OldsCOOL

Dig that Porsche! Great picture, the two go together.

pastorbobnlnh 

I still have the '96 SR500 with the Headshok fork. I decided to move the Shimino 105 wheelset from the '93 to the '96 since it was all 105 except the wheels. Since the '93 is now mostly Nashbar (and I think I'll eventually get the Nashbar/microShift RD & FD) it made sense to move the Nashbar Vuelta wheels to this ride.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to take the '93 out for a nice 20-25 miler this afternoon. The shifting on the quick test ride up and down the street, was spot on. Can't wait!

OldsCOOL

What RD and cassette are you using?

OldsCOOL

The crits are easy to see.

A rather distinctive display for the day.

pastorbobnlnh 

The FD is an old Suntour, the RD is a new Shimano Deore, and the cassette is a SRAM 11-34 (9 speed). These three pieces and the Nashbar compact double seem to play very nicely with the Nashbar/microShift brifters.

OldsCOOL

So I'm thinking you could climb walls with a 34/34?? Wow.

Though I have slogged along in wearying stiff headwinds where joggers would have dropped me.

neo_pop_71

Oh man OldsCOOL, I've been right there with you my good brother! I used to commute from Long Beach to Irvine (bike path/boardwalk/Coast Highway) and some of those afternoon headwinds crushed me as I returned home. One day stands out from all the rest, nastiest winds were sandblasting all of us on portions of PCH and the boardwalk, I finally gave up and called my girlfriend at the time to come pick me up. As I waited in shame for my rescue chariot to arrive, I watched 5 other riders who looked to be much more serious (bikes and kit) get picked up by their phoned in support... I almost felt rejuvenated and then another nasty burst of wind took that foolishness right out of me!!!

I love your black outed C'dale! I was looking into polishing and/or anodizing a '93 C'dale mountain bike I picked up as a future bike for my 9 year old daughter but seeing yours all glossy black with black components is giving me second thoughts about the direction I was going with the build. Thanks for the inspiration! If I go your route I'm positive I'd have a much easier time selling the bike later, a pink anodized C'dale trail bike might be a hard sell.


As before, thank you for sharing!!!

-D-

p.s. Thanks @Chuckk for the patriotic photo, that one could be a post card or a greeting card, I'd buy it!

OldsCOOL

Ohhhhh no! The Call of Shame!!

I've called my wife out a few times when I was just flat pooped and almost needed a MTB to get into the little ring. Turned out I was heat exhausted both days so I was glad wisdom whupped the ego.

I'd love to see a clearcoated polished naked Cannondale. That would be something to see. WW2 fighters gleamed in the sun, the P-51 was gorgeous. Or powdercoat as several here have done. I may finish mine with red decals if they made that color for criterium series. Otherwise, decal-less is ok too.

Sir_Name 

Agreed. I have been considering a polish & clear for mine, but the pictures I have found have been a bit discouraging. It all comes down to the build with a naked frame.

pastorbobnlnh 

Just a quick report:

Took the '93 R600 out for a circumference ride around my town (roads closest to the town lines). It's about a 20 mile circuit with a couple of climbs, including one which is rated as a Cat 4.

This is one light, fast and stable bike. There's not a hint of harshness in the ride. Yes it is "stiff" over the frost heave cracks, but only a little more than my vintage steel Schwinns. I would never describe the ride as teeth rattling or hand numbing. It sports the aluminum fork and I can't say that it is any different from a steel fork.

The compact double (50-34) matched to the 11-34, 9 speed cassette is well suited for me. Part of the Cat 4 climb has grades above 10% and I was able to spin up them, albeit rather slowly. It probably helps a great deal that I've lost 65lbs over the winter. But I was never winded on this climb, and I'm usually gasping and contemplating getting off and walking. Not yesterday!

bradtx

pastorbobnlnh, Firstly, congrats on the weight loss!

The only time any of my Cannondales felt harsh was when using 23 mm Vredestein Fortezzas at 140 PSI. My '96 2.8 w/aluminum fork was my distance bike for many years, it wouldn't have been if it were uncomfortable.

A fun observation is that you have a deeper granny gear than my current triple equipped distance bike by possibly 5-6 GIs (30/25 w/25 mm tires).

Brad

pastorbobnlnh 

Brad,

Thanks for the compliment! Still on the hunt to lose 35-45 more. If I'm able, I may just become a lean, mean, hill climbing machine!

As far as tires, mine is wearing 25mm Continental GatorSkins. I believed I pumped them up to 110psi for yesterday's ride.

bradtx

I'm using 25 mm Conti Ultra Race tires on the distance bike. I originally wanted to use GatorSkins, but there was such a good sale on these I decided to experiment. I'm running 100-105 PSI.

Good luck with your continuing weight loss, I have about 15 lb. to lose...I really pigged out after my bout with pneumonia last Christmas!

Brad

OldsCOOL

Great job on the weight loss! That has got to be a huge performance upgrade. As most, I shed winter weight and into June. Each 5Lbs lost is directly related to acceleration and hillclimbing...the two aces in the hole for these great bikes.

neo_pop_71

The polished aluminum frame was my first thought, I always loved the look of chrome or nickel plating on mountain bikes. Then it occurred to me that if I was going to spend the dough to have the frame professionally polished, why not spend a little more and have it anodized. The anodized aluminum frames look awesome and you have to polish the frame to get a bright anodized finish, bead blasted alone will yield a matte anodized finish, it's cool but not as eye-catching as a shiny anodized finish. The anodizing quoted me $45.00 to do the frame which was the same the polisher quoted me to shine up the aluminum. I'd still be under $100.00 but I'd have to figure something out with the fork as it's steel. I do have a chromed fork in the bin that might look fine with an anodized frame, the chrome would probably look better than a painted fork.

Here are some examples I pulled off a different forum of bead blasted aluminum vs. polished aluminum:


As for anodized aluminum, here is my daughter's 1988 Easton Reflex ALX99, ano aluminum w/ metal flake Ishiwata fork & stays:

neo_pop_71

Hello Sir_Name,

I was right there with you, disappointed by the polishing I'd found online, it left me questioning whether or not it was worth it versus going with tried and true powdercoating. That was until I found a good example on another forum of a triathlete's (I forgot to get his screen name so I could give him credit) bead blasted and polished Cervelo... mighty pretty!!! Soon after a buddy sent me the photo of the polished full suspension Cannondale front triangle (if you can call it that). Take a look at the photos, I think the polished look will win you over.

OldsCOOL

P-51 Mustang, there it is! Wow, that is stunning. I like the ano especially in color selection.

OldsCOOL

Today while riding I experienced the cornering ability of the Crit. First, is the corner at the bottom of the hill that is a legit 15mph short radius 90 to the left that I hit at 22mph. Now that is just a test, mind you and I loved it. So as I approached a second similar corner in town I did the same thing but a little faster. As I came around leaning into it, a car in the opposite lane was a bit startled and yanked over to give me room but never once did I move near the centerline. May have put a smile on both our faces.

bradtx

It's a lot of fun to rail a turn. Look in the '93 catalog under criterium for a great picture of a cornering bike.

Brad

OldsCOOL

I will, thanx!

That first corner I took the Technium PRE through and almost lost it. Had a neighbors car following me down the hill so I gave him a show. Hit the turn faster than I should and a bad line. Next thing I knew the shoulder and gravel was coming at me. I leaned hard and cranked the fork. The sudden stuttering of the front tire as it dug in hard on the last 2" of asphalt was exhillerating. I did NOT want to try that with the Crit today. Lesson learned.

OldsCOOL

That is an awesome race pic! The rider has a prosthesis on the left side!!!

pastorbobnlnh 

@OldsCOOL, sounds as if you been having a bit of fun on that C-Dale of yours! Good for you!

I took my '93 out Thursday evening for what I was hoping would include a multi-turn swooping descent at 35+mph, but only made it about 2 miles from home. The FD had pivoted a degree or two and needed adjustment. I guess I hadn't tightened it quite enough. I pulled over to make the adjustment.

Got back on and in less than 100 feet the chain jumped off both the front chainrings and the rear cassette at the same time! The chain got wedged between the big cog and the spokes and broke!

This was the first time I'd ever had a chain break. I had a spare 7/8 speed Missing Link in the tool bag which fit loosely in the 9 speed chain so I limped home. When I pulled the cassette off, about 8 spokes were nicked, with two gouged almost half way through. Not riding that wheel until those spokes are replaced.

OldsCOOL

Funny that stuff never happened when we were kids. I never had a flat tire with my 10 speed.

bradtx

Sad to read this. A few weeks ago I had nearly the same thing happen. The Shimano replacement pin stuck in the RD cage on the beater. Long story short, I had a slightly undersized pin that had walked partially out of the chain. I was lucky enough that I was close to home and not pedaling hard enough to pull the RD into the spokes.

I bought a new chain yesterday and I'll check FD alignment as I could've torqued it sideways a bit.

Brad

OldsCOOL

Completed a 60mi ride today. Climbing the ladder.

The Crit series is doing well on longer rides.