Cannondale Major Taylor

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at LBS

Model Year:
2003

Favorite Ride:
Haines Point

Bike Setup:
Thomson X4 stem
Truvativ Omnium crank 175 with a 48 tooth
Surly rear cog 15 tooth
Time ATAC pedals

Summary:
Purchased from a local shop in 2005 as New-Old-Stock. The paint job was beautiful (silver metallic/red and yellow decals). The weld finishing was crap.
Glad I got the 2003 with Dura Ace, because it seems C'dale cheaped out when it hopped on the fixie bandwagon.
The DA hubs were nice but not the best choice for foul weather commuting.
I eventually broke the frame on the non drive side chain stay. I attribute the break to pushing a 50 x 14 for way too long.
C'dale replaced the frame under warranty. Great... except they took 3 months to do it, and I got only the frame, not the matching fork. The good news is that the 2007 is much improved on the weld finishing. Over time I...
--ditched the 3/32" drive for 1/2".
--ditched the 165 DA crank for something better for the street: a 175 Truvativ Omnium. Wow!!!
--replaced the DA/Mavic wheels with cheapo Vueltas. Not too shabby and won't break the bank.

Strengths:
A very stiff frame!

Weaknesses:
A very stiff frame!!
Stainless steel inserts on the dropouts would've been a nice touch. The aluminum gets scared over time.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing is similar

Price Paid:  $0.00 at eBay

Favorite Ride:
cannondale major taylor

Bike Setup:
Pretty much stock with Syntace bars, a shorter cannondale stem, and a no name front brake. The seat is a Specialized something or other but pretty comfy.

Summary:
This bike rocks. All the components are top shelf, and far and away the best stuff I've ever owned. Dura Ace cranks and hubs, Mavic rims, and the rest of the components are more than adequate. The carbon fork negates the harshness of the aluminum frame.

Strengths:
It's light. Did I mention that it's light. It's also stiff...and light.

Weaknesses:
Cannondale put their name on it about a zillion times

Similar Products Used:
Bianchi Pista