Cannondale...

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I've been away from cycling for about eight years now.

Leg and time issues mostly. I've decided recently to get back into it. Not heavily....but just enough to enjoy a nice ride a few times a week at most. I've got some really nice paved bike trails very close to where I live. Any concerns about sharing the road with vehicles (I'm 100% DONE with that....too many crazies around here) won't be any issue at all.

I've always loved Cannonade bikes. Good quality frames and a nice ride. I know they generally place lower end components on them that wear out over time. That won't be a problem for me as I maintain stuff very well and won't be hard on the bike. I will probably upgrade in a year or two with better components if I think it's needed anyway.

Any cyclists out there ever ride one of these?:

http://www.cannondale.com/nam_en/2015/bikes/fitness-urban/urban/bad-boy/bad-boy-9

I love the minimalist look....beefy frame/fork....and flat black color.

I'll be using the bike for fitness and local touring. It looks to be comfortable...yet aggressive enough geometry to be sporty.

Anyway...just thought I'd ask if anybody has one...thanks!
 
Cannondale just isn't what it was before - a friend who just took over a bike shop that used to be a Cannondale dealer saw more warranty issues with them than the other bike lines his old shop dealt with. And I know of a racer who fatally cracked a CAAD10 in a criterium. Cannondale used to boast the fact their frames were made in the US - now they're made in the sane Chinese/Taiwanese plants like most other bikes are since Dorel bought them out. It looks like a decent bike but for the price but it's only an 8 speed with a entry-level group set.

For $60 less, here's a Specialized Sirrus Sport Disc with one more gear(and a better rear gear setup using a freehub instead of a heavier freewheel) and Tektro hydraulic brakes which are better than the mechanical Cannondale ones -
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/multi-use/sirrus/sirrus-sport-disc#features

This one might be a bit rich, but Jamis does make a pretty good bike - I think they're underrated and it's steel.
http://www.myjamis.com/SSP%20Application...;cat_grp=strt_2
 
Thanks...yes...still considering.

I really like the Trek 7.3FX as well.

I wasn't happy with the bike place I went to (REI). Pretty much scatter-brained help. I was ready to spend a lot of money...but when I found out that even if you buy a bike there, they offer ZERO discount on accessories. I walked out as soon as they said that.

Yes...the component group on the Bad Boy is on the lower end. I've always liked Cannonade frames though and except that. But...you are correct in that the quality may have dropped since they are made elsewhere now. That is a shame.

I'm actually not a fan of any of the newer brake systems. I like the older, lighter brakes on the rim. Not good for rain...but these days I don't do rain anymore.

Steel is slap not something I prefer. Always liked aluminum...with maybe a carbon fork.

At this point I am reconsidering the whole thing. I don't like giving my money to anybody that doesn't earn it. Seems like the local shops here get enough business that they don't need my cash. I'm old school....and expect to be treated as though my money was earned with great effort.

Walking and hiking costs little. I may just stick with that route. I've discovered as I age...stores and the general public just aren't geared (no pun intended) toward those over 50. I don't need them.
 
Andrew get a nice bike and you really don't need the bike shop at all. Maybe for the 30 day free tune-up. Just ride and don't look back.
 
Your best bet is to find some decent bike shops first. Someplace that doesn't turn over staff every 3 months. Then find a brand they carry that you like. Ride a couple first. It can be a pain in the neck, I've only got 2 good shops within 50 miles of me.

As far as accessories, that's where shops make their money. There isn't a ton of markup on a bike, profit has to come from somewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: Wheel
Your best bet is to find some decent bike shops first. Someplace that doesn't turn over staff every 3 months. Then find a brand they carry that you like. Ride a couple first. It can be a pain in the neck, I've only got 2 good shops within 50 miles of me.

As far as accessories, that's where shops make their money. There isn't a ton of markup on a bike, profit has to come from somewhere.

And service as well. I know quite a few people in the bike trade myself and the margins are thin - and there is a lot of competition in some areas like Seattle, Portland, Oakland/San Francisco and in college towns. Find a shop you like and stick with them, tip the mechanics well and/or bring them beer/whiskey/pizza.

Personally, I'm not impressed by shops like REI or Performance. Some shops will cater to racers and triathletes, some will cater to the everyday rider and others to fixie riders. Find the shop that works for you.

And strangely enough, steel is making a comeback - Jamis is probably one of the few "mainstream" bike brands that offers steel frames - mostly in Reynolds 520/631 and Surly is all steel but heavier 4130 cro-moly. A lot of artisan bike makers make their frames in Reynolds 853/TrueTemper OX/Columbus S3 tubing and can rival a carbon frame in weight and ride quality. I've got a steel Jamis Quest Elite being built up as we speak.
 
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Am I the only one who has never tipped a bike tech? I always do my own work but when something is within warranty I let them deal with it.
 
I have had 2 C'Dales and have been happy with them.
My current Dale is a 2013 F29 2. I actually very much love it.
My previous Dale was a 2009 Rize4 140 and it was pretty much problem free as well, but even though these 2 bikes are different, I really do like my F29 more. (hardtail, 29s, lefty) The new replacement of the F29 is supposed to be even better. I will have to look into that one next season.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
Cannondale just isn't what it was before - a friend who just took over a bike shop that used to be a Cannondale dealer saw more warranty issues with them than the other bike lines his old shop dealt with. And I know of a racer who fatally cracked a CAAD10 in a criterium. Cannondale used to boast the fact their frames were made in the US - now they're made in the sane Chinese/Taiwanese plants like most other bikes are since Dorel bought them out. It looks like a decent bike but for the price but it's only an 8 speed with a entry-level group set.


I have one of those original Cannondales with the Made in USA frame.

A 1993 M1000 in pristine condition. It lives in a spare bedroom.
 
I've got 3 made in the USA Cannondales - a 1988 SC500 (criterium geometry) with their first aluminum bonded forks. An old school 1989 M600 with good old SunTour XCE, its the only one I'd call heavy. The last one I just picked up - a NOS 2009 CAAD9 that I'm building up slowly, one of the last built here.

I've lost track of the miles on the 88, probably 40-50k, but I think it will outlive my 01 DeRosa.

I can't gripe about their durability. I've only seen one that was likely related to manufacturing, a very pretty team Crest in 89. The others were toasted by wrecks or mishaps. Don't drop heavy stuff on a thin tube.
 
Cannondale tried their hand in motorcycles and quads and it sank the company. They were eventually purchased by Dorel (also owns Mongoose, GT, Schwinn, etc.) and production was all moved to Asia.

I used to work in the industry as a mechanic for 8 years and Cannondale was one of the products I regularly worked on. Their US made frames looked nice, but were nothing special. They used standard 6061-T6 aluminum and they sanded their welds so they looked smooth. If you cut open their frames you'd see the welds were [censored]. Klein made a similar looking frames in Chehalis, WA but the smooth welds were from a double pass technique that took some actual skill. Frankly US made Cannondale frames were overpriced for what you got and had a high failure rate (Crack-n-fail is what we called them in the industry). And don't even get me started on their headshok forks back then.

That said, I believe their quality has INCREASED since they moved their production to Asia. But they are nothing special above other Asia produced aluminum frames.
 
Originally Posted By: BikeWhisperer
Cannondale tried their hand in motorcycles and quads and it sank the company. They were eventually purchased by Dorel (also owns Mongoose, GT, Schwinn, etc.) and production was all moved to Asia.

I used to work in the industry as a mechanic for 8 years and Cannondale was one of the products I regularly worked on. Their US made frames looked nice, but were nothing special. They used standard 6061-T6 aluminum and they sanded their welds so they looked smooth. If you cut open their frames you'd see the welds were [censored]. Klein made a similar looking frames in Chehalis, WA but the smooth welds were from a double pass technique that took some actual skill. Frankly US made Cannondale frames were overpriced for what you got and had a high failure rate (Crack-n-fail is what we called them in the industry). And don't even get me started on their headshok forks back then.

That said, I believe their quality has INCREASED since they moved their production to Asia. But they are nothing special above other Asia produced aluminum frames.


Great post...some interesting comments. Thanks for that.

I figured that Klein was quality....I could not afford them back in the 90's though.

Trek has been a good bike purchases for me. I've owned a few and never had any frame or quality issues. Most of the models I'd purchased were above the $600 range and had good value per dollar in my opinion.

I got an email from the company I had the horrible purchasing experience at (REI). The manager of the store profusely apologized and told me the entire crew had a corrective action meeting from the dissatisfied email I'd sent them. So at least that was something positive to come out of it.
 
I'm on my second Cannondale. I bought A 2010 CAAD9 road bike and rode it for two years. I replaced it with a 2012 CAAD10. They just plain perform.
 
I have no idea on modern Cannondale but we have 3 made in the USA ones and are beyond happy with a M400(wife cira 1995) and my M800 (Beast of the East-circa 1994) and a Cannondale Jekyl with lefty fork(2000).

I heard the stuff went really down hill with them. Or maybe someone was making me feel better about my retro rides
smile.gif
 
I am happy with my F500 for a decade now. Lightweight, simple.
I would buy a good used bike rather than paying top dollar for Shanghai.
 
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