We got to test a few bikes in the desert at the Interbike demo day, and this was one of them. Trails were (obviously) dry and dusty with lots of small rocks and not much grip.

Version tested: Cannondale Rush Team Replica (USA Spec)

How much: $6500 / £4100

From: Cannondale dealers in the US… nearest UK version is the Rush Carbon 1.

Why?: Aimed at Marathon racers, the Rush Carbon is a lightweight, 110mm travel frame. It’s not aimed at the superlight racing end of the market, for that they would have you buy a scalpel, but still, it is very light at just under 24lb – lighter than my normal hardtail XC race bike.

First Impression: Despite the only size available being an X-Large, it didn’t look like a gate. In fact it looked good, the top tube was maybe a fraction long for me but overall proportions felt good. The fact that Cannondale was the only manufacturer setting up the bikes properly for each rider probably helped me feel immediately at home on this bike.

Yay: This is a great bike. Straight away it felt fast and very smooth, with loads of traction – and traction is something generally lacking in the desert dust (which explains the constant stream of ambulances carting off crash victims). Although the front carbon Lefty and rear are supposed to both have 110mm travel the rear felt smoother and more progressive than the front. Maybe the Lefty needs some time to bed in, certainly most owners sing their praises and this was the first time the bike had ever been ridden.

Uphill it’s fast, with active suspension when you need it over rocks, with the Fox RP23 doing its Propedal thing to minimise pedal bob on the simple, linkage-free rear suspension to give a super-smooth flowing ride. Downhill the geometry is pleasantly relaxed lending the rider to really open up and hammer around and enjoy the trail.
The components are all good solid stuff and worked well, the kind of kit that you don’t notice working as it just does it job – exactly what you need. Weight weenies and racers will probably want to shave some grams here and there, you could easily save half a pound off the wheels alone, having said all that the UK spec is totally different (XTR wheels and more XTR all round) so I won’t dwell on it.

Nay: Performance wise… not a lot, in fact nothing other than the slightly unresponsive feeling fork which will most likely bed in anyway. The main problem is the price, and if I’d realised at the time quite how expensive these bikes are I would have probably just ridden off on it. The UK spec Rush Carbon 1 is £4200… ouch.

Overall: Awesome bike if you have the money. The kind of bike you can use for pretty much any type of riding or racing. But way out of most people’s price range.

Tested on: Rocks, dust and sand

Where: Bootleg Canyon, Nevada