fatallightning

gotta agree with you there

2ndGen

Niiiiiice!

(matching smileys!)

runningDoc

that could be the official bike for the Seattle Seahawks!

soooo pretty. nice!

2ndGen

Pre-Upgrade Pics...

2ndGen

Update:

So far on...Cockpit (FSA K-Wing, Fizik Aliante, Bontrager XXX Lite) & Drivetrain (Ultegra/Dura Ace).



Pics coming...

gtrwanka

Are those green tires Vittorias??

2ndGen

Current set-up...





Not the best pics, but good enough to see the difference from stock.
Stock weight (w/o pedals): 21.10 lbs
Current weight (w/pedals): 18.73 lbs
(19.0 lbs w/computer & cages)

Current OEM components left:
Fork
Post
Brakeset
Wheelset/Tires/tubes
(Looking to shave 1360g there.)

aham23

the arse bag is way too big. the sofa is not a white garage door. otherwise hawt. later.

2ndGen

Thanks.

fatallightning

runbino pros, not open pave.

2ndGen

Bad lighting, but just wanted to show where she's at today.

Before:


After:


The only OEM parts on her is the Fork (which has been cut), Wheelset (Mavic CXP22 w/C3 Hubs) and
Brakeset until my black (of course) Ultralight CNC Brakeset w/Black SwissStop Pads come in next week.

Stock weight was 20.10lbs. She's 17.48lbs now. She'll be about 17.20 with the Brakeset upgrade next week.
The Wheelset & Fork upgrades will knock off an easy 2.25lbs to get her down in the 15lb range.



Subject to change, but here are the bits I want to put on her to complete her:
Fork: Edge 2.0
Pedals: Dura-Ace 7900
Chainrings: Dura-Ace 7800
Wheelset: Mavic Ksyrium Elite (Black)

rusted_rider

Proves the Caad 9 is an awesome base to upgrade on............who needs carbon

2ndGen

Well, yes and no...it is an excellent frame and I NEED Carbon too!



But if I never went past the CAAD, I wouldn't be missing much.
It's about as good as one could get for aluminum.
You'd have to spend twice as much to get anything that comes near it.

C-R700

Nice keep the pics coming

2ndGen

Almost there...wait for it...wait for it...

The final minor pieces are on their way:
SwissStop GHP2 Brake Pads (Green)
Dura Ace 7800 Chainrings (53T/39T)
Dura Ace 7900 Pedals

That's it besides the wheelset & fork.
I'll save that for the Spring.

2ndGen

Upgrades so far...
-Ultegra SL Double Crank
-Dura Ace 7800 Bottom Bracket
-Dura Ace 7800 Chainrings (53T/39T)
-Dura Ace 7800 Shifters
-Dura Ace 7800 Front Derailleur
-Dura Ace 7800 Rear Derailleur
-Dura Ace 7801 Chain
-Ultegra 6600 Cassette
-Dura Ace 7810 Pedals
-Ultralight CNC Brakes
-SwissStop GHP2 (Green) Brake Pads

Cockpit:
-Bontrager XXX Race Lite OS Stem
-FSA K-Wing Compact 44cm
-Fizik MicroTex Tape & Gel
-Fizik Aliante w/Carbon Rails
-Fizik Cyrano Seatpost (Carbon)

Wheels:
-Continental Grand Prix 4000S Tires
-Continental Race Lite Tubes

For the Spring...
-Edge 2.0 Fork
-Wheelset (Mavic Ksyrium Elite/Soul S2.0/BWW Blackset Race 11)

OEM Parts left on bike...
-Cannondale Ultra Fork
-CXP22/C3 Hub Wheelset

Accessories:
-Radbot 1000 Tail Light
-ViewPoint Flare 5 Headlight
-Camelbak Podium Ice Bottles
-Arundel Mandible Bottle Cages

kimber_94806

Awesome setup. This will be a good inspiration for my CAAD10. Thanks for sharing your progress.

ballinwallin18

How can I post a forum? I can not figure it out.....

2ndGen

Thanks.
Pictures will follow of course.

2ndGen

Update:
$400-Fork: Edge 1.0 (not 2.0)

Note:
Prices posted above.
The CAAD itself was $815. w/tax.

SushiJoe

Win!
Nice build!!

2ndGen

That's it. My CAAD9 is nearly complete.
All that's left is the wheelset which I recently realized was odd.
Usually, the wheelset on an entry-level bike is the first real performance upgrade.
Yet I left it for last. I wondered why. Turns out, it was a combination of things.

1) As usual in winter, the sales were crazy! I bought everything at ridiculous prices.
2) I didn't see the logic in buying a nice set of wheels during a horrible winter.
3) I took my wheelset budget and spent it on a Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll Trainer
(which I could use during the winter and on rainy days in the summer).
[Actually, it was less than my wheelset budget which was $600.
I paid $468. for the trainer, a mat and riser block shipped. ]
4) I hadn't made up my mind on which wheelset to buy until recently and am going to go with a set of Soul S2.0 SLs.

So, that's all I need for my CAAD to be completed and ready for the Spring.
As I type this, she's having the crankset upgrades done along with the pedals & brakes being installed.
And all just in time too since the weather is breaking here in New York and we're finally seeing consistent dry 40+ days.

(Crap, now I have to get new Sidis and Oakleys! It never ends! It never ends! )

I'll post pics next week.

2ndGen

Thanks!

I just got my Edge fork with the solid logo.
I thought it'd have the small circular logo on the top.
I would've preferred the outline logo to match my CAADs graphics.
This fork would look perfect on your CAAD thought.

If I can't remove the logos safely, I'm going to try to stain them dark charcoal so that they'll barely be noticeable.

2ndGen

Same pics on my "Cult of CAAD" thread, but as promised, poor pictures
of it in it's current state with everything except a nice wheelset...

Upgrades this time:

• Dura Ace 7900 Pedals
• Dura Ace 7800 Chainrings
• Edge Composites 1.0 Fork
• Black Cable Housing
• Fizik Cyrano Carbon Post
• Ultralight CNC Brakeset
• Kurt Kinetic Computer

2ndGen

And now for the ride report...

As soon as I got into my LBS and got to it, I picked it up and I let the expletives fly!
Not only was she noticeably lighter, she's was far better balanced out.
When I would picked her up by the top tube, she'd always nosedive because of the heavy OEM Ultra fork.
But this time, she just stayed level and I could instantly tell that she shed weight.

I didn't get to really ride her a lot, but took her for a spin up and down the block outside of the LBS.
Riding her with a trainer wheel/trainer specific tire (which weigh a good 1/2 pound more than the OEM set)
while I was in full work gear (heavy carpenter jeans, heavy hoodie, etc...) and with only my Sidis on,
I IMMEDIATELY noticed a humongous difference in her!

She "lept" forward when I'd pedal and she felt magnificently much tighter in every sense.
Whatever I put into her, she gave right back even more so than before.
I didn't know how much better a CAAD could be.
I don't care what anybody says, high quality components MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

She weighed in at 18.5lbs with all the accessories on her.
The computer, cages, mini-pump, rear light and headlight bracket plus the
approximately 1/2 lb heavier rear wheel set-up came in at about 1+ pound.
So, she should weigh about 17.5lbs. When I get my wheelset, I'm going to have my
mechanic strip it down and take off all the accessories to get an honest weight.

The bike is phenomenally better. I mean, it felt like a brand new bike. Familiar, but better.

Pedals:
The Dura Ace 7900 pedals are an incredible improvement over the Wellgo MG-8's I had on her before.
I was nervous about SPD-L's at first, but everything is better about them (clipping in, walking with SPD-L cleats, etc...).
I could see myself easily riding in them for a hundred miles far more comfortably than my SPD's.

Crankset:
I think my Dura-Ace/Ultegra Hybrid Crankset is the most beautiful Shimano Crankset available.
(Thanks to my bro in BKLN! for the shifters and the inspiration for the crankset!)
I felt a big difference in my pedal strokes with the Dura Ace chainrings. Again, it just felt tighter.
And the weight taken off of the front end (a full 1/2+ pound) is super noticeable.

Braking:
The brakes, otherworldly. At first, in braking at low speed, I didn't notice much of a difference which was fine. They did what they were supposed to do, but at higher speeds, that's when it was obvious that I upgraded the brakes. I squeezed hard to try to make the wheel lock, but it didn't. It slowed me down immediately and faster than before. I did manage to lock the wheel, but it took a concerted effort. I feel MUCH safer with these brakes. Now I know what is meant by "modulation" and controlling the rate of braking. With my OEM Tektros, it was either too hard or not enough. With these Ultralights CNC's, I was able to slowly brake so that I wouln't lose too much speed and could pick right back up. I can't see how this "wouldn't" make me a much more efficient rider. SwissStop GHP2 brake pads? FTW! They are great! Worth the extra coin (even though my Ultralights came with the black SwissStop pads which will find their way over to my SE Racing Lager SingleSpeed).

General Appearance:
I know there is no "theme" to the bike. I've seen prettier, sexier CAADs, but she looks "purposeful".
I let form follow function and picked my bits with a combination of performance, comfort and quality in mind.
Weight was the last thing on my mind, but that comes off with the better bits anyway.

Computer:
I'll work with the KK computer, but I don't like the wire that goes to the back wheel.
I think I'm going to go with a Garmin if I can have it totally wireless with a rear sensor.

Little things...
I only have to somehow color the gray Dura Ace brake cables black
and somehow, tone down the white "Edge" block lettering on the fork.

General:
That's it...she's just about done. Now all I need is a nice wheelset and down to 15lbs she goes
and she'll have the missing link that'll put everything else I put on her to work and to good use.
It's official...my bike is "almost" awesome. As is, she's worlds better than when I first got her.

All in all, I can say with complete confidence and satisfaction that every upgrade I've had done to this bike was well worth every penny. As is, including the purchase price of the 2009 CAAD9-7 minus what I made from selling off most of the OEM bits, she's coming out to $4,000. once the wheelset is on. A new CAAD9-1 with Dura Ace 7900 with everything being inferior except the shifters, derailleur and frame would've cost me $3,000. Not that money mattered, but it's nice to know I did better for less and have a bike that's custom tailored to "me".