I have spent the summer riding and racing aboard a pair of Cannondale Rush 2000 bicycles which equates to eight months, two 12 hour races, one 24 hour race, and two more 24 hour races yet to do. Ilooked back at my first few posts concerning the Rush in order to jog my memory concerning my initial impressions and thoughts. My first ride was back in January in the snow and can be reviewed here. I had also posted a few other reviews that can be reached through the links from the "review box" in the right column.

Point of reference: I am 6'1" tall and ride a size large frame with a 120mm stem.

First off, there were a few changes that I made to the stock Rush in order to achieve the comfort that I was looking for during long rides and races. The biggest change for me was swapping out the stock FSA XC-190 riser bar in exchange for a FSA XC-180 flatbar. The flatbar is 20mm lower than the riser as well as 60mm narrower. I like the slightly more aggressive XC style position which helps me to stretch out just a little bit more. The bar change plus the use of Ergon grips have made the Rush very comfy during the long hauls. I also recently installed the magnesium barend equipped version of the Ergons and must say that they are really nice to have. The barend itself is ergonomically curved to fit the hand better and hence increased comfort.

As far as shock setup is concerned, I am running the Fox Float RP3 at the recommended air pressures from the Cannondale Rush setup guide (pdf file). The Pro Pedal system works great for my uses. I spend most of the time with the Pro Pedal lever in it's full right position for the stiffest setup which works great for singletrack and foreroads that do not have tons of uneven terrain and/or obstacles. If I am riding through a section/trail that is more technical and rough I usually use the middle position to get just a little bit more cushion.

Lefty Carbon DLR2. I am currently running the Lefty at about 5 psi lower than the setup guide states which has made the front just a touch more plush. I have enjoyed riding with a Lefty since the first time that I rode one and still have zero complaints about it. I receive a lot of questions from non-Lefty riders concerning the tracking and function of the Lefty compared to a two-legged fork. I have never had any type of tracking issues while riding a Lefty. It rolls straight when I want it to, even when no-handed, and corners beautifully with no lateral flex that I have felt. The Lefty functions great, hands down one of the best front-end suspensions I have ever used.

The Rush as a whole is an awesome bike. My long gravel rides have have taken more time due to how comfortable this bike is over longer distances. I just want to keep riding it all day long. I used on race courses with long sustained climbs with no problem what so ever. I have also used on tight twisty courses with the same results. When the Rush first came out, I read all of these reviews about how it climbs, accelerates, and steers different than a Scalpel. Well of course it does, it's a totally different bike. The Rush is built for long rides, 24 hour racing, adventure racing, and other such ENDURANCE events. The intended purpose of the Rush is to keep the rider as comfortable as possible over these long periods and it does a great job of that. As I stated before, I installed a flatbar on both of my Rushes to get a bit more XC feel and am quite happy with it. 110mm of travel may seem like a bit much for most XC racers and it probably is but it can still be raced as a XC machine no problem.

As an endurance bike and as an all-mountain trail bike the Rush is primo. Very simple design that works how it is claimed to work and is also simple to tune to your riding habits and styles. If you already ride a Rush great. If you don't, I highly recommend at least a test ride on one. If you are local, swing by sometime and I'll let you take one of mine for a spin. You won't regret it!!

This entry was posted on 8.23.2006 at 12:09 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.