hellawatters

Hello! I am eyeing a 1991 Cannondale SM700 to replace my mid-80s stumpjumper as an upright handlebar front basketed commuter. I have been feeling like I want something a little lighter and with a bit more pep in its step than the stumpy.

has anyone had experience with these early 90s cannondale MTBs? I believe they called them the 3.0 series aluminum frames. I’m curious about general durability over time (are there parts of the frame that are prone to failure after 30 yrs?) and sort of general handling characteristics. The catalog from 1991 describes the geometry as “aggressive” but I imagine this is relative to 1980s geometry. Anyway happy for any knowledge on older MTBs I can soak up from here-thank you!

bargainguy

Watch the rear dropouts on these. The heavily cantilevered dropout design is prone to failure.

Ironfish653

The "Canti" dropout of the 2.8/3.0 series frames was an engineering workaround from the time of the KLEIN/Cannondale design lawsuit. It's definitely a compromise; but I wouldn't call it a 'fatal flaw'There's a reason that the later CAAD Series bikes went back to a more conventional dropout design, but for a commuter cruiser, it should hold up just fine.

An M-700 should be a 71.5*/72* in the early "NORBA" style, as opposed to the 70* "Marin / ATB" geometry that a lot of steel -framed bikes from that era were still running.

An M-900 will be the exact same bike, just with a nicer wheel/ component build. The M-800 is the one you want to watch out for; the "Beast of the East" had a 73* head angle and 13"+ BB height; it was essentially a trials bike in MTB drag. (East-Coast woods riding was a whole different thing back then)

hellawatters

Thank you! Could you elaborate on the differences between “early norba” and “Marin atb” geometries? Sounds like the beast from the east geometry is not nice?

Ironfish653

Sure.
A Marin-style "ATB" is the original, early 80's form of the MTB. They shared a lot of DNA (like drivetrain and geometry) with touring bikes of the era, since they were also sturdy but lightweight-ish and able to handle a wide range of terrain.
Head and seat tube angles around 70*, longish chain stays for stability and upright stems with wide bars, at or above the saddle height. You can usually tell a "Real O.G." by the forked Bullmoose or "Slingshot" style stem. This 84 Nishiki is a good example of the type



Jump ahead a decade and the 1990s MTB boom is exploding; XC racing is the elite event, and NORBA (the National Off-Road Bicycle Association) was the US sanctioning body before US Cycling and the UCI got involved.
XC racing in the 90s was less technical than it is now; the bikes were optimized for climbing and speed on the flats. Short chain stays and 72* HT/ST angles, often referred to as "NORBA Standard" were the order of the day, along with the signature "Long-and-low" cockpit layout: 140-150mm 0*-rise stems, narrow bars set 3"+ below the saddle.
Typically, a consumer bike wasn't quite as hard core as a pro race bike, but a bike from a performance brand, like Cannondale, certainly took a lot of cues from the race team.

This PDG Paramount is a good example of an mid 90s NORBA XC bike



Most 26" MTBs fall somewhere in between; depending on what year they were made and what place they occupied in the model / pricing lineup.
The M-800 Beast of the East is something different altogether. Short wheelbase, steep head angle and an extremely high BB; it's designed for tight, steep, obstacle -ridden trails; particularly the kind of stuff you find doing singletrack deep in the Appalachian Mountains.
It's a cool bike, but it's definitely a tool designed for a specific purpose.