Originally Posted by
Notgrownup
Fix it....It needs TLC...Unless you are gonna race it you will get just as much out of this than a new bike...I didn't have a bike so i put $600 in a new entry level CAAD8.....Now i wish i had looked around for used higher end bikes....OH WELL....Just clean it up a bit and Spend the $300 or less if you find somebody else to do the work..., you will be amazed...
Your CAAD8 is faster, lighter, and more responsive than just about any consumer grade road bike from 25 or 30 years ago. Those entry level components were mid level components 10 or 15 years ago. In other words, you are riding a bike better than all but the pros could get 25 years ago, and as good or better than a mid level road bike of 15 years ago. Ride it with pride. You did just fine, especially given that your initial impulse was to get a hybrid. It will take years, maybe a decade or more before the CAAD wears out, or holds you back.
That said, I would probably repair the vintage bike and buy a new one, but I am sentimental about old bikes.