I just recently got back into cycling. I never had a road bike - always mountain bikes. I owned a GT back in the late 80s and still have my Balance XR-450 from the early 90s. I wasn't sure if I wanted to just plunge into paying big bucks for fancy looking bikes at my LBS (truthfully, I see a lot of bling but so so parts on them when you look at what you get). I wanted to see if road cycling is for me so I decided to go the used route.

I saw and checked out a ton of very cool bikes in all kinds of shape - Fuji, Univega, Bianchi - but I ended up buying a mid 80s Cannondale SR600 with 105 components. I negotiated the price to $300. I took it to my LBS and was told the bike showed no signs of any abuse and the frame was in really good shape. It was easy to see as the refin was never completed. The bike is stripped down to the aluminium. Even the fork was stripped and cleaned. I kinda like the brushed aluminum look but I have to, at the very minimum, seal the forks to prevent rust. I am actually thinking of spraying the forks in a textured black finish. Not sure. Anyway, just curious if the $300 was a bad deal oh and I had to replace the rear cassette because 3 cogs were work\n so my LBS put one on a friend gave me (8 cog).

Bad deal? I hope not. It came with brand new tires and really nice looking Shimano rims. The tech said the front cost $200, approximately. Just worried if $300 was a bit much for such an old bike. As far as liking riding a road bike...I LOVE it. I will post pics to this thread over the weekend when I get time. I definitely need to do something with the forks but if I did paint the body I'd do it in a light blue and redo the wraps in yellow, I think.

Thanks for entertaining a newbie to the forums rambling...

You did fine.

Check out the thread here called "a couple of recent Cannondale builds."
I think you will see some real value in "such an old bike."

Welcome to the forum. This really belongs in the valuation inquiry thread, but it'll grow some legs and then stop, so the moderators may let you camp here for that duration.

I know people who bought bikes for $100 and loved them. I also know people who bought bikes for $10,000 and loved them.

If you think you will get $300 of enjoyment from your bike, you got a good deal.

Thanks, guys. But maybe what I didn't convey was, value of the parts aside, being so old was it worth it with regard to fatigue of the frame? I didn't realize until after I made the purchase that, being aluminum and old, that the frame might fail - more so than an older chromoly bike. Does the fact that the tubes are bigger on the Cannondale offer more longevity/wear over some older, thinner framed aluminum bikes of that vintage?

105 parts don't really have any value beyond if they function or not. Cannondales don't usually fail, they had some of the best aluminum tech early on, but at the same time aluminum tech has advanced so far beyond bikes of that era as far as ride quality goes, etc. My coworker referred to his C'dale of the same era as a "pitchfork". Still a good bike though.

YES, BUT the tubing doesn't make a bike's longevity. It's design does. My everyday bike is an '86 Cannondale that was ridden hard all it's life, still is being ridden hard, and will continue to be. I don't foresee having any problems with it. Just get your bike rideable and ride the snot out of it.

It's rideable. It's not much of a looker being all stripped of any paint but it ride very nice.

Then stop fretting and get on it!

Here's a picture of how the bike looks at the moment...



As I mentioned, I'd like to either paint the forks in black or just clear coat them. I also thought it just might be easier to pick up a replacement fork. I'll be going to the Velodrome in October for the Swap and just might be able to find something there. Final things being considered are new bars and possibly a new crankset.

For riding around NYC it might not be such a bad idea to keep the body unpainted. Kinda keeps the bike low-key.

Oh Ya. SR Cannondales are my favorite C&V riding bikes. You did just fine. Now ride it like you stole it.

Maybe it's not the world's prettiest bike, but it's not ugly, either. I think it looks pretty nice, and anyway, all that matters is how it feels when you ride it. So go ride it and keep going!

I think you did fine for your first roadie at $300.

A bottle of mothers aluminum polish and some elbow grease will make that thing shine. put a layer or 2 of clear over it.

I would change out the bars to some drops and maybe even look into a carbon fork like this.
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...94_-1___202441

I like the carbon fork idea. Thanks.