1991 Cannondale SM800.. finally complete, no more tinkerin'!

Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [more pics]

chiswickcollectables":3lia593j said:
I was thinking of ditching it for a Turbo or I might keep it until a minty Vetta Gel comes up..
original was a vetta ;)

 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [more pics]

Looks great, nice to see it clean and almost rebuild, and I hope you can soon make it dirty again.
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [more pics]

Over the past few days I'm being doing bits on the Cannondale. This mornings job was to set up the cantis (a job that I always leave 'til last) and make sure everything was ready for its test ride. I also had a few other jobs do to but by 3pm it was ready for a blast around the Park.

And after 15 miles its still in one piece.. no crack'unfails yet, but my back it hurting a teeny-weeny bit so at some point soon I need to raise the stem. Other than the dodgy back it felt awesome to ride. Super stiff and nimble (stiffer than my Attitude) and easy to point and shoot. Things were getting a lil' cramped in the leg department so I had to raise the post after a couple of miles to compensate for the 1.5 inch higher BB.

On the maiden voyage I always take it a bit steady in case of any problems but by the second half of the ride I was confidently hammering it! I'm almost certainly going to use it at Mayhem this year which should be fun :cool:

Spec-wise... I'm not sure about the saddle so might sell it. I've ordered a new Avocet Gelflex that's on its way so I'll make a decision when it arrives.... other than that components are exactly as I want them. I've purposely kept the LX front and rear meches so there's a least some catalogue spec on there but the crank, BB, chain, shifter/levers are all XT. I've also found some nice chunky 2mm XT brake cable and a set of lovely SLR outers which I vividly remember from BITD. Brakeset is also non-standard but the Ritcheys were to hand and they do a very good job of stopping. I'm really pleased with the Mavic rims and I was in two minds whether or not I should use them and mess up the sidewalls... but I guess if I don't use them now they'll just sit rotting in the garage. The total package including pedals weighs in at a very respectable 24.88lbs... nice!

I'm over the moon with the Beast ... and I've taken the decision to leave the collection as it is for now :). I have this (the bike I rode BITD), my Klein (the bike I lusted after BITD) and a Muddy Fox (my first 'proper' ATB) all of which will probably stay with me forever. The only other RB I'd really like to own is an Overburys (before seeing maksters in the flesh on an IOW ride I'd pretty much forgotten about them.. which is a crime as I lived in Bristol during their heyday).... but I have limited time and space so an Overburys isn't gonna happen anytime soon.

So the spec as it stands:

Frame: 3.0 Series Beast of the East 20"
Fork: Pepperoni

Headset: Tange Seiki
Stem & Bars: Tioga Tange Prestige
Grips: ODI Attack

Brakes: Ritchey Logic
Brake Blocks: Dia Compe
Brake Cables: Shimano XT 2mm
Shifters/Levers: Shimano XT M092 STI SLR
Front Derailleur: Shimano LX M550
Rear Derailleur: Shimano LX M550
Gear Cables: Shimano XT
Cassette: Sachs
Chain: Shimano HG90
Cranks: Shimano XT M730 180mm
Crank Bolts: SRP
Chainrings: Shimano SG
Chainring Bolts: Shimano
Bottom Bracket: Shimano XT

Pedals: Tioga Surefoot VI
Toe-Clips: Zefal
Toe-Straps: Mt. Christophe

Hub Skewers: Halo
Rims: Mavic M231 CD
Hubs: Ringle
Tyres: Panaracer Duster Pro 1.95
Tubes: Michelin

Saddle: Flite Ti
Seatpost: Kalloy 400 x 27.2
Seatpost Binder: Shimano XT



And piccies on the ride....

























































Thanks for looking :cool:
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [Test Ride Today]

Good that you like the bike as much as I did (and still do), and have given it new life.
Keep on hammering the bike (that I still do with mine) , that's what they are built for .
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [Test Ride Today]

Looks an amazing job - purple hubs work well. That jacket must have been bought with those immortal words "You'll grow into it" :LOL:
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. My Unicorn! [Test Ride Today]

I thought I'd finished this weeks ago but I've made a few tweaks and finally its exactly how I want it. I've down-graded the shifters to DX, put silver M231 rims on it with XT hubs, Smokes front and rear, Tioga grips, M525 pedals, Vetta saddle and a cute lil' short cage LX mech, oh and there were some M735 front derailleurs going cheap on the bay. It hasn't been out much lately but it will be my choice of ride for the Surrey meet in a couple of weeks :cool:

















Thanks for looking :cool:

Craig
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. finally complete, no more tinker

Looks great man, I would say keep the ringle hubs, but I think the XT hubs fit the look of the bike better. DX is good kit. Ride it hard!
 
Re: 1991 Cannondale SM800.. finally complete, no more tinker

Looks great :cool: you certainly know how to clean a bike well as it was filthy on the that IOW ride ...

That LX rear is very cute, has it had surgery ;)
 
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