Track Cycling - cannondale track frames

Anyone ride one, or better yet the caad 5 built up bike? Please no ranting about aluminum vs steel, just opinions please from those who have something of value to say. Thanks :rolleyes:

We have one for sale in the shop, built. They're obviously not cheap entry-level bikes, its definitely quality stuff. I actually haven't taken it out for a ride, but I'll put it this way, there aren't really any crappy cannondales in the road line. Even the $550 (retail) R400's I've built and ridden have been great bikes, awesome for the money compared to things like the Giant OCR3 and the Trek 1000, IMO.
My boss has a Cannondale Track in his collection, and he says it's a great ride.
Sorry I can't offer you more 1st hand experience.
Are you building for the track or street?

Drop a line to jrowedc - he has a Major Taylor.

I rode Teadoggg's Cannondale this weekend, not bad. It's certainly stiff (but harsh) and quite light and responsive.

I also test rode a Major Taylor (red and silver/grey one) last year when a shop here was trying to get rid of one cheap. They offered it to me for $900 when the list is $1400. It was all Dura Ace track so it was a nice build and again, light and pretty responsive but not my cup of tea.

I'd imagine on the track it'd be a great bike for the reasons above but not for an everyday streettrack bike. I like my steel. ;)

i ordered a major taylor frame recently and was immediately disappointed when i saw it. it is drilled both front and rear, has two water bottle brazes, and really is just a road geometry frame with vertical drops.

the c-dale rep has graciously agreed to take the frame back and deal with it. good riddance.

nice paint job, though.

Msngr - do you know if Team Puma's frames are the same or are they custom-fit or more of a track geometry?

they are the same frames --not really track geometry. having said that, the puma bikes are sweet, with all dura ace components. i've had poblems wih dura ace hubs on the street (they are really made for the track and shimano will not replace track hubs ridden on the streets), but the puma guys have had no problems. and those guys ride hard.

Interesting.

I'm still holding out for a pair of the old high flange DA hubs -- I'm just not willing to pay $300 for them NOS.

I have a Cannondale Track and love it. It's a '93--the first year they were produced. Stiff? yeah...the downtube is about 2.5" in diameter:) jrowedc has one of the newer ones and I know he loves his as well.

i use DA high flange on the track, laced to glue-ons, of course, and they are awesome. get them if you can --what an advantage!

of course, mine are really owned by my awesome sponsor, CEYA. i really should start a thank you thread dedicated to CEYA. he has sponsored both myself and redmenace on the track with great bikes, greater advice, and even greater results. i held off because my digicam was on order and i wanted to do him justice. but the digicam thing just isn't happening. i'm going to borrow my GF's cam and start a thread ASAP.

really, CEYA deserves some recognition.

I have a Cannondale Track and love it. It's a '93--the first year they were produced. Stiff? yeah...the downtube is about 2.5" in diameter:)
those were great. my old shop in jersey has one for sale with full record components, but they are in jersey and no one buys fixies in jersey.

jersey represent....but as far as the d.a hubs.. i picked up a pair recently and holding them in your hand its easy to see why they arent street recomended.. but they sure are cool...they feel like two plastic spools...but theres a new set in burbank if anyone wants to drop the 300..theyve been there a while though.. maybe you could talk them down...sorry for the derail.. ive never ridden a cannondale track bike

my cannondale track is extreamly responsive, very stiff and fast fast fast.

harsh though, as Absenter pointed out. Harsh but worth it...

Yeah, I love mine. I don't ride it that much these days, because I'm busy loving my other bikes, but it's fun. Geometry-wise, it's slightly steeper than their road offerings, and has a pretty high BB for road geometry. Go look at Cannondale's bike archives if you doubt me. Actually, just go ride one, and forget about having the right kind of frame or geometry. If you really can't get past the braze-ons, then it's probably not right for you.

Edit--I think Msngr meant horizontal drops... And the D/A stuff is nice. I've got high- and low-flange D/A hubs, and I've used them with clincher and tubular rims on the street in all kinds of weather with no problems.

Anyone ride one, or better yet the caad 5 built up bike? Please no ranting about aluminum vs steel, just opinions please from those who have something of value to say. Thanks :rolleyes:
I have one of the Cannondale Caad 5's, for sale actually, frame and bb only though, and its a nice bike for the track, its super light and handles pretty good. I'm a sucker for steel though and i think for longer rides the steel feels better to me.

paul

Got the Cannondale. Not sure of the year but it looks like the graphics of the last couple model years with a few other things that don't make sense so maybe someone pieced it together. Light? Did you say light? After pushing around a Pista (love the Pista) for a couple years this thing is sweet, and the ride is no harsher, and it's got mounts for a water bottle for those long hot rides. :p