You're in a feisty mood.

Again: the bike is a '90's throwback. The weight is utterly irrelevant. Obviously. It's a collectible that can be ridden. All 300 will be sold.

To save us both some typing time: all that matters is that all 300 will be sold.

I'm always amazed by the bf'ers who, when confronted with broad disagreement and counterarguments, simply double-down and refuse to reconsider their arguments. It's like a microcosm of 'merica.

No- the geometry doesnt work for me- stack and reach specifically.
I do have a CAAD3 from the 90s that I repainted and put an 11sp Ultegra drivetrain plus carbon fork on. Its sitting 5' from me right now as its what I am using this winter to Zwift. Fun bike.


Why did you ask this in response to my observation that you are doing the very thing you complained about in this thread?

↑ Fixed it for you.

Obviously, other things matter to some of us.

In a market that sucks right now...Cannondale has that aluminum bike way overpriced.

If I was in the market for an aluminum road bike with 105 groupset it wouldn't be Cannondale getting my business. Not when specialized and trek equivalents are $400 less.

https://www.cannondale.com/en-us/bik...aad14/caad14-3

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/al...444471-4221810

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...ode=greenlight

I'm feisty because people are intentionally leaving out the points I'm making - just like you did again.

I left out the limited edition in my response to you... but yer brining it up and ignoring everything else I said - again.

Because you didn't do any of the above.

You picked and chose snippets out of what I said, ignored most of the points - and didn't really discuss anything about the bike at hand... which is the standard MO....

I don't know why you do it, and more importantly - I don't know why I can't ignore it...

I'd argue that, based on geometry charts alone, you shouldn't be cross-shopping the Madone and the Allez with the CAAD 14 anyway. The CAAD geometry is very much race geo, while the other 2 are endurance bikes. Just following Trek and Specialized own's pricing strategy, the carbon race bikes are often $500ish more than the carbon endurance bikes.

I saw a bicycle the other day that doesn't appeal to me because of its price, geometry, and components. I can't decide if I should A) start a thread about it and argue with anyone that disagrees with me, or B) just not buy it.

Someone in Cannondale management: "You know what would be cool? Let's do a new version of one of our race bikes from the early CAAD era with a modern group."

Chorus: "Cheeky! Let's do it!"

BF:

You consistently claim Cannondale is dying or show surprise it still exists. You claim Cannondale doesnt innovate and Cannondale is basically obsolete.
To do this, you ignore Cannondale's long established history in pro racing and its current status in pro and high level racing around the world. You also ignore global sales.
You just observe what you see around you in WI and claim that is the status quo.

All that is bonkers, but its your MO, so be it.
This post though? This post is wild even for you.

A Domane AL5 is not a bike you should use for comparison to a CAAD14 2.
The geometry is totally different and the weight is totally different.

The OP has consistently complained about the CAAD14 2 weight, and you just suggested a bike that weighs an additional 2.2#.
The geometries are totally different- stack and reach, bb drop, trail, chainstay - all very different and when added up, they are completely different feeling bikes. The Domane, compared to the CAAD14, is an upright riding short reach road bike with slower feeling steering that is over 10% heavier.

Someone in Cannondale management: "You know what would be cool? Let's do a new version of our race bikes from the early CAAD era, but with modern groups."

Chorus: "Cheeky! Let's do it!"

BF:

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...5w&oe=69B9F46F

I know of Cannondales history. Unfortunately they aren't relative anymore IMO.

I don't get too bent out of shape about the weight difference.

Ha, yep there is that claim- Cannondale isnt relevant(relative?), despite the mounds of documented relevance over the last few years.

You may not get too bent out of shape about the weight difference, but I mentioned that because the OP has consistently cried about the CAAD14 weight.
Funny that you didnt address the fact that you compared a totally different bike style to the CAAD14. Why not compare the Trek Checkpoint ALR or Canyon Grizl 7 to the CAAD12?

It looks like a CAAD this time. The 13 looked like a metal version of their carbon bike, which they sort of acknowledge in their press release. This one looks like a retro styling exercise. I wonder if it's really in the family, or it's more of a reproduction. The CAAD bikes of yesteryear were a clear lineage of the top line bike from the start of Cannondale with steady improvements year over year, adding "power pyramid" and flexy stays and the baseball bat top tube. Remember all the chatter about if the CAAD 10 disc was better enough to warrant the coupla ounces difference? That thread seems cut. Aluminum bikes are not top line any more. Full featured ones still exist but it's a retrogrouch niche (see: my bikes)

Somehow it's got a BSA bb shell but a proprietary steerer. That's the opposite of how it used to be!

I like the design of the CAAD14. It's a step in the right direction, but the cost/value is inhibitive to what the CAAD lineup has been. Yes you can talk about inflation all day, but that's not the point. A CAAD9 back in 2007 cost roughly $1600 with 105 and was made in the USA. This new CAAD14 is $2600 with 105 and is more than likely made cheaply in some Taiwanese factory. Even with this I personally feel this CAAD is going to be revered like the specialized Allez Sprint frames. At the end of the day I'd rather buy an older CAAD and build it up.

Because its a road bike. Slightly different geometry...Sure..Mainly stack and reach is different a little. Enough that makes a difference to your average consumer buying the bike...No.

They are different category road bikes.

CAAD14 - crit or race.
Domane - endurance or all road.

So I mentioned a couple bikes from a different road bike category. If you dont view the many differences between CAAD14 and Domane geometry as meaningful, thats OK. Doesnt mean they arent real or significant to many others though.

$1600 in 2007 is the equivalent of $2583 in today’s dollars, so no real change in price. And today’s bike has a better drivetrain and likely other components, too. Seems like a great deal!

By the way: if you think that welding aluminum tubes and applying paint is too sophisticated for an advanced industrial economy like Taiwan, I’m going to laugh in your face.

$1600 in 2007 is $2521 in 2026.
The CAAD14 105 bike is $2500.
...so the CAAD14 is a hair CHEAPER than the CAAD9, when adjusted for inflation.


This example didnt work out how you expected, I am sure.

Don’t forget to mention how superior the 105 is today than 20 years ago. Silly arguments by those stuck in the past.

I think I posted while you were typing.

To be fair to that poster, he did state that he was dismissing the role of inflation. ‘Course, that makes about as much sense as jughed ignoring the role of tariffs on the prices of today’s bikes vs the last generation. In both cases they’re ignoring the obvious and simple explanation because it doesn’t conform to their half-baked biases.

Yep, he dismissed inflation and I tossed it back in because it should be included.
It would be nuts for me to rant about how my parent's first home in 1973 cost like $35000, therefore today's housing prices are outrageous because I refuse to account for inflation. Housing prices can be subjectively outrageous even with inflation considered.

As for the frame no longer being made in the US and therefore should cost less, yeah I understand that idea. But the cost of labor isnt linear(I am sure you would have access to a chart showing this) and if the cost of labor to manufacture a frame in the US has outpaced the cost of labor to manufacture a frame in Taiwan, then that could explain why the frame has been offshored for manufacture and the price is still effectively the same once inflation is added in.
Basically, it seems like Cannondale as a company is getting hit with some complaints about this bikethat very well may be out of their control.

I do agree with the poster that building up an older CAAD could be more appealing- its something I have done too.

I suppose someone will have to point to the competitive-priced Cannondales of the past. I don't think low prices have ever been part of their pitch. This is somewhat more expensive than a Synapse 105, you might have a hard time explaining why.

I do think it's a retrogrouch bike. Nothing on it is very wacky and it has no special features that didn't already appear on a carbon model at a higher price. And Cannondale is no longer the most premium brand under this umbrella. They have to share the spotlight with Cervelo and Santa Cruz.

I'm not going to do the legwork but we must be coming up on the time that Cannondale has been making bikes in Asia longer than they were in the US. Same for Trek, who started sooner but moved sooner. The era is long gone and pretty brief in hindsight. CAADs and tandems were some of the last to leave

Man, the red frameset looks super nice IMHO...

https://www.huckleberrybikes.com/cdn...g?v=1773176284