Cannondale or Specialized?

[alienator]

I haven't become defensive about anything. How are you going to tell me my opinion on a product is wrong? If you think my disagreeing with you is somehow a personal attack against you, grow a thicker skin. I disagree with you. Deal with it.

My opinion is that a Caad9 has a rough ride. Prove me wrong and "add credibility to your view," since you seem to think you know it all. It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff. Some ride stiffer than others. Get over it.

Class dismissed. You have made it abundantly clear that you are not capable of holding any sort of intelligent conversation, or even adding any worth to a thread. Instead of providing information, you criticize everyone else who posts.

Now, off to find the "Ignore" feature...

Class dismissed? Really.

First reading correctly would help you. I didn't attack your opinion. I first offered reasons as to why you may have found a bike's ride rough, and I supplemented that with the observation that many find the Cannondale rides very nice, not at all like the harsh ride of Cannondale's early offerings. Note that experienced riders of Cannondale bikes likely have pedaled them much farther than you did on your test ride. And this brings up a second point: short test rides aren't indicative of much.

I viewed your disagreement as a personal attack? Really? Show me where you found that.

Now, you did say that your LBS was on their game. How do you know that? How do you determine such a thing? What is defined as being on their game?" You also said you knew the tires were properly inflated. I asked how you knew. You didn't respond. You still haven't. So, I guess I'm supposed to either take you at your word and that you successfully and accurately detected that the tires were at the right pressure. Of course, without measuring the inflation pressure, you have no way of knowing that. Does that mean that your opinion ruled your inflation pressure analysis?

t's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff.

That's funny, because that is one of the myths of the cycling world, one which has been shown to be false over and over. Here's a short lesson for you: riding quality is not defined by frame material. Full stop. Ride quality is defined by inflation pressure and tire size, frame design (length of wheelbase, length of chainstays, frame angles, fork offset, frame tube shape, size, and thickness), rider position, and the how a given person interprets what they're body tells them. Those are the facts of the matter.

 

[swampy1970]

The CAAD 9 isn't a world leader in comfort, that's for sure... But it aint the ball beater and filling rattler that the CAAD 4's and 5's were and gives a pretty good ride.

Certain aluminum bikes do ride stiff, primarily by design not by the inherent nature of the material. Saying cart-blanche that all aluminum bikes ride stiff is rediculous. Some of the most flexible frames ever to grace the Pro peloton were aluminum.

 

[GT Fanatic]

The CAAD 9 isn't a world leader in comfort, that's for sure... But it aint the ball beater and filling rattler that the CAAD 4's and 5's were and gives a pretty good ride.

Certain aluminum bikes do ride stiff, primarily by design not by the inherent nature of the material. Saying cart-blanche that all aluminum bikes ride stiff is rediculous. Some of the most flexible frames ever to grace the Pro peloton were aluminum.

No, absolutely not, all aluminum bicycles don't ride like stones. The Caad9 is very unforgiving, unlike the Fuji Roubaix ACR with its carbon seat-stays and fork. I believe the ACR also has a carbon seat-post.

The Giant Defy 1 and Cannondale Synapse were excellent aluminum bicycles, both of which I rode and felt very good.

The Caad9 makes no excuses, it is built with its focus being on performance first, comfort second. I don't care what the forum know-it-all-know-nothing has to say about it, I've spent nearly an hour with this bicycle on various types of terrain. While it doesn't make me an expert on the Caad9, I had spent enough time to make an accurate assessment of this bicycle. Meanwhile, I'm sure he's ranting up another moldy storm (I have him on "Ignore," so I'll just assume...) about logic.

Pros: "Handmade in the USA," Fast acceleration, razor-sharp steering, low weight, good componentry

Cons: Nearly as expensive as bicycles with more carbon accoutrements, some bicycles in its price-range had better componentry, harsh ride quality and bumps sent "impact shocks" straight to the rider

Would I recommend this bicycles to a friend? If he/she was serious about racing and wanted a light aluminum racing bicycle, absolutely. If he/she wanted a performance-oriented bicycle which could be used for longer rides, absolutely not.

 

[alienator]

The Giant Defy 1 and Cannondale Synapse were excellent aluminum bicycles, both of which I rode and felt very good.

But wait, earlier you put forth your expert analysis and said:

It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff.

Wow. Your statements are at odds. Hmmm. What a conundrum.

 

[Froze]

Looking at these bikes and wondering if anybody has any thoughts?

Cannondale | Six Carbon 3


Specialized Bicycle Components : Tarmac Expert SL Compact

Congratulations on your decision with the Schwinn Paramount Series 7. I don't know anything about this bike but the group package seemed decent enough. Now quit yakking on this forum and go ride that thing!

 

[taniwha]

My opinion is that a Caad9 has a rough ride. Prove me wrong and "add credibility to your view," since you seem to think you know it all. It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff. Some ride stiffer than others. Get over it.

I love my Caad9 and find it immensely comfortable, even on the **** roads we have here, plus I've ridden it on some pretty nasty metal roads and it was comfortable there also.

It's certainly a big step up from the early Caads.

Try a different wheelset/tyre combo before you condemn it. I remember having to road test some Cole wheels and Mavic Askiums for a supplier. The Coles made not a flicker of difference to ride comfort, the Askiums were like riding wooden cartwheels and amplified surfaces unpleasantly.

My $0.02

 

[alienator]

I love my Caad9 and find it immensely comfortable, even on the **** roads we have here, plus I've ridden it on some pretty nasty metal roads and it was comfortable there also.

It's certainly a big step up from the early Caads.

Try a different wheelset/tyre combo before you condemn it. I remember having to road test some Cole wheels and Mavic Askiums for a supplier. The Coles made not a flicker of difference to ride comfort, the Askiums were like riding wooden cartwheels and amplified surfaces unpleasantly.

My $0.02

That can't be true: haven't you heard that "It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff"? That's what one forum members vast wealth of knowledge and bike experience taught him.

 

[GT Fanatic]

I love my Caad9 and find it immensely comfortable, even on the **** roads we have here, plus I've ridden it on some pretty nasty metal roads and it was comfortable there also.

It's certainly a big step up from the early Caads.

Try a different wheelset/tyre combo before you condemn it. I remember having to road test some Cole wheels and Mavic Askiums for a supplier. The Coles made not a flicker of difference to ride comfort, the Askiums were like riding wooden cartwheels and amplified surfaces unpleasantly.

My $0.02

To each his/her own. The OP wanted opinions, and my opinion was that it was a rough riding bicycle. That's what was asked for. Some people may not have issues with the Caad, and that's great, but I personally found it to be "busy."

As for trying it with new wheels, I don't think the LBS was going to be willing to put a different set of wheels on it for a test ride.

That can't be true: haven't you heard that "It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff"? That's what one forum members vast wealth of knowledge and bike experience taught him.

And prove me wrong. Oh, wait, that's right, you've been trying to do that in every single thread you've posted a reply back at me in. So far, so bad. Aluminum is a very stiff material, hence the reason for carbon seat-stays and forks. Please, educate all of us, Great One. After all, you must know something. I mean, you have 5000+ post counts! No doubt, during that 5000+ post counts you've accumulated enough knowledge to know how to operate the Space Shuttle; but I'm going to guess most of those 5000 posts were made following people around and TRYING to "correct" them, or simply just arguing and posting useless drivel towards anyone who disagrees with you.

So anyway, how'bout that proof that aluminum bikes DON'T have a tendency to ride rougher than their steel and carbon counterparts; we're waiting.

 

[alienator]

So anyway, how'bout that proof that aluminum bikes DON'T have a tendency to ride rougher than their steel and carbon counterparts; we're waiting.

What? Sorry, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and since there is nothing in material science, engineering, bike design, or anything technical that says that aluminum bikes have to ride harsh, it's up to you to prove your asinine statement that aluminum bikes "always ride stiff."

Now, I'm guessing that you have no technical knowledge with which to back up such a stupid claim as yours, with the claim, again, being aluminum bikes "always ride stiff." Given that, someone would have to put an ear to your rectum to hear your response.

No one ever disputed that you perceived a harsh ride. No one. That you think so just shows that you have handicapped reading comprehension skills. You can't find a single quote that supports such a claim. Heck, showing pictures of your house and cars isn't even going to help. Changing the topic again isn't going to help.

Again, how a bike rides is a function of design, construction, QC, and rider perception, and rider perception is not a subjective value. Also, to reiterate what Swampy pointed out, there have been more than a few aluminum frames that were anything but stiff. In fact, Stephen Roche added quite a few victories to his palmares while riding noodle-like Vitus aluminum frames. I guess Vitus didn't know that all their aluminum frames were supposed to be stiff. Hmmm.

Oh, no! That one example, Vitus' aluminum flexi-flyers, proves your claim that aluminum frames "always ride stiff", uhm, wrong. Dang!

 

[GT Fanatic]

What? Sorry, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and since there is nothing in material science, engineering, bike design, or anything technical that says that aluminum bikes have to ride harsh, it's up to you to prove your asinine statement that aluminum bikes "always ride stiff."

Now, I'm guessing that you have no technical knowledge with which to back up such a stupid claim as yours, with the claim, again, being aluminum bikes "always ride stiff." Given that, someone would have to put an ear to your rectum to hear your response.

No one ever disputed that you perceived a harsh ride. No one. That you think so just shows that you have handicapped reading comprehension skills. You can't find a single quote that supports such a claim. Heck, showing pictures of your house and cars isn't even going to help. Changing the topic again isn't going to help.

Again, how a bike rides is a function of design, construction, QC, and rider perception, and rider perception is not a subjective value. Also, to reiterate what Swampy pointed out, there have been more than a few aluminum frames that were anything but stiff. In fact, Stephen Roche added quite a few victories to his palmares while riding noodle-like Vitus aluminum frames. I guess Vitus didn't know that all their aluminum frames were supposed to be stiff. Hmmm.

Oh, no! That one example, Vitus' aluminum flexi-flyers, proves your claim that aluminum frames "always ride stiff", uhm, wrong. Dang!

Nice attempt at a dodge. One again, you failed. You incoherently ranted on (AGAIN) about how stiff an aluminum frame is, and that's the same exact thing that's been said the entire time. Nobody cares about Vitus and Stephen Roche.

You're not trying to change the subject? You just brought up the subject of my house and my cars, which have NOTHING to do with this thread AT ALL. MY HOME HAD NOT EVEN BEEN MENTIONED IN THIS THREAD UNTIL YOU JUST BROUGHT IT UP. You brought this upon yourself. YOU are the one who brought up MY home, not me. YOU are the one who took it upon yourself to make the comment about me living in a trailer park in ANOTHER thread. You simply got served, and now you're all butt-hurt over it. This is just another case of you being wrong, and looking like the Cycling Forum jester. WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THE SUBJECT OF MY HOME INTO THIS THREAD?

Now that you've been served (AGAIN), you can focus on staying on-subject. You have not posted ANYTHING worth ANYTHING. Everybody knows there is more than just a material that goes into a design of how rigid a product is. Everybody knows steel is a heavy material and aluminum is not. We all know about aluminum's benefits over steel. Cycling is not the only scenario for usage of aluminum over steel or carbon fiber. You are not educating anyone. You've focused on 3 words, "always ride stiff." That's great, and it's already been mentioned a long time ago that there are different variables that come into play. Nice try, and yet ANOTHER failed attempt.

I'd tell you that you were nothing more than bad joke, but I'd be selling you short. You're more like the punchline.

 

[taniwha]

To each his/her own. The OP wanted opinions, and my opinion was that it was a rough riding bicycle. That's what was asked for. Some people may not have issues with the Caad, and that's great, but I personally found it to be "busy."

Monkeys and typewriters.
Out of sheer bewilderment on my behalf, what is a 'busy' bike? My bike is quite slovenly unless I pedal it.

As for trying it with new wheels, I don't think the LBS was going to be willing to put a different set of wheels on it for a test ride.

Why not? Have you asked?

 

[taniwha]

That can't be true: haven't you heard that "It's no secret that aluminum bikes ride stiff"? That's what one forum members vast wealth of knowledge and bike experience taught him.

No, I hadn't. How could such a member squirrel this information away to himself?

 

[GT Fanatic]

Monkeys and typewriters.
Out of sheer bewilderment on my behalf, what is a 'busy' bike? My bike is quite slovenly unless I pedal it.



Why not? Have you asked?

OMG, you too? Are you Alienator's son, or just another one of his very few followers?

When I use the term, "busy," I'm talking about the ride quality. That's blatantly obvious.

WHY am I going to ask a local LBS to fit a bike with different wheels? I wouldn't be purchasing a new bike and an extra pair of wheels. I shouldn't have to. And do you think a bike shop is going to take the loss on 2 inner-tubes, plus 2 tires just so somebody can putter around up and down the street on a bike when the bike already has 2 tires? Yeah, right.

 

[taniwha]

Everybody knows steel is a heavy material

What about Aermet?

BTW why the red lettering? That's distinctly unsoothing. Out of idle curiousity what is it about your house that so aggravates you?

 

[taniwha]

OMG, you too?

Me too? Do I scare you that much? I hope not, I'd quite like to be friends and hang out at the park.

When I use the term, "busy," I'm talking about the ride quality. That's blatantly obvious.

I'm sorry, but what's blatantly obvious?

WHY am I going to ask a local LBS to fit a bike with different wheels? I wouldn't be purchasing a new bike and an extra pair of wheels. I shouldn't have to. And do you think a bike shop is going to take the loss on 2 inner-tubes, plus 2 tires just so somebody can putter around up and down the street on a bike when the bike already has 2 tires? Yeah, right.

Most, if not all shops have a spare/demo set of wheels, they aren't going to get uptight about letting you use them. Unless of course you're one of those types who goes in kicks tyres, shifts the gearing on the stationery bikes and then skids the demo bikes. But I am jumping to conclusions and we don't like doing that, do we?

 

[GT Fanatic]

What about Aermet?

BTW why the red lettering? That's distinctly unsoothing. Out of idle curiousity what is it about your house that so aggravates you?

NOTHING about my house aggravates me, it aggravates Alienator.

Me too? Do I scare you that much? I hope not, I'd quite like to be friends and hang out at the park.


I'm sorry, but what's blatantly obvious?


Most, if not all shops have a spare/demo set of wheels, they aren't going to get uptight about letting you use them. Unless of course you're one of those types who goes in kicks tyres, shifts the gearing on the stationery bikes and then skids the demo bikes. But I am jumping to conclusions and we don't like doing that, do we?

Why would you scare me?

Secondly, no, I'm not the type that goes and skids bikes and shifts the gears on the stationary ones, but IMO if the standard equipment on the bike doesn't work, I'm not going to buy it. I'm not going to buy a new bike and then throw more money into it to have to upgrade it. Maybe others buy bikes with intentions of modifying them, but that doesn't interest me in the least. I wanna get on a bike and ride, period. If I buy a $1000 bike, the last thing it should need are new parts as soon as I ride it out the door. If something breaks down the line, then yes, if the bike is important enough to me, I will upgrade at that point in time, but not until then.

 

[alienator]

Nice attempt at a dodge. One again, you failed. You incoherently ranted on (AGAIN) about how stiff an aluminum frame is, and that's the same exact thing that's been said the entire time. Nobody cares about Vitus and Stephen Roche.

But Vitus is on point because they built aluminum frames that didn't ride stiff as you allege that all aluminum frames do.

You're not trying to change the subject? You just brought up the subject of my house and my cars, which have NOTHING to do with this thread AT ALL. MY HOME HAD NOT EVEN BEEN MENTIONED IN THIS THREAD UNTIL YOU JUST BROUGHT IT UP.

Where did I bring up your home? You posted pictures of your domicile before I ever brought it up. I did say that you were likely the favorite boy, of all the other boys, in the trailer park, but that's an expression that isn't a comment on your house, now it it? It's a comment, taken from a comic, about something else entirely.

[quoteNow that you've been served (AGAIN), you can focus on staying on-subject. You have not posted ANYTHING worth ANYTHING. Everybody knows there is more than just a material that goes into a design of how rigid a product is. [/quote]

Such grand sweeping statements. You are quite the master of hyperbole and exaggeration. Now, about aluminum frames......everybody knows there is more than just material taht goes into the design of how "rigid" a product is? Really? You don't. After all, you are the one that said that aluminum frames always ride stiff.

Everybody knows steel is a heavy material and aluminum is not. We all know about aluminum's benefits over steel. Cycling is not the only scenario for usage of aluminum over steel or carbon fiber. You are not educating anyone. You've focused on 3 words, "always ride stiff."

Of course I focused on it: saying that aluminum always rides stiff is a patently stupid thing to say, because it is not the case. The one example given, i.e. Vitus frames that Roche rode, proves your "always rides stiff" proclamation false. Simple.

Steel is a heavy material? Compared to what exactly. Is there some standard for what is heavy? Blanket statements such at that about steel being heavy are as stupid as the statements that aluminum always rides stiff.

And golly, you mean the bike industry isn't the only industry that uses aluminum? No kidding! Gee whiz, who would have thought that! I wonder if anyone else knows?

 

[davereo]

Everyone is different. The best advice given is to test ride and research. You wont be wasting your money on either of these bikes if you decide to buy. They are both good bikes.

 

[taniwha]

Why would you scare me?

I'm not sure, but I'm trying hard not to.
My apologies if I do.

But it's a good question. I have engaged in some self analysis ( a worthwhile past time, I'd recommend it for everyone)

Is it because I can raw Kina?
Is it because I'm a large hairy Antipodean?
Is it because I can happily and enjoyably ride a bike that you find too stiff and uncomfortable?

 

[alienator]

I'm not sure, but I'm trying hard not to.
My apologies if I do.

But it's a good question. I have engaged in some self analysis ( a worthwhile past time, I'd recommend it for everyone)

Is it because I can raw Kina?
Is it because I'm a large hairy Antipodean?
Is it because I can happily and enjoyably ride a bike that you find too stiff and uncomfortable?

I once dated a girl who was anti-podiatrist. Damn if she didn't have ugly feet.

I don't think you can be enjoying the ride of your sparkly fuschia CAAD9. After all, it's been announced that all aluminum frames ride stiff. FWIW, I ride stiff when I see girls riding around campus in skirts while not wearing panties.