question for CAAD 9 owners

jrstevens said:

I'm considering a CAAD 9 frame but recall seeing in the past that Cannondale advises that their CAAD series Alu frames only last for 1-2 seasons of racing. Is this true with the CAAD 9? Does the paperwork that comes with the bike explicitly state this. I buy a new bike pretty much yearly but I'd like to get a decent return on it but obviously if I race it the frame is worth less. TIA,

JS

I think it is just a standard disclaimer to cover the obvious hardships road racing will have on a high performance piece of equipment. Normal recreational riding reduces this risk and is reflected in their disclaimer.

I have owned a number of caad frames and had two replaced straight away by cannondale when defects became apparent.

jrstevens said:

I'm considering a CAAD 9 frame but recall seeing in the past that Cannondale advises that their CAAD series Alu frames only last for 1-2 seasons of racing. Is this true with the CAAD 9? Does the paperwork that comes with the bike explicitly state this. I buy a new bike pretty much yearly but I'd like to get a decent return on it but obviously if I race it the frame is worth less. TIA,

JS

I have a CAAD9 and I believe the manual supplied with the bike does say something about a 2 year racing life for the frame.

Here's another question - does Cannondale provide the same advice about their six13 and system six frames?

Why does racing reduce the life of a frame? Why is a race sooo much worse than a fast training ride?
Crashes? Getting hit by a car is probably just as bad as getting collected coming out of a corner in a crit.
Sprinting? Like nobody does sprint practice or hill sprints trying to make thier buddies suffer!

I think its just warrenty dodging.

Phill P said:

Why does racing reduce the life of a frame? Why is a race sooo much worse than a fast training ride?
Crashes? Getting hit by a car is probably just as bad as getting collected coming out of a corner in a crit.
Sprinting? Like nobody does sprint practice or hill sprints trying to make thier buddies suffer!

I think its just warrenty dodging.

Racing isn't the issue; these bikes are made to race. But since warranties (at least those from the major brands) don't cover fatigue or wearout anyway, there's nothing to "dodge". C'dale, Trek et al don't care if you race or not.... unless the failure is due to a defect in materials or manufacturing, it's not covered.

Believe the reason C'dale highlights racers in their "warning notice" is because racers are the ones that break frames from fatigue since they tend to ride harder and longer than the rest of us. Despite what the LBS salesman says about "lifetime" 1000 gram frames, C'dale is being honest and upfront....have to commend them for that.

Crashing of course isn't covered by warranty. No road frame is made to crash. Doesn't matter if you crash while racing or get hit by the car; it's not covered.