Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
CAAD3 frames showed up first on mountain bikes in 1996. The key to it was a very large, thin down tube. At the crank it was shaped into the "power pyramid" which made the bb very stiff, and at the head tube it was tapered down to the right diameter to blend in. The 1997 road bikes got that, skinny seat tubes, and a carbon fork. The other two tubes were butted. CAAD4 in 1999 brought thinner chain stays, shaped seat stays. At the same time they were making cool house brand components like the Hollowgram cranks. The frames kept improving from there as the aluminum got better and the design got tweaks. This probably kept them out of the carbon frame business for another couple generations of bikes.
At the same time they were bankrupting themselves trying to make motorcycles.
Sad state of affairs in retrospect. I got a 1986 SR400, loved the ride of it and noticed the Black Lightning in the 1987 catalog that sent me down the rabbit hole of email alerts on all the secondary sale platforms, and lo and behold, found a 1986 sr800 ebony special edition with the Superbe/Gran dia compe royal group, was a little rough but all there besides a nut and washer for the front calipers
Live the vintage Cannondale feel, would love to get the end of the great Cannondale US run, a 2004 sr2000 pro or the saeco team bike may be a fitting compliment.