# Cannondale Caad 5?



## TotalRefill (Jun 20, 2011)

*Cannondale? Or should I bail....*

I'm looking to buy my first road bike and after visiting my fair share of "LBS"s I've found a Cannondale Caad 5 for $700 used, "built from the frame up 5 years ago" with all new components other than the shifters/ brake levers.
The specs are listed below, and they look pretty nice. The thing I'm wondering about is the frame, especially since it's 5 years old, I want to make sure that it wouldn't be worn out after all this time/a bad frame to begin with. I've been to LBS and been spec'd at 60cm, so I know this bike is a good size for me.

-Full Shimano Ultega 27 speed drive train
-Dura Ace Hubs + Dura Ace Skewers
-Cinnelli Eubios 26.0 Bars
-Cinnelli Groove Stem
-Full Carbon fibre fork and stem with Campy Headset
-Velocity Aerohead rims and continental clinchers in Fine condition
-Titanium seatpost with Sella Italia Kevlar Flite Saddle

Thanks for your help! In my browsing I've seen you guys answer these questions time and time again but this forum is my best resource as of yet.


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## T K (Feb 11, 2009)

I hate to say it because I love my 'dales but, don't do it. As your first road bike you may not love the caad 5. I bought one a couple years back, it had been hanging in the shop for a while. It was a
brand new limited edition stars and stripes model frameset. I thought I would build it up as an extra bike to putz around on. After a couple of weeks I stripped it down and hung it on the wall in my garage. Actually it is now my TT bike. Compared to my previous 2 specialized Allez, my Jamis Ventura and my Caad 9 its a jackhammer on wheels. Harsh and no fun to ride. On fast descents it would hit bumps and buck all over the place. It might be a good crit bike, fast smooth pavement. It's stiff.
I wouldn't recomend for your first bike.


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## davidalone (Nov 23, 2010)

depends on your riding style/terrain. own a CAAD 4 and I like it- its pancake flat in my country and most races end up being criteriums. but like previousy said they are stiff and harsh - if you like to go for centuries or multiple centuries you might need to either invest in a better wheelset to get the best out of the frame or look elsewhere. also abit heavy by mordern standards so mountain goats might want to upgrade with better components or look wlshewhere. 

That said the CAADs are wonderfully cheap and are some of the best crit bikes there are. being cheap they are very disposable.

the componentry on that bike looks a little dated- 27 speed ultegra is 9 speed which emans its going back quite aways. try to find the new mordern 10 speed shimano drivetrains. if it were ten speed for 500 dollars it would be not bad a deal. right now its so-so.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

I'm 6' 1" and have a 58cm CAAD 5. They came originally with a very nice Time all carbon fork and Campy headset.

They actually date from around 2002. Mine was an NOS frameset about 5 years ago. No worries about longevity. Very stiff in the BB area - it's still a standard. The ride can be stiff - tho I believe this problem is not so bad for larger riders. Wheels & tires make a lot of difference. I'm using 32 spoke Open Pro rims and 25c tires and the ride is fine. I had 2 of them and recently sold a VGC frameset for $300.

I wouldn't touch the 9-speed Shimano stuff - just hate the shifter shape and vague shifting.

So, while the frameset might be OK depending on condition, I would not recommend the package as a whole. You can do a lot better for that kind of money.


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## TotalRefill (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for all your advice. I think I will pass on this model, the area where I live is far from perfect road wise. I'll continue my search for my first bike, the $600 - $1000 range is a tricky one.
:thumbsup:


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## timeyer (May 24, 2005)

Check out the Pinarello FP1 at competitive cyclist. $1199 w/105. THe frame is aluminum with carbon stays/fork.

Big time bling too!


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## TotalRefill (Jun 20, 2011)

timeyer said:


> Check out the Pinarello FP1 at competitive cyclist. $1199 w/105. THe frame is aluminum with carbon stays/fork.
> 
> Big time bling too!


Geez man, that's a fantastic looking bicycle. The complete 105 is fantastic as well, I had a 2011 Scattante R-570 from Performance Bicycle on my list of possible buys ($1000 in the shop) would you have an idea how these frames compared to each other? I know the Scattante had mostly 105 but some inferior crankset and fork. Would the Pinarello be worth breaking out into the thousands?


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## timeyer (May 24, 2005)

Sometimes CC has coupon codes good for any single item...look out for those and you might save shipping, or even 10 or 15%. I used a 15% off code (that no longer works) on a clearance bike.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with Performance bikes, but this is a MUCH better deal. The crank is a big upgrade, and Pinarello is a flashy brand that will have much more resale value if you ever decide to part ways.

Finally, the Scattante looks generic, the Pinarello is a thing of beauty, and not too expensive. Buy the Scattante if you don't want comments from fellow riders...


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## TotalRefill (Jun 20, 2011)

Those are good points, I'm hesitant to spend the $1,000, especially $1,200 on my first road bike, though the Pinarello is tempting as anything. I'll call some local shops to see if the prices are cheaper in the stores, thanks for your advice!


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

That Pinarello is impressive but remember that the Pinarello is probably made at the same quality level as the Scattante. You will be paying extra for the name, better crank, and the carbon seatstays. The Scattante is a great value and does come with Performance's stellar customer service and they have been known to honor bikes outside of warrantees at times too. However, the higher resale value of the Pinarello and those upgrades over the R570 are hard to ignore. You really can't go wrong either way. Just make sure that whichever one you choose fits you like a glove.


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## TotalRefill (Jun 20, 2011)

terbennett said:


> Just make sure that whichever one you choose fits you like a glove.


That's probably the largest factor I've come to term with in my shopping thus far. BikesDirect was sooo tempting when I first started looking at bikes, but I've realized it's better to see what I can examine locally.
I have a couple options at Performance bikes however, the Scattante and there is a 2010 Fuji Roubaix ACR 3.0 which actually went on sale just last night. So I'll check on the Pinarello, but Performance just might get my final purchase what with all these sales they keep having.


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