*ahem...* Klein.

Heck, Cannondale technically ripped off the Klein design; Schwinn went ahead and produced their early aluminum frames under license (Klein had a few patents at the time, IIRC).

-Kurt

"then just about anyone"

No question they ripped of Klein. (Was there ever a trial on the patent infringement or was it all negotiations?) But, they created a technology and a brand that continued on strong for many years, unlike niche players like Klein.

All my bikes are not 20+ years old.

...likewise, a couple of mine:
Orange '84 SR w/ full Shimano 600:


White '88 SR w/ mix of Shimano 6200 and 6400:


Red '88 SR800:

Cannondale made themselves more accessible and visible to the public, but it doesn't necessarily make them superior.

-Kurt

rccardr, i really like the orange bike!

Yeah, I hated to let that one go. But if you love something....
And a few more pics. Just for old times' sake...

In the vein of vintage Alu and 650B, I'm slowly converting a Vitus 979 frameset to 650B wheels (the 32mm Grand Bois tires fit just fine). Another summer project.

Neal

Neal, how wide to the GB's end up being when mounted? Do you have any pictures? I need some encouragement!!!

Just took some pics, and to my surprise the Grand Bois Cypres 650B tires did fit the C'dale though just barely (~2mm per side). Here's what that looks like:





Here's the clearance on my Vitus 979--much better!:





And my calipers show these tires as just a hair under 31mm wide on Sun CR 18 rims, inflated to about 80 psi:



Neal

Off topic question - What's the dent in the drive side chainstay for? Certainly, it's too far to the rear to be for chainring clearance.

-Chain ring clearance. 42 tooth ring would easily be that far back. C-Dales have very large diameter chain stays. The second is to clear the crank arms.

Crank arm end.

Neal, that looks very doable. There is hope! I may still try this thing.

Thanks for the info, I was asking about the second dent. Crank arms makes seems almost obvious now that you say it. I haven't seen one of these in a long time.

With the cooler weather here, I am thinking about my Cannondale 650b project again. rccardr, That orange bike is so nice. It keeps me inspired about keeping the Dale on the road!

Panaracer Col De La Vie's are equivalent to an 18mm tire in the 700C size. The rear stays are aluminum so you can't cold set them to get in a different wheelset. If you had a steel road frame, there would be more options.

I got 700-28 tyres to fit (just!) on my 93 Cannondale R800 commuter conversion.

The only way to make the rear brake work though was to reverse-mount an old 105 single pivot. Looks weird but works fine.

25 tyres would obviously give better clearance... Photos below. Hope this helps. Apologies to those who have seen 'em before:

Barchettaman, One of the nicer Cannondale paint designs, IMHO... show it as much as you want. I wish I could capture my '96's black gold in a photo.

embankmentlb, A 23C that works well is the GP3000 at 100 PSI, hopefully the GP4000 will work as well. It's large for it's size, 24ish. The Vredsteins TriComp work well also in 23C and it's closer to 23 at 120 PSI. I have 25C UltraSports on my 56 cm '89 CR, but I doubt a 28C will clear the chainstay and/or the brakestay maybe. Your 23C tires may also be large for their size, try them at 100 PSI.

Another thing to be considered is that these frames were handbuilt and can vary a wee bit so your brakestay may be a tad low compared to the previous or next frame built. I think that having dual pivot 600 calipers may also help just a little for tire clearance, primarily at the sides of the tire.

Brad

PS My turn for a gratuitus pic, that may show my brakestay clearance:

Pretty much how every Cannondale from that era rode. It was designed as a performance bike. Why not sell it and use the proceeds towards a new ride? It would sell real fast on ebay. That's a beautiful bike.

Thanks Cs1, a sensible person would probably do that. I got the bike new in 87 so it has allot of sentimental value to me. It also is great for the wind trainer. Just trying to justify some winter bike projects.

embankmentlb, I can understand the sentimentality thing, the bike in the above picture isn't ridden all that much, but I won't sell it.

Brad

And for whatever reason these old C'dales seem to age very well. I think it's the combination of fat tubes & index shifting that make them feel "new" or almost "new". They are quality bikes for sure.

Oh, yeah. Rode one of my '87 SR800's yesterday on a club ride and it was perfect. That Shimano 600 stuff is amazing.