Cannondale R600

Price Paid:  $1500.00

Model Year:
1999 or older

Favorite Ride:
Colnago "Ovalmaster"

Bike Setup:
- Big bore aluminium frameset.
- Ultraviolet + Black finish.
- Carbon fibre forks with plent of rake & trail.
- Shimano 105/RX-100 groupset.
- Wheels correspond with the group.
- Continental 'gatorskin' clinchers (these days..)

Summary:
WANTED - Fast road bike, class aluminium frameset, designer good looks..
Cannondale 600 ticked the boxes, delicious alloy frame, carbon fibre forks, a paintjob to die for...Ultraviolet and black. Shimano groupset - a mix of 105 & RX-100 - seriously unflash, but proven very, very reliable over the last 12 years. Wheels very basic on the stock bike, but upgraded to Rigida Constrictors in 2001, which made a difference.
From delivery, the 600 has been use for a mixture of commuting and recreational rides, rain or shine. Wear and tear has been minimal - tyres, brake blocks, chain mainly - with the original wheel spindles running out of adjustment in 2001.
Handling is crisp and responsive, the upright rear triangle paired with carbon forks with a lot of rake & trail, giving a hard ride on the one hand (bum..) and understeering tendencies on the other. This was never more apparent - or potentially lethal.. - than on the penultimate Sunday in July 2000, the magic carpet ride of l'Arrivee du Tour...the randonnee comprising the last stage of the Tour de France! Peeling off at speed off rue de Rivoli into Place de la Concorde, stumbling onto the pave and adverse camber of the right hand curve, the front wheel went for a walk, whilst I was trying to overtake a dozen similar nutters up the inside! Got away with it and was able to indulge l'Avenue des Champs Elysees, at my pleasure!
Summed up, a class product that lacks a few frills and wasn't quite bespoke when it left the shop. However, 12 years down the track we still have fun and remains a personal favourite for commuting and chilling out in the lanes.
The 600 does nothing really badly - but the modern derivatives with 'hourglass' rear triangles are a much smoother ride when the blacktop gives way to cobbles. My 1995 version would be a pain in the butt in the Tour of Flanders!! But it's stood the test of time.

Strengths:
- Frameset of superlative quality & looks.
- Paintjob simply fantastic and durable.
- Responsive and a nice ride.
- Proven reliable over 12 years.

Weaknesses:
- Frame : Fork combination not ideal, making the C'dale 600 understeer.
- Steep rear triangle gives a boneshaker ride over the rough stuff - modern C'dales are much better.
- Steering head is very basic and (probably..) very heavy; bike steers OK though.
- Shimano 105/RX-100 combo is a real 'bitsa'...but very hardwearing & reliable.
- Saddle and minor finish items at the cheap end of nasty..

Similar Products Used:
Colnago 'Ovalmaster' titanium.. This is a lot better than the C'dale in almost every way. But this doesn't make the 600 poor, the Colnago is nudging great across the spectrum of characteristics...Ooh la la (or Bellissimo!).

Price Paid:  $1050.00 at Ski-in

Model Year:
2003

Favorite Ride:
Anytime warm and dry

Bike Setup:
Shimmo 105's

Summary:
This was my first road bike and I love it.
It is light and can go fast.

Strengths:
Very sharp looking, Frame is stiff, Takes downhills fast

Weaknesses:
Back rim came out of true .

Similar Products Used:
Only mountain bikes at the time

Price Paid:  $900.00 at Competetive Edge Cyc

Favorite Ride:
Most anything on 2 wheels

Bike Setup:
Largely stock 105, spinergy on the weekends Xero XR-1's duringthe week, various odds and ends that don't affect it's performance in ways relevant to this forum ;p

Summary:
I bought this bike in 1995 or so as an upgrade from my steel Specialized I was riding at the time. At the time, it was the fastest, most stable feeling bike I'd ridden yet, and I love it to this day. As a few other reviewers have already pointed out, with Cannondale, it's the frame you're buying, and that surely holds true in this case; I've always planned on eventually upgrading the components from the relatively cheapish 105 group, but it's all worked well enough to where I just can't bring my self to actually do it!

The front deraileur is a bit on the flaky and obnoxious side, but I practically never need to use it so it's really not that big a deal. I actually like the stock seat (it's more comfprtable than the stoclkone that my old Specialized came with).
The original Mavic wheels were the 1st to be replaced, as I too broke a spoke on the rear wheel, and bent the front one enough to make me grouchy - but really, talk about all these other parts is not relevant to the Cannondale R600, which really is the frameset. It's a splendid, highly rigid, excellent handling frame, and I ride it 15 miles to work every day. I have to hold the bars just so over the bumpy parts, because what they say about jarring impacts transmitted through the frame is true, but it's worth it I think. The nay-sayers who warned me that aluminum frames are brittle and will crack if used on our nasty LA pothole-disasters we call streets have been proven wrong. Over a decade later and this old warhorse is still going strong.

Don't tell her I'm checking out the Six13... it's just SO gorgeous.

Strengths:
Super strong, long lasting, and even came with "good enough" components! Super rigid feel on hard takeoffs.

Weaknesses:
Ow, that bump gave me carpal tunnel!

Similar Products Used:
Specialized Syrrus
Early 80's Korean bike I forget the name of
Assorted steel monstrosities

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at online

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
R600

Summary:
03' model. Went after that one b/c I liked the color scheme. Overall, it's a good bike. The components are mediocre, at best. But they've proven to be reliable. I have over 2000 miles on it. And the chain has popped off once -front der. The seat was one of the first things to go. Replaced w/ a copy of the Fizik Arione. For $20, I couldn't resist. Wheels replaced w/ Spinergy Rev X. Don't spin up as fast and have to watch cross winds. But they soak up the bumps and get a lot of looks. Replaced the seat post w/ a carbon aero post. Can't really say that it absorbs shock better than the aluminum. Two carbon cages were added. On most rides, only one is used. Doing a century, definitely take two w/ plenty of food. Stock tires are junk. Replace them. Went w/ Vredestein Fortezzas. Higher psi and much lower rolling resistance. Surprising how much difference tires can make. Recommend replacing the handlebar w/ carbon. Going w/ the Oval R910 myself -can keep the stock 26mm stem. On long rides taking all the shock in your palms gets old fast. This, I expect, will make a huge difference in the ride. Frame is awesome. Super stiff and great for sprints.

Strengths:
Don't sweat the components. With Cannondale, you're not paying for the components. You're paying for the frame.

Weaknesses:
I don't have a problem w/ the components. When I start racing, I'll upgrade to Ultegra -great balance between 105 reliability, low maintenance and Dura Ace performance. Saddle needs to go.

Similar Products Used:
Prehistoric, inherited Raleigh racer.

Price Paid:  $2000.00 at A reasonably local s

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
was a Cannondale (now disappointed)

Bike Setup:
Well, it's disappeared for now in the dark world of Cannondales customer service.

Summary:
CANNONDALE - why buy one? DO NOT BUY A CANNONDALE if you want anything resembling service.

If you would be offended when you ring a company to find out why after 8 weeks there is still no sign of your bike and they refuse to find out and hang up the phone on you, then DO NOT BUY A CANNONDALE. If you ring them back after being hung up on and expect some kind of appology, DO NOT BUY A CANNONDALE.

Please re-consider buying a Cannondale if you are looking to buy one. There are a lot of good manufacturers out there, you don't need this sort of headache and you do not need the offensiveness. There are better bikes and there is MUCH better service. Once you hand over your money, YOU WILL BE RELYING ON THE SERVICE OF THAT COMPANY - things do go wrong. Something is wrong with my bike, fair enough, but something is VERY wrong at Cannondale.

I would NEVER buy a Cannondale or (gasp) recommend a Cannondale. A company is based on customer service. CANNONDALE obviously has no base. Glossy ads unfortunately do not reflect the company's attitude towards its customers. DO NOT BUY A CANNONDALE. No, I am not just feeling bitter. I have subjectively sat down and looked at the situation... DO NOT BUY A CANNONDALE. EVER. Luckily forums exist to warn other buyers.

Strengths:
I did like riding it, and it was relatively quick.

Weaknesses:
The company. The crap service. The paint.

Similar Products Used:
Low level road bikes over the years. Currently an average mount- 8sp Sora (works well), Al frame, Alex rims.