Cannondale CAAD9 6

Price Paid:  $999.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Up

Bike Setup:
Tiagra, Shimano stock wheels

Summary:
Price was in Canadian dollars. Great frame—probably one of the best values for money going. Fast, stiff, responsive bike. I've been riding this bike for just over a month. It's great climbing hills and very efficient; I can feel my energy translating to crank then wheels then road.

Strengths:
Cunego won the Giro on this frame. Nuff said.

Weaknesses:
The components will need to replaced if you are serious about racing or performance. But this is still a pretty affordable way to get a top tier racing bike.

Price Paid:  $850.00 at Schlegel Bikes OKOC

Favorite Ride:
Route 66

Summary:
The bike is light, fast, and the best bang for the buck. I am an old MTB guy and I was never a fan for the Roadie. Everything about the bike is great. For the price, the components are great, but will need upgraded within the next year. The saddle is more than adequate for myself. Although to ride more, I will need to purchase some shorts ;)

Strengths:
Light
Speed
Durability

Weaknesses:
Clicks from cassette in high gear (any suggestions?)

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $930.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Tour de Palm Springs Century

Bike Setup:
100% stock 2009 CAAD 9/7 compact double

Summary:
Looks FAST...rides even FASTER!!!

This review is for the 2009 model Cannondale CAAD9/7. At under a grand- where else can one find a race-ready frame and fork that can be easily built to Tour de France weights(14.95lbs)?

I test rode many bikes, and found the CAAD 9 had the perfect blend of power, lateral stiffness, weight and high-speed stability only found in high-end CF superbikes(Cervelo, Pinarello, Wilier, Orbea, Ridley).

Your $940 MSRP gets you a top notch frame and fork. Ditch the rest for Dura Ace, RED or Record and you'll have a World Cup racer on a budget!

Strengths:
Stiff, light, seatstays are NEARLY compliant as full carbon, Cannondale's unparalleled aluminum craftsmanship

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Synapse Carbon1 Dura Ace
Specialized Allez Sport 105
Jamis Ventura Race 105
Fuji CCR-2 Ultegra

Price Paid:  $750.00 at Mikes Bikes

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
marin

Bike Setup:
Ultegra STI levers
Ultegra f/r dérailleurs
Ultegra 12-27 cassette
Ultegra SL brakes
Race Face Cadence 53/39 170 crankset
Race Face BB
Look classic Keo pedals
Ultegra/Mavic Reflex wheels (clincher)
Continental Ultra Gator Skins

Summary:
2009 CAAD9 7 (closest category)
I bought this bike for the frame. I had a Cannondale 2.8 frame that was at least 10 years old and a bit small for me, built with fairly new Shimano Ultegra. I swapped the parts to the new frame, weight is about the same as the old bike, maybe a little lighter but thats only from holding the bike in my hand. This new frame is so much smoother than the old one. It still responds to pedal input as quickly as the old frame but it soaks up the road bumps better. I actually thought my rear tire was under inflated on my first few rides because I wasn't feeling the bumps and cracks in the pavement like I did on the old frame. I was worried that the larger fork rake would make the bike less maneuverable but it can still make tight turns at high speed and feels very stable on straight roads. The new fork is more rigid than the old one, I feel the road more but it's not too rough. I might replace it in the future. I'm not a fan of the carbon/aluminum seat post that came with the bike. I have a feeling it weighs more than a cheap alu post. I will probably change it soon.

Strengths:
Light, smooth for aluminum, responsive, stable, quick turning, low price

Weaknesses:
slightly rough fork, carbon/alu seat post

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale 2.8
Motobecane from the early 70s
Fuji from the late 70s

Price Paid:  $950.00 at Buchikas Ski/Bike Sa

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Cannondale CAAD9 R6

Bike Setup:
stock wheelset/tires
sette amp seat
converting everything else to ultegra components, compact crankset.

Summary:
first: This review is actually for the 2008 CAAD9 R6, but the system only went up to 2007... not sure why.
Anyway, I've had this bike for a year and have put probably 800-1000 miles on it, mostly just in training rides and one century ride. I bought it right before my first century last year and it didn't let me down. This year I have been slowly replacing all the Shimano Tiagra parts with Ultegra ones - so far I've put on a compact crankset, & ultegra chain/front derailleur. The rest of the parts for the 10-speed conversion including ultegra shifters are on the way.

Strengths:
This bike is solid. My current setup now has it weighing in at a few ounces under 20lbs. It handles quickly, responds well, takes bumps like a champ. It's reasonably fast, although it could stand to have a new wheelset and tires to make it even better.

Weaknesses:
Tires are good for training but slow otherwise. Stock seat sucks - replace it with anything else. Seatpost is carbon-wrapped alloy, which is stupid, but not a big deal. Components were all 9-speed, which means there is no upgrade path to better-than-Tiagra components unless you replace almost everything on the bike... but I think the quality of the frame makes it worth considering doing that.

Similar Products Used:
I test rode some other brands, Allez, Lemond, and even the CAAD R9 which came with a triple crankset, but I'm glad I went with this one.