Colorado Kid

Were Cannondale's bikes, "pricey" back in the day? Someone told me a Cannondale ST 400 sold for $ 600.00-$800.00 USD back in the 80's. (With inflation adjusted.) Wow, that had to be expensive for that time.

Trakhak

I don't remember the prices, but they were at least 15% or 20% higher than comparably equipped steel bikes. That didn't net dealers any more money for the first couple of years, since the margins were about the same and yet the shop mechanics had to build the bikes from the frame up. Adding a couple of hours of shop labor for each Cannondale build put a good-sized dent into the profitability of selling the bikes.

But the kit bike phase lasted for just the first couple of years, and on the plus side, the bikes were something of an easy sell to a lot of customers, being clearly different from the bikes offered by the major competitors and also among the few that were built in the United States.

bargainguy

I bought an ST500 new in '85 and paid $500 if memory serves. It was a lot of money back then, but there wasn't anything really comparable in terms of weight and ride quality. Did a lot of tours on that bike. I'm on my third C-dale touring bike these days.

RidingMatthew

I had a cannondale Super V700 mountain bike and it cost me a little under $1,000 if I remember correctly. Granted it was a full suspension mountain bike

tFUnK

In the 90s, I do recall Cannondales being slightly more expensive (MTBs at least).

noimagination

My Cannondale T700, purchased in spring 1995, cost $800. That's about $1,600 today (according to Google). That doesn't seem that expensive to me.

I rode that bike from spring 1995 to this past June (just over 28 years), and it still lives in my basement as a back-up bike. Many 10's of thousands of miles of fun. IMO, I got my money's worth.

TC1

I have -- and frequently commute on -- an '84 ST-500 and the list price was $595 ( not inflation-adjusted ). Frameset was apparently available for $395.

https://vintagecannondale.com/year/1984/1984.pdf

$595 in 1984 is the equivalent of $1758 today.

BMC_Kid 

The first bike I purchased with my hard earned “summer money” was a 1983 Miyata Pro with full Shimano new 600EX group for $550. I still have it only now it is full Dura Ace AX. I believe the Team was another $100-$150 but did come with the Dura Ace. My dealer sold Miyatas as frame sets not built up bikes and you could build them as you liked.

macattack71

I paid $260 for my 1987 Raleigh with Suntour components. Rode it all through college. Really didn't ride much through the 2000's. Fast Forward to 2011, I checked in at a local bike shop, after attending a local group ride for the first time. Surprised by how out of date I was with technology. Bought the Cannondale as my last road bike purchase. About $3200, sticker shock, a little. Had I known about the brifters, I would have dumped the friction shifting years ago.

MNBikeCommuter

I bought my T600 in '92 on sale for $625, down from $650. It was the middle-of-the-road of the three touring bikes that year, with Exage level components. I remember it seemed like a lot to pay for a bike, but that might have just been not being aware of what quality bikes actually cost. There was no internet for quick comparison/education. I'm still riding it, with 185k miles. And a few component upgrades over the years.