JimOfOakCreek

I’ve been using my R200 as an workout bike. It’s over 25 years old. Now I’ve decided to restore it to a street worthy Road bike. What path would you experts take? I want to keep it under $1000.

I want to ditch the original Dia Compe brakes set, triple crankset, 7 speed cassette, all derailleurs, cheap saddle.The wheel set is original Rigida. It might be worth saving? Or not?

The 25” frame is a Cannondale CAD2, in perfect shape, no dents but needs a cleaning. I’m thinking maybe SRAM 11 speed components if I can keep the price below $1K. Any advice. I’m Very tall, almost 6’5”. These tall frames are hard to come by so I want to make most of it.

Cannondale R200, CAD2 frame. The rear tire is designed to hold up to the flywheel indoors.

HillRider

Your frame is most likely spaced 126 mm since it is 7-speed. It will have to fit a 130mm OLD (over locknut dimension) hub to accept any cassette above 8-speed and you can't safely cold set (i.e. bend) an aluminum frame. Also, 11-speed is going to require nearly everything new, including wheels, derailleurs, shifters, chain, crank, cassette and the saddle and brakes you already plan to replace even if you can cram the wider hub into the frame.

dsbrantjr

I would suggest just installing a good road tire, lube/adjust as needed and enjoy the bike as-is. It was a fine bike when it was made, and it fits you, enjoy it for what it is.

sch

Borrow a 9-10-11 spd rear wheel and see how much effort it takes to put it on the bike first. As per Hillrider you will
find this difficult at best and aluminum does not take well to stress of this sort. Frame may do fine or weldment of chain
stay at bottom bracket or brake bridge may crack some day. That could be a problem, but likely would give some advance notice
before complete failure, also depends on your weight and power output, both sustained and spurt higher being
more stressful on the frame. Unless you are resourceful in finding good prices eg take offs/lightly used,
meeting your $1k will be difficult.

At one time cable stops that fit on the downtube shifter bosses were common, not so much now.

alcjphil

If your Cannondale was sold at a time when 8 speed cassettes were available it is likely that it has rear spacing that will work for 8+ speed rear cassettes. The best thing about Cannondale bikes of that era is that they used the same frame for their high end models as they used for the lower end versions. This made their bikes ideal for upgrades. Measure your rear dropout spacing. If it is greater than 126mm it means that your bike can be upgraded to any current standard you can afford

Ronno6

Cannondale is sometimes hard to figure out.
CAAD2 frames (not CAD2) were built in 1997/8, and were sold with both 7 speed and 8 speed drive trains.
I would doubt that they made the same series frame in both 126 and 130.
Even as far back as 1988 they were actually using 128mm so that either 7 or 8 speed rear wheels could be used...
I have a CAD3 in 66cm and it is 130mm for 8/9/10 speed.

Anyway, I have used several different 126mm 8-10 speed setups for many MANY years and have ridden 32 spoke wheels
without incident, even when I weighed as much as 270#
If you do need 126mm, get a hub with a non drive side spacer of at least 4mm and a threaded axle.
Remove 4mm of spacer and trim the axle.
Move the rim 2mm to the NDS and away you go!!
My favorite setup is a Ritchet Zero system hub and Ritchey Zero rear rim with an offset spoke bed.
This results in a wheel that is darn near symmetrical
And, again, i have NEVER trashed one..........

I would recommend something from the Shimano Ultrgra 6600 or 105 5600 vintage components.
They are proven performers and pretty readily available at reasonable prices.
STI levers, racing rear derailleur, double chainring front derailleur, crankset
wheelset of your choosing and off you go.
I own 12 pre 1989 bikes/framesets in 63cm and love them.
Also a couple CAD3 in 63cm, and the 66cm, which is what I currently ride.
Also have a CAAD5 in 63cm.
Add a carbon fork and the ride smooths out considerably.
Great bike for the tall guy...............

Russ Roth

Might have an easier time going 10sp sram for your price range but it should be easy to do, just watch ebay for a take-off groupset and wheelset. A sram apex group or rival shouldn't be much more than 500, your bike shouldn't have any oddball standards so a basic build group will work. You will need new wheels and make sure what you buy has new brakes as the new ones will be a lot better.

Trakhak

Agree completely with all of that except that carbon fork installation suggestion. I know that many people fervently believe that a carbon fork makes a perceptible difference in the smoothness of the ride, but I and many others have never felt any such difference between steel, aluminum, and carbon forks. Apparently whether you feel a difference depends largely on whether you anticipate that you will feel a difference. Better to install the widest tires that the frame and fork can accommodate; that makes a real comfort difference that does not depend on a placebo effect.

In any event, only a few carbon fork manufacturers still offer a fork built to accommodate the obsolete 1" standard, and their forks are expensive.

Ronno6

The carbon fork in my CAD3 66cm came stock form Cannondale........
My others are a mix of Nashbar and Performance forks.........
(Touch wood) I have never experienced a problem.....

icemilkcoffee 

There is no need to do nuthin. No stretching no pulling no nothing. The 7 speed cassette is completely fine. Just add 7 speed brifters. You have a choice of four 7 speed brifters:
RSX A410
Sora 3300
Tourney A070
Micro-new r7
Those last two are still available brand new. Brifters and dual pivot brakes will transform your bike.

70sSanO

It looks like the CAD2 R200 was first produced in 1997. The dropouts most likely will accommodate a 130mm even though the R200 has a 7 speed cassette. Your first step is to take out the rear wheel and measure the distance between the dropouts.

Whether or not to actually completely rebuild and upgrade the bike is another story. It all depends on how much you like the bike and how it handles. You've owned the bike long enough to know how well it dives into corners or handles rough roads, or climbs. If you really like the build and geometry, then rebuild and upgrade. If it is more of, "Well, I've already got a frame...", then you might want to re-consider since parts are at a premium due to the pandemic.

John

JimOfOakCreek

Thanks to everyone for your input. I measured the distance between the rear dropouts. It measured 5 1/8” or 130mm. My Upgrade options are wide open.

I have another bike that I built and use as my road bike now. I started with a Soma Smoothie ES frame. All the components are 9 speed Shimano 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace. It’s been 12 years since I built it.

I wasn’t sure what the potential my old Cannondale had. That CAD2 aluminum frame is VERY stiff, the geometry is quick. It makes for fun short rides as I recall. Now I can plan an upgrade. I will likely hold off purchasing the components until parts become more available.

You guys make this forum an important resource.

Thanks again....Jim