Fifty Plus (50+) - opinions on cannondale

looking for opinions,cannondale vs specialized or bianchi. all over 10 years, all under 700.00 all normal wear and tear. This would be new for me. I weigh 180 about 5'9". If any of you are that size, what do you have

As it turns out , in our family, we have 2 Cannondales, a Bianchi, a Specialized, and a 3 Treks. They are all good bike and serve their intended uses very well. I am 5'11" and ride the Cannondale (road), Bianchi (touring), Trek (road and mtn). All are 58cm. I suspect that you would be in the 56cm range, but it would be better to ride some different sizes to nail it down. I think bike fit is more important than brand or model. I ride my Trek road bike the most because it fits really well. While the Cannodale is a good bike and much more expensive than the Trek, it just does not feel the same. I think the Trek frame is a tad smaller, even though they are both 58's. Try before you buy (if you can) and go for fit. Good luck.

As it turns out , in our family, we have 2 Cannondales, a Bianchi, a Specialized, and a 3 Treks. They are all good bike and serve their intended uses very well. I am 5'11" and ride the Cannondale (road), Bianchi (touring), Trek (road and mtn). All are 58cm. I suspect that you would be in the 56cm range, but it would be better to ride some different sizes to nail it down. I think bike fit is more important than brand or model. I ride my Trek road bike the most because it fits really well. While the Cannodale is a good bike and much more expensive than the Trek, it just does not feel the same. I think the Trek frame is a tad smaller, even though they are both 58's. Try before you buy (if you can) and go for fit. Good luck.

Is the Cannondale aluminum? *I* prefer the feel of steel. ;)

They are all good quality bikes, but Doug64 is right, fit and feel are the high priorities, not brand name.

Ride them all, and my guess is you will know right away (or fairly soon) which is the best fit and feel for you.

Rick / OCRR

What model, what type bike, what year? Impossible to answer if we don't know what specific bikes you are referring to. BTW, I own all three brands.

These are all used bikes that you are asking about. Getting a ride comparison may be somewhat difficult. They're all set up different. Different wheelsets, tires, stems, saddles, crank length, etc.

The "fit and feel" works best with new bikes that you can actually pay and get a respectable demo ride.

I am your size and ride an 02 Cannondale T2000 (touring), an 09 Cannondale Rize 4 (Mtn bike) and an 08 Specialized Roubaix Elite (road). The C'Dales are aluminum frame, the Spec is carbon - the bikes are task-specific and I am pleased with all of them. I have had two Bianchi road bikes and found them to be twitchy-handling, especially on fast bumpy downhills and in crosswinds. Just my opinion, but I did not experience this with Trek or my current bikes..

HI,
I found a used 2001 CAD 4, and its been a great ride so far, had to replace the wheels due to spoke failures, due to miles age and my size.http://www.bikeforums.net/picture.php?pictureid=477&albumid=73&dl=1230859607&thumb=1 and the right front shifter rather pricey..
Its pretty nice, My LBS says aluminum bikes are pretty stiff, Ive notice my ancient steel bike is a softer smoother ride. http://www.bikeforums.net/picture.php?albumid=73&pictureid=475

On a really rough surface its amazing how much vibration you can feel thru the frame.
After you start riding longer distance your joints will become a little sore from all the vibration.
Fit is paramount to enjoying distance.If it don't fit right you can't ride due to pain in arms, legs and your bumm.
Doug

Used bikes can be money pits due to wear and tear things like wheel sets, gears,chains, brakes, shifters.I even had to have my rear gears replaced on the steel bike,, another problem has it crashed most people selling their bikes forget to mention they dropped it going 25mph on a hill some forks are hard to tell when they are cracked.
Ditto for the frame.