gzo

Yeah I'm leaning towards Ksyrium Elites myself. I'm also considering Williams System 19. It would be cheaper and lighter even but I like the Elite's proven track record and they are available at the LBS. I'm sure either would be an improvement over my Shimano R500 wheelset.

2ndGen

Before...



After...

dukedevil0

just picked up a 09 CAAD9 7 BBQ myself - can't wait to start upgrading

2ndGen

Cool.
Pics?

dukedevil0

Bone stock, except somehow came with a Tiagra FD? Pic from the bike shop two states over. Pretty sure it was one of, if not the last, CAAD9 7 brand new at a bike shop. Lots to get working on to make it hot.



(sorry for non-driveside pic)

2ndGen

Excellent! Identical to mine. You are very lucky to snag one!
Mine had a Tiagra FD too (I'm wasn't complaining). Well done.

dukedevil0

Got it on closeout price too

2ndGen

That's just frosting on the cake.

2ndGen

I've been going nuts thinking about upgrading the 9. I "thought" I was up to $3,700 in total in it's current condition, but after running the numbers again and including the OEM parts I've sold off, I'm actually down to $3,200. What was killing me was thinking that I was up to $3,700 and doing what I want to do it (Miche Cassette, KCNC Chain, Arione 00 Saddle, some "tuning" to the components, tire/tube combo to lose 300g) would put it at about $4,500, just $500 shy of a brand new 2012 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Red! And my CAAD would still barely be 15lbs while the EVO would come in at just over 14lbs. Now, this isn't about just the weight, but the difference in performance of a top-of-the-line carbon frame VS an entry level aluminum frame.

Then I put my CAAD on the stand and began to dress her up again (I put the cages back on, seat bag, etc...) and I started checking out her lines and going through the gears. Damn. She still shifts like a dream. Perfect. Dura-Ace 7800 just gets better with age. And I remember how lucky I was to find her in a box spankin' brand new for only $750. in the color I lusted after and in my size when they were no where to be found anywhere locally (this is what led me to re-run the numbers).

For $3,200 + another $800 in upgrades, is she worth the $1,000 less than my dream plastic bike the EVO? I've come to the conclusion that "yes". Absofriginlutely. I never intended to go as far as I did with her. I was just going to throw all the upgrade bits on it and then buy a SuperSix HiMod frameset and transfer everything over, turning the CAAD9 into a trainer with bottom of the barrel 105 parts from ebay & CL. But I just can't bring myself to disassemble it. I could've gone much lighter & cheaper, but it wouldn't be as comfortable or as strong as it is now. $4,000 for a CAAD9 that is all things to one rider...Me. She is perfectly tailored to my needs and requirements. She stays.

I have to believe that there are others who've spent more than what is considered
reasonable on a bike that's turned out to perform as good as intended (if not actually
better than intended).

svtmike

Can you take some of the money you didn't spend and at least ditch that stem?

2ndGen

I'm definitely leaning towards something not as bulky and lighter.

The Bontrager Race XXX Lite OS Stem is porky at 156g. I'm looking to drop close to 40g.
It's sexy, but it sticks on a lot aesthetically on the bike. The Saddle too is going to go.
I'm going to go with a Fi'zi:k Antares 00 Carbon for a 65g savings.

svtmike

From a purely aesthetic view, I'd go with the Edge stem. It'll match your fork and the outline logo goes with the rest of the bike.

2ndGen

Yeah I agree. That's what I'm thinking.
I'll save the 3T stuff for my next bike or possibly Zipp.
The new Edge/Enve solid block lettering is not very appealing to me.
I'd have to locate a NIB Edge outline logo'd stem somewhere.
Oh well...part of the fun or customizing my rig.



I have to note however that the Bontrager stem & FSA K-Wing
Handlebar HAVE TO BE manufactured by the same factory.
The carbon patter is identical as is the paint color schemes.
They match each other beautifully.

jesspal

That saddle is the most horrible feeling thing i have ever ridden, replace it STAT!

2ndGen

Not doubting you one bit, but believe it or not, the absolute worst saddle ever is the Bontrager Race Basic that came OEM on my 2009 Trek 1.5 (I refer to it as a piece of vinyl covered plywood). This saddle was an actual relief for me compared to the Bonty (the Fizik Aliante was like a seatgasm! ).

2ndGen

Updates...

Cassette: Original Budget $300.
After struggling with what cassette I'd go with, I finally decided to go with a Dura-Ace 7800 12-23.
Aesthetically, I wanted a darker cassette (almost with with a $300. Miche that would've saved me about 100g),
but I decided that I didn't want to have a cassette that I'd be replacing in 6 months. The Ultegra 6600 is fine.
It's served me well. It's smooth, but that's going to go on my trainer wheel for the KK Rock & Roll.
I've come to find out that the DA's Ti cogs are a very subdued color and are not bright at all.
Plusses: 50g less than the Ultegra and then there's the legendary DA shifting to boot.
On top of all that, I snagged it for $109./shipped spankin' brand new. Can't beat that.

Tires/Tubes: Original Budget $175.
Current set-up is Continental Grand Prix 4000s w/Continental Race Lite 28 Tubes for 580g.
Coming in are Continental Grand Prix Supersonics w/Continental Supersonic Tubes for 400g.
They are supposed to be "race day only" tires/tubes, but I'm going to give them a run.
I've read that older iterations were weak, but the current batch is getting thousands of
miles of life and supposedly make a very noticeable difference over the Conti GP4Ks's.
I picked up the tires for $83./shipped and the tubes for $30./shipped.

Bar:
I'm going to re-wrap my FSA K-Wing and remove the gel pads I have on the flattops,
put then between the dimple of the bar to the hoods (where I spend most of my time)
and leave the flat tops bare. I generally only use the flat tops after an hour or so and
that's just to change up hand positions a bit. Otherwise, I'm on the hoods or drops.
Then, I'm going to have to paint the white graphics on the top of the bar.
Luckily, I have an in-house artist to execute that for me...My Wife.

Miscellaneous:
I'm going to go over the frame and start to black-out a few things (a warning label on the seat tube,
the Cannondale logo on the headtube, whatever else I find that I don't need, etc...) and I'm going to
conver the "7" on the seattube just below the top tube (which is the designated number for this CAAD
as in "CAAD9-7") into a question [?] mark like The Riddler's. I might even go with that gawdy green
just to flip-the-scipt a bit. Why? Because now, it's way beyond anything Cannondale offered that year.
It's better than Cannondale's CAAD9-1. I thought about re-branding it a CAAD9-0 (over the "1"),
but since I'll probably always be changing it up, I thought the question mark was more suitable.
I'm still thinking about a name for it. I still like "Shetan" (the name of The Black Stallion).



A Deda Dog Fan Chain Catcher along with a carbon chainstay protector are ready to go on.
I'll also change out the OEM Dura-Ace 7800 shifter plates for carbon plates. -5g there.
Along with that, I'm swapping out the OEM bottle cage bolts for Al or Ti for another -5g.
I'll have to wait until the Spring to pick up a set of 58mm carbon clinchers. -100g
But before then, I'll definitely have a Fi'zi:k Antares 00 carbon-railed saddle for -65g
and a KMC X10SL Black Chain which'll save me 40g. If it doesn't shift as nice as the
Dura-Ace 7801 chain, off it'll go and the DA will come back into the game.

The only thing this CAAD will lack will be a set of Hollograms which is doable, but the adapter kit
would cancel out any weight savings, plus, my current custom set-up is one of the stiffest around
(Ultegra SL crank arms, Dura-Ace 7800 BB, Praxis Clover chainrings with Far & Near bolts for a
773g crankset soup-to-nuts complete), so in reality, it really won't even be lacking that IMO.


Right now, my DS-1 tells me she's: 7450g/16.44lbs
Next week, I expect her to be down to: 7210g/15.91lbs
With 58mm's, saddle & chain & some "tuning": 6900g/15.23lbs
Then, I'll only be 100g away from 14lbs. And my sickness will
be rekindled just when I think I'm done.

2ndGen

I lopped off 27g off the post. My post is now 178g (from 205g) @ 27.2/170mm.

I actually went 80mm beneath the top of my seat tube and literally 5mm above
the manufacturer's safety limit which I didn't see until after I made the cut.
It was covered up with the residue from the carbon paste that was applied with the post.
I hope 5mm won't kill me.

I didn't get the angle perfect, but the factory cut wasn't even a perfect 45 degrees.
I clamped the post on my stair rail and commenced to slicin'. When all was said & done,
I sanded the cut end off and it came out pretty nice and clean. I was considering getting
a 3T Doric Limited Carbon Seatpost for about $150. There would've been a 23g difference.

I'm content.

Tool:
Skil Jigsaw on highest speed with a fine wood blade. It cut through the carbon like butter.

Finished product:


Before:











After:

2ndGen

Summary of my seating area weenieing...

-27g post cut
-04g removal of seat ring
-11g new seat post clamp
-10g saddle scuff guards removed
52g gone for a total of $15. with a little elbow grease.



The Woodman seat post clamp is a nice piece.
I didn't think it'd make as big of a difference aesthetically as it did from the
OEM Cannondale clamp, but the difference is very noticeable (in the best sense).
FTR... -11g for $15.










OEM Cannondale clamp...


Woodman clamp...

2ndGen

Top cap replaced (previously, alloy OEM cap) with no-name carbon (9g) and that has been replaced with the Bontrager carbon top cap that came with the Bontrager XXX Race Lite OS Stem. I've also switched the bolts (3g OEM for 2g bolt) and starnuts will be exchanged tomorrow "if" the one I have now is actually lighter than OEM).

With original 2.5mm spacer and top cap (I don't know if you can see it in the pictures, but in person,
the more tapered Bonty cap and 1mm spacer make a HUGE difference, not to mention that the carbon
looks a lot nice than the matte black Al cap):



With 1mm spacer & Bonty top cap.
I'm going to file down the hard edge a bit to soften it up in order to taper it to meet the cap:

I <3 Robots

That Bontrager stem is slowly killing me.

Save yourself some cash and either go with the 3T or Zipp SL stem. Your really not going to gain anything with the Enve stem. To me it looks way too thick for the 1/18 headtube.

2ndGen

I know, I know. I totally agree with you on the bulky look.
I think once I blot out the white by painting it black, it'll tone it down a lot.
If that doesn't work for me, I'm leaning heavily towards the 3T (40g drop?)
if I can't find an Edge stem available in my size (10g difference from the 3T).
The Bonty stem is actually a re-badged Zipp stem.

Here's an example of how much more it disappears when blacken it out some:

GiantDefyGuy

This thread makes me feel dirty. It's like an episode of "Hoarders" or something.
It wasn't too bad earlier, but now you're sort of going overboard. (From the outside, this all looks/sounds a little different than you probably think).

But you do need to get rid of that huge badonkadonk stem. It's funny to me that you've done all this other stuff, but that thing is still on there.

And that seatpost is too short. It looks dangerous. Seriously. I hope you only weigh like 135lbs or something like that. Even then, it would still make me me uncomfortable.

2ndGen

There's 3" between the saddle and the top of the bar.
The post is cut right at the manufacturer's limit (within 10mm).

You're right...I'm finding it hard to let go of the Bonty. After paint, I'll make the final call.
I'm fine tuning this CAAD. It has to be a certain way for me. That's why it's taking me so long.
I'm not just going light with it, but light, reliable, durable and strong. Hence the 16lb weight.
I'll stop once it gets down to 15lbs. 15 high, 15 mid, 15 low, I don't care. As long as it's 15ish.

The stem looks wayyyy bigger in pictures than it does in person and
it doesn't bother me no where near as much as the saddle does aesthetically.
The Aliante looks like whitewalls on a Corvette. I have to get an Antares 00 on there ASAP.
Once I drop the stem, it'll start to really come together. Then, the saddle will finish it off.

I <3 Robots

As long as the post extends past the entire top tube...you should be ok.

2ndGen

Some custom graphics going on my BBQ CAAD9 on the seattube just below the top tube...





I'm going to crop it, remove the "DC Comics wording at the bottom, add
some text and when all is said & done, it'll be with the same quality above:

.......................................
[With your computer set on 100% Zoom, you'll see the actual final size of 3" X 1 1/2"]