I don't take long rides anymore.I am 79 but my Cad 3 Cannondale always seems to be less work than the vast number of other bikes I have had. Now that was scientific analisis.
I have had at least a dozen Cannondales over 20 years and I always come back to them. I am just a old guy looking to punish myself. Ha Ha
Ed

Magicalness.
Also the mind is also a powerful thing. If you perceive yourself to be on a fast bike, I would think that's enough to coax an extra MPH. Conversely, even if you don't think about it, if you know you are on a slug, you simply won't "have it" that day. Right or wrong, Cannondales have been known to be many things to different people, speed is always one of them

It's the 23s. Got to be the 23s.

Could it be the geometry and what these bikes were designed for? Weren’t the Cannondale SR’s crit bikes, shorter faster races. The traditional steel frames for longer races? I feel like I’m more in a race position on the Cannondale than on the Ironman.

+1 !

With both my Flyte SRS-3, and my Cannondale CAAD3 R1000 (both aluminum bikes with carbon forks) the bike seem to want to be ridden fast. They are actually a bit boring or painful even to be ridden slow. Ride them fast though and the stiffness inherent in the material unveils itself and sort of thanks you back for giving it what it needs.

My Cannondale R1000 in particular 8s the bike that I have recorded my fastest average speeds on over the past 10 years. And this is on a “retro” build of 8 speed SunTour Accushift parts shifted with funky Command paddle shifters that you would associate more with “touring” rather than “racing”.

So there you have it - “magicalness”. Its a thing !

I think position is a big part of it. Riding in the drops on any of my bikes makes a noticeable difference. I always assumed the frame geometry was a big factor too.

I know my cannondale feels different than my steel bikes. There are days that I feel strong and the bike seems to fly. There are days where I feel sluggish and I putter around until I warm up. I definitely think my personal performance varies more than my bikes.

I think the steep angles and short wheelbase play a part, as well as the unrelenting stiffness. The head tube is almost 75 degrees on some of the Criterium models, IIRC.

Definitely not a "comfort bike".

Proof = Peter Sagan won green on a Cannondale.

He also did it on a Specialized. And on a Fuji.

But there is no doubt, it is all about the bike.

2nd most Tour stage wins ever.

Started my Cannondale habit with a '91 SR300, dearly wish I still had it to this day. My '97 R500T served me, and then our daughter until last fall, should have retrieved the frame and fork, oh well....

Now my non-vintage ride is a 2012 CAAD 10, with Ultegra 6800 swapped in. And for all the bad press about being overly stiff and such, it never bothered me at all to ride any of these bikes for long distances or time periods. Even the SR300, with the criterium geometry you could get back in those times, I just flat enjoy(ed) all of these aluminum framed wonders.

Bill

He never won on a Varsity or Continental

Those bikes were considered rocket like back when they first came out. Great bang of the buck. Performed like a race bike that cost 3x the price. I had a later first gen Cannondale that I rode through much of the 90s. It's one of the bikes (Klein did it first) that led us to where we are now.

Yeah, it's the stiffness of the frame you are feeling...

(Lay it on me BQ fans, I don't care.)

And if you have the Criterium, I think you can add quick to the fast. Pro tip, don't forget the pedals.

Don't worry, I got yer back, they'll have to grill both of us

He'd drop you like a bag of wet sand while riding a poorly-fit Varsity or Continental.

It’s like L.A. once said... it’s not about the bike.





But, it’s always about the bike.

I would hope he could drop me like a bag of wet sand while carrying a bag of wet sand while riding a poorly fit Varsity.

You know, I recently went through some of these thoughts after a ride.

Some bikes do feel faster, and I'm not learned enough to really know why. What I can say is that some days I have "it" and some days I just don't.

One day I'll look down at my computer and see 18mph or so on a straight, flat stretch with no wind, or even a light tailwind.

Another day, I look down on a similar stretch and see 21+! I think, "I don't feel like I'm pushing harder." Same bike. Similar conditions. No explanation. In the moment I tell myself that I do feel stronger that day.

Months back I was trying to push myself, but was not having it. There was this older guy way ahead of me on a mountain bike. I used him as motivation, thinking trying to catch him might wake me up.

Nope!

This guy could spin! Dusted me. He was just out hammering - no idea I was trying to catch up. He was a rocket on a "slow" bike.

I think sometimes it’s about how the combinations of frame characteristics and components come together that makes some bikes stand out over others. Probably the most disappointing bike I have owned was a Pinarello Montello. My first Basso Gap had a quick feel to it, nimble and easy to accelerate. It was a 56cm SL frame. My 54cm Gap does not have the same quality. The fastest speed I ever recorded on the flat was 25 mph on my 58cm Ciocc, before I mothballed it. It may not be super fast, but I love the ride qualities of my DeRosa.

You guys probably can't tell, but I love my '85 ST500. 🥰 I just bought her some clean old chainrings & things (have a newish thread). 😎

EDIT: Hey, why don't I edit in a pic I just took today. 😉 That large SR chainring looks like it was made for the Sugino AT cranks. 👍

No idea why some bikes are faster than others, but on my normal 20 mile commute home, riding my '85 SR500, I'm usually about 3 - 5 minutes faster than on any other bike I own. This is a route I've timed myself on many times on several different bikes. It very well could be placebo effect, selection bias or pixies in the drive train.

That said, on a longer ride like 60 miles or more I suspect I'd be faster on one of my other bikes. I always feel a little more wrung out than usual after a ride on the Cannondale.

Love that green^^^^^^^^

Its all about the build....

While autographing his book for a fan running along side him.

I once upgraded from regularly riding a stock 1980 Raleigh Super Course 12 to a 2007 Trek Madone 5.2 with Ultegra Ice. At the time I was riding 200-300 miles per week.

I immediately started averaging 4-5 mph faster during rides of almost any duration of time or distance.

I blamed the bike, and specifically the stiffness. I used to be able to look down at the stays and down tube on the Super Course and see them flexing under me as I tried to sprint or climb, and I've since heard some pretty bad things about the flimsy little crank arms that came with them as well.