Question:
> I, myself, have always been a Cannondale man. . . . > you will not, under any circumstances, find a front > suspension system that works better than the F700’s Headshok (I ride a > DeltaV 700).
There is, of course, the F1000’s headshok, and the Judy, which no one in their right mind would ever want to turn off. 
— "Mountainbiking is more than just a sport; it’s a passion"
Response:
I currently have an M2, and am selling it in favor of an F700 Reasons: -The M2’s breakaway rear deraileur hanger, at least on ‘94 models, suc -it bends if you mash too hard on the pedals -it isn’nt machined to exactly fit the frame, leading to ovalized fra mount holes (I remedied this with Locktite, though) -Specialized now offers a Steel replacement hanger, which they say won’t bend- or break -which negates the advantage of having it be replaceable! -I personnally think that the Headshock is one of the best on the mark -That sweet deep purple color Cannondale offers! Regrets: -Specialized geometry -Nothing else rides like M2
Response:
: I was looking to get a new bike this weekend and was trying to decide : between the M2 or the F700. The M2 has VP clipless pedals and the F700 : has the Onza pedals(which I would change if I got the F700). The : crankset on the M2 is LX and on the F700 it is CODA. Everything else is : basically the same. The X-RAY grip shift and XT rear derailer. Any help : would be appreciated. I, myself, have always been a Cannondale man. . . . The M2 is, by all reports, a killer bike. You could do a lot worse than to go with it. But you will not, under any circumstances, find a front suspension system that works better than the F700’s Headshok (I ride a DeltaV 700). You can turn it on. You can turn it off. On. Off. On. Off. I know, it sounds monotonous, but wait til you try it. You will really wonder how you got along without this simple function. I wouldn’t worry too much about the Onza pedals, but be very leary of the CODA brakes, if that’s what the F700 is coming with. The Force 40 system is very unreliable, in my experience. Shimano XT canti’s are a sure bet. Otherwise, the Cannon handles great, climbs great, steers in the direction you point it, pogos only when appropriate, and is faster than a first time blow job. Rides may end long before you want them to. But don’t worry, the bike doesn’t mind if you ride again . . . IMHO, of course. GravityCar.
Response:
>I was looking to get a new bike this weekend and was trying to decide >between the M2 or the F700. The M2 has VP clipless pedals and the F700 >has the Onza pedals(which I would change if I got the F700). The >crankset on the M2 is LX and on the F700 it is CODA. Everything else is >basically the same. The X-RAY grip shift and XT rear derailer. Any help >would be appreciated.
Get the M2. I’ve been riding an M2 for a year now. Very nice bike. You get the occasional swipe on here of frame failure but no one actually saying they’ve seen one in a while. ie. Specialized seem to have fixed the initial problem they had a number of years back when using a different grade of aluminium. On the other hand, I’ve personally seen two snapped Cannondales. One at the rear dropout (the fixed side not the replaceable bit) and the other cracked all the way up the head tube at the front (an M800). I’ve also head of two others cracking locally, one again at the head tube and the other having the bottom bracket tube separate from the frame. This is all from one shop where they’ve only sold 30 or so bikes. The guy with the snapped head tube had to send his frame off to Holland, who sent it off to the US to be returned as he sent it but with a letter saying it was his fault the headtube cracked. He was "just riding along" too. Canondales are in pretty short supply at the moment in the UK as dealers aren’t taking the risk with the bad rep they are getting this year. Shaun
Response:
: I was looking to get a new bike this weekend and was trying to decide : between the M2 or the F700. The M2 has VP clipless pedals and the F700 : has the Onza pedals(which I would change if I got the F700). The : crankset on the M2 is LX and on the F700 it is CODA. Everything else is : basically the same. The X-RAY grip shift and XT rear derailer. Any help : would be appreciated. From personal opinion, I would go with the M2. I’ve been riding Specialized for a good 6 years now and never had a frame-related problem. However, I have heard sketchy reports of frame fatigue on a couple of M2’s but I highly doubt that they are true. I own a 3 year old Stump comp with Manitous and the base, unsuspended M2 would definitely be my next ride. As for junking the Onza’s, why? The Onzas use a much simpler elastomer-loaded cage, which tends to get less clogged with mud than the spring-loaded vps. If I ever come across any money at all,(fat chance), I would get the Onzas and some Nikes, to upgrade my now shattered XTs. But I digress. Go for the M2, you’ll gain speed, style, and my envy. 
Rob Stevenson Vancouver B.C.
Response:
I was looking to get a new bike this weekend and was trying to decide between the M2 or the F700. The M2 has VP clipless pedals and the F700 has the Onza pedals(which I would change if I got the F700). The crankset on the M2 is LX and on the F700 it is CODA. Everything else is basically the same. The X-RAY grip shift and XT rear derailer. Any help would be appreciated.