# 2010 CAAD9 4 vs CAAD9 5



## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Well making the move this week/next week (Specialized to Cannondale)...Pretty sure I'm going with the CAAD9 4, unless there's a screaming deal on a 5. My main question is.....Red or black! (wifey's ride is white)

If I go the 5 route it's going to be the gray, that blue doesn't do it for me...

What do you guys (and gals) think?

Help a newbie out! (not sure on this poll thing...Trying it as a 4 red or black, 5 gray or blue)

Any issues/comments either way between the 4 or 5...Been reading some reviews about the SRAM being troublesome, anyone out there using them? I'm fairly new, should I just stay with the proven 105's?

Dan


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## squareslinky (Aug 13, 2009)

have you checked your LBS to see what is available? I am assuming inventory is low at this point.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

*LBS avail*

My LBS (2 hours away) can get all four options, they don't stock any of them. I was planning on checking on some other options for pricing until I have to make the call. The more I look at that blue, I'm starting to warm up to it. Thinking the SRAM might not be the way to go for me from what I see in some reviews.

Would really like to hear from some who have it and their experience level to compare


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## Devastator (May 11, 2009)

Id get Sram and in black. Are you getting a great deal on this bike? If not Id wait and get a 2011 Supersix with 105. Itll be worth it.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

I wouldn't say a great deal Dev, but I like the idea of having one of the last year CAAD9-usa, have you seen prices on the '11 Supersix 105, I've actually thought of that a little while back.

Dev, have you used the Sram?


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## squareslinky (Aug 13, 2009)

I have the 9 4 in Black. I have zero issues with SRAM, works great.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info squares, what's your experience level?


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## squareslinky (Aug 13, 2009)

Riding mountain bikes for 15 years. First road bike. Test rode Shimano and SRAM, both seemed intuitive to me. Figured I would get used to either, went with the black 9 4 which obviously has SRAM.


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## Devastator (May 11, 2009)

Viper1818 said:


> I wouldn't say a great deal Dev, but I like the idea of having one of the last year CAAD9-usa, have you seen prices on the '11 Supersix 105, I've actually thought of that a little while back.
> 
> Dev, have you used the Sram?


Yes, Ive used Rival, I like it better than my ultegra. Supposedly the Super with 105 is 2k. So yeah there you have it.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks squares! that's the type of info I was looking for!


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks Dev, good info!


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## CdaleNut (Aug 2, 2009)

Even tho im im a huge CAAD fan i actually decided to go with the SS 105 or the Rival version of the SS. Personally i just dont like the color scheme of the new CAAD's


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Can't say I'm a huge fan of the colors avail, but price point/reliability and reviews I've read the CAAD9 really seams the way to go (making the jump from Specialized Sirrus) so I guess I'm more the ride good to look good, not look good to ride good camp...My local routes are a little rough so I thought the carbon route (and within my price range) wasn't the direction I wanted to go...Now if I could afford the CAAD9 1, I like the gray version of that the best...But I'm not there...Thanks for the info CdaleNut...


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## Clueless Morgan (Mar 27, 2010)

I voted based on what I actually did. I bought the 9-4 in black. I like the black and the SRAM. I had a little trouble getting the front derailleur dialed in correctly. Mostly a matter of adjustment + break-in, I think. The 9-5 in gray was my second choice.

My wife got the 9-5 Fem. The 105 has more trim positions for the front derailleur, but I seem to be doing OK with just the one trim position.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Good info Morgan, thanks!


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## skaruda_23 (May 8, 2009)

Make sure you try out both groupsets first and see which one feels better to you. Both will be very reliable and of high quality. 

That being said, I'd go for a SRAM equipped bike. I used to ride Shimano and now I have Rival. Never going back. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all with the CAAD9-4!


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## zsir (Nov 14, 2008)

here's a pic of my bike.








rival over 105 is a no brainer IMO. Haven't had any problems with the front D. You just have to postilion it right.


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

Excellent!

I'm running Red shifters with a Force FD...shifting has been spot on.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

That's really something I need to do, just hope the LBS has both!


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Sweet looking ride zsir, I'm really having a hard time between the black and red...It's probably going to go right down to the line when I have to order it...


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Sweet looking ride zsir, I'm really having a hard time between the black and red...It's probably going to go right down to the line when I have to order it..


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## Clueless Morgan (Mar 27, 2010)

Hmm - the red is nice. At the time, I didn't want something that flashy, but it is nice.

BTW, what do you call that kind of stand and where did you get it? Is it stable enough to operate the drive train and lube the chain?


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## zsir (Nov 14, 2008)

Clueless Morgan said:


> Hmm - the red is nice. At the time, I didn't want something that flashy, but it is nice.
> 
> BTW, what do you call that kind of stand and where did you get it? Is it stable enough to operate the drive train and lube the chain?



I bought the stand @ harbor freight >$10 on sale. Yes you are suppose to be able to do the things you ask I have a park work stand so I don't use it for that.


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

rival >>>>> 105. rival is even lighter than ultegra, making 105 seem like weights. The rival shifting is quick and snappy. you know what gear you're in once you change. with 105's you'll have to look down at your cassette to see what gear you're in. you dont feel any gear changes. Oh, and they're heavy. 

the caad9 4 has the Force crankset. that is multiple times better than the FSA crank on the caad9 5. this alone is worth the $200-300 upgrade over the caad9 5. 

obvious choice to go for the 4...


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## roscoe (Mar 9, 2010)

my lbs is doing $1200 on the 95, and $1550 on the 94, stock being the limiting factor right now


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

roscoe said:


> my lbs is doing $1200 on the 95, and $1550 on the 94, stock being the limiting factor right now


same prices as my LBS. we have 1x 9-4 Black, size 52 compact crank on order right now. he says its coming in 1-2 weeks.


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## roscoe (Mar 9, 2010)

makes me wonder where this stock is coming from this late in the year.... 

seems weird, although it makes for some great deals


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## bigherb713 (Jul 11, 2010)

I just put in an order for the 9-5 grey. LBS hooked me up for $1099.


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## UpHillCrawler (Jul 14, 2004)

*My take*

I was looking at the CAAD9 4 vs 5 and I spent over an hour testing both bikes. I know that SRAM is the flavor of the month, and I've been using SRAM on my mountain bike for close to 5 years, but I just wasn't feeeling the love for the SRAM road group. It seemed a bit 'vague' when shifting and also noisier than the 105 group. Just to make sure I tested a couple CAAD9 4's and they both seemed a bit off. Usually when this happens I talk to the mechanics at the LBS and their response was that the SRAM stuff is light but not as durable as the Shimano / Campy groups. They also claimed the SRAM groups are harder to keep adjusted. 
I also didn't feel much difference in the crank and I'm not the strongest guy in the world but I'm a bit over 200 and lift weights 3 times a week so I'm not the weakest guy either.
If I had bought a CAAD9 I would have gotten a Grey 9-5 and spent the close to $400 saved upgrading the wheelset...


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## AvantDale (Dec 26, 2008)

Maybe its the mechanics that "don't get it".  

I've been running SRAM for about 1500 miles now, and I've had no shifting issues. The FD shifting has been spot on. The only time I had any shifting issues is when the new cable stretched...and that was fixed by turning the barrel adjuster.

I do agree that SRAM does make a bit of noise...but that can be fixed by using a Shimano chain and cassette.

My drive train gets really loud as the chain starts to get dry and I'm using a DA7801 chain.


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## squareslinky (Aug 13, 2009)

I had to have my shifters adjusted once. More than likely cable stretch. It is pure preference. Both sides will argue their points. Get what you like.


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## roscoe (Mar 9, 2010)

the tech's fear what they aren't familiar with 

so few bikes come equipped with SRAM that they are much less familiar with that setup (and the differences from shimano) 

if you try and setup SRAM the exact same way you always setup shimano, it's probably not going to work as well


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## RUV (Aug 13, 2009)

It comes down to feel between the two. I rode both extensively and ultimately loved the SRAM ergonomics and shifting mechanism a bit more than the Shimano. My Rival hasn't been even remotely loud or clunky. Unlike UpHill, I thought I could tell a difference between the cranks.

The grey 9 5 is sexy but the black 9 4 is uber sexy.


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## UpHillCrawler (Jul 14, 2004)

*Both good options*

As you can see there's a lot of support for both the CAAD9 4 and 5. Although I prefered the 105 group on the CAAD9 5 I did really like that you could pull the SRAM shift level closer to the bars to make it easier to shift when you're in the drops. 
For whatever reason the hoods on the 105 seemed more comfortable to me than the SRAM hoods, but that's very personal.
Like I said I couldn't tell much difference in the crank, but other people may be more sensitive to it. From my experience I would prefer a CAAD9 5 with an upgraded wheelset to the CAAD9 4 with the nicer crank but your mileage may very!


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Well I was away from my computer for a day, looks like I missed some very good info. Out of the blue (after just locating it on a search) I made a call to a bike shop only a half hour away (compared to the 2 hours away to the next Cannondale worth dealing with). They had the CAAD9 5 in the gray which was my choice if going with the 5. It was a 54, which the online charts (and my current ride is) have me as. So I went to go look at it, when I got there before I was able to say anything either way he informed me that I wouldn't be happy with the 54 (apparently short legs/long torso for 5'-10").

That right there gain respect from me, he turned down the potential "in-store" sale and recommended something he didn't have in stock (I told him out of the gate that I was talking with the other store, but rather go local). The other store two hours away had a 9 4 BBQ in 54 that was quoted over the phone of $1700 (didn't have any 56's)...I told him I'd rather deal with them being 3hrs (RT) closer, then he asked if I'd like him to see if he could order a 56 in either the 9 5 or 9 4...Figuring that I'd have to order one, I told him sure...Well as luck would have it he was able to find one considerably cheaper than quoted from the further shop...Needless to say anyone out there in Mid Michigan give Terry's Cycle a shot, ask for Mike...And by the way...*A shinny new CAAD9 4 BBQ is coming my way Friday!* Thanks for all the info supplied it really helped! I'll make note of the chain/cassette, I have read that multiple times. My old ride might be a new wheel set for this one.

Dan Wood


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## skyliner1004 (May 9, 2010)

How much are u paying for the 9 4?
Great choice btw


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

$250 less than the further shop...That's enough for me! Get's me a sweat trailer hitch rack!


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## AceyMan (May 6, 2010)

My CAAD9 is my first road bike. I went for the 9 4. Since I had never used a modern brifter, the SRAM double-tap made sense to me.

I'm 5'9 (176cm) and have the same short legs/long torso syndrome. I thought the 52cm fit really well, but my LBS guy said, no you want the 54. I was worried about SO height, but now that I've got 1000 miles on the bike, I see he was right.

Enjoy your 9 4. I love mine. (BBQ, too).


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## RUV (Aug 13, 2009)

congratulations!


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks, now it's the waiting game...Should have it Friday!


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## Blue4Now (Aug 16, 2007)

I wwent with the 9 5 in Charcoal grey because I Looooooooooove the looks of that finish. I have already upgraded the brakes to Rival and the 105 drivetrain works great. So maybe the crank will get upgraded when it fails but it all works well right now. 

I few ounces of weight don't matter to me.


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## Viper1818 (Sep 4, 2010)

If was a really tough call for me, I really like the looks of the 9 5 grey...Still do...I was just affraid I'd kick myself for not going the extra $200 for the 9 4 later on...Just happen to have the old road bike as funding toward wheelset/chain/cassette if req'd.
But yes, the 9 5 grey, great looking bike...The BBQ _isn't too bad _ haaaa....


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## zsir (Nov 14, 2008)

Blue4Now said:


> I wwent with the 9 5 in Charcoal grey because I Looooooooooove the looks of that finish. I have already upgraded the brakes to Rival and the 105 drivetrain works great. So maybe the crank will get upgraded when it fails but it all works well right now.
> 
> I few ounces of weight don't matter to me.


I have a question for you about the rival brake install. I'll PM you later....


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## asad137 (Jul 29, 2009)

You made the right choice. The decals on the 9-5 in grey look stupid; the BBQ 9-4 is stealthy and perfect.


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