45 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

Nice bike! My first MTB was a Trek 7000 and road the living piss out of it. I easily did 200km a week and that was a combo of trail and road riding. I think hardtail setups give more feedback. Here's a pic of my F800 before I upgraded the components.

Nice looking!  Black is such a cool color for a bike, don't you think?  Cannondale has always made great looking bikes IMHO. 

 

When I first got my M900 we lived on Cape Cod so not much "mountain" biking there.  Instead I rode it on the beaches, through the dunes (some pretty big dunes too!), and miles and miles of National Seashore trails.  Since most of the beach is owned by the National Seashore you can ride half of the Cape solely on the beach.

 

Needless to say, sand and salt did a number on the components so I went through chains and cassettes about once a month, cables about 4 times a year, etc, but the frame itself was impervious to damage, and Cannondale uses top grade fasteners so they never showed any signs of corrosion or rusting. 

 

It was so much fun.  In the winter when the sand would freeze, and with a stiff Nor' easter wind, you could go flying down the beach at speeds that were scary exciting for hours!  Of course, there was always the ride back home to deal with though hahahah!  

 

Of course, I did my fair share of real trail riding too on more hilly terrain throughout New England.  I often wonder how many total miles I've put on that bike.  What a great bike!  I'm worried a little about the crack but not really that much.  I mean the thing is truly built like a tank and that's one of the things I really like about it.  

 

And now, here I am in Chiang Mai with it.  Could there be a nicer place to ride bicycles?  I don't think so! ?

  

Before I got this bike I was not fond of disc brakes or front suspension. I loved this bike's braking capabilities from day one and it didn't take long to get accustomed to the shock.

 

The bad thing about "older" MTb's is stress fractures occur if you do a lot of hard trail riding. If you have a decent amount of trail time on the frame the crack could be a stress fracture. I would suggest getting a road bikes for long rides and just use the M900 for rides short rides since it has sentimental value.   

 

Good luck with your next purchase!

 

57 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

Before I got this bike I was not fond of disc brakes or front suspension. I loved this bike's braking capabilities from day one and it didn't take long to get accustomed to the shock.

 

The bad thing about "older" MTb's is stress fractures occur if you do a lot of hard trail riding. If you have a decent amount of trail time on the frame the crack could be a stress fracture. I would suggest getting a road bikes for long rides and just use the M900 for rides short rides since it has sentimental value.   

 

Good luck with your next purchase!

 

Good advice.  I'm really much more into road riding here in Thailand.  I've had my eye on a Trek Emonda ALR 5 for a while.  It sounds like a pretty nice bike for the price.  Prices for Treks seem a lot cheaper in Thailand compared to USA.  In US, it's about $2,000 (62,000 baht).  Here I've seen them as low as 40,000 for last years model, and I saw a 2016 model (new) for 30,000.

 

Maybe swop out the crank for a compact mountain 38/22 and a 40 cassette in back for climbing.  Everything else about the bike I really like.  Super light compared with my M900, that's for sure ?

 

11 hours ago, Kohsamida said:

  I've had my eye on a Trek Emonda ALR 5 for a while.  It sounds like a pretty nice bike for the price.  Prices for Treks seem a lot cheaper in Thailand compared to USA.  In US, it's about $2,000 (62,000 baht).  Here I've seen them as low as 40,000 for last years model, and I saw a 2016 model (new) for 30,000.

 

 

Can you tell me where you saw them?

We lived in Chiang Mai for 6 years but left in 2016

 

Coming back this winter for 3-6 months & would like to buy something like this to leave at our Thai house

rather than bring my bike from here

 

I would be fine on that ALR5 as I ride a Fuji Elite here

 

Who are the Trek dealers in CM now? Jacky?

 

Thanks

 

3 hours ago, meechai said:

 

 

Can you tell me where you saw them?

We lived in Chiang Mai for 6 years but left in 2016

 

Coming back this winter for 3-6 months & would like to buy something like this to leave at our Thai house

rather than bring my bike from here

 

I would be fine on that ALR5 as I ride a Fuji Elite here

 

Who are the Trek dealers in CM now? Jacky?

 

Thanks

 

Jacky has the biggest Trek selection in Chiang Mai but I’m not sure if they are an official dealer. I don’t think there is one in CM.  I saw the bike at Probike in Bangkok.

Probike BKK is a nice shop. I have stopped by there several times during my visits.

5 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

Probike BKK is a nice shop. I have stopped by there several times during my visits.

Ya, it is sort of a candy store for cyclists, isn't it? :)

 

On 5/26/2018 at 6:46 PM, Samuel Smith said:

Four Heavens gets good recommendations for high end bikes.  Never been there, as i don't have high end bikes.  Probably costs more than your usual bike shops.

Four Heavens sells Cannodale 

On 5/27/2018 at 11:06 AM, MunkyBoogar said:

I currently live in Japan. I love my lefty but I need something that will be better for longer rides of 50 to 100km. The MTB will be relegated to trial riding and short rides.

 

Usually if you see a crack on the weld it really is a crack. You will definitely need to find a good fabrication/welding shop that will make sure that the weld repair penetrates completely. A "topical" pretty weld or "glob does the job" weld could put your life in danger. Actually I gave you some bad information about magnaflux because that is used for steel. You will need to find a ship that can check the crack with a specialized dye and UV light. The process is called Dye Penetration Examination. I got this "correct" information from a fabrication site cars that I often visit. You might want to also look for a replacement frame. M900 frames are very affordable.

In Thailand?? I'd love to know where (referring to that kind of process)

On 5/28/2018 at 10:53 AM, Kohsamida said:

Cool resource!  Thanks.  I got it as a birthday gift from my parents while in high school, thus the sentimental value.  Over the years, I have completely upgraded the bike as parts wore out.  Today, it has top-line components (Shimano xtr, Coda machined crank, etc), and I just love the retro look of the bike so even if I have to just hang it on the wall like in “Seinfeld”, I’ll never part with it.

Have to agree with some of the other posters and wouldn't remotely consider this a high-end bike

 

As for riding in MA, hell ya! That's where I grew up and rode for years!

43 minutes ago, junglechef said:

Have to agree with some of the other posters and wouldn't remotely consider this a high-end bike

 

As for riding in MA, hell ya! That's where I grew up and rode for years!

Technically it is not a high-end bike but all of the components are pretty high-end.  Besides, my definition of a "high-end" bike is one that I'd be very sad about having an incompetent bike mechanic mess it up; it has great sentimental value to me, ya know ?

 

Where in MA?  I grew up on the Cape (Truro) but also lived (and rode a lot) in the Berkshires (South Egremont, near Great Barrington).

 

1 hour ago, junglechef said:

Have to agree with some of the other posters and wouldn't remotely consider this a high-end bike

 

As for riding in MA, hell ya! That's where I grew up and rode for years!

Exactly what is highend? I am curious.

6 hours ago, Kohsamida said:

Technically it is not a high-end bike but all of the components are pretty high-end.  Besides, my definition of a "high-end" bike is one that I'd be very sad about having an incompetent bike mechanic mess it up; it has great sentimental value to me, ya know ?

 

Where in MA?  I grew up on the Cape (Truro) but also lived (and rode a lot) in the Berkshires (South Egremont, near Great Barrington).

 

 

North Truro is one of my favorite places on earth.

On 5/30/2018 at 12:15 PM, MunkyBoogar said:

Exactly what is highend? I am curious.

My Scott Spark 700 Premium I would say qualifies ?

Yeah I know my last post was a bit annoying but a bike worth $200 I would say wouldn't qualify  (my chain cost almost that much)

On 5/30/2018 at 11:49 AM, Kohsamida said:

Technically it is not a high-end bike but all of the components are pretty high-end.  Besides, my definition of a "high-end" bike is one that I'd be very sad about having an incompetent bike mechanic mess it up; it has great sentimental value to me, ya know ?

 

Where in MA?  I grew up on the Cape (Truro) but also lived (and rode a lot) in the Berkshires (South Egremont, near Great Barrington).

 

Grew up in Newton, went to school in Western MA and moved to Copley Square. 

57 minutes ago, junglechef said:

My Scott Spark 700 Premium I would say qualifies ?

I don't know! Is it and why?

3 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

I don't know! Is it and why?

How much do you know and understand about bikes?

 

Are you familiar with components? Frame engineering? Build materials? 

 

Just asking so I can reply in a way that you'll understand 

 

12 minutes ago, junglechef said:

How much do you know and understand about bikes?

 

Are you familiar with components? Frame engineering? Build materials? 

 

Just asking so I can reply in a way that you'll understand 

 

Read my posts and look at my bike. That should answer your questions. But to add more info, I have been riding MTB since '85. I raced competitively for 10 years and currently mope around on my C'Dale F800 with upgraded parts. Sometimes the word "highend" is somewhat subjective. Prior to riding MTB I raced BMX for local Kuwahara, Titan, GT and Haro teams so I guess I know a little about frames and components.  

 

Previous MTB:

Trek 7000

Trek 9000

GT Avalanche

Raliegh MTrax (Ti)

Haro Extreme

C'Dale F800 CAAD5

 

 

 

45 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

Read my posts and look at my bike. That should answer your questions. But to add more info, I have been riding MTB since '85. I raced competitively for 10 years and currently mope around on my C'Dale F800 with upgraded parts. Sometimes the word "highend" is somewhat subjective.

 

Subjective for sure so you should as the person who made the statement as I only said "I would say" my bike qualifies.

 

From your posts, for instance:

 

""Why is aluminum not hi-end?" and "Any bike over $800 is high-end"

 

I would say that since your asking and making such statements you don't know much about bikes.

 

And your other claims are meaningless. I walked in a bike shop and bought the bike pictured (275,000 bht) after racing for 6 years and buying bikes and riding for 52 yrs. I knew very little about bikes and would not have been able recognize a "high-end" bike at that point. Basically I wanted a good, high-end if you must, bike so I bought the most expensive bike I could find that at the time the World Champion was racing and figured it probably was good enough for me. 

 

The OP says he called his high-end because he's had it a long time and likes it (?) so for (non) argument sake let's say all bikes are high-end so yours can qualify too ?. 

22 minutes ago, junglechef said:

Subjective for sure so you should as the person who made the statement as I only said "I would say" my bike qualifies.

 

From your posts, for instance:

 

""Why is aluminum not hi-end?" and "Any bike over $800 is high-end"

 

I would say that since your asking and making such statements you don't know much about bikes.

 

And your other claims are meaningless. I walked in a bike shop and bought the bike pictured (275,000 bht) after racing for 6 years and buying bikes and riding for 52 yrs. I knew very little about bikes and would not have been able recognize a "high-end" bike at that point. Basically I wanted a good, high-end if you must, bike so I bought the most expensive bike I could find that at the time the World Champion was racing and figured it probably was good enough for me. 

 

The OP says he called his high-end because he's had it a long time and likes it (?) so for (non) argument sake let's say all bikes are high-end so yours can qualify too ?. 

No, I asked why is aluminum not highend. Read Post #9.  And a 21 year old bike that costs $900 21 years ago was highend. Cannondale M series frames are known for their reliability.

1 minute ago, MunkyBoogar said:

No, I asked why is aluminum not highend. Post #9

and I quoted you asking

 

""Why is aluminum not hi-end?" 

 

?

 

 

2 minutes ago, junglechef said:

and I quoted you asking

 

""Why is aluminum not hi-end?" 

 

?

 

 

So you still have yet to explain why Aluminum is not highend. Carbon or Ti frames are not needed for a bike to be "high-end".

31 minutes ago, junglechef said:

Subjective for sure so you should as the person who made the statement as I only said "I would say" my bike qualifies.

 

From your posts, for instance:

 

""Why is aluminum not hi-end?" and "Any bike over $800 is high-end"

 

I would say that since your asking and making such statements you don't know much about bikes.

 

And your other claims are meaningless. I walked in a bike shop and bought the bike pictured (275,000 bht) after racing for 6 years and buying bikes and riding for 52 yrs. I knew very little about bikes and would not have been able recognize a "high-end" bike at that point. Basically I wanted a good, high-end if you must, bike so I bought the most expensive bike I could find that at the time the World Champion was racing and figured it probably was good enough for me. 

 

The OP says he called his high-end because he's had it a long time and likes it (?) so for (non) argument sake let's say all bikes are high-end so yours can qualify too ?. 

Not to get anyone into crazy mode, but I think you're getting who said what a little confused.  It was I who posed the rhetorical question, "Why is aluminum not hi-end?" and adding, "I guess you don't know much about bikes" to the poster, Samual Smith, when he insinuated that aluminum is not high-end.  Fact is, there are VERY high end bikes made of aluminum and many instances where they are superior to carbon.  Munkeyburger was agreeing with me, and we were all having a friendly back and forth about bikes in general.

 

Now this whole thing rears it's ugly head again about "high end".

 

It was also My point that "high-end" is subjective.  In my case, I used the term because even if my bike isn't a $10,000 racing machine, it has sentimental value to me and a lot of money invested in it over the years in modifications and upgrades.  I'm willing to pay a premium for a mechanic that will treat it as a high-end bike and not screw it up.

 

Just wanted to clear this up since I might not have explained this so well in previous posts and I think the "quote" headers are making things even more confusing.  No offense meant to any one, just to be clear. 

I guess we are on the same page now... lol!

 

Cheers! Beer time!!

3 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

I guess we are on the same page now... lol!

 

Cheers! Beer time!!

Wow, that was a very confusing exchange among all three of us.  Now I'm not sure who is saying what!

Now that we are no longer confused, I am gonna sit back and dream about my next purchase (upgraded lefty shock and the road bike) while sipping on a nice cold brew!

5 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

Now that we are no longer confused, I am gonna sit back and dream about my next purchase (upgraded lefty shock and the road bike) while sipping on a nice cold brew!

Well I just hope it's a high-end brew!

17 minutes ago, Kohsamida said:

Well I just hope it's a high-end brew!

I am in Japan so I had a couple Kirin Ichiban Shibori and a couple Orion Draft. Didn't feel like going to the store ... lol

10 minutes ago, MunkyBoogar said:

I am in Japan so I had a couple Kirin Ichiban Shibori and a couple Orion Draft. Didn't feel like going to the store ... lol

Japan! Really?  Very cool.  On of the places I want to visit for sure one of these days.  Are you living there or visiting?