Classtime 

I've never had a Cannondale and only briefly rode a too-small-for-me Trek 1200. This will also be my first 0 bike and I'll pick it up next week when I get to Texas. I don't know what bike tools I'll need to bring with me. Is the bottom bracket normal? Can I just super glue the top tube cable guide or do I need a new one or...
Any advice for a newbie Cannondale rider/owner would be appreciated. Is there clearance for 25s? I'll have a pair of new tires and tubes waiting for me.
Pics from Offer up.

ehcoplex 

The cable guides are held in place by 2 little plastic pegs- kinda like the way various panels are held in place on a car. I'd guess the pegs probably broke, but it's possible they got pushed into the top tube. If that's the case you might be able to retrieve them if there's a big enough opening where the top tube meets the seat tube... Or you can buy a new set of 3D printed ones on eBay, etc. There was someone selling nice aluminum ones through the Vintage Cannondale site a while ago, but I seem to recall the weren't going to continue with them.

rccardr 

The pegs usually break when they get brittle; they were too thin to begin with. Some ShooGoo will cement that middle guide down until you can find a replacement. Remove the cable first, apply the Goo, tape down and leave overnight. Done.
I’d definitely recable and rehouse that bike, the originals weren’t near as good as new modern stuff anyway.
25’s will fit on those original and somewhat narrow rims.
Riding it more than 100 miles right away? Then service the hubs at least, BB & headset too if you can.

1055 Shimano is stout stuff and will likely outlive us all, but is easily serviced and adjusted with typical 4-5-6mm allen wrenches, plumbers pliers and screwdrivers.

KCT1986

Cannondales of this vintage use pretty normal fittings. Threading is standard british, headtube is for common 1" headsets w/26.4 crown seats, BB shell is 68mm. The Shimano 105 group also should present no surprises, cup and cone for hubs and BB. Shimano's web site had doc for most of the parts of this vintage.

Only unusual thing on the frame is that the tubes don't 'open up' to adjoining tubes at all joints. It varies by model and year, but some top tubes don't 'open up' to the seat tube and the seat tube may not 'open up' to the BB shell. The frames usually 'open up' to the headtube.

Kontact 

You might consider putting some little picture frame nails in the cable guide holes when you glue it - they'll add some lateral strength.

Good, nice riding bikes. Solid, simple components. Clean it up with soapy water.

Here's some replacement brake lever hoods:
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-BL-10...a-548879465674

Rooney 

These are the repro cable guide. Ever so slightly different from the originals, but you'd only really be able to notice if you were looking for it. Passes a 5-foot test.

3.0 Series Aluminum looks like it was introduced in '89 (page 12). One of my ST1000's is 3.0 series and the top tube opens into the head tube; in case the cable guide pin is rattling in your top tube and you want to get it out.

steine13

Until you find "real" cable guides, do what I do and do double loops of twine -- black preferred obviously -- looped figure-8 style over the cables. Works a treat, won't keep water from running into the top tube, obviously.

cheers -mathias

ehcoplex 

Looks like the vintage cannondale site does still offer aluminum guides. Not cheap, tho' (I seem to remember them being less than half this when I got a set for my T900 a couple years ago...!

https://shop.vintagecannondale.com/p...for-cannondale

Classtime 

Pretty neat that hoods are available from multiple sellers🙂

I’ve heard great things about these bikes and if I’m as happy with the ride as I am excited to work on it, I’ll $pring for replacement guides on the next visit. The serial number indicates size 58 1992 with components of an R600 but the graphics don’t match the catalog.

Kontact 

Why does he need new cable guides? The one that popped off is still attached to the brake housing.

RiddleOfSteel

Hot black and pink/fuchsia-with-white-spackle colorway! 3.0s are standard fare everywhere but the bottle cage bolts, which are SAE #10-32 size/threading, which is a hair smaller than the normal M5 x 0.8 everyone else used. The aluminum fork allows for a decent ride. Should fit about 28mm tires at the largest, which I've done a few times. Pay attention to tire quality and pressure to avoid a harsh ride. I'm running 36-hole 7400 / MA40 wheels with straight 2.0/14 gauge spokes and Vittoria Corsa "32mm" tires at 68 front / 76 rear (give or take) and it feels great--as good as any steel race bike that can clear that tire.

These 3.0 SR road/crit bikes are made to rock, and have heat tube angles to prove it (well, certainly on the largest sizes). Make sure your saddle isn't too high, is one you like, and that the overall fitment matches what you normally ride (this goes for any bike, but certainly for quicker-reacting aluminum). The seat tube's centerline is forward of the BB spindle's centerline by 10mm +/-, so if you're trying to dial in fit and use a set of measurements and reference points, that's something to take into consideration.

Cannodnale seemed a bit loose or incomplete with colors and graphics offered around this time, so it seems, to me, since I keep coming across stuff like this, including my current SR. Serial number and components dial in the year, and I like your paint job more than the catalog one!

Classtime 

All good stuff. I likely would not have noticed the seat tube to BB “miss”alignment and put my saddle in my normal center of the rails. New 25mm GP5000s will be waiting for me but I might be checking a bag to bring a tool kit and in that case I’ll bring along a pair of 28mm 4000s. The early 90s splatter is cool and the contrasting graphics remind me of another black bike I wish I coulda kept.

pastorbobnlnh 

I have a 1993 2.8 R600, and really enjoy the ride. I concur with everyone else about the 25-28mm tire width working.

Thanks for the links for the cable guides. Wow, they are pricey, but considering they are aluminum (as opposed to the original plastic), and most likely made in small batches by a small machine shop here in the US, I suppose the cost is appropriate.

Classtime 

This thing is crazy fast in every way. Today was just 15 miles on farm to market roads with a shoulder littered with small gravel bits of road. I hope to get it on better roads this trip. This 58 is a bit short in the top tube and if I was hunting for a 3.0, it would be a 60. Funny thing—Never once during today’s ride did I notice how fat the tubes are😉


so so sorry. I’ll get a better picture tomorrow.

pastorbobnlnh 

The C-Dale 3.0s and 2.8s are absolutely a blast! Let all the "crack-n-fail," and "bone-vibrator" naysayers crawl back to their hidey-holes and go silent. Your ride alone is proof they don't know what they are talking about.

Classtime 

And I “only” have 25s with maaayyybe 90psi with a mini pump. Steering is quick — reminding me of an 86 Allez SE.
edit: D. S. Photo

ShannonM

The "crack-n-fail" came out of the late 90s - early 2000s stupid-light 2-pound CAAD bikes, which were indeed quite fragile... when they got crashed, and then the riders came into the shop with a "well, I was Just Riding Along, and..." fertilizer story. The 3.0s were about as fragile as a shovel... maybe the best Cat 4 race bike ever made.

The nasty ride thing is, IME, often true. Cannondale road bikes, for a given tire width, tend to produce a high-frequency ringing vibration that, if you're sensitive to it, will put an ache into your hands and forearms that will make you want to sell the bike the day after you first feel it. If you aren't sensitive to it, they're awesome bikes. If you are, you'll hate them.

--Shannon

RiddleOfSteel

I concur! Had a few (four or so) and the one I have now is a pretty quick shovel. Even rides well thanks to 32mm tires that measure 28mm at 68/76 PSI. Definitely need to get my '89 against a scenic background instead of a garage door.

Classtime 

I may need one as the pulley cage is dangerously close to the spokes when in the 23 and the limit screws are used properly. I’m not sure if these pics are enough evidence to justify finding a replacement and I don’t have a gauge. What do you think?

pastorbobnlnh 

Is that a crack running across and through the hanger and dropout? Looks to be a serious issue.

Trakhak

Agree with the previous post. Also, unless the photo is misrepresenting what looks different in person, the derailleur appears to be a bit farther inboard than it needs to be to shift into the large sprocket. And the derailleur looks like it's leaning in toward the spokes a bit. It would probably be safe to use a dropout alignment tool, since you'd be tweaking only the replaceable part of the dropout.

Classtime 

I think that is the splatter paint. It feels the same and looks the same as other splatters that run around the tubes, forks and stays. This is my first Cannondale but I’m pretty sure the replaceable drop out is aluminum.