indecisive

Just got my 2004 Cannondale R600 last night, and of course it's 21deg F outside. Definitely going to need some bke shorts, my rear was hurting before I got off the trainer during the fitting.

I did manage to pick up some Sidi Genius 4's for $109, they were marked $190 but the LBS guy said he wasn't going to carry them anymore and he wanted to get rid of them!

It's supposed to get into the 40's today, so I'll post a ride report later.

Woo-Hoo!

DnvrFox

Neat!!

The start of years of fun!

djbowen1

I got my '03 last june, I love it. Congrats.

HarryK

That's a fast bike, and a great deal on super shoes as well. Enjoy...and remember to be patient breaking in that new saddle!

indecisive

I'm going to get some bike shorts first and see how the factory saddle feels before replacing it. I need other gear first before the saddle.

I just took it around the block! Whoa!! Fast bike! This thing is so much faster than my Trek 4500. It was very smooth, the triple chainring seems kinda clunky, but the LBS said the cables will stretch and the bike will settle in the first few rides and to bring it in for a tune up in a week or two.

The LBS guy recommended a triple chainring since this is my first road bike, but he'll let me exchange it for a double if want. I'm going to test it out on some hills around here to see if I need the triple or not. If not, I'm definitely trading it in on the double.

Stubacca

Congrats on the purchase - you'll really enjoy the road bike!

The whole double/triple thing is very much an ongoing debate. The R600 seems to already have a 12-26 cassette (nice for a double, very low for a triple!), so given that the double inner ring is 39 teeth instead of the 42 teeth on the middle ring of the triple, you'll end up with a pretty good low gear with the double. You'll find the shifting of the double with the 105 shifter/Tiagra derailleur to be significantly smoother than with the triple.

Your call, though, and awesome that your LBS guy was happy to let you try it for a while and still come back and change it!

IowaParamedic

Post some pictures!

temp1

Sweet, I love my 03

TrekRider

There was a review in Bicycling a month or so ago of a Cannondale, but I think it was an R800, but they said with the triple, pedal mashers had problems with shifting the front derailleur, but those who were high cadence types had no problems.

Wes

Its cold in KC, but I went for a ride on my 01, R600 today. It's like flying like a bird. Mine is a double, and that is all the gears this 64 year old guy needs. It is hilly here too. I did put open pro wheels on it this year. It is even faster and shifts better.

Wes

ParamountScapin 

Nice ride. I just want to know how your were able to select the R600?

anikuma

Welcome to the c-dale family! Picked my c-dale up last year aswell. I love it. You'll have fun.

temp1

Nice ride. I just want to know how your were able to select the R600?

I can give you my account. The R600 was the most bang for the buck at the time I got it, not necessarily reguarding components but the frame was faster and more agile than any other I rode, and I rode a lot. I also love how stiff it feels when I am really hammering, yet it absorbs enough of the bumps in the road so that my posterior is not black and blue at the end of a long ride. Basically it fits my body and riding style, I'm sure it does not work for everyone so ride them all and I would say pay the most attention to the frame, components can be upgraded.

Dchiefransom

That is one nice bike! My club started their 3 month annual session of training ladies to ride. The ladies teach the ladies, which many of them find more comfortable. The guys help on the first day. We inspect the bikes first, and I did the station where we check the cranks and drivetrain, making sure everything shifts right. One lady had a new C-Dale, R600, a yellow shade. That baby was so sweet!! The darn thing looked like it was moving while it was sitting still.
Have fun riding it.
It won't hurt to have the triple on the bike, it's for really steep hills. While checking shifting of front derailleurs, I did notice that the few doubles were very crisp shifting in the front.

djbowen1

The 2003 R600 stock cannondale cranks with the shimano shifting is crappy, once i upgraded the cranks to ultegra it shifted perfectly. I believe the 2004 has different cranks, still not shimano but maybe better shifting. Mine is triple.

streners

I have triple ultegra cranks on my r1000, and am moving to double, the shifting was always a real pain on the front, I had to constantly readjust everything on it, but then I am more of a masher.

indecisive

I chose the R600 because my price range was around $1000-$1100. The LBS carries Giant and Specialized also but I wasn't keen on the compact frames. Personally I think the ammount the seat post needs to be extended from the top tube is unsightly. I test rode the Specialized Allez Elite just in case it was more comfortable and I really couldn't tell a difference between the Allez Elite and the Cannondale's I tested. So it pretty much came down to looks and the fact that I felt I was getting a better frame on the R600 over the Allez. True, the R600 is lacking in components compared the the Allez Elite, but I would rather have a better frame and upgrade the components as I need to.

I'll post pics ASAP.

temp1

Ahh oversized down tube, slim sightly hourglass seat stays, its the J-Lo of road bikes

shokhead

Nice bike and good deal on shoes,go ride.

anikuma

Amen temp1, amen

indecisive

Here's a pic

geneman

Beautiful! Are those Truvativ cranks?

Did your LBS fit you to that stem or is that how it ships? Reason being, I would think that the rise on the stem would keep you too upright.

-mark

temp1

You can flip the stem over and it gives you a better angle, for me anyway.

Grendel

Actually, if you look at the height of the handlebars relative to the saddle it looks about right. If the stem was flipped it would probably put the bars at an uncomfortably low position from the looks of it.

Nice bike, BTW!

indecisive

It is a Truvativ Elite LR, is that very good? That is the stem that came with the bike and it can be flipped over for a more aggresive position. The R600 Double ships with it flipped the other way. It is mostly 105 components except for an Ultegra rear derailluer.