Animal157

The more i study the Cannondale Tourng Ultimate the more I think C-Dale missed the mark on their market position. First, it's difficult to see/read/hear anything about this model. What you can find are touring snobs talking about the beauty of a triple chainring when lugging 80lbs around the Hindu Kush. If C-Dale had not used the word "touring" then folks likely wouldn't be talking so much about how it "misses the mark". What makes this bike unique, and what interests me the most, is the geometry. The only other bike I've found with this stack/reach ratio is the Vaya. I'm looking at the "Ultimate" (so as not to use the inappropriate 't-word') where I would strip off the fenders, swap out those concrete tires for some tubeless 35c g-ones...maybe some shorter chain rings that are more in line with my riding (because chain rings and cassettes are as personal as saddles imho). My guess is it would weigh in around 23-24lbs. Could do the same with the steel Vaya for 600 bucks less, but it wouldn't be Ultegra hydro and it probably wouldn't be sub-25 lbs. I mean an RLT 9 Steel with Ultegra Hydro is $4k (though with much better tubeless ready wheels) and doesn't have nearly the stack I would want. All I know is I can't find many drop bar options out there that will accept 40c tires (even if I only want to run 35s), has a stack/reach >1.55, and will accept a front rack. Any other thoughts? Is it me or does this bike have merit so long as you ignore the word "touring"? With some minor mods could this not be a great bike for All Day Gravel, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling?

Bluechip

Very similar geometry as my Salsa FargoTi. If it could handle 2.0" tires it would be nearly perfect. The only thing I don't like about the
Fargo is the suspension corrected geometry. I don't ever plan to put a suspension fork on it so the extra frame triangle space for a larger frame bag would be nice to have.

Animal157

Sounds like a cutthroat is in your future! (Edit... Sorry, I just saw you said Fargo Ti, not plain Jane Fargo!)

I am mostly on pavement/gravel and am currently running 32C tires... the max that will fit in my current bike. I want to run 35s, but am looking for a bike that would allow to go as wide as 40 or 42 should future riding dictate it (future-proofing). There are a fair number of bikes out there that do it, but few with the stack/reach ratio that I would prefer.

Animal157

I wonder if Cannondale has sold any of these bikes as I haven't found anyone who's commented on owning one... Anywhere.

dwmckee

What about Felt v85 or Jamis Renegade Expert?

Animal157

Felt v55 would be a better comparison to the Cannondale Touring Ultimate due to the Ultegra Hydro kit. Only two things are missing from my list though: ability to mount a front pannier rack for weekend credit card touring and a stack/reach ratio north of 1.55 (around a size 52ish).

other bikes I'm looking at are the vaya (either X9 or custom build), the spec diverge (dsw with scram 1x), niner rlt 9, or a semi-custom titanium frame from carver.

dwmckee

I am not sure I'd want hydraulic discs on that sort of bike. We see so many hydraulic discs come in our shop for repair and needing costly replacement parts. I have not seen any other sort of brake needing such significant work so often. To me the only Hydro I'd recommend (unless you have a team mechanic and sponsorship) is the TRP Hy/RD. The Hy/RD has all of the performance and is more reliable as long as you set it up properly from the start.

Animal157

huh. Good put - thanks!

about 85% of the time I am pulling a weehoo trailer with my five year old in it - when people ask, I tell them it's like pulling 70lbs of knock-knock jokes. It's an awesome way to keep riding while getting the whole family involved.

as one would expect given that extra nugget of info, I am no speed demon. Rides are typically 20miles (though solo I prefer 45 miles) and average 13mph with trailer (and 16 without). I have discs now and wouldn't want anything less... Though of course I wouldn't mind better on my next ride. I had read/heard good things about hydro, but had not heard negative things from a maintenance perspective. Thanks for sharing - sounds like I need to do some more research.

dwmckee

The hydros are wonderful feeling and do work great, but I have seen enough Hydro problems that are expensive to fix, and many owners that do their own maintenance stop short on hydro systems and bring them in. We are seeing leaking lines, failed master cylinders, hard to find leaks, etc. On cable discs all we see is needing quick adjustments or pad replacement.