Cannondale R400: Keeper?

[R400]

Hello,

I just bought my first road bike, a 1999 Cannondale R400. Overall I am happy with the bike; I am considering upgrading some of the equipment, however, I'm not sure if the bike is worth putting money into. Would you please share your opinion of the R400 with me? Does the bike have potential? If so, would you please make some equipment upgrade recommendations for me?

Thank you very much for your advice.

 

[janiejones]

Cannondale have a great reputation for making some excellent frames.

What has it got on it at the moment (sora, tiagra etc) - this will help people comment on what you could do. What were you thinking about upgrading?

But if the frame is in good condition, and you like it you, may as well hang on to it.

JJ

 

[capwater]

Cannondale makes great bikes. Upgrading depends on your purpose for this bike. If everything is working fine, just ride on, especially this being your first road bike. After you get some riding experience you'll have a better idea of where you want to go and what you want to ride.

 

[R400]

Thank you, Janiejones and Capwater for your reply.

I'm glad to hear that Cannondale has a good reputation, as I will not be in a position to purchase an entirely new bike any time soon -- college student.

Janiejones: I believe the bike is equipped with Shimano Sora, however, I am not one hundred percent positive; I did a Google image search on both Sora and Tiagra, and Sora looks identical to what my bike has.

When I first bought the bike, the STI (Sora?) gears did not work. I did some research and, for the most part, fixed the problem myself; however, the gears still sound rough, there is still quite a bit of slack in the brake handle/shifter, and I am not able to utilize all the gears. Perhaps I need to upgrade this component. I hope this all makes sense.

I currently have a double-crank. Would upgrading to a triple-crank be a worthy, practical investment?

Thank you, Janiejones and Capwater for your advice.

 

[capwater]

Save your cash. Double to triple involves some cash. If the bike is rideable, do just that. Save up your cash for a newer bike down the road. It will never be cheaper to upgrade a bunch of components unless you have a frame that is unique and worth the expense. Now get out and ride!!!!!!

 

[R400]

Thanks for the advice, Capwater. I'll ride the Cannondale as is through college, and I'll reward myself with a new bike after graduation.

I'm going on a nice ride first thing tomorrow morning.

Cheers!

 

[capwater]

And remember ....... it's all about the engine, not the bling of the bike!

 

[R400]

Good point. I'm working on the engine almost eveyday: light gym workouts, plyometrics, running, biking, and dieting.

 

[capwater]

Nice plan. The irony is people will argue gram differences between Ultegra and Dura Ace, while forgetting that losing a couple of pounds will be far more beneficial. A teammate of mine is on an older steel bike, but I worked with him to drop 20 pounds and now he is a very competitive racer ... still on an older, relatively heavier bike compared to the bling, bling of the high dollar models.

 

[kdelong]

You really should get someone experienced to look at your shifters. If you cannot utilize all of your gears then there is something wrong. I'm not saying that you have to take the bike to your LBS. There are many riding clubs that have at least one gear head who will take a look at the bike for you. The LBS though, will USUALLY stand behind their work.

 

[R400]

Kdelong: thanks for the advice. One more reason for me to join a bike a club.