Is it possible to buy a CAAD 10 frame or frame set? I have a fat dent in my CAAD 10-4

I've heard it is very difficult to get one. All the people I have seen that have gotten one, just did because they knew the right people... Are you the original owner? Couldn't you just talk with Cannondale and buy a replacement frame?

I asked Cannondale and they said yes. They said order through a dealer.

curious. howd you get the dent and where is it on the frame? a picture would be awesome.

had my bike leaned up against the couch about to go ride and mi gato came tearing through the living room hit my bike and knocked it over and the top tube slammed into the edge of the arm of a big wooden chair.

I'm kind of surprised that would dent the top tube, I feel like my bike has gone through much worse.

This is how the catapult was invented...

Top tube is really thin on most bikes these days. My guess is the incident the OP describes would have dented most of the generations of the CAAD line.

Yeah, it's pretty easy to dent those Caad 10s.

Aluminum does not like being dented, but as long as it is not cracked yet, you can still safely ride it. The frame will eventually crack around the dent, and when it does, then it is time to replace the frame. But it will not suddenly crack and fall apart.

I raced on a dented aluminum frame for awhile. The area around the dent slowly got wavy before a crack formed. Even then, it was small. I have since replaced that frame.

So ride it till it dies then?

That might be going too far. I've ridden an aluminum frame for several years and sold it this year. I can't really tell how close it was to EOL but I had it repaired once for a crack at the seat post clamp, and it had another place starting to corrode which I kept repainting to keep it covered, less corrosive. The combination of its condition, the tempting new things on the market, and having some time to play with bike shopping was what prompted me.
Keep your eyes on it and just pick your spot to upgrade it down the road.

They always hold back frames for warranty and crash replacement. You will have to go through the shop.

call you LBS and ask about "crash" replacement on the frame. my 9 has dent on the seat stay from a race crash. i plan to ride it until i notice any issues. later.

The 2012 cannondale dealer book has the information and pricing on frame warranties, exchanges (any old cannondale frame with receipt), and aftermarket frames. Obviously what you can get is limited to what cannondale has on hand at the time. Any cannondale dealer can do this and if they tell you no they are lying.

Time for cat soup...

If cost is a concern, then yes.

Aluminum will not fail catastrophically. It will be a slow process that you will see coming. When it starts to crack - and you will be able to tell - then it is probably time to move on. But for now, there is nothing from a safety perspective to prevent you from continuing to ride it.

But if you have the money, go to your LBS and get a crash replacement. I'd guess the Caad 10 frameset will cost you $700-$800.

Cannondale Frame Exchange/Replacement program. Just talk to the shop. You could do this for no good reason whatsoever if you wanted to, and I believe the replacement cost is the same as it would be for a kitty-induced dent. It's a good program.

As a CAAD9 rider, I had some concerns about the CAAD10 frame. One poster in this thread mentioned the fact that most generations of CAADs would have dented similarly, and that may be true. But the 10 did shave, I believe, almost 200g - nearly half a pound! - from the 9's weight, and it did this through further thinning of the tubing in certain spots. My 9 might have suffered a similar dent...but then it might not have. I'm not going to put it to the test. If someone else wants to I can't wait to hear the results.

The other potential issue is the version that comes in the anodized finish. Anodization is a big no-no in aviation. The problem is that the alumina layer on the surface, which is literally a part of the substrate metal - grown into it, if you will - is far harder and far more brittle than the substrate. When it cracks...which anodized finishes often will do under strain, it's not like paint cracking. The crack in the finish propagates to the softer substrate, and results in component structural failure.

I love my CAAD9. If I were trading/exchanging/upgrading my frame, I'd get the SuperSix.

Not to disagree, but 4 years of working in the aviation hydraulics industry disprove this. On hydraulic and pneumatic components, anodization is a requirement on both 7075 and 6061 components. Hard anodize is frequently used on pistons and actuator bodies. Even painted aluminum components are anodized under the paint, at least on the components and actuators I dealt with. So to say anodize makes components fail for crack propogation seems... well, inconsistent with my experience.

RollCNY;

My experience is as a pilot, so all of my knowledge is by association, not by actual practice.

I have been informed that for structural and/or load bearing components like skins, control surface internals, skeleton, etc., that anodizing is not allowed. NTSB database has numerous crash reports where the causal factor was crack propagation in the substrate caused by cracks in the brittle surface layer, leading to control surface breakage/separation.

I have heard, however, about applications like the ones you mention. Not in conjunction with aviation, but referencing similar components in use on ships.

I guess the question is: Is the CAAD10 frame more analogous to a structural/control surface, or to a hydraulic/pneumatic component? Hmmm...

I think structural/control, due to the wide variety of loads and shearing forces on it. But, as a pilot this is the metaphor I can understand the best. You may see differently.

Another issue: some anodizing processes tend to "brown" in the sun. I wonder about the finish on that frame?

Granted, Cervelo anodized their "Soloist" frames for a long time, and I haven't heard of any problems. Perhaps the treatment won't brown, and perhaps a human rider is simply not capable of exerting the kind of force necessary to initiate cracking. Maybe we'll have these questions answered in a number of years from now.

If the answers come back badly, well, Cannondale is good with their warranties. I had to replace a Six13 frame, and they treated me very well.

Your information on structural components may very well be valid. That is why I hate to say anything is wrong, its just inconsistent with what I lived with (and anodized finishes were a pain and very fragile to material handling). I am surprised anyone really wants them as a finished top layer, because of the frailty.