won’t like to hear this, but that bike wasn’t high end even in 97. It was pretty mid range. Certainly not a bad bike, but also not a good one, and not one that I think ages particularly well. Headshoks were always kind of atrocious, and you can’t replace it. 3x8s usually had somewhat limited range. V brakes just don’t work as well as discs.
I say all of this as somebody who started MTB in 95 and has stuck with it. I’ve owned it all- early full suspension, magura hydraulic brakes, cantilevers, Vs, plus bikes, 29×3.0, 650b, 29ers, etc. New bikes are just so much better. I think tech slowed around 2018 or so, with good 1x systems, big wheels, and good geometry. There’s still some good upgrades coming, but it’s a lot more iterative as standard fatigue has caught up to people and fork internals can only get so good.
My advice would be to look for a good used bike on pinkbike or craigslist/marketplace at your desired price range. The allure of a new bike is real, but buying something a tiny bit old can get you incredible deals and you have a good range of options at this time.
Still have my 98 Schwinn (Yeti) Homegrown. Love it but at this point it’s just a novelty bike in some ways. It can’t even remotely compete with my Yeti SB95. And it’s 13 years old at this point. If your cannondale still makes you happy and does what it needs to for you keep at it.