Road Cycling - Lemond or Cannondale ? - opinions

I have been doing a great deal of reading on this site and have found it a wealth of information.

I am buying my first road bike in 15 years ( coming back from mountain biking) and am down to two bikes:

Lemond Buenos Aires size 59

Cannondale R800 size 60


I am in Canada and local shops do not have any bikes in my size so I am ordering a bike without riding it first,a definite no-no but this is my only option. If it does not fit the dealer says he will bring in another size.

I am 6'2.5" with a 35in inseam and 235lbs. Heavyweight with long arms/torso.

I was set on the Lemond Alp D'huez until I found out that in Canada the first steel bike is the B.A. which is a little more money than I wanted to spend. Lower Lemond models in Canada are now Asian Aluminum framed for cost.
The cannondales R800 looks good and is a little cheaper however I am concerned with the ride of aluminum versus steel. I hear the CAAD 5 frames are a definate improvement over the CAAD 3 frames. I rode a Giant OCR2 and did not like the frame feel , very stiff.

Any comments by riders familiar with either bike is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

HMMMmmm <ping!> no, hmmmmmmmmmmmm <rubs chin>, hmmmmmmmmmmm <Rubs chin harder and frowns> hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,

take the one that fits best. They'r both really awesome bikes, no really choose the one that fits the best.

I have a loonngg torso (I am about 5'11" and I buy pants with an inseam of 29"), and I have a Lemond BA. I LOVE it - it is sweet and smooth.

My wife has a Cannondale R300. While it is nice, I believe that, with same tires, the Lemond is smoother.

Get the Lemond Buenos Aires. I had one and wish I'd never sold it when I did. I recently picked up a Lemond Nevada City that I'm in the process of a ground up rebuild on.

Zack

Good luck with your new purchase. Here's what I have to offer after test riding bikes for the past two weeks (before I buy my first road bike.)

I'm 6'-0"with a 33" inseam and weigh 175lbs. I found that a 58cm Cannondale R800 was the best fit for me. I tried a 60 and it was too big. I rode one on Thursday for a little over 30 minutes -- not a long time, I know, but I did get an impression. I liked the bike, but it was a rougher ride than I expected. I liked the way it responded and I felt well in control, pedalling and shifting seemed smooth and efficient. A week earlier I rode a LeMond Buenos Aires at the Trek company store. I liked the feel of the ride, especially on rough pavement, but the reach to the handlebars seemed excessive. I tried moving the seat forward a bit and it was a little better, but not much. For me, the LeMond was too long. I felt too extended to be comfortable, even though the ride was smooth.

If I had to choose between them, I would have gone with the Cannondale. You need to remember that this is offered by someone who had been riding a hybrid for 3 seasons and doesn't even own a road bike yet!

Good luck with your purchase. Enjoy your rides!

Get the Cannondale! Why? Because I have one and think it's the best! Ok, I haven't riden a Lemond, but I am sure the Cannondale is better. The only thing I would be concered about is the wheel set. I am not sure what the recomended weight is for the reduced spoke wheels that come on the R800. I am 6 foot tall and ride a 56 cm frame and I weigh 170lbs. At first I was skeptical that the wheels would be stong enough,,,but they have been for the 400+ miles I have put on so far.

Thank you everyone for the comments.

I think I will be leaning towards the Lemond. I have a relatively long torso . The stock wheels have more spokes that the R800, and it sounds like the steel frame will provide the nicer ride.

Will the steel be too flexible for someone my weight (235#)? Any thoughts.

No. I am 240 and it is no problem. I have Lemond BA. Rides like a dream

Be SURE to have them relieve the tension on the spokes - or something like that. Very critical for long term life.

Should'n t releive the tension in the spokes till they've stretched a bit

Originally posted by TimB
Should'n t releive the tension in the spokes till they've stretched a bit

I've never heard that one before. They relieved mine when I purchased it 4 years ago, no problems since???

I got a BA used on e-bay, and found out the older BA's used 525 and feel a little heavier than the new ones. Menawhile last year's Nevada City used the 835, and this year's uses 520. Be careful to be sure what you are getting. The geometry is nice, but the threadless stem on the newer ones may limit what you can do to adjust the bike. I am starting to think I should have gone with the mercier corvus off the discountbike website. it is a 520 frame with 105 group for 795 including shipping. If you arent relying on a LBS, you might as well get a new one shipped at low price.

hi inniswhe,
i just bought a 2001 lemond alp d'huez (aeroluminum) and love it! this model was still made in the usa and came with 105's. i could have bought the current model $200 cheaper but the quality of workmanship was far better in the u.s made frame.i also had the chance to buy a 2nd hand lemond zurich with ultegra from the same shop which only had been rode for 600km for $800aus more. i compared the bikes side by side couldn't feel the difference in weight, even though the zurich being steel.both nice bikes, but the bank account won on the day.bummer.
as for the size, the lemond has a long top bar.i'm 6'2" 190lb -90kg, long arms and ride a 58" in the lemond but 60" in trek.
now for the ride. to me the alloy bike rides just fine but the guys in the shop ( CSC, one of sydney's finest) swear by the steel.

well good luck with your purchase,but remember unless you know exactly what you want in size and bike you are better off finding a good lbs to fit you properly

High Paddo63,

The sizing for the Aluminum Lemond's must be different than the steel ?

I am looking at ordering the 59cm B.A. , they are made in 59cm then 61cm.
The 59cm is 59cm c-c with a 59 cm top tube.
I am only 1/2" taller than you are. What size was the Zurich you looked at?
Do the aluminum models have the same Lemond geometry ?

Maillot jane and the zurich,pro series is all 853 and rest are select,853 and 525 mix.

As of 2003 the full steel lineup only applies to USA.

Europe , Canada , and it also sounds like Australia are using Aluminum of some lower models below the Buenos Aires. I suspect these frames are made in the same factories in Asia that Trek uses. Its too bad but the I am told the cost of Steel is what forced the change.

Originally posted by Gustav
Good luck with your new purchase. Here's what I have to offer after test riding bikes for the past two weeks (before I buy my first road bike.)

I'm 6'-0"with a 33" inseam and weigh 175lbs. I found that a 58cm Cannondale R800 was the best fit for me. I tried a 60 and it was too big. I rode one on Thursday for a little over 30 minutes -- not a long time, I know, but I did get an impression. I liked the bike, but it was a rougher ride than I expected. I liked the way it responded and I felt well in control, pedalling and shifting seemed smooth and efficient. A week earlier I rode a LeMond Buenos Aires at the Trek company store. I liked the feel of the ride, especially on rough pavement, but the reach to the handlebars seemed excessive. I tried moving the seat forward a bit and it was a little better, but not much. For me, the LeMond was too long. I felt too extended to be comfortable, even though the ride was smooth.

If I had to choose between them, I would have gone with the Cannondale. You need to remember that this is offered by someone who had been riding a hybrid for 3 seasons and doesn't even own a road bike yet!

Good luck with your purchase. Enjoy your rides!

my god, we're twins! I'm an inch taller, but same inseam, same weight. weird.

Anyway, i own the lemond alpe d'huez, and I really like it. nice ride, and nice components. I think that you will like the lemond.

I think, however, that it is a bad idea for you to mail order one of these bikes. they really are on opposite ends of the geometry spectrum, and I think taht you really need to ride these bikes before buying.

Originally posted by DnvrFox
I've never heard that one before. They relieved mine when I purchased it 4 years ago, no problems since???


It's always good practise to allow the spokes to 'bed' in ie creep before you relieve the tension.
According to my wheel builder this makes the spokes tougher and they'll last longer. So he laces the wheel to just under max tension and then I ride them for about a month, by which time they've strecthed and then he relieves the tension.
The spokes are hen re tentioned to my likes which is quite high. but the spokes don't stretch anymre and th whl stays true for a long time. I have a set of wheels in my garage which have only been true once in 10yrs!!

LeMond, hands down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ride With Greg
Pat

I had a similar debate when I bought my bike. I ended up with a LeMond Zurich, why? I have a long torso, and felt more comfortable on the LeMond!

Go with LeMond!

What is the future for Cannondale? Didnt they just down size and drop a bunch of dealers? There are only a couple dealers left in Kansas City now.

On the same note, I saw a couple Schwinn's in Walmart yesterday. How sad is that?

Cannondale wouldnt drop anybody.Its the other way around.

hi inniswhe,
lemond made 2 aeroluminium bikes in 2001, the"chambery " and the "alp d'huez these were available on the u.s market.
as for the zurich it was 59" the geometry was the same.the top bar on the zurich measured 1/2" longer the d'huez
i hope this helps
paddo

What is the future for Cannondale?
Their future is just fine. The bicycle division has resumed normal operations.

MSD

That's cool. You hate to see a great company like that struggle. They make alot of nice bikes.

Blame the loser motorcycles.

Is that what has caused their financial problems?

Yes, it was the motorcycle division. From what I've read before, they made excellent dirt bikes and ATV's. I guess they just had trouble selling them in a market that's dominated by the 4 big Japanese companies.

MSD

Thanks for everyones input. I ordered the 59cm Lemond B.A. I will let you all know how the ride/fit is when it arrives. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

6' 2.5" and a 34 inch inseam here .. just bought a Lemond Victoire leftover 2002 in 59 cm (at cost - stole it) ... LOVE it!

Hello All ,

Lemond B.A. arrived thursday, I took it for the first decent ride yesterday, 40km and liked it very much . The ride was much smoother than the Giant Aluminum I tried, and shifting was great. Stretched out feel like I was looking for.

The size seems correct however I think I will probably need to change the stem. The up position is too high and makes the cockpit too short, The down position is pretty nice but a little too low putting stress on my lower back. At 20 degrees the stem seems a little extreme, I think my 5 degree MTB stem may be the answer. I am trying tomorrow.

The only complaint I have is with the QC from Lemond. Both tires were flat within hours from improperly installed tubes, and the shifters are not installed level. My LBS corrected the tubes and will correct the shifters but it is too bad these sort of little issues exist for such a nice bike.

Thanks again for everyones input.

Originally posted by inniswhe
The size seems correct however I think I will probably need to change the stem. The up position is too high and makes the cockpit too short, The down position is pretty nice but a little too low putting stress on my lower back. At 20 degrees the stem seems a little extreme, I think my 5 degree MTB stem may be the answer. I am trying tomorrow. A mountain stem may break a road handlebar because the mountain stem has a smaller diameter clamp than the road bar's diameter.