Road bike advice needed

Hi all,<br /><br />Well I'm starting to slowly bite the bullet and look at road bikes as a replacement for my MTB <br /><br />I've pretty much narrowed it down to two choices:<br /><br />2002 Cannondale (CAAD5) R700 -- Link of Specs<br /><br />or<br /><br />2001 Peugeot Professionel 800 frame with either a full 105 groupset (incl wheels), or full Ultegra (w/ 105 wheels)<br /><br />They are both handmade frames (the CAAD from the USA, the Pug is French of course.) Pricewise, the Cannondale with 105/Tiagra is the same as the Pug with full 105, and ~$100 more expensive Ultegra vs Ultegra.<br /><br />I'm not intending to race competitively with this bike (well not yet ) so I'm starting to doubt the need to get Ultegra. Is there really much of a benefit apart from weight? How much lighter is it going to be? Both bikes are pretty light already; 8.6kg for the Cannondale (105/Tiagra), and 9kg for the Peugeot (105).<br /><br />I've been advised that with road bikes it's best to buy the best frame you can, and the groupset is a side-issue (since they're going to wear out, you can upgrade then, when your skill/strength has inevitably improved.) Good idea, no? Is the CAAD5 a good enough frame to be considered a 'keeper' ? It certainly looks nice in the Saeco team colours <br /><br />At the moment, I'm heading more towards the Cannondale -- mainly because they are a known entity around here; Peugeot bikes are barely known -- there is only one shop selling some, and those are old frames they bought from the distributor at a discount a while ago. The Cannondale is also being sold by my local bike store (they know me as I pop in the quite a bit, and if there wasn't any significant difference between the two bikes, I'd rather deal with them.)<br /><br />However there are two things that don't seem quite right with it; first, the Tiagra front derailleur. Why did they bother under-speccing this component? For some (probably illogical) reason it just doesn't feel 'right' to me not to have a &quot;purebred&quot; groupset. I presume the front derailleur doesn't really do much anyway, is it worth my bother asking for them to put a 105 front on?<br /><br />The other concern is the brakes -- it has &quot;Cannondale Expert&quot; brakes. Are these any better or worse than 105 brakes? I've heard that the brake pads make a lot more difference than the mechanism anyway .. is that true?<br /><br />I took the Cannondale for a test-ride btw ... OH MY GOD .. acceleration ZING! Responsiveness ZING! I don't want to ride my MTB ever again, it feels so slow and cumbersome in comparison! ;D I was also pleasantly surprised at how nicely it felt amongst bumps and the like, very smooth and composed (I was expecting it to be rock-hard.) I tested it amongst the worst-quality roads of my commuting route, which are about on par to the worst on-road conditions I'm likely to face.<br /><br />(psst .. anyone wanna buy a mountain bike? )

 

You will obviously know my reply. I'm sure both frames will last you a life time. Take into account the warrantee. I'm sure your lbs will be able to replace the C'dale in a few days if something goes wrong where as you will have to wait for months te get a responce from the French and you will probably have to deal with them direct.<br /><br />As for the front derailleur. Yes, allot of manufacturers fit some lower end components like front der and brake calipers to keep costs down. I'm sure your lbs will replace them with the same higher end parts for a few bob extra.<br /><br />Good luck with you choice and I know you will make the right decision.<br />

 

Mampara: good point re: warranty and service issues. That's one big down-side of the Peugeot frame.<br /><br />I'm 95% sure in my mind that the Cannondale is the one to go for, it's now just an issue of what stock components to replace.<br /><br />I went to the LBS yesterday to drop my MTB in for some routine suspension maintenance (oops, completely forgot about that ) and spoke with them a little more ... they're willing to swap the derailleur for a 105 at no extra charge <br /><br />Reading the reviews on www.roadbikereview.com nobody seems to like the stock saddle, either. Might have to do something about that, too.<br /><br />I'm unsure whether to bother upgrading the brakes.. coming from an MTB with disc brakes, I'm sure even Dura-Ace would feel weak in the stopping department

 

Get the C'dale otherwise i'd be looking at a custom steel frame, a good one will probably cost more than a caad 5 c'dale though

 

I put myself down for a lay-by on the CAAD5 w/ 105 group today <br /><br />Here's a photo from the LBS' webcatalogue:<br /><br /><br />Now I just have to pay for it then I can pick it up and ride it ;D<br />

 

I have the Cannondale R700, it's really nice. It's amazing off the line and I'm having a lot of fun with it. My only problem that I can think of with it is that, at least with mine, the steering is hairline. This is great when I'm racing around, but horrible when I want to take a break and rest my arms Still though, a lovely bike.<br /><br />NwBker

 

[quote author=rek link=board=20;threadid=2567;start=0#22145 date=1036399340]<br />I put myself down for a lay-by on the CAAD5 w/ 105 group today <br /><br />Now I just have to pay for it then I can pick it up and ride it ;D<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Hey nice bike.....saeco stickers should make you go faster ;D