Thanks for all the compliments, everyone!

Here's a little less cluttered picture.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/...aaa68832_b.jpg

why can't i find a black caad9 frame - 52cm? like the one in the post above me. :(

Hurry...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-Cannond...item3cbda0e851

you need a bigger frame...how tall are you Dan?... and get your head down..

no really though, you look fast man.

I think my 54 is perfect for me, I'm 5'11". I was going balls out at the end of a 20k TT for base testing, I hope I can get even faster =)

It's a vinyl sticker. Got 4 of them from an Ebay seller in greece for $4.50 shipped. Took forever to track them down. Maybe the 4th or 5th page of a google search. They were listed in the home and garden section.

Not likely. I was very lucky. Was lookin' for a Caad frame to build up and had Ebay C'dale BIN frames bookmarked. Stumbled across this one about 5 min.s after it was listed. $275! And shipping was only another $20. Frame had never had a RD hanger or BB cable guide installed.
Bar is a K-force compact.

Cannondale CAAD9 review
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...9-10-uk-35778/
Cannondale have been making CAAD (Cannondale Advanced Aluminum Design) bikes since 1983, and those 27 years of evolution have resulted in a sophisticated-looking, lightweight frame.

On the CAAD9 this is paired with a slightly more modest groupset and wheels, but its vice-free handling shone through, making it a firm favourite with our testers.


Ride & handling:
Wowed all of our testers with its responsive, ‘planted’ handling

Out on the road, our initial impression was that the CAAD9 had no vices. This may sound like backhanded criticism, but it’s not, and it was a view echoed by everyone whenever they returned to riding the Cannondale.

Its handling is nimble and precise without ever being sketchy. ‘Planted’ was the word that kept coming up, describing the way the bike absorbed bumps well, with no twist under a big gear.

The frame is very light for aluminium, and not that long ago similar frames were being ridden by former world champion Mario ‘Lion King’ Cipollini. This will give you an idea of the calibre of this bike.

Its responsiveness to rapid changes of direction was something test rider Pete was able to try out in a rather unexpected manner. As we sped down a winding descent, a car pulled out from the left and then stopped after seeing Pete, who was slightly ahead of us, and blocked half of one side of the road.

With a car coming towards him on the other side of the road and no time to brake, Pete had to throw the bike right then left to avoid a potentially nasty head-on crash, at a speed of around 30mph. The Cannondale handled the rapid changes of direction perfectly.


Frame:
Sophisticated, very highly developed frame that’s handmade and beautifully finished in the USA

For the moment, Cannondale’s aluminium bikes proudly proclaim their heritage on the seatstays, and it’s a shame that production is moving to the Far East this year because ‘handmade in the USA’ has been something for potential customers to look for, a watchword. That’s not to say the construction and welding quality will be reduced – Taiwan has a good reputation for producing high quality bikes.

Cannondale have eschewed bold statements in this year’s CAAD9 for a subtle, etched logo on a dark, matt frame. It’s not all just on the surface either; our frame was perfectly aligned, and the weld quality was excellent.


Equipment:
Solid rather than inspiring components, including decent budget hoops

If you’ve got a grand to spend on a Cannondale there are several options open to you. We tested the CAAD9 with a compact chainset, but it’s also available with a triple Shimano Tiagra setup, or there’s the recently introduced CAAD8 with a 105 groupset.

Everyone who rode the CAAD9 came away with the same thought: that Cannondale has got the balance right, concentrating on the frame first, with the wheels and groupset secondary.

Tiagra doesn’t feel that different from 105, but if in a few years’ time you want to upgrade to 10-speed and flashier kit then this frame is eminently good enough. Our workshop manager George has spent a lot of time working as a bike shop mechanic, and found that people kept their CAAD frames a long time. And if they are all of this quality then we can understand why.

What goes for the groupset is also true of the wheels – they’re a pretty straightforward set of hoops that should be fine for training and general riding. Our experience of even modestly priced Shimano wheels suggests you should get a decent amount of mileage out of them before you need to consider looking for replacements.

105 CAAD9:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...mpact-09-33260

Ultegra CAAD9:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...tegra-10-35687

CAAD10 Rival:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...al-us-11-44763

CAAD10 Ultegra:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/a...rst-ride-27905

CAAD10 Dura Ace:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...mpact-11-42981

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/...ncm-670-75.jpg

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/...mkv-399-75.jpg

i hadn't looked at the latest caad's on the website til this morn... good god is that caad10 rival hideous in powder blue... seriously, WTF were they thinking?? on the other hand though, the ultegra model is fantastic looking. I'm a sram kinda guy, but i'd get the ultegra model just because of the color and consider selling off the shimano stuff for sram and go from there... more work and such I know, but that blue/orange thing is just ~that~ bad...

Did you notice that the Rival model comes in a raw aluminum/black color as well? Much nicer looking than the hideous blue/orange model.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-D...0/P1030859.JPG

i swear, i wasn't just sitting here refreshing bikeforums waiting for another opportunity to post my bike.

I did notice that, it looks much better, but still kinda meh to me, kinda like saying the chevy aveo is a much better looking car than a yugo, its a dubious distinction... the white ultegra model is hot though, and of course the DA model is sweet as well in the stealth black

Black tires.
Black tape.
Black saddle.

Pic makes me miss home. :(

tires, i bought for the ride, not for the gumwall.
black tape, probably soon.
black saddle...nah. :)

you're lucky you missed last weekend's freaky weather..

Absofriginlutely.

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.u..._road_bike.jpg

"Almost" as nice as my 9... ;)

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...104_1345-2.jpg
(stem blacked out for effect)

Yeah. Too early for that stuff.
Lately, I've been wanting to move somewhere with year round summer.
I love NY (especially Westchester) with all my heart, but I'm too young
(42) to be stuck indoors all winter and I don't like winter sports.

What kind of tires are they?


http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...9/P1030859.jpg

:lol:

Vittoria open corsa evo SC. w/latex tubes, they feel amazing (i'm sure they feel great w/butyl too).

i hear ya re: year-round summer. i've been dreaming of Santa Barbara for the last few years, even though i've never been there. just sounds ideal.

:D Looks better, right?

Jeez! find a black set of tires too! :lol:

Right now, I'm strongly leaning towards Southern California myself.
San Diego County actually.

Oh, and if you're going to insist on leaving your tires tan,
you'll need to put the following accessories on your CAAD to finish out the "kit":

http://mywheelsandmore.com/Images/bi...keTubeStem.jpghttp://kozy.com/images/library/large...28621_09_m.jpg

http://www.instructables.com/image/F...chen-Mater.jpg

http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/i...in%20guard.jpg

http://photos2.demandstudios.com/DM-...0&keep_ratio=1

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j0...-Eye-Light.jpg

http://www.gazellebicycles.com.au/im...ublinononb.jpg

:roflmao2:

:lol: :lol: Ha Ha Ha

Seriously black would do it Slynkie, match the forks and chainrings.

Will be postin a pic of my babe, 9, wearing her new shoes that I just bought. Vision Trimax pro for, new half price..... bargain. Went out for a quick spin earlier, lovely hoops.

North Florida isn't bad either. Year round summers here too... well, for the most part. It can get cold, but hardly too cold to go out for a ride.

Right Chubbster?
Friends don't let friends mis-match CAADs! :lol:

Looking forward to your rig.

(slynkie, I kid, I kid! You ride whatever you want brother. :thumb: )

TBH I can't talk. I got a beaut BBQ 9 which has a flash of red on the Fizik saddle. So to match and to break up the matte I added some more flashes of red..... I know sacrilege :lol:

However I went OTT and put some red Spesh bottle cages on. They're going, don't worry. Also some red Vrederstein Fortezza Tri Comp tyres which actually look cool and are great, they're staying.

No more colour though now, thats it, pic to follow soonish.

Sunny day tomorrow, I'll be out on an all-dayer, however with winter looming its tempting to just cross the channel and keep pedalling South, all the way......

Oh yeah and red Look pedals :eek:

I actually thought about using anodized colored parts for my BBQ CAAD9 build
(hubs, spoke nipples, front derailleur clamp, breakset, chainrings, etc...).
I thought about making them all difference colors (blue, gold, red, etc...).
I would've kept the main parts black to serve as a base for the colored bits to work off of.

But, I went with the murdered-out theme and I'm happy.
All I have left to blacken is the headtube logo plate, the stickers on the seat tube and the stem sides.
If my groupset didn't function so damn perfectly (Dura Ace 7800), I would've gone with either
Dura Ace 7900 or Sram Red "just because" they're more black than the shiny 7800 bits.

:lol: Your name brings back so many memories...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkG8HXUAZG8