I got a new Cannondale CAAD 9. It is a beautiful bike and fits me perfectly. I am 6’5″ tall and I needed a bigger bike (63 cm). The old 45 pound Raliegh has been retired and replaced with a 20lb fast bike. The bike cost 799.00 which was a great deal (100.00 off regular price) at
Orange Cycle. The bike buyer “Joe” helped me get fit for it and was very knowledgeable. The
40 lb Raleigh I rode before was 56cm, and my back hurt after long rides. The new bike has solved it. Woo Hoo !! (There will be numerous Woo Hoos, because I love this bike.
Here we will detail all the cool parts of the bike and info I learned about my CAAD 9.
I like using areo bars, but I found out that the newer models of handles are smaller diameter except for where they attache to the post. So the aero bars bracket only fit over this larger diameter section. The section is short, so the aero bars were mounted close to the post. I thought they would feel weird and ride funny, but the position worked well and they are attached nice and snug.
Front View:
Top-Down View:
This is the thumb shifter. This makes changing gears a dream. On the Raliegh I had the handle twist gear changers. Which meant I had to switch positions to change gears. The thumb shifters are great and quick to change the gears.
For each of the cables there is an adjustment section.
The height of the handle bars can be adjusted by 15 mm in 5 mm increments. On the picture below you can see the 3 spacers on the handle bars. There position at the bottom makes the handle bars higher. I could lower it by taking a couple of the spacers out.
On the seat post there is a marker for seat height. This makes it easier to reset when the seat post gets lower after use. I have lost 1/2 on a log ride.
Below re wire guards that on the bottom cable under the main frame. Its a great idea and will reduce wear and noise. The seat post appears to be all carbon. It’s not. Aluminum wrapped with a sheet of carbon. It makes no difference to me, but if you think it is an all carbon seat post; you will be mistaken.
This is the seat from the old bike that has more padding than the stock. I may use the stock on the Sprint Triathlons, but it is rock hard and hurt my ass.
Original Stock Seat. (OUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) There is no cut out area to release pressure on the sensitive areas.
OUCH !!!!!!!!! Its a nice looking seat. Maybe I will get Lance Armstrong to autograph it for me. It hurts too much to sit on.
Full Carbon front fork. I am told that this helps absorb some of the shock of riding. The ride is rougher than the Raleigh, but that is what a good seat and butt pads are for.
The Welds on the aluminum frame were perfect. Joe at Orange Cycle mention that Cannondale is known for the smoothness of their welds.
The Seat Post Weld
I was able to use the same pedal assembly and shoes from the old Raleigh. See how I installed the pedal assembly.
On the inside of the crank you can find the size (Metric). The standard size for a bike is between 165 and 170. The larger frame bike has longer cranks.
See that little line on the break? That is a wear line. Once it gets close to the line, you need to change the break pads.
The breaks also have a quick release so you can easily change a tire without much disassembly. With the lever down, this is the normal operating position.
If you flip the lever up, there will be enough room between the breaks and the wheel to pull the wheel off.
For the tire and tubes they use a “presta” valve, which is smaller than a normal valve, so I had to get another pump. There is a lock washer on the valve stem that you want to make sure it tight or else you get lots of rattle. The one pictured below is not in the right position. It should be tight against the rim.
When you take the cap off you will see the valve like this, with the release screw tight.
When you need to fill the tire loosed the release screw (Loosened pictured below) Now you can attach your pump and fill the tire.
