Cannondale CAAD 10 1 (2012)

One for the top ten list

Pros

Light, stiff yet very comfortable to ride. Great value for money.

Cons

New frame shape not as pretty as its predecessor

Review

I have spent the past 11 years working in the Retail bicycle industry. I had convinced myself and my customers that you need to ride carbon due to the vibration dampening properties of carbon.

So it was with great apprehension that last year I purchased the Cannondale CAAD9 1 aluminium frame bike. To my surprise even to this day it is by far one of the most comfortable bikes I have ridden. No lower back issue with this baby. I even tried different wheel combinations to prove to myself that the frame was actually comfortable.

The CAAD10 1 has taken it to another level. The only down side to the CAAD10 is purely aesthetics. IÕm not a fan of the top tube look where it meets the seat tube or to where the downtube meets the head tube; to me it looks more like it belongs on a mountain bike.

Enough said on that as there is more to a bike than the looks (sometimes there are exceptions to this rule does anyone remember the superbike?)

Cannondale are the leaders when it comes to Aluminium frame design.

The history of Cannondale dates back to 1971 and was founded by Joe Montgomery, Jim Catrambone and Ron Davis to manufacture backpacks and bags for camping and later bicycle trailers for bicycle touring. [1] Today, Cannondale produces many different types of high-end bicycles, few of which were hand made in USA, specialising in aluminium (rather than steel or titanium) and carbon fiber-frames, a technology in which they were pioneers. The name of the company was taken from the Cannondale Metro North train station in Wilton, Connecticut.

In the late 1990s Cannondale attempted to move into the motorsports business, producing a line of off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. According to an interview with Cannondale Communications Director, Tom Armstrong, the company was unable to drive down the cost of their motor vehicles fast enough. Sales took off when the company was still losing money on each motorbike they shipped. This gap drove the company to seek bankruptcy protection in 2003, and to sell off the motorsport division. Cannondale's bicycle division was purchased in 2003 by Pegasus Capital Advisors, which supported the company's renewed focus on bicycle production In February 2008, Cannondale was purchased from Pegasus Capital Advisors by Dorel Industries. In April 2009 it was announced that all production would be transferred to Taiwan.

CAAD10 1 comes with a mix of Shimano 7900 Dura-ace and 6700 Ultegra. As much as IÕm a full groupset kind of guy at least it is Shimano components. Sorry I canÕt shift the snob in me. The wheels will suit the lighter size of rider, so if you pushing over the 90kg mark then I would be searching for a stronger set of hoops. They do roll beautifully but the spoke count- 16h front, 20h rear is just not enough for the larger rider. I myself pushing the 100kg mark personally have ridden these wheels and within month popped a spoke and when these do a spoke the wheel is totally useless.(Taxi!)

The ride of the CAAD10 was extremely smooth and not what you would expect from an aluminium frame. I took the bike over some pretty harsh coarse roads where I have ridden full carbon bikes before, and this frame was soaking it up with very little vibration feeding back up through the frame. Unlike my original aluminium frame from 1999 with its straight bladed forks that if I had any fillings I would have had them jiggled out.

I would go as far as saying that this would be my pick of an upgrade at this present time considering the price and the quality of components it would definitely sit proudly in my home. The only changes I would make are a stronger set of wheels and my personal choice of saddle.

Definitely do yourself a favour and get out there and test ride the Cannondale CAAD10 1 you will be surprised.