my quest for a decent bike

GO FORTH !

Nate Nagel said:

going to look at a used Cannondale cross bike, '05 model tomorrow
evening if everything works out.  That sounds a little more like what I
should have been looking at all along.  only question is whether the
frame size is right or not - owner is about an inch shorter than I am.
We'll see.  wish me luck...

Check the spoke/rim interface on the wheels (if it has the absurd
stock "Gipiemme" wheels) for cracking.

landotter said:

Nate Nagel said:

going to look at a used Cannondale cross bike, '05 model tomorrow
evening if everything works out. That sounds a little more like what I
should have been looking at all along. only question is whether the
frame size is right or not - owner is about an inch shorter than I am.
We'll see. wish me luck...

Check the spoke/rim interface on the wheels (if it has the absurd
stock "Gipiemme" wheels) for cracking.

Thanks for the tip. I know the guy said he'd changed some components
but I don't know which ones. I will definitely have a look there though.

What's absurd about the wheels? I'd never even heard of them before I
looked the bike up on Cannondale's web site. Anything else I ought to
be watching for that's non-obvious?

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Nate Nagel said:

landotter said:

On Apr 13, 6:02 pm, Nate Nagel <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

going to look at a used Cannondale cross bike, '05 model tomorrow
evening if everything works out.  That sounds a little more like what I
should have been looking at all along.  only question is whether the
frame size is right or not - owner is about an inch shorter than I am.
We'll see.  wish me luck...

Quoted message said:

Check the spoke/rim interface on the wheels (if it has the absurd
stock "Gipiemme" wheels) for cracking.

Thanks for the tip.  I know the guy said he'd changed some components
but I don't know which ones.  I will definitely have a look there though..

What's absurd about the wheels?  I'd never even heard of them before I
looked the bike up on Cannondale's web site.  Anything else I ought to
be watching for that's non-obvious?

The wheels are very hard to true because of the tight clearances
introduced by the "artsy" spoke and drilling pattern. Mind, they
should stay pretty true, because to tolerate such lacing, the rims are
very stout. That said, if you like the bike, that shouldn't be a deal
breaker--if you ever tire of the wheels you should be able to get some
very nice, light, and inexpensive Ultegra/Openpro wheels for about
$160 online as a drop in replacement--and lose a couple pounds in the
swap.

landotter said:

Nate Nagel said:

landotter said:

On Apr 13, 6:02 pm, Nate Nagel <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

>going to look at a used Cannondale cross bike, '05 model tomorrow
>evening if everything works out. That sounds a little more like what I
>should have been looking at all along. only question is whether the
>frame size is right or not - owner is about an inch shorter than I am.
>We'll see. wish me luck...

Quoted message said:

Check the spoke/rim interface on the wheels (if it has the absurd
stock "Gipiemme" wheels) for cracking.

Thanks for the tip. I know the guy said he'd changed some components
but I don't know which ones. I will definitely have a look there though.

What's absurd about the wheels? I'd never even heard of them before I
looked the bike up on Cannondale's web site. Anything else I ought to
be watching for that's non-obvious?

The wheels are very hard to true because of the tight clearances
introduced by the "artsy" spoke and drilling pattern. Mind, they
should stay pretty true, because to tolerate such lacing, the rims are
very stout. That said, if you like the bike, that shouldn't be a deal
breaker--if you ever tire of the wheels you should be able to get some
very nice, light, and inexpensive Ultegra/Openpro wheels for about
$160 online as a drop in replacement--and lose a couple pounds in the
swap.

I see what you mean, now that I look again. The spoke pattern does look
cool but not very strong/resilient. I'm certainly not averse to
replacing them if they indeed are still on the bike.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel