curioustourer

Hello everyone!


Is buying a used well priced Cannondale Bad Boy 6 2012 for light touring, on and off road, a mistake or a good choice?


I tried to be practical and clear in the above question. Now I'll manage to explain and frame it.

For about 6 years, I've been riding a Scott Aspect 45 (mountain bike) which has given me lots of good trips on and off road (mainly on mountainous, all terrain paths). Although not needing it as my everyday means of transport, it has also been used for commuting.

I have recently (in a year or so) grown fond of the idea of touring between borders and possibly abroad. Being practical, in a close future, I may not do more than a few hundreds per trip (lack of available time). Also, I would probably use the impressive network of hostels my country has (so, probably not needing heavy loads).

In addiction:

- the best argument is the opportunity of buying a second hand Cannondale Bad Boy 6, half the price (€550), riden less than 50 km, in perfect condition.

- as a begginer in touring and estimating light touring (comparing with the standard distances I've been reading around here), it would be too expensive an investment on a true dedicated touring bike (like Surley LHT, or Kona Sutra, or Dawes Raven, ...), wouldn't it?

- since commuting use will more certainly become more frequent than touring, would not a touring bike become somewhat unpracticle and uncomfortable when compared with Cannondale Bad Boy?

- is Cannondale Bad Boy 6 very inappropriate/ uncomfortable for off road and tours and loadding?

- Are alluminium frame and forks that uncomfortable when compared with steel ones?


I know Cannondale is presented as an urban commuting bike. But wouln't it be a good option for rough pavement touring also?

Cannondale Bad Boy 6 (2012/ 2011?): rigid fork, Al frame, disk brakes, deore rear derrailleur, alivio front derrailleur, 700c wheels (? not sure about this one)


Given this, do you think it would be a mistake? Am I looking rightly at this issue? Bottom line, the price is very tempting, and I would hardly find a similar opportunity in a touring bike.

Thank you for all the help and suggestions you can give me.

fairymuff

You can tour on anything, and I find a hybrid perfect for light touring. Light touring to me means no camping gear and staying in hotels. The bad boy looks interesting, certainly at half price, and if you're mainly going to use if for commuting you'll get plenty of use out of it, even if you were to get a 'proper' touring bike later on.

A couple of things to consider: The bad boy looks like it can take a rear rack, but not a front rack. This is no big deal for light touring, but if you want to fit a front rack in the future, this can be a problem. Relatedly, you may need to look at a clip-on mudguard for the front, as there appear to be no eyelets.

Gearing: gearing is probably a little high for touring. You may want to consider swapping out the granny for something smaller, depending on your fitness and the terrain where you live.

Hydraulic Disc brakes: fine in principle, but they might be tricky to service, depending on where you want to ride. My preference would be for mechanical discs, but at this price point (i.e. the full price for the Bad Boy) I know of no hybrid with mechanical discs.

Other than that, it looks like a great machine. I'd definitely tour on it, and if you won't be carrying too much gear I'd snap it up at half price.

bradtx

curioustourer, Basically a city bike that can be used for light to medium touring. If you buy it, ride it for awhile and make whatever changes needed to tailor it to your needs.

I've rode aluminum bikes for nearly three decades now and I don't find them harsh.

Brad

djb

it would work fine for what you want. The gearing (on the latest one anyway) is fine, 48/36/26 and a 11-32, that gives about 21-22 gear inches which is great, especially if you only have rear panniers, no tent etc.
It appears to come with 28s, but most likely there is room to put wider tires (as per your question about rough pavement) maybe up to 35's or thereabouts.

worse case scenario, you buy it, use it, keep it in good shape and resell if you arent crazy about it next year.

curioustourer

fairymuff, bradtx, and djb, thank you very much for all your opinions, suggestions and advices; you went straight to the points I presented and that was most helpful of you.

In fact, on Saturday morning, I went for a test ride. Coming from a mountain bike, I noticed a considerable difference in the comfort, the starting power, the speed, the turning ability, ....

This bike is very light (again, my standard is a mountain bike), flexible, sturdy and comfortable (although the mtx bike is undoubtedly more comfy due to the front suspension). Changing rear gears is almost an imperceptible task.

Yes, the gears seem a bit heavy (later I found out that the front disk was not perfectly aligned and was somewhat responsible for holding me back).

In the end, I became very interested in this deal and lost my mind, freed my wallet and made the investment (so I try to convince myself). djb, you're absolutely right: if (I hope not) I end up not being satisfied, this model can easily be sold, contrary to what would happen with a "pure" touring bicycle.

I only added a cyclocomputer, some dual pedals, water cage and ordered a bike kickstand from BBB.

The next step (appart from getting more attached to this new treasure of a bike) is going to be choosing a rear rack, rear panniers, and mudguards. Could you give me some suggestions on brands/ models?

Considering mudgards, I've been told of this model (but the reviews are not very enthusiastic...):
Amazon.com : Topeak Defender Rc1 and Rc11 Mudguard-One Set (Black, 23.6x2.3x3.5-Inch) : Bike Fenders : Sports & Outdoors

About panniers, the brands: ortlieb, kordo, Agu

About racks: tubus, blackburn, topeak (blackburn seems to be a bit too expensive fot what they offer but I am totally new in the field).

djb

About suggestions of racks and panniers, what country do you live in?

fietsbob

get one of these : BOB Ibex Bike Cargo Trailer | Bike Trailer

fairymuff

First off: Congrats on your new bike Curioustourer. I think you made the right choice. You sound excited

The mudguards you linked to will only fit tyres up to 25mm width (They are for designed road bikes). I believe the Bad Boy has 32mm tyres? Assuming I was correct when saying that there's no eyelets for mudguards on your front fork, you may want to look at something like this. Another thing to consider is that the rack you choose will have to fit over the rear mudguard, and the one I linked to is not necessarily designed for use with a rack. You'll want a rack that sits relatively high. The rack also needs to be compatible with you disc brake callipers (generally, these tend to be a little larger, so that should be alright).

If you have a decent bike shop locally, it may well be a good idea to visit them to discuss your options for a rack and mudguards. It's quite easy to order stuff off the web only to find out it doesn't fit for some silly reason. Your local shop might be a bit more expensive, but if it means you don't order stuff that doesn't fit, it may work out a lot cheaper.

bradtx

curioustourer, Now that you have the bike there is no need to rush. Take your time to look at the various options available for all of the equipment you wish to buy. A Cannondale dealer should be able to help you learn what is compatible with your model.

Brad

curioustourer

Is the country an important factor when choosing these acessories? I come from Portugal. Are some brands not available? Which ones were you thinking of?


I am not really in the quest for a trailer but some panniers, racks and mudguards. Thank you fietsbob.

Does anyone have some experience with topeak, tubus, blackburn, ortlieb, or other?

djb

I asked which country so I wouldn't recommend things from a store that is here in Canada. There are some brands of racks and panniers sold here in canada that are reasonably priced (not very expensive) but are still good value for the money, but I don't know what is available in Portugal.
Some brands you mention like Tubus and ortlieb make very high quality products, but you can use moderately priced brands and they can work fine also at a fraction of the price.
Topeak makes good racks that are not expensive, but there are others.
I have used moderately priced racks for 25 years without any problems, I have used Ortliebs s for 20 years but had other brands before that, so just don't think you need the best, its not necessary.

fietsbob

Ortlieb, Tubus & SKS..

Belfrager

Nice bicycle curioustourer.

Have you tried Decathlon? their bags are more city/commuting oriented but they have a model that I think can perfectly being used for many weekend or even week tours for around 60 euros, 2x20L.
It will not last forever but after using and abusing them you'll know exactly what fits your needs.

ALFORGES 2X20L CLASSIC - Decathlon

curioustourer

Thank you, djb. In which brands of racks and panniers were you thinking?

curioustourer

I agree with you. Today I rode a few km, including a small segment of road paved with granite and this last part was a bit rough. Maybe wider tires will soften it.

Now I have to enjoy the new ride and relax, although I'll be touring in a couple of months. Time enough to find a good solution. I am only asking you some good advice as you are more experience tourers.

The dealer where I bought this bike isn't quite into touring and despite showing much interest in being helpful, I'm afraid I would need some more guidance through the caos of racks and panniers brands.

curioustourer

Thank you for the suggestion. These panniers are not water resistent but how often am I going to need this property? One more model to take into account. Thank you. Any other?

djb

As for specific suggestions, I'm sure it would be better to get suggestions from europeans as the availability and costs will be more accurate.