What disc brakes for a 1999 cannondale F700...

drjhaps said:

with a CAD3 frame. I got this bike 2 years ago for $400 a week after it had $200 tuneup. However, it doesn't have disc brakes on either the front or the back wheels. I'm looking to start doing so fairly serious (weekend warrior style) mountain biking here in the front range by Denver so i was wanting to upgrade to disc brakes. Does anyone have any suggestions of good brakes that will fit this frame? I don't need top of the line but something that will work and not brake the bank. thanks so much for the help.

Does your 1999 frame & fork even have tabs for mounting disc brake calipers?

If so, then just get a pair of mechanical AVID or Shimano DEORE disc brakes.

A FRONT disc brake is more meaningful than a rear disc brake ... so (presuming neither your frame nor fork have disc brake mounts), you could just buy a new fork (I recommend Marzocchi) which will have disc brake mounts.

yes the frame and fork both do have the mounting brackets to mount disc brakes on....i believe the bike used to have front discs but the guy i bought it from had them removed for some reason....he was an older guy about 55. So those two brake options are fairly decent?

drjhaps said:

yes the frame and fork both do have the mounting brackets to mount disc brakes on....i believe the bike used to have front discs but the guy i bought it from had them removed for some reason....he was an older guy about 55. So those two brake options are fairly decent?

Well, if the bike did have disc brakes & the "older guy" removed them it may be because he either thought they were dead weight OR required more mainteance than he wanted to expend ...

As far as whether mechanical SHIMANO or AVID disc brake calipers are 'fairly decent', or not ... I would say they should be good enough ...

BUT, maybe not!?!

I guess the terrain & your riding style will ultimately determine whether-or-not they are good enough.

BTW. Of course (to state the obvious), you'll also need new hubs (or, complete wheels), too.

So, if you're upgading on a budget, you may as well just change the front brake & wheel, first.

That makes sense....I'm not a very good rider yet. Like i said i just moved to denver from dallas and am just starting to ride in the mountains. Nothing too technical yet but i'm hoping to improve alot over the course of the summer and fall. I think my best bet right now is to start with the front and eventually convert the rear as well. thanks so much for the help.

BTW. Again, to state what may be obvious, but if the trail/terrain is more demanding than you anticipated, you can always slow down OR stop ...

If you can follow the 'line' that someone takes who is familiar with a trail then you may be able to learn how to read the trail(s) a little faster ...

Ask him/her to explain the line they are planning on taking before going down a particular section.

Ask local MTBers you may meet which tire(s) they prefer, too.

awesome...i appreciate the advice. I've got some nice specialized tires...not sure how good those are. I'm 5'11'' 205 lbs so i'm not sure what would be best suited for me. like i said before i've got a 99' cannondale F700 with the headshok fatty D fork on it. Any and all input is welcome. I am a chiropractor so i'll be making good money fairly soon and once i do i want to start upgrading components because i like the frame and bike as a whole.

drjhaps said:

awesome...i appreciate the advice. I've got some nice specialized tires...not sure how good those are. I'm 5'11'' 205 lbs so i'm not sure what would be best suited for me. like i said before i've got a 99' cannondale F700 with the headshok fatty D fork on it. Any and all input is welcome. I am a chiropractor so i'll be making good money fairly soon and once i do i want to start upgrading components because i like the frame and bike as a whole.

FWIW. At some point in time (probably, sooner rather than later), you may eventually want a fork with MORE 'travel' than a Headshok provides -- e.g., a fork with 100mm of travel.

You may-or-may-not need a PROBLEM SOLVER head tube 'shim' to fit a "regular" 1 1/8" headset in the frame.

yeah that's understandable...i was planning on buying a new bike in about 2 years. I've had this one for a year and would eventually like to get a full suspension bike.