steveymcdubs

Hey all,

I'm still an extreme noob when it comes to bikes, but I've been stalking these forums for a while now just doing some reading while keeping an eye out on craigslist for a good deal on a road bike. I just got my first road bike today and was wondering if I could get some help identifying it and/or advice as to what to do with it now. The seller advertised it as a 2006 Cannondale r800, but I don't think it was made in 2006. I paid $295 for it.





From the last picture, I looked up the two letters "LG" and found that, if I'm interpreting it right, they correspond to a bike made in July of 2000. Any ideas?

Also, again, I really don't know too much at all about bike maintenance but did notice that both the front and back brakes are somewhat rusty and the Soma tires are pretty worn



I took it for a five mile ride and found that shifting gears was sort of fidgety. Certain gears would make light clanking noises while peddling.

Here's some additional information that I could tell from looking at the bike.

Tires: Soma Everwear 5mm
Gears: 9 Speed Shimano Tiagra
Back derailleur: Shimano XT
Crank: Truvativ Isis Drive

Could anyone link me to a good guide for beginners for tuning up a road bike? Or do you think I should just take it into a shop and let them go crazy with it?

Thanks in advance.

10 Wheels

Take to a bike shop for an estimate what it might need.

Youngin

Nice find! A LBS had one that was totaled but it was reasonably light and looked once be a good quality frame. (this one was bent in half).

Check
-chain wear
-brake pads
-tire wear
-does if shift through all the gears? Does the chain rub when it's on most outside gear in front and back? how about inside?
-is the headset loose?
-Is there any rattling that you can't identify?
-Maybe new pedals?

benajah

Dude the frame alone is worth what you paid for the bike. The R800 was one of the frames they evolved into the CAAD9 and it rocks, but the R800 is a little better for distance comfort. I raced one in 2004 and 2005 and loved it. Slightly longer wheelbase than a CAAD9 but still great, and I think if you search for CAAD9s on here you will see that it is a very well loved frame.
The components do look like they need some cleaning, lube, etc. Being a noob take it into a shop, get a full tune up, cleaning and have them check the wheels for true.
Seriously, fantastic deal you got.

ImRael

Nice Bike.

I, however, wouldn't take it to the LBS, especially in this economy. They'll probably tell you it needs a new frame.

Get a good book on maintenance/repair and buy your tools as you need them.

steveymcdubs

Hah thanks for the quick responses. I was pretty sure I was getting a good deal, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't get shafted.

I just got done sacrificing two rags to give it a quick scrub down and took a closer look at the individual parts.

The chain looks like it's in pretty good shape, will probably just need some greasing. The brake pads are fine but the tires definitely need an overhaul, as you can see:



It goes through all the gears just fine, but some are just smoother than others. They seem to be smoothest right around the middle gears. The headset's fine and all rattling can be identified.

As far as pedals go, I'm a college student so I don't think I can be bothered with such luxuries

I might look into a new seat, though. My ass was screaming out in discomfort.

I'll take it to the University Bike Shop first thing on Tuesday though and have them take a look at it.

Anyone have any idea what year it is just to put my mind at rest? Thanks again for all the responses so far.

Beaker

Nice buy. This picture got my eye - firstly, I'd definitely throw new tires on there - it'll make a big difference in handling. Second, those brake pads look pretty worn down - the caliper is also in the "open" state (that little lever at the top of the caliper in your picture). You should readjust the tension so that your pads are the same distance from the rim, but in the closed position.

steveymcdubs

Alright, I closed it and adjusted the wire. I've added new brake pads to my list of stuff to look into as well. Thanks for the advice.

benajah

I can send you a check tomorrow if you are not happy with it for what you paid for it and take it off your hands. Just PM me, ya know?
You got a good deal man.
Scrub it good yourself, if you think you are going to get big into riding use this as a learning experience, a "teaching bike" and fix her up. 90 percent of what you need to do you can use a 4mm allen wrench and a wire brush for, the rest you will need some special tools but sounds like you are a college student? Most college towns have a "bike tool lending library" kind of thing, look around you will probably find one.
A good scrub, some good grease and you got you a nice road bike there.
Spend 10 bucks and get new pads though.

benajah

you got lucky, I got ripped off when I went off to college
Thought I knew about bikes because I was a MTB racer, wanted a road bike,
Knew nothing and got well ripped off

benajah

Okay ill quit trying to buy it off you for less than you paid for and give some honest advice,
you paid 295?
Tilt the saddle up, its pointing too far down...0 dollars.
Replace tires...80 bucks for a pair of good tires, 110 for a pair of fantastic tires
Yank the reflectors off the pedals and put messenger style toe clips on, 20 bucks for almost clipless performance.
Take the rear wheel off and scrub the cassette with WD40 and an old toothbrush, also with a piece of cardboard (fits right between the cogs) and get the gunk and rust out. No skill, just elbow grease,
Spread the floor with old newspaper and flip the bike upside down, so its on the hoods and saddle and scrub the chain with cleaning fluid, any kind is cool. Let the chain dry, at least a day and lube it good but wipe it as dry as you can get it (want to get the lube in the inner workings but you want the outside dry as can be).
After that you should see a marked improvement in shifting with what ) invested, with 20 invested in better pedaling and around 100 in better tires.
Dude you got a race worthy bike for a song.
Sorry I have posted so much about this but this stuff makes me excited. I love it

steveymcdubs

Yeah, I bought it with the intention of learning with it. So far, I plan on grabbin:

-New tires
-New brake pads
-Maybe new seat
-Multi-tool w/ diff allen sizes

By messenger style toe clips do you mean the straps that you slide your feet into?

The brake handles also kinda squeak when I pull them, so I was going to take some WD-40 to them, but I thought I read somewhere that using WD-40 on the gear set was a bad idea?

Haha don't apologize man; thanks for the advice. Keep it coming if you're really into it. The more you know, right?

benajah

okay pedals, yeah get the kind of straps you describe, they make a huge difference
For the brakes what you describe a little WD40 wont hurt it and will help a lot more.
You got a great bike and you wont kill the thing by using a little common household sense, get a wire brush, some formula 409, some WD40 and spend the money on good bike oil and you wont go wrong.

benajah

dont buy a new saddle until you know that the saddle on there is not good for you, adjust it every way but loose, but saddles are a very personal thing that takes a lot of riding to learn what you like
If you stick with riding, you will likely waste a lot of money on saddles.

Metzinger

That's right, we all need to band together and fight back against those LBS Fat Cats.
As soon as all the bike shops are out of business, the economy will surely improve.
Fight the power!

I actually mean the opposite.
Learn bike maintenance next winter. Get the bike fixed and ride it next weekend.

steveymcdubs

I just got done going to town on the bike w/ a rag and a bottle of Simple Green. I ran outta SG, so I think I'm done for tonight. I'll go grab some 409/WD-40 tomorrow and finish cleaning.

NathanC

Make sure you post an image when you have cleaned it, new tyres etc.

botto 

steveymcdubs

Thanks for the constructive criticism bro.

botto 

you're welcome.

patentcad

botto is the Simon of BF.

Beaker

I think that your first reaction to WD40 was the right one - if you use it to degrease parts be sure to lube the parts with something suitable afterwards, WD40 isn't a lubricant. It's original purpose was simply to displace water from moving parts, but it also happens to be a pretty efficient degreaser.

steveymcdubs

Yeah, I thought I remembered reading somewhere that using WD-40 to lubricate the chain was worse than having no lubrication at all. So it's okay as long as I use normal lube after WD-40'ing? Any recommendations for a 409 substitute?

steveymcdubs

Well, so I went to the Performance Bikes a few blocks away and the guy there said that my tires were fine and they just came with a smooth center track...? I'm not too sure he knew what he was talking about, but I did hold off on the tires for now.

I did buy new brake pads, a multi-tool and White Lightning lube. The only straps they had were flimsy looking plastic ones, so I skipped on those.

I slapped on the new pads and put some lube on the chain (I plan on completely degreasing and relubing later tonight) and took it out for a ride.

It ended up being a ~20 mile long ride on the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle and the only thing I could think of the entire second half was how bad my arse hurt. I'm thinking I'll give myself a week or two and see if I get used to it, and if not, I'll get a new seat.

Beaker

I use the finish line Ecotec degreaser, simple green is pretty good (as you were using earlier). I've not tried using WD40, but I imagine you'd be OK so long as you let it dry off before applying lube. A good bet could be to find a good LBS (probably not Performance, unless you have a good relationship/trust their mechanics at your local branch) and let them check the bike out after you've been riding a while.

The comment about tires - they look a little worn, but are probably OK. Thing is tire technology has moved on, and you'd get a superior ride by switching over. Re- your saddle - this is a well worn path, that I'm sure you've read about many times here. Do you have cycling shorts with a chamois? Wear them without underwear? If yes, then check fit - is your saddle level (nose to back with a spirit level), then make small adjustments from there. You'll probably need to give your backside a while to get used to riding again.