Cannondale R3000 as crit bike

Art M said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent
bike for crits?

I'll be buying from the LBS that sponsors my team. I can get a
discount on some of the bikes including that one. They also carry
Litespeed, Giant, Specialized (just frames in the latter?)... They
offer a good team discount on an all aluminum S-works frame w/ carbon

Take a good look at the ride on the Specialized Roubaix.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Art M said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
crits?

There's a reason you more Cannondales than just
about anything else at crits.

--
Scott Johnson / scottjohnson at kc dot rr dot com

Top Sirloin said:

Art M said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
crits?

There's a reason you more Cannondales than just
about anything else at crits.

Dear Medium-Rare,

Price? Marketing? Attractive colors? Xenophobia?
Hypo-allergenic seats? Creeping Keirin certification?
Available spare parts? War-surplus discounts? Free training
wheels? Aerodynamic decals?

That is, what do you think is the reason? I can guess that
the verb missing between "you" and "more" was "see," but I
have no idea what advantages you have in mind.

Curiously,

Carl Fogel

In article <[email hidden]>,

Art M said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
crits?

I'll be buying from the LBS that sponsors my team. I can get a discount on
some of the bikes including that one. They also carry Litespeed, Giant,
Specialized (just frames in the latter?)... They offer a good team discount
on an all aluminum S-works frame w/ carbon fork, but to build it up (my old
clunker is 7 spd) would probably cost more than the Cdale.

Any bike that fits and you don't mind crashing is good for crits.
Pick fit over any other factor.

--Paul

I hate being on either end of a sales pitch. I like to hear all my options,
but the owner of the bike shop almost made it seam like the cdale was the
only option. Thanks for all the comments received thus far.
--Art

"Art M" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
crits?

I'll be buying from the LBS that sponsors my team. I can get a discount on
some of the bikes including that one. They also carry Litespeed, Giant,
Specialized (just frames in the latter?)... They offer a good team

discount

Quoted message said:

on an all aluminum S-works frame w/ carbon fork, but to build it up (my

old

Quoted message said:

clunker is 7 spd) would probably cost more than the Cdale.

Thanks,
--Art

Art M said:

I hate being on either end of a sales pitch. I like to hear all my
options, but the owner of the bike shop almost made it seam like the
cdale was the only option. Thanks for all the comments received thus
far. --Art

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

--

(patch70) said:

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

These assertions haven't been borne out by my experience with Cannondale's
products (my first one lasted 11 years before *barely* losing an argument
with an Oldsmobile, and my second has made it 6 years so far). That said,
I haven't been racing crits with them - so maybe going around in circles
really fast and crashing repeatedly wears them out. (Not that I could
imagine crashing repeatedly being good for ANY bike... 😉

I'll admit, though, that neither of mine is a 3000-level bike (my first
was a -500 and my current one is a -800), so perhaps my cheaper, heavier
frames have also been sturdier. I've had *other* stuff replaced, like
spokes and a cracked axle - I'm not going out of my way to be gentle on
things - but the frames have held up.

--
Dan Birchall, Hilo HI - http://dan.birchalls.net/ - images, words, technology

Dan Birchall said:

so perhaps my cheaper, heavier frames have also been sturdier.

Definitely the cheaper frames are sturdier as you say. The superlight
ones even say on their warranty that they are only good for one - two
seasons of racing. Plus, have a look at a cross section of a piece of
CAAD7 tubing. It is like aluminium foil.

--

patch70 said:

Dan Birchall wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so perhaps my cheaper, heavier frames have also been sturdier.

Quoted message said:

Definitely the cheaper frames are sturdier as you say. The superlight
ones even say on their warranty that they are only good for one - two
seasons of racing. Plus, have a look at a cross section of a piece of
CAAD7 tubing. It is like aluminium foil.

They may actually be quite strong, and even fatigue-resistant, but I'd be afraid
of damage with tubing that thin. Knock the bike over or throw it carelessly in
a SAG vehicle, and it could be done for.

Matt O.

patch70 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Art M said:

I hate being on either end of a sales pitch. I like to hear all my
options, but the owner of the bike shop almost made it seam like the
cdale was the only option. Thanks for all the comments received thus
far. --Art

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

It has a lifetime warranty for defective labor and craftmanship and I
have personally witnessed many last 8, 9 years racing.

DO you have any facts supporting this claim?

patch70 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Dan Birchall said:

so perhaps my cheaper, heavier frames have also been sturdier.

Definitely the cheaper frames are sturdier as you say. The superlight
ones even say on their warranty that they are only good for one - two
seasons of racing. Plus, have a look at a cross section of a piece of
CAAD7 tubing. It is like aluminium foil.

Where in the warranty does it say this about the CAAD7???

Any bike if you wreck it will take abuse regardless of whether the
bike is made of carbon, aluminum or whatever.

In the past, cannondale's bikes where known to crack and fail,
but that was 4 or 5 years ago, not today. The CAAD7 is no where
near as thin as the Bianchi AL tubing.

patch70 said:

Art M said:

I hate being on either end of a sales pitch. I like to hear all my
options, but the owner of the bike shop almost made it seam like the
cdale was the only option. Thanks for all the comments received thus
far. --Art

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

I've put 10,000 miles on a CAAD3 road from from 1995, including 2
crashes.

You might want to try not making sweeping generalities without some
kind of actual data.

Michael

Quoted message said:

Top Sirloin said:

Art M said:

Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
crits?

There's a reason you more Cannondales than just
about anything else at crits.

Dear Medium-Rare,

Price? Marketing? Attractive colors? Xenophobia?
Hypo-allergenic seats? Creeping Keirin certification?
Available spare parts? War-surplus discounts? Free training
wheels? Aerodynamic decals?

That is, what do you think is the reason? I can guess that
the verb missing between "you" and "more" was "see," but I
have no idea what advantages you have in mind.

Geometry. Stiffness.

--
Scott Johnson / scottjohnson at kc dot rr dot com

"patch70" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

I wonder where you get your information and why you would say something that
is not true. Below is the actual warranty from the Cannondale website.

"FRAMES: Cannondale frames (except 2004 freeride, see below) are warranted
by Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, 16 Trowbridge Drive, Bethel, CT 06801
against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for the
lifetime of the original owner."

"RWM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"patch70" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The Cannondale is not a bike that is built to last. If you are happy to
replace it in a season or two, fine. However, if you were planning on
riding this bike for more than 3 years, I'd look more at those
Litespeeds & Specializeds they have.

I wonder where you get your information and why you would say something that
is not true. Below is the actual warranty from the Cannondale website.

"FRAMES: Cannondale frames (except 2004 freeride, see below) are warranted
by Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, 16 Trowbridge Drive, Bethel, CT 06801
against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for the
lifetime of the original owner."

So, regardless of who owns the frame now, the frame is warranted as long as the
original owner is still alive?
--

-- M.

(Mark South) said:

"RWM" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"FRAMES: Cannondale frames (except 2004 freeride, see below) are warranted
by Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, 16 Trowbridge Drive, Bethel, CT 06801
against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for the
lifetime of the original owner."

So, regardless of who owns the frame now, the frame is warranted as
long as the original owner is still alive?

My 5-year-old just wouldn't understand if I bought her a 52cm road frame..

--
Dan Birchall, Hilo HI - http://dan.birchalls.net/ - images, words, technology

Top Sirloin said:

Quoted message said:

Top Sirloin said:

Art M wrote:

>Any advice on whether a Cannondale R3000 (Shim DA 10) is a decent bike for
>crits?

There's a reason you more Cannondales than just
about anything else at crits.

Dear Medium-Rare,

Price? Marketing? Attractive colors? Xenophobia?
Hypo-allergenic seats? Creeping Keirin certification?
Available spare parts? War-surplus discounts? Free training
wheels? Aerodynamic decals?

That is, what do you think is the reason? I can guess that
the verb missing between "you" and "more" was "see," but I
have no idea what advantages you have in mind.

Geometry. Stiffness.

Dear Art,

Aha!

What kind of geometry do Cannondales have that the other
bikes lack? I'm assuming (possibly mistakenly) that you mean
handling geometry, not the seat-post x handlebar position
geometry.

That is, do Cannondales have a different rear triangle, a
different front fork and head-tube angle, or what? How does
the geometry help the crit rider? Smoother ride? More
stable? Quicker maneuvering?

I'm just curious, since I have no idea what kind of handling
or ride characteristics would be popular with crit riders.

Thanks,

Carl Fogel

Marc[/i]
Where in the warranty does it say this about the CAAD7???[/QUOTE]

From the Cannondale website:

http://www.cannondale.com/dt_queries/manuals/0115936.pdf

Optimo and CAAD7 bikes are designed to be today's ultimate lightweight road racing frames. You must understand that Optimo
and CAAD7 bike are intended to give an aggressive racer a competitive edge for a season or two of racing. A less aggressive rider will enjoy longer frame life.
Please understand that you are choosing light weight and a shorter frame life over more weight and a longer frame life. Please understand that you are choosing light weight over more dent resistant or rugged frames that weigh more. All frames that are very light need frequent inspection for cracks that would indicate that the frame is worn out from fatigue.
Optimo and CAAD7 frames are designed to ride, race and win on the road. They are not designed to take abuse or be a rugged
workhorse. Do not install a rack, panniers and go touring! Do not ride cyclocross or off road!

If you need more evidence, go to a bike shop and ask if they have any cross sections of Cannondale tubing...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Michael Press
I've put 10,000 miles on a CAAD3 road from from 1995,
including 2 crashes.

CAAD3, surprising as it may be to you, is not CAAD7. Have a close look at the 3 and the 7. They are different.

QUOTEiOriginally posted by Marc said:

It has a lifetime warranty for defective labor and craftmanship and I
have personally witnessed many last 8, 9 years racing.

Given that the CAAD7's started shipping in January 2002 (according to
the Cannondale website, the fact that you have seen them last 9 years of
racing is really impressive. Can I borrow your time machine sometime?

--

patch70 said:

Marc[/i]
Where in the warranty does it say this about the CAAD7???

From the Cannondale website:

http://www.cannondale.com/dt_queries/manuals/0115936.pdf
[/quote]
<snip>

That is the manual not the warranty. No where does it say that it only
has a one year life expectancy. There is a lifetime warranty on the bike.
Obviously, ligher implies shorter life, however even a steel bohemoth of
a bike will have a shorter life span if ridden aggressively and raced in
crits.

Quoted message said:

QUOTEiOriginally posted by Marc said:

It has a lifetime warranty for defective labor and craftmanship and I
have personally witnessed many last 8, 9 years racing.

Given that the CAAD7's started shipping in January 2002 (according to
the Cannondale website, the fact that you have seen them last 9 years of
racing is really impressive. Can I borrow your time machine sometime?

I was speaking for Cannondale frames in general not the CAAD7.