T4Phage, I think that you're lucky that the Cannondale prototype never went into production and thus you didn't have the opportunity to buy it, as it looks like it would have weighed a ton! I remember when Cannondale first brought out a full-suspension production model - it came in lime green, with pink highlights. I knew a couple who owned a bike shop near me, and they bought a pair. They were mainly interested in road riding, but would go off-road on weekends for fun. The Cannondale bikes gave them no advantage at all, despite the full-suspension. They ended up getting thrashed by far-lighter and more responsive hardtail models. After a few weekends, they stopped coming on our weekend rides. In the early 90s, I lusted after a Kestrel carbon fibre MTB frame with Shimano XT gruppo. Way out of my price range, though. I remember that Giant introduced some CF-framed bikes in the mid-90s, but I ended up going with a burnished-aluminium GT. The Manitou is a lovely-looking bike - there's just something innately appealing about a well-appointed hardtail with good frame geometry. I can't say I really like the look of the bike in the first post - from a practical standpoint, there's no facility to adjust the seat height, handlebar reach or stem geometry.
By anglital
I'll use it in the morning when I'm off to get green eggs and ham.
