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Second hand help, what's "too old"?
Potentially stupid question, which I think I already know the answer too.
I am looking at picking up a new winter trainer/"second" bike. My heart wants to go shiny and spend at least £1k on something...if I can even find anything in the current bike drought.
However, a friend of mine who is getting out of cycling has offered to sell me his Cannondale CAAD 8 2014 for £300.
It's in great condition, 105 groupset, 8.6kg...he hasn't ridden it for at least 2 years, with some new cables and a new chain it would look good as new...but it's bugging me that it's 7 years old and I don't know if it should be.
So how old is too old? Should I steer clear and go with something new but less specced, or am i being stupid?
Its this version https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Cannondale/CAAD8-105-Road-Bike-2014/2PHC
Thanks!
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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28 comments
nothing wrong with a seven year old frame. if you don't want it, I'd be interested at that price to put on a turbo trainer (depending on size).
Is the 105 gruppo original? or later replacement?
might be worth considering a new bottom bracket as well as chain and cables
I got this one second hand. Think it's slightly older than 2014. Bit of a bastard on hills though thanks to the 6-speed freewheel and the massive chainrings. Keep forgetting I can't change gear with the brake levers too...
Fine looking bicycle, I must agree with the pre 2014 guess.
80s perhaps. Though that rear derallier is saying earlier, maybe 70s...
Cheers guys. What i know is it's from 1979, with Gran Sport drive train and old Super Record brakes. Frame is made by Gino Milani or someone in his workshop. I picked it up for a couple of hundred but suspect it's worth a bit more than that.
That is a very nice looking ride!
What a truly lovely bike, I am jealous!
You probably know already, but there's lots you can do to soften the gearing. My 1988 bike had 52-42 rings and a 6 speed 14-28 block. I could have fitted a 14-34 block that it ran from new, but I'm a lot older now and the rear wheel was very worn out, so had my lbs get the frame cold set and put a more modern wheel on with a 10 speed 11-34 cassette. This worked very well with all the old kit - rings, mech and down tube shifters - but I still struggled with a 42-34 gear and so swapped the 42 ring for a 36 (from SJS Cycles).
Going back from brifters to down tube levers was easy on nice rural roads, but a different matter when trying my commute (added to brakes that really need some fettling)! But on a sunny day, in the countryside, in no particular hurry, there are fewer nicer places to be than a nicely rolling old bike. Thanks for sharing yours.
Now had a spruce up. Swapped saddle out, new bar tape and cable inners and outers. Pretty happy with it.
Fantastic bargain....now here are some suggested upgrades (from Ebay, naturally, so there's no rush). Firstly a Thomson seatpost, stem, and carbon bars. The latter two have transformed the cockpit of every bike I've owned - stiff, comfortable and responsive. Not from Ebay - the Kinlin wheels from Harry Rowlands with some Conti 4000 or 5000 tyres...and eventually...an 11 speed 105 or ultegra groupset. That should take you up to the grand you were going to spend and you'll have a cracking bike...
Thanks everyone, I have indeed grabbed the bike from him, and it's lovely.
Handed it to my lbs for a service and sanity check. I suspect it needs some new cables and a right good greasing, but other than that she seems good. I have christened her Calli
That looks to be a real bargain you've got there.
Wow. Looks barely ridden!
Has your friend got any other bikes they want rid of? Asking for a badger...
What a bargain!
Looks like it's running 5700 Shimano 105.
I have a number of components, including a 6700 Ultegra rear mech that I could sell if you need to replace any parts.
Feel free to contact me.
I hope you're going to post that in the reader's bikes post. With the bargain price!
Cracking bike for a cracking price. A rare occasion when head overrules heart and both still win. Well done.
cannot believe you needed to be convinced!!! 😜
that's lovely, apart from the sheer bargainicousness of it 😊
Love that colour scheme! Another vote for getting the CAAD8! My CAAD12 is probably the best bike I have owned, despite owning more expensive bikes with carbon frames, and electronic gears. Even though the 8 is a slightly more basic frame, I bet it rides similarly spritely. You can still get the correct variant of 10speed spares and swapping to 11speed is easily done for the money you've saved if you want that. And even new wheels if needed for the 11speed cassette.
That's an excellent bike for £300! I'm still riding a 21 year old Brian Rourke.
You can upgrade the groupset if you want to, but I'd start with the wheels, but only when you need to. Ride it a lot, and think of how many hours you didn't have to work to pay for it!
Go for it - that frame is one of the later, redesigned Caad 8 frames anyway - where they made the seat tube/top tube junction very similar to the Caad 10.
They are fantastic bikes, and still hold their own today with more modern (and expensive) bikes. I've put 7000 miles on a 2011 Caad 8 which I still ride every other week. I love the pinpoint accuracy of the steering, and its really comfortable for 100 mile+ rides.
They do benefit from a wheel upgrade to bring out the best of the excellent frameset. If its still on the original Maddux wheels, The Cero AR24 wheelset would be an excellent choice.
The only thing I'd be slightly wary of is that it's 105 5700, which was 10 speed- nothing wrong with 10 speed but just be aware that the rear derailleur isn't compatible with current 10 speed Shimano derailleurs (I'm not sure about the chain, cassette and front shifting- someone else might know). Might not be a deal breaker but just something to be aware of.
Buy the Cannondale. It sounds like a bargain: 105 is a great groupset and 7 years is nothing. I have a 1996 Gios, a 2003 Colnago C50, a 2004 Litespeed Vortex, and a 2004 Litespeed Siena - all going strong. Old bikes are class, though it helps if you have interchangeable groupsets and wheels: mine are 75/25 Campag/Shimano....
Thanks! This is what I was thinking, I just wanted someone else to confirm
You can upgrade the groupset and wheels when they wear out, but the frame is solid. You can get some decent handmade kinlins wide rims (c 1400g) from Harry Rowlands for about GBP 300 too.... They'll take about 500g off the bike and improve the comfort and handling..
I would second what Chris Hayes and others have written. It sounds a steal at £300. The money you save over a £1k bike can be spent on new parts as and when you need them.
For me "too old" is something like 7 speed MTB, where you can't buy compatible wheels or shifters (which is why my old Kona hasn't been used for 2 years). But the CAAD will take a standard seat post and stem. 9 and 10 speed road parts are still in production.
Why not? If it's because the frame spacing is 130mm, compared with the later 135mm, that shouldn't be a problem (esp. with steel frames which you can easily widen).
I'm still running 7 speed MTB and road, parts are still widely available, wider modern freehubs on newer wheels just need a £3 spacer to fit the casette. I even bought a new 8 speed cassette recently to get a 40T largest cog and was able to fit it to an old narrow 7 speed freehub through the low tech approach of missing one of the loose cogs out...
Apart from what others have said Retrobike.co.uk or ebay will be your friend for good condition secondhand stuff.