Austj42

Hello all, as I’ve been stumped on this one I wanted to bring it to the forum. Seller has no idea what model this is and does not want to take it out of the original box or assemble to bike to damage the like new condition.Any help with id and value is much appreciated!!
looks like a road frame spec’ed with 600, dual crank, touring fenders, etc. but has flat bars??

thinktubes 

1985 st-400

francophile 

1985 catalog for reference, the ST-400 is on page 14 to compare: https://vintagecannondale.com/year/1985/1985.pdf

I thought the plastic cable guides started a year or two later, but I'm not the expert. Wonder if rccardr may have some input?

When I originally saw the box, the '88 date and resemblance to "SR500" on that last scribble had me thinking, but the provisions I'm seeing on the frame would lean towards ST. If one were to take that writing to heart, it would be a 1988 56cm SR500 or something. Clearly not the case.

francophile 

PS Austj42 if the seller can just give you the serial number - I think it's normally etched into the drive-side chainstay? - we can deduce the year and also model, I think?

rccardr 

Mmmmmmmmmmm...later frame than that. Likely a very late 86 or early 87 (or maybe even 88 with the date on the box) frameset given the plastic top tube cable guides and smoother fillets.
Looks like some kind of one off special order or possibly prototype bike. ST frame with 86 ST800 Esge fenders and bars/shifters/levers from an All Terrain or Cross Country model.
Also interesting that it says '56' on the side of the box, since Cannondale measured all of their non-SR frames in inches, not MM.

Hard to put a value on something like this, not really a collector piece but some folks do put a premium on NOS. Still would need a full service since the grease is old; tires/tubes might need replacing. A really nice ST in original condition goes for $500 or so, if it fits the buyer and they want some kind of rider bar touring bike, maybe $800?

shelbyfv

Flat bars and caliper brakes.

OutnBack

Here is a similarly equipped 86 ST400 I picked up 3 weeks ago. Shimano 600 group w/ a BioPace triple. Do you have a pic of the decals? It may provide a clue to the year if the seller doesn't have the serial #.

Charliekeet

The seatstay brake bridge looks like the one on something like a 87, 88 SM500 - the all terrain type, not a road/touring type. So maybe the writing on the box is wrong? - it's not an SR, should be 'SM', but it is, as you said, some sort of special order combo?

Hope OP can get just a peek or two more at it!

Wharf Rat

The 88 SM500 had cantilever brakes not calipers. According to what I see in the vintage cannondale online catalogs, this looks like an 88 ST700. That crank in the box looks like a triple, I’m pretty sure I see a little granny ring. As far as the flat bars and fenders, who knows. Maybe special order.

francophile 

1988 catalog for reference, the ST-700 is on page 20, 21 to compare: https://vintagecannondale.com/year/1988/1988.pdf

I agree w/ Wharf Rat 's assessment on this one. Specs fit also. Maybe this one came from the factory with the Exage cockpit setup that's advertised in the back of the '88 catalog, 2nd or 3rd to last page.

Based on that, if true, it's close to the top of the ST food chain for the year. I could see this easily fetching $500-600, if not a little more. If it were my size @ 60cm, I'd barf up $400 all day long and consider it a steal.

OutnBack

The early-mid 80s ST touring bikes came in inches 19, 21, 23, 25, & some years 27". The closest to 60cm would be the 23".

Austj42

the seller really doesn’t know what he has and didn’t have an asking price in mind lol. I didn’t want to make an offer too high as he knows it has some value

francophile 

Never owned one of the ST, only mid-late 80s & 90s S/SR and F at this point. Sounds like all three used different sizing at this point. F having S/M/L/XL, S/SR in metric, and ST in imperial. Way to keep it contiguous, Cannondale!

francophile 

"Open box frames definitely fetch a premium, but you sadly can't just assemble it and ride as-is, the bike needs a full overhaul and rubber replacement, which calls for another $150 minimum investment. Considering today's bike market, $250 would be a steal for me, $350 would be a nice haul for you, and $300 is probably a good no-hassle sale price right in the middle."

If there's any debate about how it's a fine unmolested specimen, you can easily explain these didn't come in flat-bar fendered variety, this was someone's one-off order which actually decreases its value to collectors. Were this straight-up factory spec to the catalog, it would fetch a higher premium..

This is me just being fair and trying to make sure nobody is getting robbed here. Do I think it could fetch a higher dollar? Hell yes. But if this is a no-hassle sale between individuals who aren't looking to bleed each other to death and don't know much about what this is, I think $300-400 range is about right (without being too greedy either way).

If you then wanted to turn around and re-sell to me for $400, I'm game

rccardr 

I just want to see what it is.