jsears

Here are some photos of my Cannondale Black Lightning. Don't know much about it.

jjhabbs 

I worked at a Cannondale shop in the 80s. That frame they used on every model. The black lightning was probably the best selling Pre index shifting bikes they have made. A mix of suntour, Dia compe and SR cranks was a standard in that Era and worked wonderfully. I can see that they upgraded the rims which is good because that was the bikes only weakness. Cannondale just didn't know how to build a wheel back then. That frame should be stiff as a rock. Get out of the saddle and pound on it!

Chombi

Unless the bike shop switched derailleurs on that bike when it was sold, That Black Lightning was most likely bought as a frameset, as Cannondale supplied the frameset with the higher spec Superbe Pro front and rear derailleurs with the gold anodized accents as seen in your pics. The cool derailleurs mke the frameset package just a bit more special.
My youngest brother got his that way and I helped him pick it out from our LBS who sold Cannondales.

OldsCOOL

Superbe!

bradtx

jsears, Welcome to the forum.

The font of the decal on the top tube confuses me with regard to originality. The Cannondale gurus will correct and enlighten me.

Otherwise the Cannondales of that era were quite rigid causing complaint by some recreational riders. Ride quality, in my experience, is controlled by tire pressure and tire size. These early Cannondales update very well if you're considering that option.

Brad

EddyR

Here is one of mine from long ago. It looks like a Black Lightening but is not. It is completely stock.

OldsCOOL

So this was an LBS build? Was there the Black Lightning script decal on the chainstay? I dont see it in your pic.

jsears

I never noticed that my Cannondale logo was in an outline format while all of the others were solid.

EddyR

Made a mistake on mine above. I had a all black Cannondale from 1987 that looked like a BL but was not. This bike 1989-90 has Suntour Edge components on it. It does say Black Lightening on the stem.This was a flipper bike as it was to big for me. I will try and find the correct picture.
EddyR

OldsCOOL

Thanx, Eddy.

oldbikenewbike

Welcome to the Black Lightning Club!

shoota 

Take good care of that saddle. It can often cost as much as the entire bike.

mikemowbz

Suntour made some nice derailleur color variants for these bikes. I have a black Sprint 9000 with gold paint that I picked up NOS, and which I believe I've seen on later 'Black Lightning' examples. Now I need to source the black Sprint shifters (though I don't have a Cannondale, I'm tempted to scheme up a build just based on the RD)...

OldsCOOL

Interesting method for sure.

I started with an '88 criterion frameset and now getting it ready for a nice metalflake black and fresh decals, year specific. Components will be black but not factory BL stuff. Then topping it off with Vuelta Corsa Lite wheels. Not a real Black Lightning but no one around here will know and I will keep it.

Cache

Looks like it is mostly all original, even the two tone chain. Not sure about your pedals though.

You should be able to find your serial number on the bottom of the drive side chain stay.
That should tell you the size and the date it was made.

RobbieTunes

Very cool icon to club around with. I should have bought Poguemahone's when I had the chance.

jsears

They already to be just a cheap plastic pedal. It came with a set of Look clipless pedals. I just need to find a Size 15 shoe note.

jsears

My serial number is 63121885075. How do I decipher it?

bradtx

63=frame size in CM
121885=manufacture date (Probably an '86 model year bicycle.)
075=Sequence number

Brad

OldsCOOL

An '86 even with the 88 in the number?

bradtx

The build date is MMDDYY, grab another cuppa.

Brad

OldsCOOL

Got it. Somehow got hung up on the double-8.

Cache

Here's a link to my East Coast big brother to your Black Lightning for some ideas on ways to upgrade if that's your thing:
[h=1]1990 Cannondale 3.0 Black Lightning Upgraded[/h](and a word of caution - DO NOT tightly clamp your aluminum frame tubes in a work stand. In one of my photos, I have a clamp just barely tight enough to hold my bike for a photo, not for wrenching of any sort)

EddyR

I keep finding more pictures of my past Black Cannondale's. The one with the weird handlebars ST300 1983 was the first year production and the serial number was under 400. The other one 1989 I should have kept,super good riding bike. The build quality on the early ones was not as good as a few years later. I have had a lot of Cannondale's and still ride one.
EddyR