turky lurkey

Thinking about buying an '86 Cannondale SR 600 today. This bike definitely seems like a good deal (in-spite of the fact that it has been listed for awhile and not sold) and appears to be in excellent condition, I would love to find a sporty high end steel bike in this condition and at this price of the same vintage but I'm not seeing one. Anybody have some feedback on these bikes?

https://cosprings.craigslist.org/bik/4221749249.html

oddjob2

Go for it, worth asking price and more. You'll enjoy it too.

Singlespd

Great price, do it. Just make sure it isnt bent or cracked. Check all welds on the frame

Henry III

Looks to be a really good deal. I say go for it and start out the new year with a new ride! Start the new year out right with some vintage goodness.

turky lurkey

Your probably right, I have set up an appointment to look at it this evening. I've been looking for a really nice clean bike to keep as my main recreational rider and I'm hoping this is the one.

trailmix

I would jump on it, my size too. I love old Cannondales. I have the exact same bike and I love it.

shoota 

Have fun with those Ambrosios. Hardest rim I've ever had to deal with when changing tires.

WNG

Those look like Superbe Pro pedals, not Sprint. As equipped and in the described condition, it's a steal. Don't walk, run!
You can always strip the components for your steel ride and sell the Cannondale frame.

shelbyfv

One of the best colors, IMO. Check the top tube cable guides. They may be metal, but if they are the plastic ones be sure they aren't cracked. They are hard to find. Good price. BTW, with a wheelset swap these can run all modern parts if you ever want to change things.

The Golden Boy 

Looks really cool.

I bought a bike on CL that sat for a LONG time. It was my "dream bike" (nothing particularly rare- a bike that I lusted after for the color scheme, I'd been looking for one for months). I ran across it on a CL search engine in Chicago. I didn't want to drive 100 miles for it and it was around the same price as this one. I kept seeing it for a couple months and finally got the money together and drove down there. Aside from it being a little on the high side, the bike was in fantastic shape nearly EXACTLY what I wanted.

oldbikenewbike

Listed at $225, he'll take $200. And you'll get a super bike at a super deal.
I have white 1990 Cannondale Criterium in mint condition. Original owner even put a carbon fiber fork on it and gave me the original. I also have a Cannondale Black Lightning which I also love.

So...GET THE BIKE!!!!!

Bianchigirll 

I am not a huge Cdale fan but I wou,ld not mind having an old one like that especially at the price. If it has been listed for two months I would start at 180 and see what he says. if you pull a wad of 10s and 20 and count out 180 and that's all there is he might rather have that than nothing.

remember when negotiating despite being clean it likely needs a good overhaul and $100 and maybe some tires $50ish.

rccardr 

Echoes to above, that's a great deal on a great bike.

bradtx

turkey lurkey, That's a great, apparently original, bike at a great price. As much as I like Cannondales I'd be tempted to drive there and buy it myself. I doubt you'll be disappointed with the purchase.

I have an '86 manufactured, '88 SR500 project bike in progress (The frame was held back for some reason and has three builder's marks rather than the usual single.) and these frames have the plastic cable housing guides on the top tube. Be mindful when changing cable or housing as they've become brittle with age and are extremely difficult to source. I've never seen a joinery problem on any of mine, but on any pre owned purchase everything needs inspecting.

If you aren't familiar with Cannondales, they are a stiff racing frame. While this is great for transmitting the rider's power while bridging a gap or climbing, it can deliver a ride that's harsh for the recreational rider. A good 23 mm tire inflated to ~100 PSI makes for a comfortable ride IME. Mine have three different Continental models and the GP3000 and GP4000 are the best followed by the Ultra Race.

Brad

turky lurkey

Hey Guys! Thanks for the replies a guess it must be a good bike as it seems to be getting the nod of approval from the C&V crowd. Thankfully I havn't gotten to many harsh ride comments about the aluminum frame which is the thing I was most concerned about. As soon as the seller gets off work I'm going to go check it out and if it fits (which it should), buy it. I do find it strange that such a seemingly perfect bike hasn't been sold.

I'll report back on this bike after it is hanging on my bike rack this evening!

That's a good point, chances are I will like the frame just fine but if not or if something were to happen to it the bike has some pretty freakin sweet components on it.

This is the kind of info I appreciate from the C&V crowd! I'll inspect them closely.

trailmix

I have had some 86+ cable guides made for me on a 3D printer. If you need some I can give you the guy's info. Oh and if you decide you don't like that frame.....

turky lurkey

Awesome! I'd appreciate that, if you have the info handy I'd appreciate it if you'd pm it to me (might as well wait until I actually buy the bike if you have to dig around for it, I'll let you know). The old ones might be fine still, the bike looks like it was probably stored in a very responsible manner but having the peace of mind of knowing they can replaced if necessary would be nice.

inkandsilver

I'd buy the hell out of that. In fact, you better hurry -- I can get there in 8 hours or so. (just kidding, it's not my size)

turky lurkey

Here it is in my house!


It's not in mint condition, but I definitely think it is fair to say it is in excellent condition. It has a few very light scratches and a couple scuffs on the saddle. The guy who sold it to me claims it has only been ridden once and I believe it, he said he was more comfortable on his mountain bike so he rode that. He even had some brand new Conti. Ultra Sport tires on the bike when I arrived. The tires look great but I read some reviews on them and they are apparently not very good, prone to punctures and not very fast, so I might take them off before I ride them and try to sell them or maybe even find out what bike shop he bought them from and see if they will let me trade them in for an upgrade as they have not been ridden yet.

My only complaint about the bike so far is that it's not much of project, I already tried to service the hubs but found cartridge bearings that still turn like butter. Not sure about the headset or B.B yet. Heck, even the bar tape is perfect, the cables and housings look like they are in great condition so I will see if I can slide the cables out and put some fresh grease on them without having to remove the bar tape. At least the front wheel needs to be trued a little so that will give me something to do for 15 minutes or so!

Oh and one other complaint (this one actually does bother me a little) is that according to my bathroom scale the bike weighs 22.4 lbs when the 1986 catalog claims that it weighs 21 lbs, perhaps the tires are little heavier than the originals, but I was hoping it would weigh in a little closer to the claimed weight.

As far as bargaining, he wouldn't budge on his price (not that I pushed him hard). I'm sure he could tell I would pay full price because I was having a hard time concealing my excitement and had driven about 40 minutes to look at it. Oh well, a good deal anyway, and he was a nice guy who's taken good care of the bike for 28 years so I was happy to pay him.

eschlwc

me too. that might be a deal breaker for me going forward. and i think i would try only a non-folding tire to mount, as i had much better luck with those.

also, use some baby powder or similar substance if you do have some issues. i went through a couple tubes (pinched) not using any powder with my old ambrosios.

bradtx

turkey lurkey, 22 lbs +/- 1 lb. is a good average fully equipped riding weight for these bikes and I doubt my project bike will be less than 22 lbs. with the bits it'll be built with. One pound makes little difference when combining rider weight anyhow.

Head set and BB are old school and need to be checked at the least for dried grease. Searching through some pictures of the bikes I've sold, I've had a set of Ultra Sports on a CAAD3 and I don't remember any problems with them.

The brake surface on the rims look pretty fresh so it is at the least a very low mileage example. You might want to check the brake pads for hardening.

Congrats,
Brad

neo_pop_71

Early on in my racing days (back in the 80's) I raced on a white 3.0 C'dale Crit frame, the one with the blue Nitto quill stem from the catalog. You'll love how the bike sprints (especially if you do intervals)... that bike can get down into the 19's with a few light weight components but honestly I wouldn't bother as there is no lag in that thoroughbred beauty!

Definitely some new Kool Stop brake pads and maybe add some personal touches, just a thought.

Enjoy!!!

p.s. I agree with my compadres above about the Ambrosios, that would be my first upgrade to some Mavic CXP's and sell Ambros to a forum member.

pastorbobnlnh 

turky lurkey,

Great find and awsome price! You did very well.

Don't worry, we C&Vers always seem to have a project bike drop into our laps. We can't help ourselves.

Take off the pedals and weigh the bike again. To this day it is rare for a better road bike to be sold with pedals and it was probably weighed by Cannondale without pedals. See if you get closer to the spec. But as bradtx said, it doesn't really matter when compared to your weight.

trailmix

Very good find, congrats.

rccardr 

Yep, not unusual at that time for the published weight to be based on a small frame without pedals and, in some cases, without a saddle.

That's lovely. Pretty unusual in my experience to buy a bike in that condition.