Will there ever be another Cannondale?
11-06-14, 11:07 AM
#1
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Bikes: '93 Cannondale T-1000, '03 Cannondale R800
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Will there ever be another Cannondale?
By that I mean someone selling smooth-welded USA-made Aluminum frames at relatively affordable prices?
For me, there really is nothing out there like an old Cannondale. A $350 Cannondale on Craigslist would trump most $2,000 boutique bikes for me. A light frame is just more fun to ride (for me). And aluminum is practical to a degree. I don't need a bike that will survive the apocalypse. I don't want a 35lb Surly.
I'd love to be able to walk into the bike shop and buy a bike as nice as a 1995 Cannondale.
Am I missing something?
For me, there really is nothing out there like an old Cannondale. A $350 Cannondale on Craigslist would trump most $2,000 boutique bikes for me. A light frame is just more fun to ride (for me). And aluminum is practical to a degree. I don't need a bike that will survive the apocalypse. I don't want a 35lb Surly.
I'd love to be able to walk into the bike shop and buy a bike as nice as a 1995 Cannondale.
Am I missing something?
11-06-14, 12:43 PM
#2
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Am I missing something?
There are custom frame builders working in aluminum, but in the low cost competition you cannot Beat the Volume Contract manufacturers Merida And Giant, etc.
so many Brands go to them for the manufacturing and shipping to POE, and Importing-distributors concentrate on distribution and shipping
with in the countries they serve. and supporting their relationships with independent bike shops that you walk into ..
one of those contract manufacturers is where the investors that Bailed out Cannondale in bankruptcy* went to to profit from their buying the company.
*they tried to compete for a share of the MX Motorbike sector with Japan's brands and Lost.
Last edited by fietsbob; 11-06-14 at 12:47 PM.
11-06-14, 01:00 PM
#3
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' They still make good mt bikes. Plenty of custom bike makers out there. Not so many in Aluminum. Going to turn back time? Get me an old school GTO ragtop 
11-09-14, 03:09 PM
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Bikes: Catrike 700, Greenspeed GTO trike, , Linear LWB recumbent, Haluzak Horizon SWB recumbent, Balance 450 MTB, Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East
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You can be lucky in the second hand market. I walked into a thrift store a couple years ago and walked out with a $20 Cannondale SM800 "Beast of the east" MTB. It was dusty. The tires were flat. It hardly had a scratch on it. The store had no idea how good it was but as soon as I lifted the frame, I knew. Somebody must have had it hanging in the garage for nearly two decades. All it took to get it back on the road was a thorough going over - clean, lubricate, and adjust things. I understand what you have nostalgia for. It is lightweight, and uncomplicated. No suspension. No fancy frame. Just a very useful bike.
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