Cannondale CAAD9 5 - beginers bike? can it be upgraded?

[Profoxcg]

Hello everyone, I have decided to start a new endeavor and join the cycling community. I am looking to invest in a new bike. Today I visited a LBS and was educated a little bit in terms on frames and their impact on design.

I was shown several models, and ill be honest, i really wish i could buy an 8K bike. But that is not the reality for me right now. I really would like to purchase something NICE that will last me. I really liked the design of the CAAD9 I saw at the store. It was priced around $850.

Can an entry level bike such as the CAAD9 be upgraded with nicer brakes and electronic shifting and such ? What I plan to do is buy an affordable entry level bike, slowly upgrade it, and once i have all the upgraded parts, buy a nice carbon frame and port the pieces over to the new frame.

Can this be done? Or are bike not upgradable?

What are some of the things that make a bike more expensive aside from the actual frame?

Thanks,

PS if there are any other bikes i should look into please let me know.

 

[keads]

I was in this same spot a couple of months ago. Having been there, I would say consider the CAAD9 5 as opposed to the 6 or 7. You get the upgrade to 105 components for a couple of hundred extra dollars now and have a bike you can ride for a couple of years with few (if any) upgrades, or you could spend several hundred dollars over the next several years on the same upgrades.

 

[Profoxcg]

Thanks for your reply. I ended up getting a Specialized Allez C2 yesterday. It is equivalent I guess to the Caad9 5 in the sense that is comes with full 105 components.

I just need to go back to the LBS and get fitted to it or have it adjusted. =)

 

[keads]

Thanks for your reply. I ended up getting a Specialized Allez C2 yesterday. It is equivalent I guess to the Caad9 5 in the sense that is comes with full 105 components.

I just need to go back to the LBS and get fitted to it or have it adjusted. =)

Nice bike. It was one of several I considered. I really like the look of the bowed top tube. Unfortunately, not a Specialized dealer in the area, so I never had the chance to test ride. Love to hear how it goes. Best of luck.

 

[Profoxcg]

Thanks you too. so what did you end up getting?

 

[Cco.175]

I put my down payment on a 10' CAAD 9 5. I can't wait till its paid for. Hopefully Ill have it paid off in a month./img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif I'm not going to have to upgrade for awhile. 105 components should last me awile. Also like the fact it has in big letters "Made in the U.S.A" on it.