robtee92

Cannondale R800 52 CM

should i buy for $250?

cb400bill

Pic assist.

zukahn1 

This is a solid bike for a good price But it is a really stiff small frame set with tight racing geometry no room for bigger tires, rack or fenders and can only really ride with bike shoes and clipped pedals. So a pretty good deal if your looking for a entry level race or Tri trainer for a small rider 5'2"-5'4" or so, but not a good bike if your looking for a more casual daily or sports rider and not a good commuter.

DMC707 

Its a 52c -- the 'Dales sizing looks a bit odd due to the large tubes , --- so should be good for someone up to a 5'6 or thereabouts, --- that increases the field of prospective buyers somewhat

Price is right in line, but everything else you said is spot on -- not really a bike designed for riding the bike paths at a leisurely rate

xiaoman1 

Might be a forum member....if it fits you and after you ride it you like it make a reasonable offer, all he can say is no.
600 group is good 200-225
BTW I "tour" with my bikes all with drops and 23mm tires and only use the drops when I brake.
Good Luck, Ben

robtee92

couldn't wait so i went ahead and bought it. that's good it's a fair price.

i made a post in the bike fit forum here. The gist is people are telling me a bike of this size is suited for someoneshorter, but the website i used (I can't remember which) says otherwise. I'm 5'8". did i get too small a bike?

bargainguy

Ride it and see how it fits you. Impossible to predict precise fit from a distance, all we can do on the internet is generalize.

As regarding frame size on these C-dales, note how the seat tube rises an inch or so above the top tube. This makes for a lower standover than most frames because of the way the frame is measured through seat tube length proportional to where the top tube intersects it. A 52cm C-dale like this is comparable to perhaps a 50cm in other frames in that respect. So yeah, it might be a bit small for you, but only way to tell for sure is to ride it and see how it feels.

DMC707 

Ride it a bit and see what kind of seatpost extension and drop to the saddle you get after you get it dialled in.

If you are hunched up and putting a lot of weight on your hands and having to slide the seat all the way back, then its a bit small, - but maybe a longer stem with a little bit of rise would help even it out

In the late 80's and early 90's, the prevailing racing mentality was to ride the smallest frame you could get away with, so the sizing may be spot on for that generation. The thinking was the smaller frame would be a bit lighter, stiffer,mand quicker handling--- you can still hear bike shop guys preaching this stuff

If anything Lance did right, it was to reverse this course of thinking somewhat, because at 5'10, he could have been riding a 54/55 machine, but he went for comfort and picked a 56/57 machine most of the time (actually a 58, but the OCLV machines were sized a tad small)

But fit is an individual thing for sure

xiaoman1 

I don't think so , unless you have really long legs...we are all a little different, loner legs,short torso etc etc so a chart only get you in the ball-park
you can always adjust the seat and bars as needed, if you need more "reach"because the top bar is a little short get a longer stem etc....ride on!
Congrats, Ben