1999 Cannondale CAAD2 Monsterroad conversion

[Osella]

:idea: I picked this up locally to use as a commuter-type (it already was). Nice large-size frame fine for the road. Paid £70 which honestly is a bit overpriced but hey.. it was just around the corner!
Took it for a test ride and was amazed at how well it rode considering it's age and it'd been languishing in a shed for 3 or so years.. I had no idea Gripshift could be accurate and crisp!

Of course, the first thing after a couple of miles of test ride was to clean it up & then strip it back to the frame & decide what to keep..
Rebuild still in progress, but pics say 1000 words, so:

The paint is in VERY good condition in the main - but as seems common with these Cannondales, the places where it's bad, it's VERY badly flaked/bubbled.

 

[Osella]

Re:

The flaking on the front hub is pretty bad, but can be repaired with some Blackfriars..
Mechanically the BB, drivetrain etc was coated in road grime, but all nicely functional.

 

[Osella]

Re:

And so: After a wash & brush-up!

 

[456_rich]

Re: 2000 Cannondale CAAD2

Is that not a 1997 its certainly pre-2000
http://vintagecannondale.com/info/serial_numbers/

 

[Osella]

Re:

Well, this is the thing.... I looked through the catalogues and it seems as though (obviously!) the frame type was in use from 95-2000 with few if any changes but I could only find it in the Y2K catalogue in this particulour colour. This IS odd as it's got the older 96-99 logo (which helped to narrow it down!) and a KD serial indicating the frame was made in '99.

It also has an odd mix of kit on it that's not any catalogue-spec either (the Coda wheels are a mystery as I can't find these in the catalogues on any CAAD2-framed models I found when trying to age the bike) which didn't really help!
I assumed from the look of it that it was older as well - but I didn't buy it for its vintage per se, so no disappointment! (apart from the weight of the forks, which are chronic!)

 

[Osella]

Re:

And so an update..

There was a reason I bought this; to commute on; but it was never going to stay in that state.

Paint chips were touched-in, and lacquered; paint was t-cut and polished.
Headset dismantled; bearings popped out of cages and the rust cleaned off; then re-assembled with the steel cups cleaned up & repainted.

Then I replaced everything else apart from the seatclamp QR and skewers..

New brakes were one requirement - to fit the STX-RC levers I already had. Nice (& cheap..) Pauls Motolite copies. Quite nice & easy to set up.

Forks were Cannondale Fattys I took off another bike to get the front end nice & low.
Wheels (for the look) I decided on deep section rims, and found some very nice-looking Pianni rims built by Pete Matthews onto some Hope Ti hubs. 8Speed 11-30 cassette.

The wheels are, of course in the process of destroying themselves everytime I ride and will at some point be up for sale as spare parts once the cracked flanges have properly broken.. :facepalm:

 

[Osella]

Re:

As a commuter; it doesn't need tough wheels as such however; and has a road-inspired drivetrain with 50-36 chainring and shiny Ultegra rear-mech goodness. (also, peanuts.. if you need a decent, used rear mech, Ultegra long-cage can be found pretty cheap! Also more common now road wheels are all going 10-11 speed as well). Original STX-RX front mech seems quite happy with 50T too..

 

[Osella]

Re:

Front-end is total 'Monster-road' conversion.. :twisted:
Just like a Monster-Cross, but tarmac-orientated.

Wheel rims were squeaky and tarnished, but a but of wet&dry and Autosol and they cleaned up & polished very nicely - and are now quiet.

STX-RC brake levers on flat bars are good in traffic, the short levers give a lot of easy control.
I'm not a head-down road-race style rider, my back just can't take it; so a nice higher bar was one thing achieved by an angled stem.
I also wanted the full road look and drop options however, but drop bars at the angles I was looking for, plus shifters etc in 23mm, and the cost was, umm...ridiculous! Far easier to cut down some Sunline V1 bars to 500mm instead!

So thirty quid later, a set of drop-bar ends and Pedros Radial Grips and front setup was ready to go..
Another couple of quid for some flexible cable noodles and some neatened cable routing and Monster-road was ready.

Shifters are two Shimano cheap-as friction shifters mounted in the usual brake position.
As they are band-on mounts, fitting them to the drop-ends is no problem. Left shifter throws forward/back for up/down on the front mech. Right shifter throws left>right to change the 8 rear gears, all with easy reach from the bars or from the drops.
I can also brake from the bar tops (where hoods would be) or in an emergency from the drops.

Bars are 400mm c-c, with a nice curved drop to hold, all cushioned by grippy Pedros grips!
Later on I treated it to a nice Vela leather Saddle for the princely sum of £12.75 (Planet-X sale) Very comfortable & can be properly treated with saddle soap to keep it in good condition.

Tyres were Schwalbe Kojak full slicks, but 2" wasn't quite right at high pressures; so invested in some Geax Tattoo Light 26x2.3 which accelerate very quickly and have great grip in the wet - useful on the deathtrap of a polished concrete carpark at work.. Also gives it the right aesthetic look..

 

[Osella]

Re:

And so: Monster Road