What is the greatest of the CAAD road frames?

[cinema]

ok p nut, it worked, im looking for caads on offerup now.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by m_moses

This was mine. I believe it was a 2006 model. So, 3 carbon tubes?

I loved it and the color especially. I got the new bike bug and felt this one was a little too aggressive and let it go for a song.




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2005, Saffron Metallic. I have a CAAD7 that is the same color.

[Erik_A]

I love my CAAD 9 in BBQ black. I have the largest frame 63cm. It is a very nice riding bike. Fits 28c tires on wide road rims (23mm exterior/ 19mm interior).

[ultraman6970]

Technology has gone very far in the last 15 years. They should bring that one back and built in the USA as it should.

I had one that was too big so never had the chance to use one, actually sold it and the buyer is super happy with it. 3 carbon tubes and super light carbon fork.

Originally Posted by zzy

The Six13 was a nightmare to produce, which was why they used one less carbon tube with each new generation. And with the raw models, galvanic corrosion occurred btn the carbon and the Al. But I loved the one I built:

[FastforaSlowGuy]

In the reviews of each succeeding generation of CAAD, it gets compared to the SuperSix. Verdict from most corners seems to be that the carbon sibling is lighter, slightly more responsive at the pedals, equally lively, slightly less harsh (though I never had a problem with harshness on my CAAD9), and a bunch more expensive. I've never ridden the SuperSix, so I'm curious if that's a fair assessment. Was the SuperSix Evo that good?

[bigman]

I have owned a CAAD 3- painful.
Optimo - awesome
Caad 12 - more awesome- still have it.
Had a super six loved it - cracked it and its gone - got a newer - think its a 15 was a later generation than the first one- lighter - very nice but not appreciable better than my older one.

I have been told by some folks that sell Canondales' that they think the 13 is not as good as the 12's but have no first hand experience. Never asked what good meant, to me it's mostly all about fit-

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by zzy

The Six13 was a nightmare to produce, which was why they used one less carbon tube with each new generation. And with the raw models, galvanic corrosion occurred btn the carbon and the Al. But I loved the one I built:

Originally Posted by zzy

Yup! Here was my personal Saeco Six13:

Really interesting.

I have no experience with any Cannondale. How they did produce that seamless looking joint between the carbon and al tubes on your red Saeco Six13 above, and the one one m_moses posted also, compared to the visibly sleeved c-f tubes inserted into al tubes (the silver one on top here) you posted earlier?

Was there any noticeable difference when you rode the two models?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

Really interesting.

I have no experience with any Cannondale. How they did produce that seamless looking joint between the carbon and al tubes on your red Saeco Six13 above, and the one one m_moses posted also, compared to the visibly sleeved c-f tubes inserted into al tubes (the silver one on top here) you posted earlier?

Was there any noticeable difference when you rode the two models?

Instead of taking a finished carbon fiber tube and a finished aluminum tube and bonding them together, the carbon fiber is molded into the aluminum frame tubes and then cured as a single unit.

[zzy]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

Really interesting.

You can see the little 'windows' that the tube snapped into. No glue at all - was a difficult process from what I heard. The ride on those two is about the same, but the first gen Six13 had a far better fork.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by zzy

You can see the little 'windows' that the tube snapped into. No glue at all - was a difficult process from what I heard. The ride on those two is about the same, but the first gen Six13 had a far better fork.

My second generation Six13 came with the awesome SI fork. It was the best riding Cannondale I have experienced. It also had a threaded BSA bottom bracket shell AND no galvanic corrosion. I'm still kicking myself for selling it!

Greg

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by zzy

You can see the little 'windows' that the tube snapped into. No glue at all - was a difficult process from what I heard. The ride on those two is about the same, but the first gen Six13 had a far better fork.

The cutouts are very clear on your earlier (?) silver Six13 (and on the one GregL posted just above). I meant the second (Saeco) Six13 you posted.

I was curious how they bonded the 3 c-f tubes and the alu tubes on your later (?) red Saeco Six13 and the one m-moses posted. The c-f and alu look co-planar on those two frames, with (with no "step" between them), and the joints do not look like simple sleeved tubes, but rather more complex. Or is the entire main triangle all c-f, partially painted/partially clear?

I am referring to this detail, in m_moses' enormous photo (so I will not post it here again).

Edit: maybe prototoast answered the question, above.

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Instead of taking a finished carbon fiber tube and a finished aluminum tube and bonding them together, the carbon fiber is molded into the aluminum frame tubes and then cured as a single unit.

Similar to how Bill Holland make their ExoGrid frames?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

Similar to how Bill Holland make their ExoGrid frames?

Yeah, same basic concept.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

The cutouts are very clear on your earlier (?) silver Six13 (and on the one GregL posted just above). I meant the second (Saeco) Six13 you posted.

I was curious how they bonded the 3 c-f tubes and the alu tubes on your later (?) red Saeco Six13 and the one m-moses posted. The c-f and alu look co-planar on those two frames, with (with no "step" between them), and the joints do not look like simple sleeved tubes, but rather more complex. Or is the entire main triangle all c-f, partially painted/partially clear?

I am referring to this detail, in m_moses' enormous photo (so I will not post it here again).

Edit: maybe prototoast answered the question, above.

I believe both the earlier (2004-2005) Six13s with three carbon fiber tubes and the later (2006-2008) versions with one (Six13 Pro) or two (Six13 Team) carbon fiber tubes used the same construction techniques. The tube junctions were very smooth and the painted frames covered over the cutouts where the carbon tubes were mechanically locked into the aluminum sections of the frames. I remember reading at the time that the later bikes with two carbon tubes were actually lighter than the earlier bikes with three carbon tubes. All I know is that the Six13 Team that I owned was my favorite Cannondale!

Greg

[Jcgill]

I still love my caad 10 from 2011, though it mostly gets trainer duty these days!