saviersrd

I'm new to road bikes and am looking to buy one (or build). My budget is really no more than $500.

My original plan is to build up my '95? Klein Quantum II frame that I got a year or so ago. My plan was to get all Shimano Ultegra 600 components, and right now I have new crankset and downtube shifter. Levers/brakes are on the way.

And then I saw this. Is it worth buying this bike and put the components to the Klein frame that I have now? I'm looking forward for your help. Btw, this is my first post here.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...278912203.html

highhung723

Even I can say yes to this and I'm a newbie. I have a 1996 R600 frame with a mixture of Campy parts about equivalent to 105 and it was a good price. You have Ultegra RD and DA cassette, so it's even better than mine.

abarth

Price is OK. Not Hot. It is a 3.0 series frame with down tube shifters.

BikeTales 

I just sold an R400 for $300, it was older than that one. Those things ride nice and are light. I'd get it and ride it.

rothenfield1

I think that is a pretty hot price for a nice looking C'dale in SoCal. If you haven't contacted the seller yet, it is probably already gone. Here's a link to the 93 catalog. It takes forever to load because at 92 pages it is the largest catalog I've ever heard of.
https://sanaandterry.com/cannondale/year/1993/1993.pdf

saviersrd

Thanks guys. Looks like I'm gonna get it. I contacted him yesterday and due to his working schedule, we couldn't meet up right away. But I am looking forward to meeting him tomorrow, hoping he hasn't sold it yet.

miamijim

I'd pass on the mish-mash R600 and finish building the Klein with the $300.

wrk101

+1 I am with Jim on this one. Pass.

rothenfield1

I don't get this at all. We are talking about LA which routinely has mid-80's JP bikes selling for upwards of 300, and here you have what appears to be a very nice 93 C'dale for 300. If I was in SoCal, I'd be all over this. I also don't see what the "mish-mash" of components are. From what I read, it's all original except that the RD has been upgraded to Ultegra with a DA cassette. I've seen rather lame 80's C'dales sell for this price in the Bay Area.

wrk101

If I understand the OP message, he is looking at the Cannondale as a donor bike for his Klein, quote from opening post: "Is it worth buying this bike and put the components to the Klein frame that I have now?". If so, the $300 mark is pretty high, given he has already accumulated quite a few of the parts. There are certainly cheaper options for parts/components. Its mainly a 105 downtube shifter bike, with a couple of upgraded bits. Ultegra RDs can be had cheap. As mentioned in the C/L ac, the wheels have Shimano 105 hubs. From a value standpoint, we are talking about 18 year old Shimano 105 DT components. The value of the Cannondale is really as a complete bike, as a source of donor parts, its a non-starter at the $300 price level.

And the OP was looking for all Ultegra components: "My plan was to get all Shimano Ultegra 600 components". This bike has a lot of parts that are not Ultegra, in fact, it only has ONE part that is Ultegra.

Now as a complete bike, ready to ride, as a keeper, in a fairly hot market, $300 is probably fine.

In short, if someone I knew was looking for a Shimano Ultegra bike as a donor for their build, this bike would not meet that criteria. It sounds like only one part is Ultegra, and that is the RD (which as I mentioned, can be found cheap). As far as the Dura Ace cassette, great, except is it the gearing the OP wants, how worn is it, etc.? And the rest of it is 105, a lessor group than what the OP was seeking.

There are lots of Ultegra parts on ebay. I bought an Ultegra wheelset, complete with Ultegra 9 speed Cassette (wrong gearing for me by the way), off ebay last fall. Looked like NOS, no brake wear at all, I have also bought a set of Ultegra brifters, calipers, and derailleurs off ebay earlier in the year. Both auctions combined were less than the price of this Cannondale, and we are talking 9 speed STI.

rothenfield1

I totally missed that he just wanted to cannibalize the C'dale. What a shame. Although, it's not bad logic. Buy the bike, equip the Klein, sell the frame for 150. I thought you were saying that 300 for this bike in LA wasn't a good deal. IMO, it is.

rothenfield1

Well, I'm the one that posted the thread about not being able to sell a Centurion for 260 in the otherwise hot Bay Area; so maybe I'm still stuck in the pricing world pre-housing crash. Your right though, if the OP has already made investments in an Ultegra group, paying 300 for 105 stuff to complete the bike may not make sense.

saviersrd

Yea, you guys are right and I came to realization if I get the bike and put the components on the Klein - may not be a good idea to what I originally plan.

That said, I still want the bike and hoping it's still available for sale tomorrow, I'll get it and just ride it as is and slowly build up the Klein. Again, this will be my first road bike. We'll see how it goes tomorrow...

rothenfield1

That seems like a good idea to me. I happen to be in Mojave and looked on the LA craigs to see if it is still for sale. It is. Which makes me wonder why. If you do get to see the bike, take your time. Look for dents in the frame and meet somewhere you can ride the bike. Don't feel pressured to buy it and walk away if you feel uncomfortable. It's just a bike, but if you think it fits you, it would make for a pretty classy first road bike. Good Luck!

saviersrd

Thanks for the tips rothen. We talked yesterday but due to his work schedule we couldn't meet up right away. So we agreed to meet up tomorrow instead. We'll see..

rothenfield1

I see that the craigs ad is still up. What happened?

saviersrd

He probably hasn't taken down his CL post. But yea, I got the bike last Thursday...I followed your advice...rode it, shifted, no dents/dings...just scratches here and there. I thought it ride smooth and fits me perfect. Just as his description, new tires and everything are shimano 105sc components except for the rear derailleur, which is newer ultegra. Not original parts are the handlebar (fuji), saddle (forte) and I don't know about the headset, and flat rear tube. I talked him down to $260.

Now my gripe is...I took it for spin yesterday...and about 4 miles in, I guess I may have used stronger force to shift up the front gears and the downtube shifter broke. :mad (still did about 16miles with broken shifters). Is there a way to fix this?

Btw, here are the pictures.

Trakhak

That was bad luck, having the shifter break on your first ride. Still, any long-time Cannondale dealer should have a replacement for the steel rod that broke. Cheap and easy repair.

rccardr 

...or the hardware store. If you can get all the threaded bits out of the end pieces, measure the length and take the piece with threads remaining to your LBS or hardware store annd see if they can match the threading.

tugrul

I never would have imagined this could have been a problem.

saviersrd

I managed to straighten up the rod, not 100% straight but very close enough. The rod and the bolt/head snapped off, so I used high strength epoxy to join them together make it into one piece. We'll see the result in the next few hours...


Seriously! I should've known better that for it's age, some parts may break down. LOL. :sigh:

saviersrd

Oh, and the right shifter somewhat broke. Good thing I have a shim 600 to replace it that I bought few weeks ago...