Spartan112

I finally got a chance to get out for a short ride on my new Caad 9. WOW! What a difference over my old entry level Puegot.

True I'm 30#'s lighter than I was at the time of my last ride, but that in combination with the lower weight of this bike and the superior drive train of this bike...man I felt like I was flying up hills that I struggled up last year.

The fit of the bike is great too after spending a season riding a bike that was way too big. True it was only and wayyyy too short 10mi ride, but everything felt good. The saddle was a good fit, the clipless pedals were way less troublesome than I had imagined and I could tell the difference in the power transfer from legs/feet/pedals.

I have a feeling I'm going to spend a lot of time on this bike this summer.

Porter20

Good for you! Glad you enjoy it! Time to put a ton of miles on that thing.

LanceFanBoy

Man I wish everytime I get on ym bike could feel like the first ride on it. I remember that feeling, so good.

Spartan112

The thing really seems to jump uphill. I know I'm still slow, but at least I'm not getting passed by grandma in her motorized shopping cart.

BarryJo

Congrats on the new bike! I recently bought an 07 Caad9 to compliment my Roubaix and I love it. It's so freakin' fast it's scary (even with the crappy wheelset I have on it)! Faster than my carbon Giant TCR, and about the same weight too (but $800 less).

Unfortunately the majority of new people getting into the sport don't believe you can get a good aluminum bike because like me, they've all been brainwashed into worshipping at the alter of carbon. Not true, the Caad9 rocks and I hope Cannondale continues to manufacter this bike for years to come because it's not a good bike, it's a great bike!

Enjoy your ride!
JohnB

roadiejorge 

Good luck with the new bike! I got my new Orbea Onix this week and have loved riding it; it's stiff and responsive so it's been fun taking it for a spin.

Spartan112

Funny I keep reading things like "stiff" and "Responsive"...I have little sense of what these mean because I am new to the sport. As I said I've been riding an old steel entry level bike for the past year so my baseline of comparison is pretty low and my guess is that anything better than a Denali would be a major upgrade.

I do notice the bike handles way better and the shifting through almost all the gearing is smooth as silk (going small to big chainring isn't quite as smooth as I might like).

Even the saddle I upgraded to is a major improvement over the old one.

I think it will take awhile to get completely used to this bike but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy the process.

Camilo

Last year I switched from a mid-low grade 90s Bianchi that was actually a little too small for me to a better fitting and 4 pound lighter Cannondale CAAD7 Ultegra type set up. What a difference. Probably 70% psychological, but the gearing, frame and fit made riding up the hills actually fun, and I'm no hill climber.

uspspro

I love hitting the hills on my CAAD8

s4one

NIce, new bikes are always fun to ride!