Originally Posted by
seejohnbike
dumb caad question: for the caad9 (and presumably the 10), whats the stock stem lengths on a 58 vs a 60? I know Cannondale "sizes down," so a "58" is really 56(st) x 57.5 (virtual tt), and a "60" is really 58 (st) x 59 (virtual tt).
If it comes down to me having to order in a 10 in my size to try it, sight unseen and off of spec sheets, I'd like to get as close as possible to dialing in the reach the first time around... (and also save my LBS the worst case scenario/hassle of having to order in a second one, and deal with the one I don't like)
There shouldn't be a 'stock' stem length. Cannondale has a ton of their logo'ed stems. Their shops should have a bunch of them sitting in box. If you buy from a reputable shop, they should do atleast a basic fit for you and make sure the stem length is good.
The shop I bought from spent a good hour with me. They set me up on a trainer, used the angle measure thingys (goinometer? Sp), and made sure I was comfortable. To be fair, they set me up far more aggressively than I would have liked and I later swapped to a bigger frame, but had I not had a familial history of back issues, I should have been fine. They later swapped me to a bigger frame for just the cost of them swapping over the parts. I think that was too much as well, but most shops would have just said 'tough'. The frame was also damaged since I'd wrecked on it and left a nice little dent in a seatstay. It was structurally sound though...
Most good shops will do atleast a basic fit. Keep that in mind when shopping.
I think it's good customer service for them to do so. Having someone walk out the door with a bike that fits, else they'll be complaining about such and such bike/brand and such and such shop.
All of that said and done, just because I love the CAAD9 doesn't mean that it's the right bike for you. As I've noted, the bike is set up to be a race bike. I'd venture so far as to say that it is America's crit bike. I think the synapses are a great bike with a slightly more relaxed positioning, though the bikes are race worthy as Liquigas has raced the carbon synapses. I have brand loyalty and wouldn't switch if I had an option, but you should try most everything in your price range to see what works best for you.
The best fitting bike I've ever ridden is my Trek 760. It's a steel frame from 1984, making it 5 years older than I am...