Cannondale CAAD8

I've been looking at getting out on two wheels for a while now. I thought about bicycles, motorcycles, off-road, on-road, etc. I finally made a decision Saturday and went and bought a Cannondale CAAD8 road bike. It weighs in at a whopping 21.5 pounds (I can pick it up with one hand and spin it around), has scads o' carbon fiber goodies, and 30 speeds to choose from. I bought clipless pedals for it to, althought I do not yet have shoes to go with them. It seems pretty fast and pretty stiff. We'll see how it goes - I've never owned a road bike before.

Anyone here ride?

My wife and I have mountain bikes. I haven't touched a roadie in a while, but I now live less than 6 miles away from work. When It cools down(Charleston, SC), I might try biking to work.

I haven't ridden a pedal bike in a few years. I need to get back on it though. I'm frustrated with mine though, it seems to cost me a whole lot more to keep chains on than my V Strom 650. And I know that my motorcycle has a LOT more power than I will ever have. Of course, my bike is more a "city bike," upright like a mountain bike, light front suspension, thin tires for a MB, wide for a road bike.

Yup.

Cannondale R800 for the road. Bianchi San Jose for commuting and gravel roads. On-One Inbred 456 for the rough stuff. And a Harley for when I'm feeling lazy. :)

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: I ride a 1995 Schwinn Passage 21-spd road bike about 1.5k miles per year, a 2004 Specialized FSR-XC for trails, and I just finished mechanical restoration on a late-1970's Mirella road bike that I'm planning to use instead of the Schwinn. The Mirella is old-school beauty, with lug frame, Campy hubs / dropouts / crankset, center-pull brakes, etc. 2x5 gearing and down-tube shifters FTW.

It was my brother's bike, and it sat unused in his basement since the early '90s when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Cleaned everything, lubed all bearings and cables, waxed the chain, replaced the tires and tubes, and she's ready to roll. I'm going to ride it in the MS150 fundraiser the weekend of 12-13 July.

Cannondale makes a great bike. I've had an F400 for 14 years now. my Dad rides a Cannondale Silkroad 800? very nice. 22lbs with front suspension.

ignorant wrote: My wife and I have mountain bikes. I haven't touched a roadie in a while, but I now live less than 6 miles away from work. When It cools down(Charleston, SC), I might try biking to work.

Aww come on its not even really hot yet. Plus you will find out its not 6 miles by bike you will find shortcuts that you couldnt/wouldnt take by car.

Welcome to the world of cycling. I ride, mostly on the road, but I also explore some logging roads and hardpacked trails and the like on my 'cross bike. I've also been working in the bicycle industry most of my life. I hope you have fun with it...the fitness is fun, and if you can use it to get around, the savings in gas costs don't hurt either. I've found that proper fit and comfort on the bike are one of the biggest contributing factors to happy and successful rides.

Hopefully this won't be an issue for you, but I hate to see newcomers to the sport scared off due to discomfort while riding. Of course, there will be a period of adjustment and getting used to riding (and there really isn't any way around that) but I would also recommend some proper cycling shorts and some padded gloves if you don't already have them. After you have gotten into it for a while, if you so desire, you can have a bike fitted to you at some bike shops to fine tune the details of your fit, maximizing efficiency and power, minimizing stress on the joints and improving your comfort and form. The process is different from the sizing done when you buy a bike and could be compared to taking the proper off-the-rack size of clothing into a tailor for custom tailoring.

Sure, bicycles tend to go through chains fairly quickly and they aren't exactly dirt cheap, but....where else in the WORLD have you ever seen a roller chain shifting between cogs of different sizes and moving through fairly large angles and side loads, all while under power? It might seem simple because we are used to the concept of a geared bike, but the demands even recreational riding places on a chain are amazing, and unlike just about anything else chain-driven.

Have fun out there, and let us know how it goes.

In '82 I sold my only car to get a bike and then rode that thing over 10K according to the little electronic thingy in the next year and a half. Moved back here to the Willamette Valley and every time I went riding that winter I got sick afterwards. The damp crappy weather just wasn't a good thing for my body. It was a great couple years with that bike in eastern Oregon.

I used to ride my bike everywhere before I had a car, as I wanted to go places and my parents wouldn't always give me a ride.

I'm starting out all over again as I just bought my first serious bike, a 1987? Trek 400 Elance. Steel feels so much better than modern aluminum or carbon bikes imo. After riding this thing all of maybe 5 miles so far over the last two days, I finally (somewhat) understand why real bikes cost so much.

I'm also realizing I need some gear. Any suggestions on riding shorts and helmets? Not just comfort, but this thing is a damn sight faster than my old bikes lol.

pricepoint has good deals on baggy shorts that have OK reviews @ mtbr.com

I'm not a super spandex king yet.

could also check out www.chainlove.com They sell one bike item at a time until it is gone at pretty good prices.

Helmet - go try some on at the local bike shop. They'll all do the job, it's just a matter of price vs comfort vs looks.

Shorts - order some mtn bike baggies with a liner, if you don't want to do the full spandex thing.

Shirts - order a few cycling jerseys. Half zipper front for ventilation. They usually have a back pocket or two for banana/wallet/phone.

I just got my shoes yesterday. Shimano SH-R08 or something. They were $100. A nice, comfy, entry-level shoe with a ratcheting strap and a composite sole. So I took the bike out on a ride down my huge hill that I live on and man, I need to work on my hill-climbing.

I really like the SPD cleats. What a strange feeling though. It almost feels as if your shoes are metal and the pedals are giant, well-lubricated magnets. Your feet won't come up and out of the pedals, but they will move back and forth a bit as you need them to.

I need some new shoes... I have some Performance brand shoes that are nice, but alittle small. I have to wear super thin socks with them to get them to fit right.

A hint about performance shoes, mine have Answer branded soles. I guess they make the shoes for performance bike..

another hint I got about clothes to wear biking, is go to Walmart and get their brand of under armor moisture wicking shirts. Work just like a bike jersey, but are super cheap.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12242-545_PNTES2-1-Clothing-13-Price-Point-Clothing/Price-Point-Epic-Baggy-Shorts.htm <-- cheap baggies with liner good reviews on mtbr

What is the deal with baggies? It seems to me like they'd get caught up on the seat and ride up on me. I think I'm going to give the spandexes a try.

Are the baggy shorts similar to bathing suits? I saw some yesterday at the bike shop and thought that's what they were.

depends on the shorts, but the liner grips your legs tight..

They're like shorts within shorts. A good pair shouldn't ride up or get caught.

I cycle and mountain bike. My road bike is a Schwinn Probe from about '85 which someone put out for the trash. The frame is in great shape for a nearly 25 year old bike and all it needed was tires, brakes and a new seat and was good to go. My mountain bike is a 97 Trek 800 series. Even though its a little heavy compared to more modern mtn. bikes, it's never broken down on me and i've taken it through some semi rough stuff. For shorts, I just wear some baggy mountain bike type shorts and these are the shoes I wear for biking: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,95377_Teva-Psuedo-Casual-Shoes-Anti-Microbial-For-Men-.html

ignorant wrote: could also check out www.chainlove.com They sell one bike item at a time until it is gone at pretty good prices.

you just made my day. Its WOOT! for bikes :-)

SupraWes wrote:

ignorant wrote: could also check out www.chainlove.com They sell one bike item at a time until it is gone at pretty good prices.

you just made my day. Its WOOT! for bikes :-)

more like www.steepancheap.com or www.gearengine.com

This is my grassroots find last summer.

Its a mid-late 90's Trek 2300 carbon fiber bike. I picked up up locally for $200. After some tires and tubes, it was good to go for the 2k I put on it last summer, and a few hundred miles this year. Ignore the seat position, thats from when I brought it home and hadn't adjusted it from where the PO had it.

My other bikes are a Haro Shift for the bumps and long moutain bike rides. For the shorter, faster rides, I use my Fuji hard tail.

Thanks for the advice. Bought a helmet (Bell) and shorts today from whats going to be my LBS. Decided to go with spandex, I don't mind my legs so much as my fat is mostly in my gut. On a more personal level, what do you wear under riding shorts?

And had my first close call today. Coming down the main street in my neighborhood I had a car turn into the lane I was riding in, without looking?, and I almost ended up in their rear fender. People suck.

under bike shorts: nothing. don't want additional edges, seams, etc, to promote chafing of delicate flesh.

I took it out yesterday for my first real ride. I went from my house over to my old grade school campus. It was only a few miles, but man, what an experience! Going from mountain bike tires to these roadies is like night and day - they're smooth, grippy, and have so little resistance! I probably topped out at over 40 on the down-hill area (shouldn't be a problem since I could do a verified 38 on my old mountain bike when I was in better biking shape). The bike is comfortable, it's already adjusted pretty well, and the clipless pedal system helped me find strange leg muscles that I've never used before.

Next: buy biking computer, buy shorts, buy big water back-pack (again), find gloves.

you guys got me thinking about a roadie...

http://charleston.craigslist.org/bik/718262693.html

Ohh man... and it's my size too...

I tend to be more of the adrenaline junky style for bikes...

I have a modified Kona Stinky that i built maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Not the fastest or best at anything, but i enjoy riding it on any kind of trail, whether that be cross country or suicide runs down mountains.

Use to have a midrange Trek road bike back in high school that i used to train cardio on, but never was really into it.