Cannondale CAAD 8 2005

I'm probably setting myself up to get flamed, but....

I had a CAAD7 for a couple of months, it came with an insert that said:

"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."

See entire document here:
http://www.cannondale.com/Asset/iu_files/0115936.pdf

This is a (not mine) CAAD7 after what looks like a bad crash. CAAD 8 is
lighter.

http://pardo.net/pardo/bike/pic/fail/FAIL-022.html

This may be fine for a sponsored racer that gets a new bike every year,
but I would look elsewhere if you are interested in durability and long
life.

-n

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm probably setting myself up to get flamed, but....

I had a CAAD7 for a couple of months, it came with an insert that said:

"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."

See entire document here:
http://www.cannondale.com/Asset/iu_files/0115936.pdf

This is a (not mine) CAAD7 after what looks like a bad crash. CAAD 8 is
lighter.

http://pardo.net/pardo/bike/pic/fail/FAIL-022.html

This may be fine for a sponsored racer that gets a new bike every year,
but I would look elsewhere if you are interested in durability and long
life.

That's odd because if you go to
http://www.cannondale.com/policies/bike_warr_policy2.html . They specifically
mention that their frames have a lifetime warranty. Oops, I kept reading the
warranty and then noticed the cop out clause.

# Damage resulting from normal wear and tear, including the results of
fatigue, is not covered. Fatigue damage is a symptom of the frame being worn
out through normal use. It is one kind of normal wear and tear, and it is the
owner’s responsibility to inspect his/her bicycle. See section 5. and D.

So basically what Cannondale can do is deny a claim and say your bike broke
because of fatigue.

After reading that, I would not buy a cannondale with any expectation of
getting more than a couple of years worth of riding out of it.
----------------
Alex

Amongst my group we call them "crack-and-fails"

-n

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

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm probably setting myself up to get flamed, but....

I had a CAAD7 for a couple of months, it came with an insert that said:

"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."

See entire document here:
http://www.cannondale.com/Asset/iu_files/0115936.pdf

This is a (not mine) CAAD7 after what looks like a bad crash. CAAD 8 is
lighter.

http://pardo.net/pardo/bike/pic/fail/FAIL-022.html

This may be fine for a sponsored racer that gets a new bike every year,
but I would look elsewhere if you are interested in durability and long
life.

That's odd because if you go to
http://www.cannondale.com/policies/bike_warr_policy2.html . They
specifically
mention that their frames have a lifetime warranty. Oops, I kept reading
the
warranty and then noticed the cop out clause.

# Damage resulting from normal wear and tear, including the results of
fatigue, is not covered. Fatigue damage is a symptom of the frame being
worn
out through normal use. It is one kind of normal wear and tear, and it is
the
owner's responsibility to inspect his/her bicycle. See section 5. and D.

So basically what Cannondale can do is deny a claim and say your bike
broke
because of fatigue.

After reading that, I would not buy a cannondale with any expectation of
getting more than a couple of years worth of riding out of it.
----------------
Alex

Well, I wouldn't buy a CAAD 7 or Optimo. I think a T2000 would be a safe
buy, though.