# Cannondale Quick Carbon capable for mild off road?



## cde (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi all, first time in the commuting forum and pretty much a newbie in road riding or anything with bigger wheels than 26inch.

Lately I really want to get a hybird / commute bike for some road training and have my eyes set on the Cannondale Quick Carbon 2 (see picture). However to afford it, I would have to sell my Cannondale F3 hardtail. 

While I still have a FS bike for serious off road riding, just wondering how much (if any) off road stuff the Quick Carbon can handle with a tyre change? If so how much preformance in off road will I miss compare to the hardtail? 

Thanks


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## byknuts (Aug 9, 2008)

urban bikes are usually good for dirt paths, grass riding, not much past that.
doesn't mean you CAN'T, but I doubt you'll be able to slot anything with real knobs in there.
i find cdale's lack of any specifications on their website really annoying.
frame and fork are carbon and the wheels are dtswiss, that's all they mention.


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## drmayer (Apr 19, 2007)

I had a similar bike to that as my commuter/everyday bike (Trek 7.5FX) and while good on the road, it suffered on anything more than a gravel road. The wheels are not built for off road and it is really stiff. I decided i wanted my in-between bike (I have a road and FS MTB) to be a Gary Fisher (Trek) Utopia. basically a 29er hard tail with a 63mm travel fork and disc brakes and smaller tires. I installed some michelin 700x35 cross tires that are mostly smooth but have some cornering grip. 

There are obvious trade offs, as one is better for the road and the other more suited to off-road.


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## ADDam (Jun 7, 2008)

Why not take a look at the Bad Boy? It is essentially an F3 with a road wheelset, A guy that I work has one of these and uses it for road riding, but also has a set of 26" mountain wheels that he can switch out.

...Can you just get a road wheelset for your F3? Get a set of 29er disc wheels and put some 700x28's or 32's on there, lock out the fork... and away you go!

FWIW, I had a Quick 4, and wouldn't trust off-road, dirt roads... sure.

-Adam :thumbsup:

_Edit: I am referring to an '09 or earlier Bad Boy Ultra_


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

If you're planning to do real road miles, get a road bike. The flat handlebar thing gets old fast. I think it's more okay in mountain biking because rider position is so dynamic.

Will you have safe places to lock it? I use a $100 road bike for my commuting needs, and I can leave it locked almost anywhere without worrying about it. I've also done rides up to 20 miles on it, and if it fit a little better it would be fine for that. Outside of racing, road riding is not as sensitive to having fancy equipment, IMO. You just need to avoid the current crop of cheap stuff that's made to look like the current high-end models.


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