Trying to find out the model number of my newly acquired Cannondale. Serial number 56101685074, how do I figure out which model it is? Thanks.

Vintage Cannondale - Information and Help

Catalogs also at the site.

I'm not sure I'm getting this right. Pictures on the brochure indicates my bike is a 1987 SR500. But if I'm reading the numbers right the frame is a 1985. I figure I'm wrong so what's up?

LOOK HERE》》Vintage Cannondale - Information and Catalogs for Cannondales

Pics?

That's where I found the info. According to my serial number it's an 85. But the plastic cable guides weren't used until 87. Also with the Shimano 105 it makes it an RS500. The serial numbers are confusing me. It's a 56cm made on October 16, 1985 ????

sloar, It's likely that your '85 date frame was intended as an '86 model and possibly wasn't finished until even later (I have an '86 frame that wasn't completed 'till the '88 model year.). The early Cannondale catalogs aren't always exactly correct when trying to ID a particular bicycle, leading to many anomalies. There just seemed to be many running changes made during early production.

Yours is also painted in what looks like Mystic Chrome, a color used on the '96 Ford Mustang Cobra. There is also the strong possibility that some, or all of the gruppo has been replaced over the years.

Brad

I believe the 83-85 CD's had the serial # stamped on the bottom bracket... any other location indicates a later build.

Also check for bottle cage mounts on the underside of the downtube. In the earlier models even the racing frames had them.

The obvious is the eyelet on the rear dropout which was removed sometime during 88. The new frame I ordered in June or July of 88 didn't have them. The dropout became cantilevered a couple years later.
Those (like yours) were cool, because they were stiffer than steel, but much more comfortable - it's absolutely true, not only was that pasted on the marketing brochure, but it was all over the bicycling press at the time: "ever seen an aluminum bell? No? That's because aluminum damps out the high frequency vibrations that steel doesn't" or some such was one of the tag lines. Of course it wasn't true. :0

Had a couple. Great bikes. Don't miss them.

edit: I'm thinking that isn't 85 unless it was repainted.

Oh it's repainted. It's got a crazy light purple fade on the bottom of all the tubes.

There were no early racing bikes. It was the Sport Touring bike in '83, and just the ST and a mountain bike in '84. The racing bikes don't show up until 1985. Unless you meant those.

I did mean that as I have an 85 racing frame (built in 84 according to the serial #)