got a cannondale t500 frame from a friend of a friend that i want to build into a commuter.
not sure of the year. it's the frame/fork/headset/bottom bracket and crank.
the rest i guess i got to buy/build. hopfully on the cheap, but i've never done anything like this before so that might be a little naive. should be a fun winter project though.

is there any place where i can find out what size parts i'll need? rooted arround cannondale site but didn't see anything for t500. also, there are no markings on the (tripple) chain rings. is there a way to tell what size it is? i'm guessing i'll have to find a rear cassette that will match it.

got any tips? where should i start? drive train, wheels, cables?
got advice to look for used parts on ebay and craig's list. any other sites out there?
thanks.

Start by getting a good bike maintenance book. Boy that thing looks trashed.

it's in good shape. just a lot of stickers.

You could probably buy a whole bike cheaper than buying the stuff a piece at a time to put that thing together.I bought a comuter grade mtb at a garage sale this summer for $25. It had been a garage ornament and needed nothing but a bit of cleaning,lube and air in the tires.

Cannondales can take a beating ..My poor brothers cannondale got taken around a bmx track...We got it repainted and had to replace only one bit!

The things you have to worry about are basically BB and headset. So, use a caliper and make really good measurements of those parts. Then you go to www.sheldonbrown.com and look at his glossary for threads, bottom bracket, headset, french threads, english threads, bla bla bla and then you will figure out what you have. Also measure fork and frame dropouts with a steel ruler.

After that, roam ebay 'til you find someone who got ALOT of NOS bike stuff to sell, (combine shipping is saving ALOT of money) and then find a groupset you like and buy it. Some parts you will probably have to hunt for a bit longer but you will have plenty to do with the parts you get fast.

When it comes to group sets, Dura Ace is nice, but Ultegra is alot cheaper and if you move back a couple of years then you can get NOS really good Ultegra stuff. Atleast the derailleurs, sprockets and hubs should be NOS. When it comes to sprockets, try friends bikes and see what combination you want back there.

You will encounter questions, and it is good to have a bike maintenance book, but look at those sites also, www.sheldonbrown.com , www.parktool.com , I dont remember Jobst Brands site but it should be a link from Sheldon Brown, otherwise just google for Jobst Brand. He is really good also.

So, good luck mate. And remember, you can always post a question here :)

There is no Voodoo involved here. It's english thread BB with either a 68 or 73mm shell width. HS is either standard 1" or 11/8" threaded or threadless. A measurement of steerer tube OD determines size.The T500 designation makes it a touring frame. Dropouts are 100/135 and it takes 700c wheels,and DA or ultegra wouldn't be the most appropriate call for the intended use.

Listen to Sydney, I am into the older bikes where this used to be an issue. But apparently no longer so listen to Sydney.