Welcome to The Cult.

Before upgrading, put a couple hundred miles on your bike. See what you "need" first.
(longer stem, shorter stem, wider/narrower bar, etc...).

Saddles, bars, stems, all personal issues. What fits you is the right choice.

We have a few CAAD10 Rivals here (in fact, there is 1 particularly awesome 10-4).
Check out their builds for an ideal of what you might be looking for.
There's really not much needed on that CAAD10-4 of yours.
It's a very solid bike as is.

Wheels, yes. Definitely upgradeable. You have to pick a budget.
You can get a perfectly decent set of wheels for $500.-$600. that
would make a significant improvement and be justifiable investment.

Don't forget...pics or it didn't happen.

:thumb:

I just have to re-post my CAAD with all the Blackness being spilled all over these pages! :D

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1303106591

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1303106601

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1303106776

I just got back from the Boston Marathon midnight ride on my CAAD10. Wow! The bike is amazing. Quick and super responsive, it made climbing hills easy. It made Heartbreak Hill into mediocre mound! Thanks again guys for all the awesome info about CAADs.

Easton EA90 Stem

Haha, thanks. I really wanted the 3 with Ultegra and the black/green frame, but those are apparently scarce as hen's teeth, at least in my size. But I do love the wheels on this, and I can't complain about the Dura ace (though I think I might have preferred Sram Red). Now I just need to get rid of those spacers!

My first post for the cult.

CAAD9-6 with a mix of Ultegra/105 and a few other goodies like a 3T ARX stem and ergonova bars. This baby got me across the finish line all last triathlon season.

The next upgrade will be the fork (currently an Ultra) if and when I can find a decent deal of ebay.

These frames rock, I only wish I would see more of them around Toronto. I also need to change out the saddle, this one is flat as a pancake after 3 seasons of riding (it's from my old bike.)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/...88805142_z.jpg
. by independent.mind, on Flickr

Walked away with two valuable lessons today. The shoes/pedals DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. And 15-28 MPH winds made my CAAD9 feel like a tugboat LMAO!!! It was only a 10 mile ride (dat felt like 50) but Ol' boy didn't put a foot down once.

Did I say??? I want a 2nd CAAD9, so I can change out the crank. Like my Electra Glide Classic, I WANT MORE TORQ!!! hehehe

Just had an amazing weekend with the brand new CAAD10-4. Within two hours of picking up the bike from the shop, I was packing her into a team van for two days of collegiate racing in New Hampshire. Then on Monday (morning), I did the Boston marathon route out-and-back. I'm impressed with the bike, and absolutely in love with double-tap shifting.

However, the stock saddle has got to go, and the wheels are only so-so. (although I do love that the hub on stock wheels is virtually silent. While coasting on downhills, theres nothing but the sound of tires on pavement, and wind.)

Speaking of the marathon ride:
How was this/what kind of bikers turned out? The event seemed to imply that the midnight ride would be on a closed course (which wasn't true), all inclusive, and more 'lets have fun and ride bikes!' The morning ride I was on, leaving from cleveland circle at 6am, was roadie oriented, endurance pace/group ride to the start, but then a hammerfest along the closed course back to the finish.

Joined the Cult! CAAD10 5!

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...r/DSC_6854.jpg

Welcome Shaugster! But do you intend to ride with your bars rotated that far up? Just sayin, looks awkward.

I picked up this CAAD9-1 frame a few months ago and after being stuck in Asia for work for almost 2 months, I've finally assembled all of the parts for it. Basically it's a full Force group with Red shifters, FSA K-Light handlebar, Fizik Arione saddle, Forte carbon seatpost and 3T ARX stem. I'll probably just use my Ksyrium Equipes on this bike as they've been indestructible thus far albeit somewhat heavy but this is going to be my main bike so durability is important. I'm expecting it to come in somewhere around 15 pounds if I'm lucky. http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/3473/dsc6759.jpg

Might as well add mine...
http://members.cox.net/kelrod/CAAD9WHT.jpg

So what happened to "Optimo" aluminum tubing? Cannondale spent years making a pretty big deal about the stuff...it supposedly was proprietary, and according to their own marketing literature, which is still in the FAQ section on their website, Optimo was superior to 6061 and 6069 Al.

Yet the new CAAD10 is made with 6069. Says so in the specs.

Was Optimo just marketing BS? Or was it another signature piece of Cannondale lost in the move to Asia, fading away with the "Handmade in USA" label on the seatstays?

I love my CAAD9. I wonder about this new breed.

By the way, isn't the CAAD10 in black anodized? As cool as that is cosmetically, Jobst Brandt and a lot of technical literature have things to say about anodization of thin-walled aluminum structures and the propagation of stress fractures.

I hate people who nut ride "made in the usa". Though I was born and raised in Europe.....

At the risk of sending this thread to P&R...I'm not "nut riding" made-in-the-usa. I like things that were made anywhere with collective bargaining rights, democratic elections, environmental protections, etc.

I don't like maximizing profit margins on the backs of tired, huddled masses. Wherever that may be.

So back to my question about "Optimo" alloy tubing...

Really, we were probably just marketed to all along. Remember when they said that Aluminum back ends on their bikes were superior to any full carbon offerings...until they could make (or source) a full CF bike. Remember when C'Dale reps dismissed all the exotic "shaping" of Al tubes as marketing flim-flam, stating without equivocation that round tubes were mathematically/geometrically the most ideal shape for the strongest bicycle frames...until the CAAD series moved to Taiwan.

Cannondale's bikes are good. Their marketing is GREAT, especially if the customer has a short memory. My CAAD9 is a great bike, but C'Dale's marketing folks have convinced many people that it's pure eff-ing magic...only the things that made it pure magic aren't around anymore. Now the CAAD10 is pure eff-ing magic, for reasons that once-upon-a-time made it inferior to the CAAD9. So confusing...so funny.

does anyone know what a caad10 frame + fork approximately costs? I'm tired of riding my current bike which is a bit small for my liking and am looking to move all the components over (minus the crank).

A CAAD10 frameset run at around 1000 bucks.

Cannondale aluminum bikes are just about better than anything out there.
In order to get something superior in aluminum, one would have to spend a grip-more money.
That tells you a lot.

It is what it is. Marketing or not, the ride speaks more than any catchy phrases.

Get a hold of a CAAD9 (if you don't already have one).
Take a good long look at it. Squat down and look at the frame from the rear 3/4 view.
Flip the bike upside down. Look at it from every angle. It is a frame that is built like a custom.
Every tube has thought put into it and the latest CAAD9 was the culmination of years of evolution.

The CAAD10 is a different beast. They went the route of Trek's 1.X Series.
Tapered tubing. Nice. They look like Carbon bikes.

But the CAAD9 is the last of a breed of bikes that we just don't see anymore
(unless you go to a custom builder).

It is "that" good and you won't find one CAAD10 owner who's ridden a CAAD9 speak ill of a CAAD9.

Marketing just gets people in the door. One ride is all it takes to know why CAADs
are loved and appreciated by people who ride bikes that cost 3 times as much.
Remember, you're talking about a bike that started at under $800.

The B.S. of Dorel (Cannondale's owner now in Canada) was that they took production overseas,
got rid of a model (the CAAD9) that was more costly to make and are producing a much cheaper frameset now.
On top of all of that, they are charging way more for a CAAD10 than what they charged for CAAD9's.

I'm not saying they are in any way bad bikes. I'm just pointing out how moving production overseas was purely a business move.
The CAAD10 could've been made here just as well as it is being made in Asia (actually, I like the CAAD9's quality much better).

There is no CAAD9 VS CAAD10 arguement. They are different bikes. CAAD9's...handcrafted in The U.S. with more traditional tubing.
CAAD10's made in Asia with more machine involvement and cost far less to produce, while being more technologically advanced.

According to former CAAD9 owners, the CAAD10 rides better at leisurely speeds.
I've yet to read a review that says that the 10 puts the 9 away.
That said, I certainly would not mind owning a CAAD10-1.

Again, I'm still waiting for that 9 VS 10 direct comparison test with similarly equipped bikes under the same rider.

If you can find one. I needed a new frameset when I learned that my CAAD9 was too small, and my LBS (a Cannondale dealer) told me he couldn't get a frameset from Cannondale that didn't include "HI-MOD" in the name. I ended up with a Specialized Allez Comp E5 frameset, and it's pretty good too.

Are we deluded? http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post12546948

My brand new CAAD10-4. Everything is stock, I have added ultegra spd-sl pedals, c'dale immix cages, pro3 tires, cateye wireless. Weighs in at 18lb as pictured.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4...c/DSC_6454.jpg

I own a CAAD9. I really like it.

It's still all marketing. The marketing has been brilliant, and a lot of people have bought it hook, line, and sinker. Watch Cannondale's marketing videos now, and they'll tell you all the reasons the CAAD10 is such a superior bike. A few years ago they were telling everyone why those very same design particulars made a bike INFERIOR to the CAAD9. It's hilarious. Doesn't make me dislike my CAAD9, it just cracks me up.

I'll ride my CAAD9 tomorrow, and I'll love it just as much as the last time I rode it...but I won't turn into a gibbering fool for the marketing behind it.

Nice! Congratulations.