I bought a Caddy...

No one eh? I guess I'll let everyone know when I get it how it is! I do have to say that in my 6 year cycling layoff that bike pricing have got'n WAY out of hand. $800.00 gets you garbage. I've tried the Trek 1000 & Jamis Venture & was Very disappointed in the components. They both shifted horrible. Being that I paid $1900.00 for my car (Saturn sl2 & VERY reliable), I was sticker shocked with midrange bikes now costing more than that. If the Cadillac frame is as good that people can call me a geek for buying a name like that. I'll laugh back at them paying twice as much. (Assuming it IS as good).😄

Lionfish said:

No one eh? I guess I'll let everyone know when I get it how it is! I do have to say that in my 6 year cycling layoff that bike pricing have got'n WAY out of hand. $800.00 gets you garbage. I've tried the Trek 1000 & Jamis Venture & was Very disappointed in the components. They both shifted horrible. Being that I paid $1900.00 for my car (Saturn sl2 & VERY reliable), I was sticker shocked with midrange bikes now costing more than that. If the Cadillac frame is as good that people can call me a geek for buying a name like that. I'll laugh back at them paying twice as much. (Assuming it IS as good).😄

Do post a review, once you log some miles on the bike. $800 usually gets you Tiagra level stuff, so you're right about that. Who actually makes the frame?

p.s. To be fair, you bought your car used... With patience and a careful eye, you can get a great bike for a lot less than $800 if you prowl the used market and are willing to buy something a little older, a little heavier.

Oh, and how bad was the shifting on those Sora-equipped bikes, anyway? I wonder if they weren't well-adjusted... I generally don't recommend Sora for other reasons, e.g., poor upgrade path for cassette, levers, etc., but I've been told they're not *that* bad, functionally.

I still have my 90 Peugeot Success & used Puch of unknown date i got about 93. I just keep upgrading as needed. Sticker shock on repair bills is as much as i want to have, they're enough.

SEAcarlessTTLE, The Trek 1000 threw the chainring off of both sides. It would also "hang" between 2 chainrings causing me to have to look down for a few seconds while riding on a back street in the city (not a good idea).The frame was pretty good but it shifted like a walmart bike front & rear. Very clunky.

The Jamis felt better up front but still would get caught in between chainrings. The Trek was probably a tuning issue but the levers on both would give you a 4th, 5th, 6th ect...chainring which got old fast. Jamis frame was pretty decent as well.

I'll let everyone know on this Cadillac SLE 1.8 as I plan on riding the 9 miles to work when all this snow melts. There's some good tight decreasing radius turns highspeed downhills & steep uphills. I'm a 225lb powerlifter so I'll certainly find any weaknesses on the bike (& on me!). I've had "Microfracture" Surgury on my right knee over 2 months ago so my heavy squat & deadlifting days are over thanks to the lady traveling in the wrong lane while I was on my motorcycle.

Throwing the chain off the rings is almost certainly the result of bad adjustment (limit screws). Even a Dura Ace setup can be bungled to behave that badly.

"Hanging" between chainrings and the levers appearing to be indexed for several chainrings might be because Shimano front STI shifters (at least for triple cranksets) have several index stops to let you trim the front derailleur when on the middle ring. Indexed front shifting can be a bit tricky to tune, but once you get it working, it's fine. Your new bike has a double, so you'll probably not have to worry quite as much about this, but probably best to check those limit screws before you hit the road.

Have fun on your commute, but careful on those turns! If I didn't have to carry stuff to work or could bear riding with a backpack, I would commute on a racy road bike, too. (:

The manufacturer is Kent International on the frame.

Lionfish said:

Has anyone heard of these?

Any bike can be badged withy any logo when you think of it. The Cadillac graphics do look classy I must say.

I've seen a lot of 'obscure' brands of bikes that have top quality components. The downside with these is that they can be hard to sell, unlike a recognised brand.

Hopefully the Cadillac branded bikes will gain some recognition for their owners.

Don't forget to brag to your friends about what great gas mileage your Caddy gets. (:

Cadillac SLE 1.8 road test:

I posted quite a number of miles on my bike today. First & foremost;

I am SO glad I saved so much money on this bike. I would class it in the Trek 2100 range. Being that i've now ridden both over identical roads I've saved over $800.00 with an equal bike IMO. Trek has Ultegra rr. but otherwise 105.
The Cadillac is ultra smooth over rough roads. It was great to just take a ride & get to know the bike on the first 80 degree day in about 5 months. Sorry, but really, it rides like a cadillac. Had to say it because it does. It makes the Trek 1000 & Jamis Ventura feel like a walmart huffy. It's really that good. Of course neither of those two bikes have 105 components or carbon seat stays but with the Trek @ $710.00 I'd say it should since the Cadillac SLE 1.8 was $799.99.

I'm still recovering from microfracture surgery on my right knee so sprints are not at full blast but the bike leaps forward on every stroke when out of the saddle. Even when powering up hills in the saddle it feels like a push from behind when I picked up the pace. The first pack of 12 year olds I past said "Cool bike man!". Being 36 I wanted to pull a wheelie for 'em but was afraid I'd pull out my back instead so I just gave a smile & a thanks.

Anyone looking to get a $1800.00 bike for less than halve price. Get one. If you just want a bike that good to save your race bike, get one. I was very sceptical at first due to the name "Cadillac" which I still admit is a bit "geeky" but now I'm just ticked off at other manufacturers that you CAN get a bike this good for a tad under $800 bucks. I'm riding to work every day this week & plan to have 200 miles on by this time next week. I live near Skyline drive (VERY steep with consecutive hairpin turns for every corner). I'll take a high speed decent this weekend & if I'm alive on monday I'll give my honest opinion on it. If something isn't right...I'll say so. But really, so far.....it's a steal!!!😄

Lionfish said:

The manufacturer is Kent International on the frame.

For more irony from the "Burn fat, not oil!" deparmtment, see...

http://www.kentbicycles.com/bikes_gmc.html

"Naw, not BMC, mine's a *G*MC."

Meanwhile, glad to hear you're enjoying the ride so far. Thanks for the review, but no need to go flying off hillsides for our sake!