I saw that at REI. I'm at 58cm so the pickins were slim.

I bought the caad8 with the intention of riding it through the Summer and figuring out what what I liked and didn't like. I knew it was possible I wouldn't care for road cycling all together so I didn't want to spend a lot of money.

At any rate, I already have big plans for my next road bike. :)

Normally when turning, your feet would be at 12:00 and 6:00 position, with the outer foot at 6:00, giving you better stability. Then you will not have toe overlap.

Ok, now that would be a good reason to use better tubes. But then my question would be whether Forte really makes tubes that are inferior to that level as to lose about 20 PSI during a ride. Keep in mind that the price difference is just $1-2 in most cases, but I did want to get the heavier tube for thorn protection. I understand that if something makes through the tire, it will likely make through the tube as well, but since I am also adding those extra rubber linings, I guess I won't have to go with the heaviest tube.

Unless you or anyone else has used the Forte thorn resistant tubes and had bad experiences, I think I will just have to use and find out for myself. I really do not want to deal with patching. I have never done that before either, so if I am not able to find the hole, I guess I'm running home, with a bike on my back looking like a nut. Actually I can't if I'm wearing cleats!

I still would like to hear your opinions about those rubber inner linings. Do you use them? If not, why?

thanks for the tip, i've been doing that too, no issues. there a ramp going up that i need to take which is basically a 180 turn and if i dont go fast enough to make the full turn i need to pedal and sometimes my foot will fall right where the turning wheels comes in contact.

Pretty much all cheap tubes are made at the same place. When you get a few brands, you'll see that they're identical.
I had Forte tubes. They sucked for me. I switched to Continental and I'm a very happy camper.

I don't like housebrands myself. Their almost never as good as a company that specializes in what they do.
Think about it, if you're going to get puncture resistant tubes for security reasons, why go cheap?
Wouldn't you want the most puncture resistant tubes you can afford?

Again, tires, tubes, brake pads...areas where the difference in a few bucks could be the difference in you making
it home or stopping well are areas well worth spending the cost of a supersized Quarter Pounder w/Cheese Meal.
The McD's meal will be gone in a couple of hours after you eat it, but the upgrades you put on your bike will last and make it a safer ride.

I don't use them. I've heard all kinds of things about them from them throwing off the balance of your tires
to them bunching up to them not allowing your tubes to seat properly. I can't confirm any of those things,
but I know this: a good set of tubes and a good set of tires are enough for where I ride to keep me from
getting flats so I roll with what works for me and don't fix what isn't broken.

But it sounds like you could use them. Consider tires with puncture resistant linings already "in" the compound of the tire.

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...ngPlus_en.html

:)

^^^ Tru dat . . .

A side note, on aluminum frame C'Dales, you'll notice if you have cheap tires and or tubes on your bike. Maybe it was just a mental thing, but I swear that when I upgraded my tires from Fuse whatevers to Michelin, I noticed a difference in smoothness and less vibration in the alum frame.

new race rig

i know this isn't the time and place for this but it seems many of you are informative with questions i had in the past. if you purchase a bike built from scratch and you consider them your lbs, but you need some maintenance like installing new bars or stem, would you still pay them for labor, etc?

honestly, i wish i could do this all myself but im afraid i have no knowledge in some pieces such as headset installation, the proper torque.. this was my first bike from a shop, so i dont know enough to decide if its a proper thing to do to charge a customer. if its like that then fine, but if not please tell. i guess all lbs' have diff policy but in general?

I don't quite understand the question - built from scratch? If they sold you a bike they assembled or otherwise set up, the I think you can expect them to do various things related to fit for free plus the cost of the parts. Most shops should give you 6-12 months for free adjustments and I think you can reasonably expect this to include installing a new bar or stem - especially if it's fit related. If you are just upgrading because you want to then I guess it's up to the shop's interpretation. However, I think a good shop would be willing to do it to keep your business and they do get to sell you the parts. If you are bringing stuff to them you bought online or used then expect to pay labor.

i got the caad9 and they assembled it for me. sorry for not being so clear. its been less than 6 months and i feel the bars would be better for me in the drops, though i havent complained about it. one thing led to another, its a comfort issue, its an aesthetic issue, a weight issue blah blah blah... the shop doesn't even carry the one i want either. i just hope they dont charge me like crazy on labor...though i could say they're not the best either...got my white tape with black smudges ... :twitchy: thanks for your input!

I love your bike! Good job!

Look at that. High quality Continental Race tubes at $4./each (shipped!).

http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y0054

5 Pack Continental Race 28 Inner Tube (700c) Only $19.09!!

http://www.probikekit.com/_img_200x256/Y0054.jpg

Probikekit is great if you don't mind getting your stuff for months on end...I ordered tires from them on the 17 of december...still not here.

beautiful caad...never seen that color before.

what kind of wheels are those?

Wow. Sorry to hear that. I've ordered from them and got my stuff faster than local online bike shops.

I don't know, but they make it very easy for Americans to buy their stuff.

Yes pbk has free shipping for any order

So I still have my sights set on the Caad10-3 (Ultegra).
Before I pull the trigger with the LBS I'm trying to figure what the best upgrades would be.
The first thought was swapping the Askium wheels for Elites or possibly the stock Shimano DA RS80 wheels. Does anyone know how these wheels stack up against something like Kysirum SLs and othe such wheels?

Also I am partial to Specialized saddles, the -3 comes with a Prologo Scratch Pro T2.0.
Anyone have good experiences riding this saddle, or should I plan on shelling out another $100+ for a Romin or Toupe?

thanks,

edit: I'm hoping the Cannondale rep can cut me some slack on swapping out the wheels splitting the difference between the Askiums and the RS80s or some other stock wheel they use on the Supers.

A little update with the CAAD 10.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2...7921451060.jpg

The new wheels totally transformed the bike! sorry for the low res pic.

Looks good, but I don't like the new reynolds stickers. The the old wheels looked much better imo.

I'm getting a box from UPS tomorrow....Will post pics of what it contains tomorrow after i receive it. :D

looks like this is the best place to post...

i am a newbie on this forum (and on road bikes) :wave: many of my friends suggested i get a caad9. now, i've been lurking on this forum for quite a while and i know that there is a cult following, and it comes with good reason. i went to several local bike shops and rode the allez and the trek bikes as well. the caad9 felt most comfortable to me. (the super-six hi mod was nice, too, but it was way too expensive...)

my question is something that's been beat nearly to death. should i get the caad9 or the caad10? i personally don't care too much for the made in usa sticker, but i do care about the quality of the build, and i'm no expert weld inspector. i've seen a lot of bickering about which is better, but not enough to persuade someone to get one of the other.

i'll be joining the family end of next week :)

As a new road cyclist, you won't be able to tell the difference between a 9 and a 10 too much. Yes, they are both great, so you can't lose.

Choose the color you really like. You want to fall in love with that bike the first time you lay eyes on it. Sounds silly, but you'll thank me later.

i'm sure i wouldn't be able to tell the difference off the bat, but i was wondering which would be better in the long run.