# CAAD9-4 or CAAD10-4



## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)

What do you guys think. Going to pick one of them up tomorrow. 

CAAD9 is $1125 Shim 105 and the CAAD10 is $1260 Shim 105. Both are real close in comfort. CAAD10 is a little lighter. Love the looks of the CAAD9 frame. Help me decide leaning towards the CAAD9.

What do you think.


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## Clobber (Sep 28, 2009)

Aside from price, the two biggest other variables IMO are...

2010- Is the last year of Made in USA alloy frame.

2011- Has the new 105 drivetrain. Caad 10 is getting great reviews.

Unless, the Made in the USA thing is important to you, I'd drop the extra money on the Caad 10. Also, are you sure they are the #4 model? I think that numbering is reserved for SRAM Rival.


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## bon_gabs (Feb 2, 2010)

i'll get caad9 5 with newer 105,$950 OTD if you can still find one....


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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)

Clobber....My mistake. CAAD9-5 and CAAD10-5 both with Shim-105


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## bon_gabs (Feb 2, 2010)

Here's mine, just for deciding factor..got it $950 ODT












bjb85runner said:


> Clobber....My mistake. CAAD9-5 and CAAD10-5 both with Shim-105


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

Caad9=tried and true design, made in the USA
Caad10=new design, made in Asia, likely stiffer in some respects, not so in others........ I know that when I looked at one, I was a little worried about the thinness of the top tube when I gave it my "ping" fingernail test! (as I have worried about high end Scott Alloy frames)...... not so on my Caad 9!


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## electech (Aug 7, 2009)

Which one did you end up with?


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## the pope (Mar 28, 2004)

kneejerk said:


> Caad9=tried and true design, made in the USA
> Caad10=new design, made in Asia, likely stiffer in some respects, not so in others........ I know that when I looked at one, I was a little worried about the thinness of the top tube when I gave it my "ping" fingernail test! (as I have worried about high end Scott Alloy frames)...... not so on my Caad 9!


You recommend the 9 because your fingernail sound indicates the 10 will crumble?


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

the pope said:


> You recommend the 9 because your fingernail sound indicates the 10 will crumble?


Yeah, I think the longevity of something that flimbsy could be suspect. If I recall correctly the top tube felt soft with a squeeze of my fingers (as do some of the Scott high end alloys I've seen), kinda scary how easily they can dent. I got the impression that the Caad 10 was that way, although I haven't seen one in a few months now. 

Now, I haven't tried to squeeze the tubes on my Caad 9 in a while either! Pretty sure they are pretty solid feeling. 

The Caad 10 rear triangle appears to be a step forward in design and construction compared to the Caad 9. 

I've only seen one Caad 10 at a local dealer.


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

The CAAD9 is awesome, so might as well save the money and get that. I doubt you will be able to tell any difference between the 2 frames while riding them -- did you test ride?


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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)

Bought the CAAD9. Coming off a full suspension Santa Cruz man this thing is light and the pedal response is awesome


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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)

Bought the CAAD9. Coming off a full suspension Santa Cruz man this thing is light and the pedal response is awesome


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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)




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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)




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## LemondFanForever (Feb 27, 2011)

Bad ass bike man


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

I was worried about my "kneejerk" reaction here. So, yesterday with not much to do I went into my local Cdale dealer for a look see. Unfortuneatly they didn't have any mens Caad10s built up. I did squeaze the top tubes on a few womens Caad10s and didn't detect any noticable squeeze with my fingers. The ping test again gave me the impression the material was very thin. 

At home I gave my Caad 9 the same tests to the top tube and found no squeeze was possible, and the ping test (with my finger nail) gave a more droned or solid sound. 

I have nothing against the new Cannondale Caad10's. I just like my Caad9 a lot. I also like what Cannondale does. Even after the switch to Asian frame assembly, they still seem to be offering top notch stuff. If I was to buy a high end alloy road bike the Caad10 would be high on the list.

While I was there I test rode a couple of SL2 29ers in both medium and large. I'm fancying one of those to test the effectiveness of larger wheels. I was a little surprised I prefer the large with a smaller stem. I had previously thought the medium would work better for me. But, I always prefer the more stable steering manners a "large" mountain bike offers, and I noticed it right away between the two (call me weird). I'm only 5'8" w/o gear and most people think I need a medium.


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## Biffster (Mar 13, 2011)

Might be making a similar decision here. Couple of weeks ago, I tried the a couple of synapses and liked them. The other day I went in and the lbs had a caad 10 105, road that and the geometry was more what I'm used to. Caad 10 was a pretty smooth ride and did seem quite fast, however, I can vouch for Kneejerks toptube test. Squeeze the top and bottom right in the middle of the top tube and you can see the sides bow out. Kinda makes me nervous and wondering about longevity. 

Kneejerk, or anyone else who has ridden both, how do the two frames compare? Is the ride similar or is the the CAAD 10 much smoother. I like speed and am used to traditional race bike geometry but ride a lot on country roads which can have "gravel" like surface texture.


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

Biffster said:


> Might be making a similar decision here. Couple of weeks ago, I tried the a couple of synapses and liked them. The other day I went in and the lbs had a caad 10 105, road that and the geometry was more what I'm used to. Caad 10 was a pretty smooth ride and did seem quite fast, however, I can vouch for Kneejerks toptube test. Squeeze the top and bottom right in the middle of the top tube and you can see the sides bow out. Kinda makes me nervous and wondering about longevity.
> 
> Kneejerk, or anyone else who has ridden both, how do the two frames compare? Is the ride similar or is the the CAAD 10 much smoother. I like speed and am used to traditional race bike geometry but ride a lot on country roads which can have "gravel" like surface texture.


I don't think any Aluminum frame is going to be as smooth as a high end carbon fiber frame that is designed to be smooth. I haven't spent any extended time in the saddle of a aluminum Synapse and I have not test ridden a Caad10 yet. I know my Caad9 and it gets a little rough on rougher roads, to the point I have to get off the saddle a bit to calm it down. Road bikes with skinny tires (I run 23mm) are never going to give you the comfort of something that uses a larger tire. Tires go a long ways to making a ride more comfortable. Just going with a 25mm width tire would increase the bump performance quite a bit (I imagine). 

I have no problems riding my Caad9 on gravel type roads. I used to have a Trek 5.2 OCLV Madone and it was noticably smoother through rough stuff, that's all I can say. 

My plan to smooth out my Caad9 if I feel the need to will lead me to getting a carbon fiber wheelset. I think that should go a long way of reducing vibration created by road irregularities. Although, it will cost just about as much as getting a "smoother" carbon fiber frame.

There are a lot of "race" geometry Aluminum frames available, if you are also looking for comfort you may be looking at the wrong material. Now, there is comfort in getting a proper ergonomic setup on the bike (fit). The vibration properties of the frame or bike is somewhat a secondary factor to fit.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

for 950 with a 105 that's a very, very good deal. pound for pound, that might be one of the best all aluminum bikes. ever. 

saw one in my size wasnt crazy about the red, if it had been grey at the closeout price i might have thought long and hard on it, would have been my third all alu. but i think it would have been worth it, i seen some bad dudes kicking butt on the 9


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## bjb85runner (Sep 11, 2010)

Put some new shoes on


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## BadBoyNY (Jun 25, 2010)

I just picked up a CAAD 9 5 with 105 . I haven't ridden it yet , but i have ridden a CAAD10 in the past. the CAAD 10 is far from flimsy, so I look forward to a comparison at the weekend.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

i'm sayin


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

double sorry


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

hahaha... only the top tube on the Caad10 is flimsy to the touch, nothing to do with ride quality, I bet it does ride nicely,
I know that Trek used to put a warning in the owners manuals to not squeeze tubes by hand as it could compromise them, I wonder if Cannondale is doing the same for the Caad10 (probably not, me thinks)



BadBoyNY said:


> I just picked up a CAAD 9 5 with 105 . I haven't ridden it yet , but i have ridden a CAAD10 in the past. the CAAD 10 is far from flimsy, so I look forward to a comparison at the weekend.


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## larz711 (Mar 20, 2011)

Please tell me where you can get a caad 5 for $950? What is ODT or OTD? I'm about to pay 1599 for a 9 4 at LBS.


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## bon_gabs (Feb 2, 2010)

OTD I should say,,if you're closeby SoCal PM me..



larz711 said:


> Please tell me where you can get a caad 5 for $950? What is ODT or OTD? I'm about to pay 1599 for a 9 4 at LBS.


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## Sloburu (Mar 23, 2011)

out the door that s a really good price


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## climbinthebigring (Mar 13, 2011)

kneejerk said:


> hahaha... only the top tube on the Caad10 is flimsy to the touch, nothing to do with ride quality, I bet it does ride nicely,
> I know that Trek used to put a warning in the owners manuals to not squeeze tubes by hand as it could compromise them, I wonder if Cannondale is doing the same for the Caad10 (probably not, me thinks)


Honestly, I think you are mistaken. the top tube of the CAAD 10 is shaped in a way to give you better clearance for your knees. I believe that this may make it seem like the top tube has "give" in it. I doubt that this day in age something like that would go unnoticed by the C-dale engineers or any of the websites that did reviews on the bike only to be discovered by someone squeezing tubes in a bike shop.

I'll get mine in a few weeks and know for sure.


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## BadBoyNY (Jun 25, 2010)

I just had a short ride on my new CAAD 9 5 this weekend and I am impressed by its stability and tracking . Based on a short ride on a CAAD 10 last year it feels less jumpy on poor pavement.

The shifting isn't as smooth as on my Super X RED but it will be fine for tooling around on training rides. 

Overall at the moment I am very happy with it , paid just over $800 OTD.


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## bon_gabs (Feb 2, 2010)

Dang,,thats even better deal than mine,you got the new 105?any photos?
[QUOTE=BadBoyNY]I just had a short ride on my new CAAD 9 5 this weekend and I am impressed by its stability and tracking . Based on a short ride on a CAAD 10 last year it feels less jumpy on poor pavement.

The shifting isn't as smooth as on my Super X RED but it will be fine for tooling around on training rides. 

Overall at the moment I am very happy with it , paid just over $800 OTD.[/QUOTE]


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## BadBoyNY (Jun 25, 2010)

bon_gabs said:


> Dang,,thats even better deal than mine,you got the new 105?any photos?
> [QUOTE=BadBoyNY]I just had a short ride on my new CAAD 9 5 this weekend and I am impressed by its stability and tracking . Based on a short ride on a CAAD 10 last year it feels less jumpy on poor pavement.
> 
> The shifting isn't as smooth as on my Super X RED but it will be fine for tooling around on training rides.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

I think it is the old 105 , does the new version look much different. I would assume as a closeout they wouldn't supply the new version for a 2010 bike, unless they had run out of parts kits..

Its the grey paint job. i'm really pleased with it...same as yours !, i use SPDs though and no bottle cages yet.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

BadBoyNY said:


> I just had a short ride on my new CAAD 9 5 this weekend and I am impressed by its stability and tracking . Based on a short ride on a CAAD 10 last year it feels less jumpy on poor pavement.
> 
> The shifting isn't as smooth as on my Super X RED but it will be fine for tooling around on training rides.
> 
> Overall at the moment I am very happy with it , paid just over $800 OTD.


what is otd?

and, perhaps more important..

are there any left? i would probably pull the trigger on one grey in my size at that price..shoot mail priv if you prefer. thx


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

Just read this on the Cdale website: _"Despite its feathery weight, the SuperSix EVO is incredibly strong and stiff. Our BallisTec carbon construction uses impact resistant resins and fibers designed for ballistic armoring as the primary structural materials.

These materials allow the EVO to surpass even that legendarily tough aluminum workhorse - the CAAD9 - in fatigue and destructive testing."_


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## Ledipus (Apr 17, 2007)

I will agree with anyone that said the CAAD 9-5. I am currently riding a 2010 CAAD 9-4 and I couldn't be more impressed with the performance and comfort of the frameset. IMO it is a better frame than the new CAAD 10


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## vette (Feb 1, 2009)

the pope said:


> You recommend the 9 because your fingernail sound indicates the 10 will crumble?


LOL,Just my observation, I thinkeople with 9's dont want u to get a NEWER 10 cause it makes them feel left behind,I just got a caad 10,I have merckxs,gios and a few other which Im gonna sell cause I like the 10 that much,again just my ob.PINGGGGG lollololol


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## johnnyoung (Jul 3, 2011)

I went to a LBS today to get the CAAD 10-5 but ended up with the '10 CAAD 9-4 for $1460+tax. The frame is a beauty and love the understated matte black finish. I rode both the CAAD 10 and 9. Based on the short ride it was hard to tell cause it wasn't a well controlled experiment but thought the CAAD 9 rode a bit smoother over bumps and poor pavement.


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

johnnyoung said:


> Based on the short ride it was hard to tell cause it wasn't a well controlled experiment but thought the CAAD 9 rode a bit smoother over bumps and poor pavement.


ride quality can be groosly skewed based on little changes like tires and tire pressures.... but hey, I loved my Caad 9 when I had it....


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## Wynnbb (Oct 16, 2012)

So I went to Walmart

picked up a 50lbs Schwinn

squeezed the top tube and tabbed it with my finger nail

God damn this Schwinn sounds solid


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

bon_gabs said:


> Here's mine, just for deciding factor..got it $950 ODT


By far this was the best color for caad9 IMO.


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## kneejerk (Feb 2, 2007)

Wynnbb said:


> So I went to Walmart
> 
> picked up a 50lbs Schwinn
> 
> ...


even if it's solid the use of cheap tubes and construction may lead to premature failure... the recent Caad10's that I've seen don't seem to have the squeazeable top tubes any longer, maybe just the early production units?... or my fingers have gotten weaker!


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

Wynnbb said:


> So I went to Walmart
> 
> picked up a 50lbs Schwinn
> 
> ...


wait a minute...

wal mart makes good bikes?


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## Pinkbullet3 (Jul 27, 2011)

easyridernyc said:


> wait a minute...
> 
> wal mart makes good bikes?


They sell good bike-shaped-objects; I can tell you that.


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