BlunderMifflin

TL;DR: Friend gave me a 2011 CAAD10 frame, is this a good first road bike for my fiancée?

Hello all,
New to the forums, but have been reading posts for a while. My fiancée recently caught the cycling fever and I cannot be happier! I am in the process of putting together her first road bike. She grew up on 90s mountain bikes and currently rides a ~2015 Trek FX 7.2 hybrid. I recently came into a CAAD10 frame from 2011 and am wondering if this could work for my finacee's first roadie. She usually fits on a 52cm or a 54 cm frame. The frame I have is a 54cm frame. My apprehension is the drastic change in geometry for her and how twitchy the bike might feel. Plus side, the bike is fast, light, she likes the look, and the more aggressive position will help her with our gnarly headwinds coming off the ocean. I am still a budding cycling enthusiast myself and do not have the experience or depth of knowledge to give her a solid opinion. I was hoping you all could share your wisdom and confuse me even more jk. Any help/ advice is welcomed.

- BlunderMifflin

Updating the thread on 4/19:
She rode the Allez for a couple days and liked it so we are going to build up the CAAD10. I shared all the posts with her, gave her all of the information I could, and let her decide. She really likes how quick and nimble the Allez was so I think she will really like the CAAD. A friend is going to sell me a set of Bontrager TLR Paradigm Elite Wheels for the bike. Going to put Sora crank, shifters, and derailleurs on it. Compact crankset with an 11-34 9-speed cassette. Tiagra caliper brakes. Compact, short reach FSA handle bars. Starting with a 110mm 35deg stem (with the steep angle it has an effective length of 90mm) and she can work her way down as she feels comfortable/ if she wants to. Going to build it up with my buddy at his shop and pick out the tires then. Thank you everyone for all your help and input. I will update again with the finished product in a couple weeks.

Badger6

Of course it is a good frame. The geometry is certainly "more aggressive" than the FX, and it will most certainly steer quicker. But, that is going to be universally true for most racing frames. If the frame is in good shape, as in not damaged, there's no reason it can be built into a capable road bike for her. She will need to adjust to it, but I'd think if she already has reasonably well developed bike handling skills and is comfortable on a bike, this will be a short process.

primov8

Not only would the Caad10 be a good first bike, it'd be a really fast, first bike as well. Handling will be so much more responsive than the current hybrid she's riding. If the geometry works for her, nothing to lose in building this up for her.

Iride01 

I probably always feel bikes should be chosen by the person that is going to be riding them.

Has your fiancée tried out a Cadd10 or a bike that has a similar stack and reach? Just go to a shop and let her sit on a few different bikes to figure out what she likes.

Are you sure she shares your enthusiasm for the type riding you like to do. My wife will never ride at the intense levels I like to ride on a road bike. She will like a leisurely riding bike. She'd never like a Caad10 for a leisurely ride.

msu2001la

CAAD10 is a really great bike. If she wants a drop bar bike, it would be a fine choice. It's lightweight, stiff and fast, and would be a huge upgrade from a hybrid style bike, assuming road riding is what she's after.

My only concern would be that the tire clearance on this bike is extremely limited. I think 25mm is likely the max tire size which is extremely narrow by today's standards. 25mm tires and a stiff aluminum frame with race geometry may be a tad uncomfortable for longer rides.

kingston 

I don't think a CAAD10 that may or may not be the right size is good choice for a woman who rode mountain bikes in the 90's and is just getting into road cycling. There's no substitute for going to a few bike shops and having her at least sit on some bikes. At the very least, I would put a saddle, bars and some wheels on the CAAD so she can get a feel for it before building it up all the way.

Leinster

I asked recently on the Cult of CAAD thread, and was assured that 28c tires have been used on CAAD10s with success in the past.

I love my CAAD10, it's an excellent bike, I have ridden carbon and steel bikes at a similar price point and would not swap them. It is an aggressive geometry, which may not be to some people's tastes, so be wary on that front. I would say to the OP, let your gf take it for a test ride. If she likes it, and it's in good condition, take it, keep it.

SoSmellyAir

Exactly. Unless OP's fiancee is fairly tall and enjoys a fairly aggressive position, a CAAD10 may not work out.

SoSmellyAir

It is better to compare actual geometry numbers. It is hard enough to compare frame size across different models, never mind different bike types (e.g., road bike vs. hybrid). The frame size of her FX 7.2 has little relevance to the correct frame size of a CAAD for her.

BlunderMifflin

Thanks for the input everyone. I tried to respond earlier to some of the questions and to say thank you, but I had reached my maximum of 5 posts in a 24hr period. So again, thank you all so much for your input.

I asked around in my growing cycling friend group and a someone has an Allez from the early 2010s in 54cm. I checked the geometry and they are almost identical. The Allez has 2cm 2mm longer stack and reach (so if she is comfortable on that I am thinking she will be comfortable on the CAAD). I am going to see if we can borrow it for a weekend and she can try it out. That should give her a good feel for the geometry and how the CAAD10 will feel. I will update the post after she tries out the Allez and makes her decision. Cheers!

SoSmellyAir

These two statements are contradictory. I would venture that a 20 mm difference in reach and stack is significant, even for a yoga instructor.

BlunderMifflin

Sorry, 2mm different lol. I edited the post. My bad. Thanks for the heads up. 2mm shouldn't make much of a difference. Seat tube angles are the same, wheel base is the same, rake is the same, several measures are only different by 1 mm.

SoSmellyAir

No worries. 2 mm is indeed an insignificant difference (at least compared to 20 mm).

Leinster

20mm difference in stack and reach would mean it’s actually a 56cm.

2mm is splitting hairs.

Is the OP’s gf presumably tall? I ride a 54cm CAAD10, and I’m 5’10. I can comfortably ride a 56, so a 54 is appropriate for someone smaller than I am, but that is still tall in woman sizes.

SoSmellyAir

Tall yoga instructor.

big john

Cannondale road frames tend to have longer top tube than some. I agree that if it fits and she has reasonable skills it will be a fine bike for her. There is a lot of talk about 28mm or larger tires these days but 25mm will be fine for most people, especially for shorter rides and good pavement. I rode 23s for 30+ years on everything and only went to 25s last year. If it will fit 28s then try them if you like.

If you don't have a handlebar yet remember they come in different widths, reaches, and drops.

BlunderMifflin

Updating the thread:
She rode the Allez for a couple days and liked it so we are going to build up the CAAD10. I shared all the posts with her, gave her all of the information I could, and let her decide. She really likes how quick and nimble the Allez was so I think she will really like the CAAD. A friend is going to sell me a set of Bontrager TLR Paradigm Elite Wheels for the bike. Going to put Sora crank, shifters, and derailleurs on it. Compact crankset with an 11-34 9-speed cassette. Tiagra caliper brakes. Compact, short reach FSA handle bars. Starting with a 110mm 35deg stem (with the steep angle it has an effective length of 90mm) and she can work her way down as she feels comfortable/ if she wants to. Going to build it up with my buddy at his shop and pick out the tires then. Thank you everyone for all your help and input. I will update again with the finished product in a couple weeks.