# A CAAD10 review...Just for fun (Cross post from bike forum)



## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

So here is my 360'ish mile review (mostly a cut and paste from my blog post) and pic with race wheels:

I've hit the 366 mile mark after a week (19,500+ feet of climbing) on my new Cannondale CAAD10 (4) and wanted to give my impressions of the bike now that I've spent some time on it, made some fit changes and done a lot of climbing on it.

My new top cap from "Slam that stem dot com" came in last week, which was the final piece in getting my bars in the correct position. My total stack height is down to 15.8cm (including headset) which is about 1cm taller than on my Tsunami...however, using a -17 degree stem instead of the -10 degree stem puts it within 1mm - 2mm of my old position.

The fork on the Cannondale however is 8mm longer than my old Easton EC90SL, which may bring the front end up a little higher than the old bike by a little, all things considered.

Other changes that had to be looked at with the fit was the shorter top tube (by 1cm) and slacker seat tube angle (by .5 degree). The reach was taken care of by going to the Pro Vibe 7 deep drop bar as it has a 1cm longer reach than my Ritchey bar did. The slacker STA was taken care of by using a saddle with longer rails and thus more adjustment to move it forward and be put in the correct position.

The fit feels really good at this point and I don't foresee any adjustments at this point since my power output is good and my weight balance feels good.

One overall, noticeable difference between the Cannondale and my Tsunami is I feel like I'm riding taller on the Cannondale than my Tsunami. Part of this is the longer fork and possibly taller bottom bracket. Now that bars are in place, it's not as noticeable, but it's still there.

The weight of the bike with race wheels, Powertap, pedals, cages and computer mount is 17.04 pounds. Given this is an $1800 bike (though I'm made a few changes to some components) that's light for the price. It should be a little lighter with the race wheels on, so not sure what's going on there other than maybe a lot of glue and slightly heavier tires (Conti Sprinters compared to Vittoria Evo CX).

As for the bike it's self...

The ride is still aluminum "harsh", but refinements have been made over the years. Over pavement cracks and small holes in the road, the sharp impacts can be felt and if they are big enough, getting out of the saddle should be done. However, on small bumps and chip seal roads the ride is better damped than my old Tsunami, but isn't quite as good as my old Velo Vie.

The CAAD10 does use the "Save" technology from their higher end, carbon frames, which just means the seat and chain stays are flattened in the middle to allow for some flex in them. I'm not sure how well this works with an aluminum frame, but I hear it does wonders with carbon frames. Aesthetically though, it's not as nice looking as the older curved stays CAAD frames had.

The bike does give a solid/connected feel of the road when motoring along...Some of the more comfy bikes I've ridden didn't give me the this and I feel my speed (at least while descending) suffered at times.

If you are looking for a super plush bike...look elsewhere (they make those you know )...if you are looking for a race bike, the CAAD10 should be worth checking out regardless of it's lower price or non-carbon frame.

The handling of the bike is good, but may appeal to others a little more than myself. With that said, it's well within acceptable range. At lower speeds (below 30 mph) the bike feels great having a solid/planted feeling to it. When speeds go over 30 mph it gets a little twitchy and I have to concentrate on counter-steering more than other bikes. When I do this the cornering is very solid, but it takes a little more mental input/learning than other bikes I've had. My old Tsunami was built to be very stable at speed and there is a noticeable difference between the two when descending.

Personally, I'd like to see a little more stability at speed and less so at slower speeds. A fork with different rake might do the trick since Cannondale put a 45 degree of rake on the stock fork. If I had the money I'd try an Enve tapered fork with 43 degree rake...but since this bike already has me tapped out on finances, I'll pass for now.

With all that said...I received my first Strava K.O.M. on the Cannondale on a climb/descent (the segment has some initial climbing and then drops down about 800 feet and is pretty twisty)...so I can say that it corners very well, and as I said before, has a great road feel which is appreciated when it's getting close to it's traction limits.

The stiffness of the bike translates well when it comes to climbing. I've been setting faster times up local climbs on it than I was on my Tsunami which may be due to a slightly different fit, better power transfer, better gearing (since this bike has a compact front crank instead of a standard crank), I'm getting lighter or I'm getting into better shape. Probably a combination of several factors.

To this point, I have yet to complete a full on sprint. The highest power output I've registered on it is around 1200 watts..so I can't comment on it's sprinting ability, however every other aspect of the bike is doing well...So I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for now.

The fit/finish of the frame is acceptable, though I can tell a difference between this frame and older Cannondales I've owned. The CAAD frames used to all be made in the U.S.A. but now have been outsourced to Asia for manufacture. The welds are no longer as clean as they used to be. They are still smoothed/sanded after welding which cleans up the appearance, but overall the look just isn't as "clean" as it used to be.

I will also say the seat tube/seat stay juncture is pretty ugly on the CAAD10 compared to previous models. They were going for a stiff top tube, which they got, but it made for an ugly connection at that juncture.

I don't have a problem with any frame misalignment or bad welds though, so it at least passed the QC portion before leaving the factory.

The only change I can see making in the near future to the bike is a different crankset. The stock (Apex I'm guessing) crank is stiff and solid, but is heavy and ugly. Granted that's not a good reason for a change but I can see saving 100-200 grams and making the bike look much better with a nicer crankset on the bike. I'll also look at changing the gearing of the crank to a 50x36 instead of the stock 50x34 since I don't quite need the 34 tooth gearing and I feel a 50x36 when combined with an 11x26 cassette is the best amateur race gearing combination out there.

Overall...as a replacement for my Tsunami, I'm happy, especially for the price of the Cannondale compared to similar priced bikes. It doesn't have quite the same feel, but is a great bike in it's own way. Now, I just need to get my race wheels and some results on the new bike. Hopefully we will have many happy miles together.


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## zamboni (Sep 11, 2003)

Excellent write up thanks for sharing.


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## ARPRINCE (Feb 12, 2011)

Nice write up. Is that BLUE logo on the wheelset an option? I only see red at their website.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

ARPRINCE said:


> Nice write up. Is that BLUE logo on the wheelset an option? I only see red at their website.


They have several color options if I remember correctly.

From their website (FAQ's):



> *I’ve seen some of your wheels with custom colored decals, how can I get some?*
> 
> Yes, we do have the ability to do custom decals and we love doing it. We will work with you to come up with the right color or design that you're looking for. We are upfront in that in some instances there are additional costs for doing som which can vary from $30-75. As well, it can take additional time to design and have the decals printed in some instances. We also can't gaurantee that the color will be an exact match as this is a printing process on vinyl that is limited in some cases.


The blue on my wheels is actually to match my old team colors...but if you contact them, they should be able to tell you what colors they have available.


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## Wile_E_Coyote (Jul 15, 2011)

Really great looking race machine. Thank you for the thoughts. When I decide to forego my Six13 I will most likely get a CAAD10.


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