Cannondale R700 Si

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
New England in October

Bike Setup:
Shimano 105/Ultegra Mix, Upgraded to Mavic Equipe wheels after busting my rear hub. Triple Chain ring.

Summary:
This is a great entry level road bike, or a training bike. I bought it in the spring of 2005 to get a feel for the sport, and I'm going to be upgrading soon!

This bike has been great to me - it's stiff, durable, and light enough not to completely kill you on climbs. The only problem I've ever had (in over 6000 miles of riding crappy New England pavement) is a bent rear wheel from when I spaced out and hit a massive pothole sitting in the saddle.

Other than that, if you keep it clean, ride smart, and keep it tuned up yourself or at a LBS, you can expect to get a whole lot of miles on this thing.

Even though I'm upgrading, I plan to hang onto this bike for bad weather, shorter rides, and to keep it set up on my trainer during winter months.

Overall this has been a great investment, and has gotten me totally hooked on the sport and on Cannondale.

Strengths:
Durable, Relatively Lightweight, Stiff, Good Mix of Components for an entry level bike

Weaknesses:
Some riders would consider it too heavy - mine is about 22 pounds with all my extras attached.

Similar Products Used:
Trek, Specialized, Felt entry level rides

Price Paid:  $850.00 at Barr Bike and Fitnes

Bike Setup:
Charcoal grey frame 56cm. Kestrel carbon OS bar, FSA OS115 stem, Topolino C19 wheelset, Dura Ace brakes, Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle. Profile Carbon Crank(double), Crank Brothers Twin Ti Eggbeater pedals........Total weight is just under 19 pounds.

Summary:
Awesome bike that is insanely stiff, yet still provides an acceptable amount of road shock dampening. Good component mix aside from the House branded Tektro brakes.

Strengths:
Climbs like a monster. Smooth. Great value for a made in the USA bike.

Weaknesses:
tires, seat, brakes.

Similar Products Used:
NONE.

Price Paid:  $1199.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Blue Ridge Parkway

Bike Setup:
Cannondale R700 Triple, stock. Added 105 pedals. Will change saddle as soon as I find something I like.

Summary:
Bought R700 Triple after trying out a bunch of other brands. Bike is stiff and very responsive. Also climbs VERY well (love that "Granny Gear"). Had to have the outer chainring replaced...after a few rides and some shifting problems up front, figured out the chainring was warped. The mix of components works although at some point, I will probably upgrade to all Ultegra. That was the one advantage the Trek 1500 had, but it was made in China and cost $100 more (so I'm cheap!). Patriot Blue paint is gorgeous [not made anymore :(]. Brakes work very well, trust me. I have to agree with other reviewers though, the seat is too soft and I think too wide for me.

Strengths:
Great climber, nimble handling, light weight. Overall a great ride, especially for the money. You could spend more...but why?

Weaknesses:
Mix of Ultegra and 105 components, the seat...it really has to go.

Similar Products Used:
Trek, Specialized, Felt, Giant, Raleigh, etc., etc. all in the $1000 - $1500 price range.

Price Paid:  $1195.00 at Old Towne Bike Shop,

Favorite Ride:
Cannondale R700

Bike Setup:
Stock with Shimano SPD road pedals and a Cateye Astrale 8 computor.

Summary:
I rode 18 different model bikes before buying this one - painted in a charcoal grey with a triple crank. Have ridden it an average of 100-150 miles per week since buying it in September, and am very pleased with it. The seat seems fine to me, unilke the other reviewers. This bike is far above my old Bianchi road bike. The frame is exceptional, and is easily good enough to upgrade with other components if desired.

Strengths:
Extremely well made, Cannondale files their welds off, making them much more finished in appearance. It is very light, fast, highly manuverable, climbs extremly well, and does not transmit undue amounts of road vibration.

Weaknesses:
The brakes seem weak, but I have been riding mountain bikes for some time. I plan on replacing the pads with Kool Stop models. The brake caliper itself seems to work fine. The second time I rode it had a pinch flat about 10 miles out, but nothing since.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 2300, 2100, 1500, 1000. Both an Orbea and a Bianchi model that sold for about $1,500, Giant OCR Composite Limited, TCR Limited, OCR 1, 2, 3, Some sort of Specialized, and a couple of models by Felt.

Price Paid:  $1199.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Farmington Canal

Bike Setup:
Base bike with Shimano 105 pedals and a Cateye wireless computer

Summary:
Moving from a MTB to this has been a big change. Still getting used to the difference but the bike feels great.

Strengths:
Frame is light and solid. A good base to build from.
Double is the way to go.

Weaknesses:
Tires have betrayed me twice: slipping on a curve and a getting a flat.
Saddle is hard to get used to.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 1500