RiddleOfSteel

Freaking sweet paint job. Vintage Cannondale is everybody's friend.

curbtender

Thanks, that's the ticket.

Wes in Missouri

I have the same problem with the cable guides. We are going to try 3D printing some. I found some on EBay for $36 for 3 if that doesn’t work.

caschnd1

Hello everyone. I'm Craig and I just joined the forum today. I worked as a bicycle mechanic from the mid-70's until the late-80's. I have a couple of vintage Cannondale bikes hanging in my garage. I have a blue 1988 SM500 and a white 1988 SR500. Both are virtually 100% original except for the tires. Even the handlebar tape on the SR500 is the original. I bought both these bikes the last year I was working as a mechanic and have done all the upkeep over the years (including the original unboxing and assembly). The SM500 gets ridden still, but the SR500 hasn't been ridden in many years. They are shamefully dusty.

I was going to post a couple photos, but is looks like I can't post photos/URLs until I've had 10 posts in the forum. I'll post the photos at a later time.

-Craig

fasthair

HI Craig,

Welcome to the forums.

One of the way to get your post count up to 10 is to post an "Introduction Thread" and reply to the welcome posts. Would enjoy seeing your original one owner bike photos.

caschnd1

Thanks for that suggestion. I found the right forum to post my "introduction" and did as you recommended.

curbtender

Well, if you or someone else has an extra one, I'll trade a vintage seat bag...

Wes in Missouri

It will be a little while. My son-in-law is making them and he is 4 hrs from me. So trial and error might take a bit of time. I’ll keep you pasted.

Wes in Missouri

Hi Craig.
I look forward to seeing your Cannondale. I have a light blue 88 SR 500. It had Ultegra Components on it when I bought it so I guess it is technically a 500 in 600 clothing.

Wes in Missouri

This is my 88 SR500/600

rccardr 

I have a small bag of original used A113 top tibe cable guides. The pegs have broken off but they can be Shoo Goo’d on to the top tube.
Shoot me an e-mail at rccardr@cox.com with how many you need and I’ll try to help out for the cost of postage.

caschnd1

Nice! I worked on a friends bike last week that had Ultegra Components on it. Easy to adjust and I really liked the shifting integrated in the brake levers.

shoota 

Welcome to 2020!

caschnd1

Yeah... suspensions, shifting integrated in the brake levers, disc brakes... it's a time warp.

shoota 

HA! I bet. Bike tech has come a long way. And in some respects it hasn't. It's kinda fun either way.

caschnd1

The fact that I was easily able to figure out and adapt to the new Ultegra Component group on my friends bike and repair it for him, shows that it is basically still the same. Just a matter of understanding the updates. Indexed shifting was just coming on the scene when I stopped working in shops. It's definitely gotten better though. The early versions did not work as well as the systems being sold today.

caschnd1

I've had these two bikes since they were brand new. I worked at the shop where I bought them and was the one to unbox and assemble them.


1988 Cannondale SR500

1988 Cannondale SM500

Lemond1985

That SR 500 is almost NOS, judging by the rim wear. Put some miles on them, please.

They have all the old Cannondale catalogs scanned, in case you had not seen them, they are always a hoot to look at 30 years later: https://vintagecannondale.com/year/1988/1988.pdf

caschnd1

The SR500 got a lot of miles 30 years ago. But I honestly haven't ridden it much since that time. The lack of rim wear might be attributed to the area I live in. The metro Phoenix area is about as flat as it gets. Not much opportunity for long downhills that need brakes. And the braking required for red lights tends to be pretty mild. The SM500 still gets regular use.

-Craig

RideLugged

'87 SR500. unfortunately the fork is damaged beyond my ability to repair so this one is on the bench for the time being, but here's a picture from back when I was still riding it.

edit: just realized an SR500 was posted right before me. Great bike, always a fun ride... even if it goes against my username

Tpcorr

I don't think that's an '87 SR500. I have an 87 in a teal color, and the other color available in '87 was white. Yours may be an '88.

Classtime 

I don't have one to show yet. BUT...Id like to trust the seller when they tell me the size. Is the size printed on these Cannondale race bikes? AND, If my saddle height is 76-77cms, should I hope for a 60 and settle for a 58? or Hope for 58 and settle for a 60?

hazetguy 

some years (86-92) have the size built into the serial number https://vintagecannondale.com/info/serial_numbers/
if you can post a pic of the bike, people can help identify size.
remember that Cannondale measures from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the top tube,.
notice how on the 56 the pump peg is close to the downtube, while on the 58 it is more "centered" between the top tube and down tube.
from what i understand, tinier than 56 frames have no pump peg, and even tinier frames have no gap between top and down tubes. larger than 58 frames will have a noticeably larger space between the top tube and downtube. again, this is on the 3.0 series with the oversized downtube.
it's difficult to tell by pics for sure, especially if a seller can't take good pictures or accurate measurements (which also get thrown off due to the oversize tubes in general).

reference pics are of 3.0 series frames. (BLack Lightning and SR900 Athena)

Cannondale 56



Cannondale 58

curbtender

I've seen some with sizes on the seat stays.

fasthair

Craig,

Very nice pair of bikes. I really like that SR, it's like it is still brand new. What size is it and is it for sale...kidding...sorta

fasthair