When the weather is nice I enjoy riding my road bike. But it has its drawbacks; it's not a very good grocery-getter. And donning the shoes and bike kit just to ride a MUP with my wife and kids is overkill, and a little inconvenient (yet it's not very comfortable in 'street clothes'). It is also mostly a fair-weather bike because (especially with 28mm tires) it doesn't have room for fenders. Though road cycling is my first love, I really wanted a bike for the rest of the time -- for riding to the store, for riding with my wife and kids, for commuting, and for casual riding when I don't feel like getting into my full kit.
It took a while to find, but in October I finally came across a used 2014 Cannondale Quick CX 3 in my size, in pretty good shape, and at the right price. Then I set out to outfit it to fill those needs not met by my road bike. It's been a work in progress for the past few months; I had to clean years worth of grime and poor-maintenance off of it. And I added new tires, fenders, rack, saddle bag, lights, computer, pump, pedals, and (as needed) panniers. Here's the outcome:
- Bike: 2014 Cannondale Quick CX 3
- Drivetrain: Shimano Alivio (rear) / Shimano Altus (front).
- Gearing: 48/38/28 chainrings, 11-32t 8-speed rear cassette.
- Brakes: Cannondale hydraulic disk.
- Tires: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 700x32c
- Rack: Tubus Cargo Evo
- Pannier(2): Ortlieb Bike Shopper
- Pedals: Shimano PD-M324 (Platform / SPD Combination)
- Saddle bag: Topeak Aero Wedge Medium.
- Mini-pump: Topeak Mini-Morph.
- Fenders: SKS Longboard Chromoplastic 40mm (for use with 28-37mm tires).
- Rear light: CygloLite Hotshot 100.
- Side light: PlanetBike Bottle Blinkey (mounted under bottle cage).
- Front light (not shown): Light & Motion Taz 1200.
- Computer: Velo 7.
It came with some worn out 35mm Kenda Happy Medium tires, and if I intended to ride it in the snow I would have replaced them with something even wider, and even knobbier. But I'll call it a 3.5 season bike (the last 0.5 being snowy / icy conditions -- I don't have to ride those days). I'm really liking the 32mm GP 4 Season tires.
This time of year isn't road biking season for me, but here's a shot of my road bike:
- 2008 Cannondale Synapse Sport (Aluminum)
- Drivetrain: Shimano 105
- Gearing: 50/39/30 front, 11-28 rear 10sp.
- Rack: Tubus Fly Evo
- Saddle bag: Topeak Aero Wedge Small
- Lights: CygloLite HotShot Pro150, Light & Motion Urban 1000
- Pedals: Shimano 105 SPD-SL
- Computer: Older CatEye wireless.
- Pump: Lezyne Road Mini.
- Wheels: Fulcrum Racing Quattro LG
- Tires: Continental Grand Prix 4000s II, 700x28c
Anyway, I'm happy to have a hybrid again. Years ago I had a 2001 Cannondale H400 that I gave to my nephew when I bought the road bike, thinking that I wouldn't need it anymore. He probably pawned it for weed, and I have regretted not having a hybrid to use for those times when the road bike isn't the ideal tool. I think the new-to-me Quick CX is going to fill that need nicely.
(Yes, they're both triples. I live in pretty hilly terrain.)