kevinwva

I have a Cannondale T2000 that is about 3 years old. I bought it to ride mainly on pavement and dirt roads, but now have decided that I want to ride it on the C&O Canal towpath in VA. The Towpath is dirt and hard-packed gravel, with the occasional tree root and larger rocks sticking through the ground.

The stiff aluminum frame on the T2000 makes for a very rough ride. It about knocks the fillings out of my teeth.

I want to know whether there are any mods I can make that will make the bike usable, give it a softer ride. I am 6'4" and 215 lbs, so finding a bike that fit me was not easy. I don't want to sell it and find something else. I have had 3 potential ideas:

1) I talked with REI, where I bought it, to see whether I could add a front fork with suspension. They said the bike wasn't designed for that and wouldn't work.

2) REI suggested replacing the front fork with one that is carbon fiber. They claimed this will soften the ride. This doesn't make sense to me! I believe the stock front fork is steel, and if I'm not mistaken steel is more flexible than carbon.

3) Putting on the fattest tires that will fit on the wheels - or, possibly replacing the wheels with bigger ones to accomodate fatter tires as long as they still work with the brakes. I think I could fill them up only part-way and get a lot of cushion.

Please help!

Will any of these 3 ideas help, and how much would they help? What should I do.

Very grateful for any thoughts.

njkayaker

This.

And go slower.

Most of the suspension is due to the tires. Wider is better.

Use the lowest pressure that is appropriate for the load (bicycle+equipment+you). Don't use too little pressure. Otherwise, you'll get pinch flats.

I used 35 mm cyclocross tires on a steel touring bike.

The surface of the C&O is fairly smooth. It's just grassy (mostly). The issue is it gets muddy when it rains.

10 Wheels

I ride a 2008 Cannondale T-1. Which has a very soft ride on these tires.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/schwalbe-...s&currency=usd

I had 700 X 35's and thought they were too soft. Get the 38's

I took them off and went to Continental Touring Contact's 700 X 28.

The ride is all in the tires. Run with a low PSI.

kevinwva

"I had 700 x 35s and thought they were too soft. Get the 38s"

Sorry...I'm new here. Wouldn't the 38s be softer than the 35s because they're fatter?

Thanks!

10 Wheels

Yes, 38's with lower psi would be Softer which is What you Want.

10 Wheels

Larger does not alway mean a softer ride.

I have these that say 700 X 35 on the side wall.
They are tall and wide and hard.
They measure out to almost 40's.

LeeG

After trying on the fattest tires the frame can handle consider a different front fork that can take 47mm wide tires and a shock seat post or saddle with springs. Most of the objectionable vibration comes through the front tire.

Philly Tandem

The C&O will beat you up a bit no matter what you ride. Because it's flat, you (or at least I) tend to spend a lot of time in the saddle. Add in the rough sections, and it's a sure recipe for a sore bum. I had to remember to stand up now and again just to give my butt a break and use different muscles.

I also agree with running bigger tires. I don't think C'dale's touring frames are that much more likely to ride rough than a steel touring bike (I've owned two Cannondale touring bikes, BTW: a T1000 and an older T600). One thing you will notice is that when you load it up for a tour it will ride really nice and be more comfortable; a sign of a good touring bike. Run bigger tires at a lower pressure, as others have said. If you are used to running 700x25 or 28 tires on the road at 100 psi or whatever, get a good touring or even a cross tire and run it at 75-85 psi. Don't go too low or you may get pinch flats on the rougher sections of the trail, especially if you are carrying a lot of weight on the bike.

I would not get a suspension fork for your bike, although there are ones out there that will fit. I don't think you will see much benefit from it, and you won't be able to use front panniers if you end up needing them. A carbon fork *will* absorb more shock than a steel fork and provide a more "compliant" ride, so that is definitely an option. I actually bought a carbon fork with canti/V-brake bosses and lowrider "braze-ons" for my previous Cannondale but never installed it before selling the bike (if you are interested in it, I'll give you a good deal... PM me). My new Co-Motion doesn't use V-brakes, so I can't use it.

bradtx

kevinwva, All of the good loaded tourers are stiff so as to control the dead weight they're carrying. I run 35 mm Pasalas at 65 PSI unloaded F&R and add 10 PSI to the rear for my day trips with 25 lbs. on the rear carrier. Tree roots are a jolt with a non suspended bike, but just stand and unweight the bike and there'll be no problems. I've taken my touring bike off road and from what you described, it will be fine as is.

Brad

linus

Want comfort? Get a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple.

liamof

I have a T-800 and I would recommend 35 to 38 tires. for the softer ride but also wider is better on dirt and gravel. I also put on one of those seat post shock absorbers. It as made all the difference. Your legs can bend at the knees, your arms can bend at the elbows but your torso is taking all the shock from the frame. Try a seat post shock absorber. I got mine from performance for little money and it was the best mod ever.
Liam