Cannondale 1999 R4000

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at eBay

Favorite Ride:
Royal Oak Wed Night

Bike Setup:
Cane Creek Headset, Thomson Stem & Seat Post, All Dura Ace 9 spd except Ultegra calipers (for about 2 more days), Ksyrium SSC SL, Ultegra SPD-SL pedals, Conti GP3000, SRP Handlebars, WTB Rocket V saddle, Kestrel EMS Pro Carbon Fork. under 18 lbs.

Summary:
Very nice ride. Stiff and fast. I bought this thinking I would keep some of the parts for my Paramount and sell th rest.. HA.. One Ride and I was hooked.. It is now my #1 road bike. What a value. Previous owner had made some nice upgrades.. namely Thomson Seat post and stem and DA shifters. I took it the rest of the way with DA crank, BB, Rear deraileur and Mavic Ksyrium SL SSC. This bike handles like its on rails, accelerates quickly and feels exremely efficient.

Strengths:
Stiff, fast, Sweet paint job (durable and great gloss), comfortable.. not as common as Trek, Accoding to some testing this is one of the strongest and stiffest fames period.. at any cost... I beleive it.. Great handling. Quik and sure..

Weaknesses:
hmmmmmm... like none unless you are a bike snob. Cause of 1" steerer I can get a stem with OS bar clamp.... NO FSA K-Wing bars for me I guess... :o(... OK maybe it's a little too stiff..not as sweet a ride as my Paramount OS. Doesn't have the snob factor of some italian steeds... well maybe that's really a strength..

Similar Products Used:
Waterford Paramount, De Rosa Planet

Price Paid:  $550.00 at R & A cycles, New Yo

Favorite Ride:
South River Ride

Bike Setup:
Bought frameset and built it up myself@19.5lbs. I'm a 175lb crit racer, so weight is not so much an issue. Mavic Cosmic Elite wheelset, Dura-Ace STI & rear de-railleur, Ultegra crankset/BB & brakes, Thompson seatpost, Sella Italia SLR saddle, Shimano SPD-R pedals, PBS Forte stem and bar.

Summary:
ROCKET! Fast acceleration, power transfer is the best I've riden. The bike loves to corner. And, loves to sprint. I'm a crit racer, and this cannondale has taken my top sprint to 38.5mph. If you want to go fast, buy one. You'll just feel faster, 'cause you are.

Strengths:
Power from the pedal goes straight to the wheels. The front end is like the front of an arrow, piercing the wind. Stretching out over the front is comfortable, and balanced.

Weaknesses:
Ya, right!

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale CAD3

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Given to me by Big S

Favorite Ride:
"Clubbers" Tuesday evening ride

Bike Setup:
54 cm Caad4 frame, Profile H2O stem, TTT Forma bars, Dura-Ace gruppo, American Classic post, Flite T

Summary:
Received a free frame from Doug Looney of Cannondale when Big Shark Bicycle company picked up Cannondale bikes in 99'. I was sceptical of the Cannondale because of test riding the early unrefined models which have a just reputation for being unreasonably harsh. Not so with the Caad 4. The tubeset has been engineered to be stiff out of the saddle when climbing or sprinting and the wishbone rear end takes the edge off bumps making for an unaluminum like ride. The Caad 4 prefers non high profile wheels and air pressure cira 120-130 psi for (160lb rider). This makes for a more comfortable ride and keeps the rear end from dancing when cornering, without any loss in performance. The blue paint is chip resistant and still looks as beautiful since the day I got it. This bike has taken me from a Cat.4 to a Cat.2. I have won in sprints as well as lapping the field by myself with this bike. Other bikes have more spirited paint jobs and sleeker designs but the Caad 4+ bikes are powerful tools that truely make people better racers.

Strengths:
Sprinting, climbing, hammering flats. It does everything well.

Weaknesses:
A little harsh on really rough roads with high frequency bumps.

Similar Products Used:
Vitus 992

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Full Dura Ace Gruppo. Used to have Mavic Ksyriums, now rolls on Rolf Sestrieres, Vittoria tires, Ca

Summary:
Great bike!!! Sharp as a razor through the turns. Love the CAAD4. Sprints and climbs great. I work in a shop, and had my choice of many high end bikes. This one stood out!! One of the best!!! Changed stock wheels, seat post and saddle.

Strengths:
Weight (sub 17.5 lbs with pedals) and comfort.

Weaknesses:
Super cheap seatpost/saddle/stem combo. Threaded headset (eventhough it is Dura Ace). Wish that it had brighter decals on the Chromalusion paint job-silver just looks too plain!

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $2600.00

Bike Setup:
No changes from Cannondale setup, except tires.

Summary:
Have ridden this bike about 6,000 miles to date. Would change a few minor things, but love it. Now that the CAAD 5 and CAAD 6 frames are out, my guess is a used R4000 with a CAAD 4 frame could be found for a very good price.

Strengths:
Very true in the corners. The faster you go through a turn the better it tracks. Light weight, nimble, accelerates quickly.

Weaknesses:
Why they put a Kalloy post on this bike, I'll never know. Continental 3000 (700x23) tires that came with it were okay and take a beating, but I've now put on Axial Super Comps (700x20) and the feel is even lighter and more nimble, but they probably won't last as long. Also, don't care for the seat - can't get comfortable, especially on longer rides. I'll replace it with a seat with a flatter profile and maybe even a cutout. CXP 30 rims are heavy and tend to catch the cross winds on mildly windy days, but they're okay.

Similar Products Used:
None.