We don't know yet. Cannondale built their reputation by having some of the best aluminum welds ever seen made by expert American craftsman, then they moved their production overseas... However, I would be surprised if Cannondale doesn't have VERY tight control over the production process and expect the long-term reliability to remain quite high. As high********** We're going to find that out pretty soon.

Cannondale is no longer an American company (it's now a Canadian company) so it's production being moved to Asia makes sense.
The new company owes no loyalty to the country that birthed Cannondale and who's build quality gave it it's reputation :(

Soul 4.0...I was not going to build this yet but my other race bike was stolen so this is not exactly how I wanted it...but sometimes your hand is forced..it will change a bit over the next few months, took me a while to find the matching cranks and seatpost. Still have not found the matching stem.

forgot to link pic

I'd say if it's a fit issue and less than 6 months then you should reasonably expect them to address it without a labor charge. If they don't have the bars you want, they can probably order them. If you found them across town for $50 and they want to charge you $100 let them know and they'll probably work with you. If they can't get the bars you want, then that's not your fault. They should still be willing to install them since it's a fit issue though I think you need to give them the chance to sell you the parts first. Also, if you ask them how much they charge to install X then they will give you price. If you feel it should be part of the initial sale service don't even bring it up.

hello, got my post yesterday, hesitating to install it, i know crazy huh? im wondering if i need some special grease to apply to post before installing it. is there a 'chemical' reaction between carbon and aluminum? i dont want it to suddenly bond and never come apart you know?

thanks!

basically i got a price...not sure if its a deal, say i need one thing tuned then something screws up later, thats a lot of cash! policy or what not, i've had my bike for less than 5 months. issues came up but i haven't had chance to bring it to the shop. basically i have one last chance to cut the steerer if needed. after that i'll have to make changes with anything such as handlebar installation, wondering if a noob could do that himself?

my dilemma now is the fit which concerns, stem/bar/ and heatset...unless the fitter gets this all right off the bat, i wont need to pay 3X if i were to do this separate times...unless i look elsewhere...

Yes. Something like this:

http://www.trisports.com/fsa-install...ion-paste.html

You can install and ride your bike without the paste until you can get some.

cool, does this help with friction or keeps it from scratching during installation or removal? both?

I believe it's supposed to insulate the two dissimilar materials from each other.

it's more to stop slipping and lower torque #'s...you get dissimilar corrosion from metals..that aren't similar...I've been using aluminum seatposts with just about every carbon bike i've owned with no issues, It's definitely not a "have to do it know" or your frame will explode thingy.

Quick question: anybody using a SRAM bb30 crankset on their caad9: how many plastic spacers did you put on the non-drive side between the dustcover and the wavy washer?

Not denying one word you're saying, but I've read stories of people pulling out carbon
parts from aluminum and vice/versa and having some kind of rot and/or deterioration.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...inum-don-t-mix

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech....006/news/10-25

Yeah. I went ahead and got the carbon paste from FSA because I want to give
my carbon parts whatever help they could use to keep them in good shape.

HK, if you can't find the paste and don't want to wait to order it before riding,
just install your bits and ride your bike as is until the paste comes in.

Finally it has arrived. My caad9-1..56cm, 16.8lbs without pedals.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00556.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00558.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00561.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00568.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00563.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00564.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00566.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00569.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00570.jpg

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00572.jpg

Thanks!

I've yet to ride it anywhere besides around the block. Deraileurs need to be adjusted, but thats no big deal.

The bike feels absolutly amazing, makes my 08' trek 1.2 feel like a walmart bike :P

I had a Trek 1.5 before my CAAD9.
There is a huge difference in the two frames.
The 1.5 is no slouch, but it's nothing compared to the CAAD.
Congrats. Gosh you're lucky to have gotten a new BBQ CAAD9.

When I got mine, I picked it up and took it out of the LBS I purchased it from.
They were total nincompoops. I didn't want them putting my bike together.
I carried my box in the box about 10 blocks away in New York City and took it to a shop
that put it together for me right away and even installed my Ultegra SL Crankset for me.
Seeing the picture of your box reminded me of that day. :D

Excellent photography! BBQ is SO hot. Sweet Bike & Congrats

What is BBQ? I keep seeing it over and over again here.

It's a color.

BBQ is the matte black finish on some CAADs. Like this...

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...0/DSC00561.jpg

I'm honestly surprised that the 9-1 came with tektro brakes. That'd piss me off.

Time for new calipers and crankset :D

Why does a DA bike not have a DA crank? Or is the SLK somehow better?

The Crankset on the CAAD9-1 I could definitely live with and if I owned one, I wouldn't change it until I could afford a Hollowgram.

My upgrades on a CAAD9-1 would be:
Brakes
Wheels
Tires
Tubes
Post
Saddle
Stem
Bar

And that's why I went with a CAAD9-7, got the whole bike for less than the cost of a BBQ frame alone,
sold off the take off parts which brought my bike cost down to $550. and that left me with the frameset,
wheels, post, brakes, fork and tires + the frame. Then, I built it up to where it's at now for about $2300.
(Dura Ace 7800 groupset, Ulltegra SL Crankset/6600 Cassette, Ultralight CNC Brakeset w/SwissStop Pads,
Continental Grand Prix 4000S Tires with Continental Race Light Tubes). She's down to 17lbs w/pedals.
Only thing left to upgrade is the wheelset, pedals and fork. Then, she's done.
:D

That SLK is great, but not as good as a DA crankset.
It's typical with manufacturers today to label a bike "Dura Ace", then mix it up with Ultegra or 105 or Tektro or FSA bits.
I personally don't think anything should be called DA or Ultegra or 105 unless it's a complete groupset (drivetrain, crank & brakes).