Now-Identified Cannondale - 92/93 crossover M500

Cannondale did run one inch headsets on their entry level bikes up to about 96/97. This ones not that age though, wrong dropouts

As Retrobike wrote to you, go to www.vintagegannondale.com…
Look the serial number under the bottom bracket and see [/url=http://www.vintagecannondale.com/info.html]there. It's the better solution to know ... was altus group on the cheaper cannondale…

i've had a good look through vintagecannondale and couldnt find an exact match - there are a couple of catalogues missing though

92's have integrated seat collars - this uses a discrete wrap-round collar

i also cant find the serial number in any of the locations noted on VC. i wasn't that surprised since given where i got it, it's probably been stolen at least once in its life, although i cant find any appropriate paint damage for that either.

What are the chances that it may have had the serial number removed, a respray, and just Cannondale decals stuck on?

this idea is sounding increasingly like something that might well be the case. any bike that winds up going through a police auction is bound to have had some chequered history.

the paint, whilst a very nice colour, doesnt seem to be the kind of thing cannondale did at that time - it's a very shiny metallic red, and at that time, cannondale's thing seemed to be flat colours and two-tones.

i'm going to pull some bits off her and look for more evidence this evening

for those still interested - i found a few spots where the red paint is thin, and there's a decided hint of purple showing through, leading me to the feeling that it's a 1993 M500. the bits i pulled off are more like 1992 m500 bits though, so maybe it's some kind of freaky year-end or year-beginning frankenstein

decided it's time to dig this one up and make a long term project of her. budget is tight, so i've decided to go for the "real BITD" look

beautiful as many of the bikes are on here, i cant help but feel they skew views of the past with their ringley XTR'ed loveliness. hence this one is getting none of that.

current thoughts are for a respray into black, gold decals, possibly a chunkier fork

front wheel is staying, WTB greaseguard on Mavic 220, as are the cranks, which're just painted up shimanos (BITD, everyone i knew was painting parts to create an illusion of pimpy where there was none). nothing else is safe - the intention is for a DX build since it's workhorse-but-decent kit

the fate of the v-brakes is yet to be decided - i'm split between dia-compe cantis with force 40, a set of maguras or keeping the v's.

it's all a bit moot, since i'm completely skint at the mo, but i like to plan