Hello. I'm new to the forums, so go easy on me. I'm also new to caring about what bike I have ... so your expert advice will be greatly appreciated. I am also somewhat new to beyond-the-basics maintenance/upgrading/customizing, so please forgive my naive questions ...

I've been commuting on an ancient (and HEAVY) Fuji Palisade 24-speed and would love to upgrade. I've been scouring the local craigslist for a new ride, but at the same time am working with a somewhat limited budget.

I recently found what appears to be a cannondale R1000D ('99) and the owner wants $500. If I look at bicycle blue book, the recommended price for a "like-new" R1000D is $536. The bike got great reviews in its day and has ultegra components. Here are the specs and the ad:

1999 Cannondale R1000D - BikePedia

Cannondale R1000

My questions for all of you:
Would this bike work all right as a commuter? I'd love to be able to lock in at around $400 if it's a great deal - or should I hold out for a newer bike? $500 seems like a lot for a 15-yr. old bike, but compared to many others I've looked at on bicycle blue book, this one seems to retain that sort of value, I assume because of the ultegra components and the cannondale frame which gets high marks.

Also - the Cannondale bike is an 18 speed - is it possible and/or advantageous and/or worthwhile to switch out the crank to a triple? I'd have to replace the shifter as well, I'd assume - but beyond that, is that a complete overhaul (i.e., does the BB need to be replaced when the crank is)? Would having a triple up front affect the performance of the rear derailleur, i.e., does the FD/RD have to be replaced as a whole? Any switch would probably be a ways down the road, and I would do it as much for the experience as I would for any increase in performance ...

...I am so new to beyond-casual biking that I don't really know if a 19-lb. 18-speed road bike is an upgrade from my 36-lb. 24-speed Fuji. The Fuji has been a great bike and is a great climber, but I definitely have encountered riders on 10-sp. road bikes seemingly effortlessly passing me up on some hills. I have to believe the weight has something to do with it, but maybe that's just me not being realistic about my hill-climbing ... a typical cruising speed on my Fuji is around 15-18 mph, which seems slow to me ... also, I can't tell from the picture if there are stays for a rack or not - I currently have a rear rack on my Fuji on which I hook two panniers ...

Anyhow, sorry for the long post - any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
bsker

For that bike being 'like new' you cant see much from the pictures, but would be checking to see if the seatpost & stem are extended over their max, as both look high, especially the seatpost, putting them back the normal positions, would it fit you? Not seeing any rack mounts on it, you can use P-clips as an alternate.

For the proposed triple conversion, can you get a 6500 LH triple shifter? these have been OOP for 10+ years now, if you could, you would also need a new BB & FD as the double won't be compatible. Amuch easier / probably cheaper option would be to look at a larger range cassette, even if you had to change the RD, it would be cheaper than changing the crank, FD and shifter

Good points - I'm trusting that the frame size is 52cm as the owner stated, so I'd move the seat back down to fit me at 5'7". P-clips, I've never heard of - I'll have to do some homework on that - I rigged my own rack mount on my Fuji with plastic hose and metal straps - part of the weight problem, I'm sure ...

As for the RD and cassette replacement - is the extra 2-4 gears even worth it? I could just wait for a 24 or 27 speed to show up and pay a couple hundred more for it.

I have a 1992 R1000. Great bike. Light, fast, quick handling. A high performance bike.

If you want to load it down with luggage and ride slowly, not the best bike. If you want to carry just a backpack and ride fast, great bike.

If the Bikepedia specs are correct,the easiest way to change the gearing would be the cassette. Swap the 12-23 for a 11/12-28. That derailleur should handle a 28,and 5t will be a big jump in gearing. If you still want a triple,SunRace makes nice 105-level 9spd brifters that would prolly be an upgrade to the stock,14 yr old Ultegras.

As for racks and fenders,there are a couple companies that make racks that should fit:
Streamliner Series « Racks « Products « Axiom Performance Gear
Topeak® Cycling Accessories ? Products - Roadie Rack, Black

And there was a thread on here like last year where someone was comparing the fenders from PDW,SKS,and Crud Catcher.

I know it's all a little subjective, but would you say that current 105s perform comparably with the 14 yr old ultegras? Or perhaps even better? I see a lot more bikes for sale with 105s than with ultegras.

I'd say most current parts will preform better than 14yr old ones. As far as your specific question,Shimano trickles down their technology,so I wouldn't be surprised if current Tiagra worked as well as 14yr old Ultegra. I'd expect current 105 to be much better.

I couldn't tell you for sure over the internet, but 52cm sounds to small for someone who's 5'7". My brother is 5 foot 4 inches, and he rides a 54cm.

The #1 mistake I see people making is buying a bike that's the wrong size. Gear range, frame weight (within reason, I once did ride a 40lb steel bike and that was heavy enough to make a difference, but that's very rare), components - all of these are secondary issues to getting a bike that's the right size. Judging from the seat position, whoever owns the bike now is way to big for that bike.

You can also buy racks designed for bikes without rack mounts. For cheaper ($37) there's the Axiom Streamliner DLX -
Amazon.com : Axiom DLX Streamliner Disc Cycle Rack, Black : Bike Racks : Sports & Outdoors

For more expensive but lighter there's the Bontrager BackRack Lightweight -
Bontrager: BackRack Lightweight (Model #08214)

And there are other options as well.

The # of gears isn't a big deal. The bigger question is how well they shift and how well they stay tuned and in position.

Commuting, like Touring, can be a verb... the bike is just a tool to perform the activity .. hilly ? want a triple , have the crankset changed ..

but I have no clue as to the terrain your commute is over..

and no idea what the condition of the drivetrain is.. wear out what's on there and then decide..

I'd buy it for commuting. What I wouldn't do is buy it for four or five hundred dollars and then start sinking money into it with a triple crank, new shifters, new long cage rear derailure. You could buy a new bike for that. Buy it and change the cassette as someone suggested and ride the heck out of it. Also, height has little to do with how that bike will fit you. What matters more is your cycling inseam. I'm the same height as you and ride a 54 but a 52 could be adjusted to fit.

I agree that switching to a triple would be a mistake. First I would ride it as is and see if the current gearing really represents a problem or not. My guess is that it won't.

If you do want a wider range, the suggestion to get a different cassette is a good one. If that is not sufficient I would suggest a compact double rather than a triple. They are becoming much more popular on road bikes and saves you from having to replace your shifter and rear derailleur.

I had a Cannondale that I added to my list of bikes. It was a 2000, R2000 which is very similar. I really liked it but it wasn't the greatest for commuting. By my gauge it is a race bike and I am not a racer so I sold it. I have a Giant FCR3 which is a great all weather flat bar heavy commuter and if I feel more spirited I ride a Kona Jake the Snake. Both bikes have great heel clearance and have racks so I can carry everything I need easily. I would hold out for a more practical bike if its primary purpose will be for commuting. If it was for racing or road riding and you only occasionally commuted - then I would say go for it.

For me - I love long rides on my Jake the Snake. It is race enough but has a longer wheelbase, good fender clearance and rear rack mounts. If you want a good but faster commuter - try Touring or Cyclocross bikes - they fit the bill well I would say.

Good advice ... I originally thought 54cm as well, but an avid cyclist neighbor of mine suggested 52 based on my height compared to his daughter's. As far as I can tell, my inseam with bike shoes on is 31 - 31.5".

I assume, but maybe I'm wrong, that the lower weight (by almost half) and the improved gear ratio (11:53 vs. my current 13:48) would make commuting a little quicker ... my trip is 6.5 miles each way with some pretty long hills en route - typically takes me about 24-29 minutes door to door with stoplights and all that ...

So next question ... should I perhaps be considering something like a brand new Motobecane Fantom Cross Trail from bikesdirect? Should the new Sora shifters perform comparably to the 15 yr. old Ultegra on the Cannondale R1000D? I understand the tradeoff with buying online vs. from a LBS - it's more a question of whether or not the new frame and new components (inferior at least in name) are comparable to the old mid-to-upper level componentry of the older bike ... I assume stuff has come a long way in 15 years, but maybe not.

If you're not sure how a bike will fit you,you're best off buying off-line. I also think you're overthinking the component levels for a bike that's not going to be used in competition. Lots of folks happily riding bikes with Acera/Sora bits with no reliability issues.

I'd probably agree - but that's what happens when one scours forums such as these in order to try to make an informed decision. I've read lots of posts that say "Sora is junk" and "Motobecane is junk" even though I have to believe they'd both be HUGE improvements over what I've been riding - but the comments can still make a relative newbie such as myself nervous about Sora parts!

I'd love to ride more, but if I'm honest with myself, I'd have to admit that I'd be using the bike mostly for commuting and then a few 20-40 mile rides throughout the year ... although if I had a nicer bike, I think I'd be inclined to ride a little more, both to justify the cost of the bike to myself (my wife?), as well as to enjoy what a nice new bike feels like - I've always purchased second-hand by two-three generations. So in that light, I can't imagine I would complain a whole lot about my new Sora components not shifting as well as new Ultegra could have ...

I just stopped by a LBS and looked at a new Bianchi Lupo (not because I wanted to - that's just what the guy brought out) ... it was a 53cm and it was a little too tall for me. I'm probably in between sizes (like I am with clothes), but I assume I can do a little more with a slightly shorter bike than I can with a bike that's too big.

Thanks for all of your input - it has been very helpful.

After you figure out what size frame you need. I would go to Ebay and just look at other bikes, learn a little bit about the different parts and see whats out there. You don't have to buy one, but it will give you a little experience looking at other bikes. You can narrow your search right down to the frame size and price limit. I've bought three bikes off of ebay, saved a lot of money and got exactly what I wanted.

IMO, Sora is not junk and neither is the Motobacane. Are they Tour De France ready? NO but they'll do the job that you're asking them to do for years to come. And so will the Cannondale if it fits.

All right - I offerred $400 for the R1000 and the seller never responded - as far as I can tell, it's still posted at $500.

I test rode a Specialized Secteur the other day, then after riding 15 miles on my Fuji last night, I realize what a TANK it is (35+ lbs w/o gear ... did I mention that?!?)

In any case, I just came across a 2007 Cannondale T800 for a good price. It's classified as a "touring" bike. I don't, as of right now, intend to race. I mostly want to commute (during which I generally prefer making as good time as possible, if you know what I mean), go on some longer rides at a good clip, and potentially go on some LBS club rides and be able to keep up ... perhaps I could change out the 26/36/48 crank for a 30/42/52 to get some more speed yet still maintain good low gears?

Thoughts on the T800 as a possibility?

Or - would the brand new Motobecane Fantom Cross Trail I mentioned earlier fit the bill equally well?

Thanks for your insights ...