Puget Pounder

Picked up this SR600. It came with MTB straight bars and levers. I asked the seller about it and he said that he bought it from the shop brand new like that... weird. I don't see why a crit bike should have those. Anyways... I picked it up for $200, which is a little more than I wanted to spend, but the frame charmed me. Some stuff is rusty and it needs a complete overhaul, but the paint is in perfect condition.

Not sure what I want to do with it... I threw on a 3T record stem and crit bars with brifters to see how it would look. I already have a ridiculously hydroformed oversize tubed Ridley, so stiff frame category is already filled. I was hoping for a steel bike to train on (RB-1), but won't hold my breath for now. I would probably do brifters with 600 Ultegra drive train and maybe brakes if I am feeling SP 600 over DP 105.

What would you guys do? This one is for the people who don't hate aluminum bikes.

Another question, how has the quality of Cannondale changed over the years? In general the "they don't make them like they use to" saying applies to most situations, but just wanted to hear some people who have had experience with both (I also know things have moved to Taiwan). These SR bikes with the shortened stays are notoriously stiff. Has Cdale eased off of that?

pastorbobnlnh 

At the moment, I own an '88 ST400, a '93 R600, a '96SR500 (Headshok), a 2001 CAAD4, and an unknown year in 1980s rattle-canned frameset (all road bikes), and 2003 & 2007 Comfort Cannondales. All are USA made frames. Over that time frame, I'd say the quality was all consistently high, but you can see how their engineering became more refined.

Are you certain your C-Dale is a SR model? I always thought "SR" designated "Silk Road" and usually referred to a less aggressive bike for the casual rider. Both my '93 R600 and the '96 SR500 have the cantilevered chain stays, but the '96 was a SR because of the Headshok.

Both of mine are running Shimano 105 which was stock on the '93. The '96 came with Shimano RSX, but I bought mine as a frameset, so I don't have any of that gear.

Best of luck on your C-Dale.

rccardr 

SR = 'Sports/Racing'. That's a Criterium frame, I would guess a 50.

bradtx

Puget Pounder, While through the years Cannondale road frames evolved in design, quality has remained high. The cantilevered seat stays on the 3.0 road and 2.8 frames aren't noticeably stiffer than the later non cantilevered (CAAD#) frames in my experiance. At any rate, running a 25C, or a 'large' 23c at 90-100 PSI mellows the ride of any high performance race frame.

Brad

Homebrew01

I converted my old SR into a Campy 10 speed rain bike ... quite happy with it

I think quality has improved. Early paint jobs had a lot of chipping issues. Many people think the early frames were too stiff. The engineering focus at the time was maximum stiffnes, no matter what. I've got a few of the early models which are fine, and a CAAD8. The CAAD8 is great. I've heard that running a carbon fork on the older frames help the ride.

BentLink

I live a small distance from the former Pennsylvania factory, and have an 86 SR400. My wife has a CAD5, so we skipped the years your bike was made. Frame quality for construction and finish is nice and they're pretty durable.

A decent compromise for us is running 700x28 tires to reduce the harshness...they just fit. May be an option for you?

Spookeay Bird

Humm 700x28's will not fit my 85 SR500 they rub.

bradtx

Spookeay Bird, Because these frames are handmade fitting a 28C on some is possible, as is not able to fit a 25C on others.

Brad

Grim

I had a 89 SR600 and it was a harsh ride with 700x23 Conti Ultra Race. The Aluminum Fork on the 2.8 and 3.0 is a LOT of the complaint. It trasmits every imperfection on the road straight up to the base of your neck.
I doubt 28's would have fit on mine. I have seen people flip the rear brake to the post side to get 28's on some on the Commuter forum. I doubt they would clear the chain stays on the one I had.

When I built my 98 CAAD3 frame carbon fork was a must. No regrets with the Forte Fork from Performance bike. It rides wonderful and little to no buzz on the bars. Did 52 miles on it Tuesday last week and it was a joy. True the CAAD 3 is not the same frame but the Carbon fork removes almost all of the road noise that is transmitted up the Fork.

Puget Pounder

But aren't they still listed as "SR" models and differentiated between road racing and crit after that? At least that's what I get from the catalog.

https://sanaandterry.com/cannondale/year/1990/1990.pdf

Also, I'm guessing the only difference within the SR designations are the components?

I reeeally like the color scheme, but I don't know how I feel about having more aluminum bikes than steel bikes (I only limit myself to 4 bikes )

91MF

yea the SR600 in 1990 was a crit. i have one too. my favorite bike.

last fall:



edit: for reference, in the pic above, my bike has 28c contis on. tight.

Puget Pounder

Is it a harsh ride like everyone says? Also, how's the 1x7 without a chainkeeper? I had a 1x7 project with a good chainline and it still like to pop off all the time.

bradtx

PP, The ride can be harsh, no doubt. I've found this to be true with a steel Colnago race frame, it depends on the tires as I mentioned above (#4).

91MF, I didn't remember who's SR had the 28s mounted, thanks for jumping in.

Brad

91MF

@puget pounder - i dont find it TOO harsh but im rather light[~180lbs] for a person 6'2" and i ride very light on my saddle[aggressive saddle/bar drop balanced me out i suppose]. i have commuted for the past three years spring/summer/fall on this bike. 60km round trip daily.
all i can tell you is, as you would expect, the stiff frame translates into amazing acceleration.
i have never dropped a chain on the 1x7 setup, not once. and i ride real bad roads and curb hop ruthlessly. just make sure you have strong der tension/good chain wrap. i didnt shorten the chain any, tho i could have without the 52t.

@bradtx - i had 28s on and there was a guy from europe somewheres[i dont remember screen names very good] who has a 95ish R800 with a flat bar. he had to invert his rear brake to clear the tire.

91MF

btw, here are pics of mine when i got it. the bike is supposed to look like this:









yes, i've wrecked it.

Puget Pounder

I'll consider keeping it for a while and then sell it off when (if) I find the right bike. Your input has all been very useful.

Puget Pounder

@91MF, did you put new wheels on your bike? The V section works well.

91MF

yes, my commute is pretty rough. i destroyed the wheels in less than a few months. i mean, really destroyed, un-trueable.
had a set of velocity deep vees built up to the original 105sc hubs. they are boat anchors but they are lazer straight still years later.