sharksfan

Hi...I am new here and this is my first post. Anyways, I would like to start biking to work (12 miles each way). I live in San Jose, CA, and the roads are pretty bad even for my car. However, I do see a lot of cyclists riding every morning and afternoon presumably to their workplaces or school. This is what I would like to do to save wear and tear on my car and of course getting a nice workout at the same time. Would also like to do some bike path trails around here. I am new to bikes.

Last week I saw a Craigslist ad by a guy who lived close by with an older Cannondale mountain bike with no suspension. I checked it out and the bike was really clean and appears in great condition. I rode it around his street and it rode really smooth- but I did not know how to shift. He showed he to prove they worked and it appeared to shift good. Now, the price seemed reasonable for a bike that rode nicely and had hardly any blemishes (small chips) I paid him $125. Can I use this for commuting? I don't see the model anywhere on this bike so I don't know what it is...did I get ripped off?

From looking at the bike here is what I see:

- suntour xce cranks
- dia compe 986 brakes
- sun race shifters on handlebars
- wtb seat
- kenda tires- don't know what kind of wheels
- planet bike headlight
- planet bike tailight

CACycling

Looks like a great bike for a reasonable price. Should make a great commuter. Hard to tell from the pic if the tires are smooth or knobbies. If knobbies, changing to slicks and maybe adding a rear rack would be about the only things I'd change for commuting.

biknbrian

It doesn't seem like you got ripped off. That bike will make an excellent urban commuter. Very nice bike for what you want to do. Great find.

mjw16

Looks like a nice bike at a fair price, congrats. I just bought something similar for my wife, an older Fuji mtb. She loves the comfortable/upright geometry for commuting and finds suspension unnecessary (even on DC streets). With their price, comfort, durability, room for fenders, racks, etc, I think these older mountain bikes are pretty much the ideal commuting machines.

idc

It's nicer than my MTB-commuter! I like that it has bar ends. If you plan/expect to ride in damp/wet weather I'd definitely get fenders, and make sure you have a decent pump at home and always carry a spare tube/tire levers/patch kit with you. Other than that I'd say you're good to go. You can use a backpack to start with if you don't want to splash out on a rack.

jettore

That bike looks super clean. Think you did well with the purchase as long as it's the right size. For the commuter conversion I would switch to slicks, get fenders and a rack. With the really bad roads you have the MTB actually has some advantages. You have the option to run larger tire sizes for the rough roads and still should have plenty of room to fit fenders.

With 12 miles each way I'd also consider doing a drop bar conversion at some point on that bike. You would need to change out a few items, but with some smart shopping you could do it on the cheap.

cyccommute 

That's going to be problematic on the old Cannondale 2.8 frames. That cantilevered rear dropout won't lead itself well to carrying a load and the close seatstays will make using panniers difficult. It's a nice bike and a good price but it's just not a good commuter bike at a nice price.

georgiaman

Sounds like a great bike for the price. Personally wish I had held off for a rigid MTB. The rigid MTB's on craigslist around here that actually have decently working components are going for around 200, so great steal! Plus you don't have to have racks and panniers to make it a commuting bike. A backpack will work but the back sweat can be intense. Try a lumbar bag like a Mountain Smith Day Pack. No back sweat or back pain. All the weight is on the hips.

sharksfan

Thanks for the replies...I think this bike will work just fine for me. I took it out for a 10 mile ride last evening to learn the sunrace friction shifting- I figured that out and all the gears work fine. This bike is light and rolls pretty fast in a high gear. The tires look brand new- they are Kenda Small Block Eight- I read that I can commute on these and they accept a high PSI- I pumped them up last night to 70- they seem to ride nicely and comfortable. I even rode my bike a a nice dirt trail and they road fast on that. They are not those big knobby tires.

Yesterday on my lunch hour I went to a bike shop by my work and asked about this bike. He told me it is a 3.0 series Cannondale mountain bike and should be fine for commuting and some light trails. He said that the bike came with a rack and he had one in the back. Sure enough he came out with a Cannondale rack from this time period- sold it to me for $10. I put it on when I got home- they bolted right in to the holes perfectly. The bike shop guy even said that fenders will fit right on as well when it rains. The lights work also- I think that I am set to try my first commute! So far I am happy with this old bike.

fasthair

I'd say you did very well with the purchase and the rack was a steal! If you want to know the year go to https://www.vintagecannondale.com and you will be able to figure out the year of the bike.

As far as the first commute goes you might want to give it a trail run on the weekend so you know how long it will it take you and you can plan a route that will be less traveled by autos. I think you will find commuting to be fun and a great way to blow off a crappy day at work on the way home.

Have fun!

fasthair

LesterOfPuppets

Awesome rig! Bonus points for the Slayer sticker!!!

You'll probably get heelstrike issues if you try to run big bags but atrunk bag and/or mini panniers will probably be OK.

MK313

It looks like you totally got ripped off. You should probably sell the bike right away & recoup your losses. As a generous offer to help a new commuter, I will be happy to pay you the $125 you paid for it, to get it off your hands

Just kidding, that looks like a sweet ride & $125 was well worth it. Bonus points for scoring that rack. Definitely add fenders & you are set to go. If panniers don't work for you due to heelstrike or other reasons, you can carry your backpack on the rack (IMHO best of both worlds as you get the weight off your back during the ride, but have a backpack once you're at work). I use Surly Junk Straps to hold my backpack top my rack. Others have had success with bungie cords or cargo nets. Enjoy the bike & let us know how it works out for you.

Monster Pete

Old mountain bikes can make excellent commuting bikes and this one should be no exception. I'd certainly get some decent fenders for rainy weather. A kickstand would also be on my list but that's personal preference. Normally I'd suggest getting a rear light that fits to the rack, but in your case the seatpost looks high enough that you shouldn't have a problem with it mounted there.

jimnolimit

Congrats on the "new" bike, looks good to me. Add some fenders and you'll be set.

canyoneagle

That bike will be an excellent commuter.
If memory serves those cantilevered dropouts have eyelets close to the axle, so the rack should be fine (no different than any other frame).

Looks like a 1991 SM500

fasthair

Oh and if that dealer has another one of those racks I would take it off his hands for my 1996 H600 Cannondale. Looks like it will bolt right up.

fasthair

gear

After beating on my old Cannondale MBT out in the woods for a few years, I replaced the knobby tires with smooth ones and replaced the drivetrain with road bike gearing then added fenders lights and a rack. Until I built my current commuter rig the Cannondale served me just fine as a commuter for 10 years or so. My friend still uses it to get his boney a$$ to work each day.

You did just fine.

consumes

nice bike .. i picked up a 1996 trek 830 a few months ago for $ 125... its in nice shape ... not as quite cherry like yours ... just got around to putting a rack and rear trunk on today ... the backpack gets old .... post some update pics if you get the chance ... happy trails in your future commutes

hammandegger

I use those small block eight kenda tires on one of my bikes. They are heavy but pretty durable. I bought them brand new from nashbar and I think they cost $40 a piece.

SlimRider

Hey there SharksFan!

It's so hard to believe that you think there's even the smallest possibility that you may have gotten "ripped off"!

C'mon you were kidding... Right?

Man, that's the deal of the century!!!

Nice Move!

- Slim

Barchettaman

Great deal, great commuter bike.

As well as adding fenders I would consider swapping out the front wheel for one with a hub dynamo and adding suitable lights.

Oh, and make sure you've got a bloody good lock as the undesirable scrotes will have their eyes on that bike too.

Good luck starting to commute.