Road Cycling - To Build or Not To Build?

Hi Guys,

I have a quandry here....

My current road bike is a 1989 Cannondale CAD 2.0 (yes, it's so old that they didn't call them CAAD yet.) When I bought it, it had really cheap parts on it and slowly, over the years, I replaced every single part. It's now a mix of 105/Ultegra/Whatever and I like it, but it's starting to get a bit old and I'm thinking of a new bike.

I've looked at the pre-built Cannondales and I have been less than enthused about their component selections on the R900 and the R700.

I was thinking this time to buy all my components seperately so I can get exactly what I want (Connondale Frame, Rolf Wheels, Ultegra components, etc.) I found the cost to be not much more and I have all the tools and know-how to build a bike.

Am I crazy or should I go for it?

Thanks!

William

Go for it! Usually costs is the determining factor when building up a frame w/ custom component selection, but if you can do for about the same $$$ why not?

I agree about some of the components on the new bikes. I wish more manufacturers would spec bikes with a complete gruppo of the same level components.

If you went into a shop and asked to buy a new Cannondale with full Ultegra, you can't do it! That's kinda stupid to me, and one of the reasons I chose a LeMond Zurich w/full Ultegra.

BTW, Cannondale offers frame upgrades to previous owners. Take your old bike in and they'll give you a special upgrade rate for your new frame!

L8R

Exactly!

I hate that Cannondale will put Ultegra on the back with Tiagra on the front and then their own house-brand brakes and crank, drives me nuts.

I priced out ALL the components I want and I came in just under a grand minus the frame. I can get a really good Cannondale frame for about 850 which still brings my total under two grand, which is a lot less than a "properly" equipped built Cannondale.

What is this trade in deal? that may seal the deal! :D

Call your local dealer for more information. I don't know if they're still offering it, but many shops know about the program.

It's basically a program that Cannondale utilizes to keep repeat customers. If you trade in your old frame, they'll sell you a new one at a discounted price. It's usually not much when dealing with frames only 2-3 years old, (you do better selling them yourself), but in a case like yours, your frame aint worth much to anyone, so if you can swap it in for even $100 off, then it's a bargain for you!

BTW, I'd avoid the Caad 5 or 6 frames, you want to stay away from the oversized bb & headtube if buying non-C'dale parts. Unless you want to use CODA components.

Also, what Rolf wheels are you considering? I'm using the Rolf Vector Comps and haven't had any problems with them. Good wheels so far!

yeah, I took into consideration the issue with the Headset and BB, I'm ok with using CODA or Cane Creek for the Headset and I am told the Ultegra BB fits fine. Everything else should fit as well. I want the Rolf Vector Comps, so it's good to hear that you like them!

As for the trade-in, thanks, I'll call my local shop. I'm planning on buying the frame last so I can ride my current bike until I can afford everything. :)

The consensus seems to be that the Ultegra bb is about the best Shimano bb, more durable than the Dura Ace. Before you buy Ultegra shifters, check chucksbikes.com. Chuck just got some brand new Dura Ace STI shifters (for double front) he is selling for $189. I bought some DA STI a few months ago when Performance had them on sale for $200. More recently I bought some Ultegra, and BOTH shifters were defective. I sent them back for credit and will not buy anything but DA again. Other parts maybe, but not shifters. The shifting is far and away better and more solid than the 105 on my other bike. Based on what I saw of the Ultegra, I think the Dura Ace are worth the extra bucks.

Having just rebuilt one bike and built another from scratch I can't see me buying a pre assembled bike again. To me, building the bike is a great source of satisfaction, and I get exactly what I want or make my own decision to compromise on specific parts. To me the drive train components are the most important. You can use DA shifters and ders without spending much more than for Ultegra. For most others - hubs, headset you can do well with any number of brands/models. And things like cassettes and chainings are consumables. No need to spend 90 bucks on a lightweight DA cassette to eat up training when a $40 HG works just as well. Yeah, get the DA to put on for the real thing.

Just my $.02.
Regards,
Raymond

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I have decided that I am definitely building it myself. Mostly for the fact that I can choose the parts but also because I get the satisfaction of building it myself. It also makes it easier financially because I can spread out my purchases.

Thanks for the heads-up on ChucksBikes.com, good deals, and he's in my neck of the woods! (SoCal)

One more question:

I've always been a Cannondale Devotee (I also have a Cannondale M500 Mountain Bike) because they make nice, light bikes that are strong! I'm a big guy (over 200 pounds) so I need something that won't flex too much, hence the "CannonWhales." Is there any other brand I should look into as well?

Tanx

If youre a big guy who likes 'Dales, then go ahead, but to me $850 sounds like a lot of money for a factory frame.

How is the frame finishing (facing/taping) on dales?

What do Canondale do with your old frame when you trade it in? Its always useful to have a training grade bike for when you dont want to take your bestest bike out, or when its out of action for maintainance.
Your old wheels are also useful. I dont think you should be putting training miles on race wheels. Some modern race rims are very lightweight and thin, and dont take kindly to the daily grind. If they do last, then maybe they are too heavy.

For years my brother rode a beat up 'dale put together from spare parts donated by club members. When its useful life was over, I stripped out the useful parts for spares and we put out the frame for the trash men. Within an hour it had found a new owner.

Actually, my current ride is already a race setup with nice and skinny rims. The problem with my current wheels is that they have a 7-Speed cassette, so they wouldn't fit on a new 9-speed bike. But the idea of a Training "beater" is an excellent one, thanks! :)

You could probably jig around with freehub and cog options to get the spacing right for 9 speed.

Training rims are different to racing rims in the thickness of the braking surface, rather than the width of the rim. Braking surfaces erode after a time, esp in poor conditions, and if the metal gets too thin, it can crack. Modern extrusion proecesses mean that manufacturers can make a very thin strong extrusion, but with less metal, it may wear out more quickly.

There was a rash of Trek rims cracking after a few thousand miles, but I think they have addressed that problem.