Originally Posted by Old Gammy Leg
Hi
I just got an '04 Cannondale R800, my first road bike, which I'm very pleased with. I was just reading the section on the Cannondale website where they discuss the longevity of the CAAD7/Optimo frame. They claim it is only good for 'a season or two of racing'. Obviously I realise that they have to cover themselves legally, and racers beat the crap out of their bikes, but still, this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.
I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience of the longevity/durability of CAAD7 frames; also experience of Cannondale's warranty procedures. Anyone managed/not managed to get a new frame following a failure? How is this company generally on warranty issues?
I weigh about 150lbs and do not really race, I guess I would ride maybe 5,000-8,000 miles per year... hope the frame is gonna last more than a couple of seasons!
Racing for 2 seasons is equating to 35,000 miles. If you realistically do ride at 8k miles a year, you are safe for 4-4.5 years of longevity on your C'dale R800. I am pretty disappointed that aluminum does not have the longevity of titanium of a lifetime. So a good rule that I have in place is distributing my time onto 2 different bikes.
I hope this helps.