> Earlier this year someone donated an aluminum Cannondale tandem to our
> shop. We were very excited as this is a VERY expensive bike. That
> excitement vapourised when we turned it around and found that it had been hit
> by a car, the large diameter diagonal tube crushed to half its diameter. We
> dismantled it, putting the parts up for sale in a display case, then hung the
> frame on a wall with all of the other destroyed frames.
Mine is from around 1990, when they still over-built them and hadn't
gone public yet. Nor had they tried to go motorcross yet either. It
was during that transitional period that the bikes changed a bit. One
of the big changes is the length of the cockpit. The earlier ones had
longer wheelbases and longer top-tubes. For someone my size (6' 4") it
makes for a nicer riding experience when you knees are banging into
your arms or handlebars.
A buddy of mine got a Cannondale touring bike. We compared our bikes
and measured everything out. Our bike frames were essentially
identical, except mine could take wider tires. Even the lugs were all
in the same spots. As I've got a complete set of panniers (front,
rear, caboose, seat and handlebar bag, I've been able to do a little
touring with it. The quick-release spring-clip design of the
Cannondale bags is really great. They changed the design a couple of
years later and they weren't near as handy. I can remove seven bags
from the bike in less than 15 seconds and mount everything in about
the same time. It takes longer to put the caboose on and off (velcro
straps) than all the rest combined.
My bike has taken some really hard tumbles and falls. The disposable
derailer hanger is a brilliant design and I've gone through a couple
of them. I did spend a ton of money upgrading everything on the bike
and the only thing that never got upgraded are the peddle cranks and
chain rings. And both are worn out.
AG
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