What is the greatest of the CAAD road frames?

[azrider]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

This thread pains me to think I blew out my nicely equipped CAAD for a song! (But the market spoke, and the price was the price.). I was in middle of a cross country move and didn't have room to pack, ship and store. Hindsight....I should have made room. Oh well!

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...highlight=Caad

Hope a fellow Paceliner is enjoying it, whoever you are!

You bring up an excellent point. I've contemplated selling or trading in my CAAD for something new and sparkly but no one would be willing to pay me what "I" think it's worth. I've gone so far to say that CaaD 10 or even 12 is most "bang for your buck" bike out there.

I always love seeing something like this.....$1200 groupset on a $400 frame

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=251400

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Originally Posted by azrider

You bring up an excellent point. I've contemplated selling or trading in my CAAD for something new and sparkly but no one would be willing to pay me what "I" think it's worth. I've gone so far to say that CaaD 10 or even 12 is most "bang for your buck" bike out there.

I always love seeing something like this.....$1200 groupset on a $400 frame

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=251400

That is a fine looking bike.

[p nut]

That 10 is a 10!

Can it fit (true) 28’s?

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by darkmother

My 2010 CAAD 9 does.

That's interesting as I have one and couldn't fit a 28 Continental on the front despite trying several different calipers - didn't have any black Shimano to try though. Ended up with 28 rear and 25 front.

[zap]

I stopped racing on Cannondale's in '91......I think before the CAAD series came out. Went through three frames.....my favorite was the one with crit geo. Of course perfect for crit races but the ride......it was pretty stiff.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by zap

I stopped racing on Cannondale's in '91......I think before the CAAD series came out. Went through three frames.....my favorite was the one with crit geo. Of course perfect for crit races but the ride......it was pretty stiff.

1991 would have been a 3.0 series frame. The 2.8s came out in 1992 and was the top road frame through 1996. There was a Crit 3.0 but not a 2.8.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by azrider

After the first week of riding on my CAAD10 I honestly couldn't tell the difference between it and my high end carbon bikes. Sorry. I said it. I was racing as Cat3 at the time and considered myself decent rider........but I guess not decent enough to know difference in frame material

Man it's nuts what those Supersix's go for now........helluva lot cheaper than when I bought mine

So pricing aside, sounds like really no real advantage going with a SS vs Caad. Caad’s look good, although your SS looked awesome as well.

[azrider]

Originally Posted by p nut

So pricing aside, sounds like really no real advantage going with a SS vs Caad. Caad’s look good, although your SS looked awesome as well.

Not really. The weight difference between CAAD and SS was negligible. Aesthetically I think they're on par with each other, and as mentioned earlier, I apparently wasn't a good enough rider to notice "THAT" big of difference in ride quality between my CAAD and SS.

What really set the two apart is durability.

I replaced the SS in that picture with a crash replacement frame after sliding out of a corner during crit and the top tube disintegrated. Same corner same crash on a CAAD wouldn't have done jack.

There is reason why Liquigas trained on the CAAD10. They're just a no nonsense workhorse that gets the job done.

[azrider]

Originally Posted by p nut

That 10 is a 10!

Can it fit (true) 28’s?

Mine is 58cm and can fit 28's with ease. In fact I could probably throw a 30 or even 32's on it with some long reach brakes.

[jtbadge]

An aluminum race bike on 28s is a dream, I wish my CAAD10 had fit them. I should probably buy that red one on Facebook, too.

Originally Posted by Pegoready

Depends on what you're into, but I always loved the USA made, English BB, hourglass seat stay, Time-made fork equipped models with the oversize Nascar decal treatment. That's the CAAD7 Optimo right? Bonus- they used the Campy standard internal headsets which means you have that little extra bit of Campy bling on a full build, or a reminder that Campy exists on a Shimano/SRAM build.



Everything beyond that probably performs better but lost some soul, if an aluminum beer can could have soul.

This is a perfect road bike.

Originally Posted by azrider

Mine is 58cm and can fit 28's with ease. In fact I could probably throw a 30 or even 32's on it with some long reach brakes.

What good is this theoretical extra tire clearance if your brake pads don't line up with your rims?

[zap]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

1991 would have been a 3.0 series frame. The 2.8s came out in 1992 and was the top road frame through 1996. There was a Crit 3.0 but not a 2.8.

I'm sure you are correct.

I actually started racing on 'Dale's in '86. I upgraded to the 3.0 later, raced that some then that frame broke when a car hit me on a training ride. That geo worked well for me....felt invincible in corners. Not sure if the replacement was another 3.0 or the just released 2.8. I didn't keep it long as I stopped racing crits so I sold it to a buddy.

[nortx-Dave]

I was a shop employee in 1993 and got a 2.8 frame when the seat tube/bottom bracket joint came apart on a Vitus 979 I was riding.

OMG, going from a wet noodle to a STIFF bike with shaped/oversized aluminum tubes and cantilevered drop outs was quite the experience.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by azrider

Not really. The weight difference between CAAD and SS was negligible. Aesthetically I think they're on par with each other, and as mentioned earlier, I apparently wasn't a good enough rider to notice "THAT" big of difference in ride quality between my CAAD and SS.

What really set the two apart is durability.

I replaced the SS in that picture with a crash replacement frame after sliding out of a corner during crit and the top tube disintegrated. Same corner same crash on a CAAD wouldn't have done jack.

There is reason why Liquigas trained on the CAAD10. They're just a no nonsense workhorse that gets the job done.

Thanks for the insight. I might go for the SS, as the price is good and the fact there are no Caad’s for sale locally. And when I crash, I’ll replace with a Caad frame. All components should swap right over.

[GregL]

Both my CAAD9 and CAAD10 will fit true 28mm tires with no problem. My "everyday" tires are Continental GP4000S IIs that are labeled as 23mm, but measure at 26mm. For rougher rides, I have used 28mm Panaracer Gravel Kings that measure a true 28mm. The CAAD9 has more rear clearance at the brake bridge and the CAAD10 has more clearance to the fork blades, but both bikes take the 28s with no problem.

Greg

[vincenz]

Originally Posted by azrider

Not really. The weight difference between CAAD and SS was negligible. Aesthetically I think they're on par with each other, and as mentioned earlier, I apparently wasn't a good enough rider to notice "THAT" big of difference in ride quality between my CAAD and SS.

What really set the two apart is durability.

I replaced the SS in that picture with a crash replacement frame after sliding out of a corner during crit and the top tube disintegrated. Same corner same crash on a CAAD wouldn't have done jack.

There is reason why Liquigas trained on the CAAD10. They're just a no nonsense workhorse that gets the job done.

I had a CAAD10 and also a SuperSix, which was basically an all-carbon SystemSix, before they evolved it to the Evo. Also had the previous gen Evo Hi-Mod before they changed it to the dropped seat stays.

Out of all of them, I thought the CAAD had the worst ride quality. And that was with fulcrum wheels with steel spokes. When I got the SS, it was like night and day for me. Even adding fulcrum wheels with alu spokes, it was a better ride than the CAAD imo. The Evo Hi-Mod was tuned for an even better ride quality in the rear triangle, surely in part due to the narrow seat post. I am sensitive to ride quality, so ymmv.