prairiepedaler

A local has one of these for sale (see photos). It looks like an early Cannondale SM series (rollercam brakes, Bio-pace etc). I don't know my vintage Cannondale bike models. Is this the SM-500, 600 etc? Hard to tell from the photo if it'd fit. I've never ridden an aluminum frame bike before yet I do like the concept to lower the centre of gravity for hauling in the rear. TIA for the assistance.

bargainguy

Looks like an '87 SM600 in slate:

https://vintagecannondale.com/year/1987/1987.pdf

T-Mar

The subject bicycle is a 1987 Cannondale SM600 with the 24"rear wheel option.

prairiepedaler

Ok, thanks BG and T-M. (I was close!)

Lascauxcaveman 

Pretty cool bike with the 26/24 wheelage. Never seen one in person, but would def check it out if it was in my neighborhood. If you're ~6ft+ tall, it'd probably be a good fit. Should be a pretty stiff frame, judging from my experience with late 80s C-dales.

prairiepedaler

Hi, I went and took a look. Appears to be in fine shape with not much use, and it's big (the most important criteria). According to the catalogue that frame was the largest they made. He said he'd drop it by my place tomorrow. Will take some snapshots for the thread when I get the chance. Some collectors seem to go nuts over these bikes, in the UK in particular.

Roll-Monroe-Co

What a very strange beast. Rear is smaller for lower center of gravity? Why not both wheels smaller--a sort of mountain Moulton?

turkey9186

An original Beast of the East.

prairiepedaler

Hi, I'm sure someone will weigh in on the thread to explain the performance theory behind the disparity in wheel sizes.

The bike arrived today. Fine shape I think and in original condition from the grafight2000 pedals all the way to the gay pride parade pink stem. What were they thinking with that colour scheme?! One thing I never considered is the minute top of tire clearance roller cam brakes present, making full fender installation impossible. Have to rig partials up I reckon. The tires are the original National 2.0" and they'll get replaced. I like the rims. More to come.

T-Mar

The 24" rear wheel allowed the chainstays to be shortened by about an inch, permitting a shorter wheelbase for quicker handling, while putting more weight over the rear wheel for better traction. It was also slightly lighter. The penalty was having to carry two sizes of spares and a relatively small selection of performance oriented 24" tyres.

prairiepedaler

Yes indeed, the chainstays on the Cannondale are shorter than the ones on the BRC packmule even though the overall wheelbase is the same. For the record, the seatpost is a 27.2 (a Sugino SP-KD). Thankfully the pedals weren't frozen in place. This thread will updated with a complete parts & model number manifest for posterity.

I'm giving it a ragdown before taking some photos for the thread. Overall it was a very satisfactory purchase and only 4 months to go before it can be ridden. Appropriate tires may require a bit of a search given it's wheels are a 24/26 combo. Preliminary searches indicate Schwalbe makes a Marathon green guard in those sizes in 2" in both diameters.

prairiepedaler

I finally understand what you mean. I think the "BOTE" was a later model SM-800.

Pompiere

Fluorescent colors were really popular in the late 1980s - early 1990s era. Look through any of the old catalogs for examples. It wasn't just bikes, either. Clothing, cars, home decor, etc. I remember cars with fluorescent colored wheels and matching wiper blades. Thankfully, we grew out of all that.

Trakhak

I have the same model in the 18" size. The idea for the 24" rear wheel was borrowed from (motorized) dirt bikes. Someone who knows about those will have to explain the reasoning behind using a smaller rear wheel, though.

My SM-500 has full fenders front and rear. The brakes should be easy to adjust to allow the roller cam plates to clear a set of fenders.

Pompiere

I had forgotten about the dirt bikes. I had a Honda Elsinore with a 21 inch front and 18 inch rear, I think. It seems the taller, lighter, narrow front tire was able to roll over obstacles, while the rear was fatter for better traction. Tall in the front also rotated the center of gravity to the rear, to make lifting the front wheel easier. On soft ground, you wanted the front to float just enough to steer, the back wheel would dig in to keep you moving.

prairiepedaler

Oh? I would like to see what you've done there with the type of fenders, tire size, clearance etc on your bike. This is my first experience with roller cams. Seems like a sound enough design but there is a lot of room for crud to effect the roller / pull plate action, especially without a fender to protect that area. The stock bike here uses 2" tires by National (Panasonic). The sidewalls are getting crusty and the rubber compound has lost it's "tooth" yet probably are still rideable. In that 2" size it'd be too tight a fit for a fender I think.

I wonder what this thing would look like in a drop conversion.

prairiepedaler

The top tube brake cable retention clip nearest the seat post let go. From what I understand these little plastic POS will do that after a time. Might try a reglue before replacement or refab. Just the one so far.

bradtx

prariepedaler, Vintage Cannondale has repo A113 housing guides. I used some 3D guides from Shapeways on my beater.

Brad

ApolloSoyuz1975

Because this warrants a re-post:

Neon colors really were a fad from ~1987-1991. Not even the world of stock car racing was immune:


I'll be interested to see what's tires you get. IIRC, Vee Rubber makes some decent 24" MTB/BMX tires...

stardognine

That's a pretty good description. I had the enduro Elsinore, an MT125 (4-stroke instead of the 2-stroke on the CR) when I was 12, because of my long legs. My cousin with short legs got stuck on a "little" Honda SL70. 😉

prairiepedaler

Yeah, I recall those years. Tie-dyed neons, Chip n' Pepper crap etc. I think Miami Vice had some influence on colour popularity in North American society, with all the tropical pastel primary hues etc. Yet, battleship grey and pink for a bike? Oh well, we'll soon change that.

prairiepedaler

I was thinking about Marathon Green Guards front and back, or perhaps Marathon Plus on the rear and regular Marathons GG on the front. They both are available in a 24", although not in a 2" width. Widest is a 1.75". Trying to find them online now. They might be sent from Germany as the 24" is not too well stocked most places. I use the Marathon GG front / Plus rear combo for summer riding and they do a great job.

MikeyMK

I bought a Diamond Back Topanga in either '88 or '89, and that was flat grey with candy pink forks and handlebar - definitely the 'in-thing' at the time.

prairiepedaler

It seems there was some slight differing in designs on the SM600. Apparently original trumps restored in value, no matter how well executed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fully-resto...p2047675.l2557

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-origina....c100012.m1985

The restored is a half n' half wheelset, the other matched 24's. How does one get topside water bottle out of that cage to have a drink? Had no idea these bikes were worth this kind of dough. Nobody up here wanted the one I bought.

prairiepedaler

The ol' Tubbs n' Crockett colour scheme