Cannondale 2000 R300 Triple

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Eileen's bike shop

Favorite Ride:
Cannondale R3000

Bike Setup:
Original componants

Summary:
I consider to be a good quality bike for the price and has suited my commuting purposes for about 4 or 5 years now. I have changed tires many times now but all other componants remain original. I commute 17.5 miles round trip 4 times a week.

Strengths:
Somewhat good quality, low price

Weaknesses:
Nothing out of the ordinary compared to all the other bike's I've owned and raced on

Similar Products Used:
My previous bike was a neon yellow Trek 1200 I Triathlon'd on

Price Paid:  $600.00 at City Bikes

Favorite Ride:
beach dr to rockville

Bike Setup:
Stock (flat bars) except
Shortened stem 30 cm to 80mm.
New rear wheel

Summary:
I have had this bike (sora/tiagra mix) with a flat bar for several years and just bought a new one. First, the frame is great--decent ride, but not the same as riding with, for example, a carbon fork or carbon frame. The triple made climbing everything easier--it allows for a less than turbocharged engine. I have primarily used this bike for commuting about 11 miles per day, with longer rides on the weekends. It has performed well in both.

Strengths:
Frame (relatively low vibration). Shifters are good.

Weaknesses:
Crap rear wheel. During the first year, the spokes kept breaking--this happened 3 or four times. The week after the bike's warranty expired, I brought the broken spoke to the LBS and they said basically that I was SOL. So I just kept fixing it for a while, and then just replaced the rear wheel. Seems clear, though, that this was a construction defect in the wheel. Perhaps I should have been more aggressive with the LBS, but overall I'm very happy with the purchase.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $500.00 at Villiage Cycle

Favorite Ride:
Michigan

Bike Setup:
Cannondale R300
Coda Head and Brakes
Mavic Wheels with Continental Tires
Shimano Sora Shifters
Shimano Tiagra Rear Deraillieur
Shimano Sora Front Derailleur
Triple Crank

Your standard Cannondale setup.

Summary:
I purchased this bike after riding a good friends, father's nice selection of Cannondale and Trek bikes. I decided that I needed to get into road biking and enjoy the outdoors, and get myself back into shape as well. He told me of Village Cycle to try out some bikes there, and being young and strapped for cash, they had a R300 Cannondale in the back and was willing to sell for $500. Surprisingly the difference between the R300 and the carbon frame Trek I was riding was almost close to none. The bike was light, strong, and rode very decently. Even with the shifters and most components downgraded, the overall ride was still very pleasent. The only problem I had was the quick-release lever in the rear was not tightened after it left the shop, making my first ride almost disasterous but not deadly.

Strengths:
Great frame, light and very strong, something to expect from any Cannondale.

Coda components are also of good quality considering the price.

Weaknesses:
Rear shifting is a little rougher and would benefit from a better Rear Deraillieur.

Seat is also not as comfortable as I expected it to be.

Similar Products Used:
Trek
Cannondale

Price Paid:  $700.00 at Garden State Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
Where ever

Bike Setup:
That is a secret I must not give out.

Summary:
Sweet bike, my first road bike, I'm generally a Mountain Biker. It hasn't made me a fulltime roadie, but it made me give time to both.

Strengths:
Frame, wheels, Rear deraillieur.

Weaknesses:
Front Deraillieur, saddle.

Similar Products Used:
None, first road bike.

Price Paid:  $699.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Southern Wisconsin Hill Country

Bike Setup:
Standard setup (coda/sora/tiagra/mavic CXP-11)

Summary:
I wanted a bike good enough to commute 10 miles to work. The R300 fit the bill. I am a newbie and wanted to know if doing alot of riding is something that I would do if I had a quality bike. For the 20 mile commute each day, it worked very well.

The problems came after I found that I REALLY liked biking and started riding 50-60 miles per day. The standard components on this bike just aren't up to heavy riding. I am 190 lbs and the cheap continental tires would get a flat on average every 60-80 miles. Any small rock would create a flat. The spokes on the cheap Mavic CXP-11 wheels would break frequently and as a result they came out of true and obtained some permanent "flat" spots.

I've now upgraded to clipless pedals, Spinergy r-3 wheels, and Michelin Axial Carbon tires. Next on my upgrade list: front and real derailers.

Bottom line: The CAAD3 frame is great, but if you're going to do more than commute or short rides, I wouldn't buy this bike. Spend the extra money for something better. At a minimum you will need tire and wheelset upgrades.

Strengths:
1) CAAD3 Frame
2) Inexpensive

Weaknesses:
Basically all standard components are inferior.

Similar Products Used:
None