First Road Bike (£800) - Cannondale caad8 a good choice or are there better ones?

[bororider]

I am currently looking into upgrading my trek 7.3fx hybrid bike for a road bike.
Needs to be around the £800 mark.

Something is drawing me towards the lime green Cannondale caad8.
Would I be making a mistake with this bike, is there something much better in this price bracket?

I will be using this for leisure only and not commuting. Want t go further faster than my trek currently allows

 

[bikeman66]

I am currently looking into upgrading my trek 7.3fx hybrid bike for a road bike.
Needs to be around the £800 mark.

Something is drawing me towards the lime green Cannondale caad8.
Would I be making a mistake with this bike, is there something much better in this price bracket?

I will be using this for leisure only and not commuting. Want t go further faster than my trek currently allows

Cannondale's are fine bikes for sure, but there are so many others out there that benefit from not having that premium name tag. Obviously the way a bike looks will be the initial thing that draws you in, but try not to let that take precedence over whether it is actually a better bike than something that might look a little more "regular". The CAAD 8 also has the (seemingly) much maligned BB30 bottom bracket, a unit which has come under a lot of fairly negative scrutiny on this forum.

I recently purchased a Fuji Roubaix 1.3 from Evans cycles for my son. Usually £990.00, they have them on clearance right now for £840.00. To be honest, it's a really good bike. Very good spec (at least on a par with the CAAD 8, which I also. Considered for my son), feels lighter than it's claimed 8.5kg and is still an eye catching machine. In fact it was a group test winner in a recent Cycling Plus test of £1,000.00 bikes. In my humble opinion, a better buy than the 'dale.

 

[slowmotion]

Seriously consider this one...a Cinelli Experience Veloce. I bought mine nearly three years ago and it's been a source of joy after my first road bike, a Specialized Secteur. I really never got on with the Spesh at all.
This one's an absolute steal, but you really do need a test ride before you buy.
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b75s6p2932
Have fun, whatever you choose.

 

[vickster]

Lots of bikes in that price range. Go around some local shops, get some testrides and then decide. You need to go with heart as much as head. If you like the Cannondale it may well be the one. Groupsets, wheels etc can always be upgraded, the frame will be a good one

 

[bororider]

Cheers. I'll have a look into those. Got a new Rutland cycling open near me and a new Evans shop in Cambridge to explore. Are Evans generally regarded as one of the best shops to go to

 

[bikeman66]

Cheers. I'll have a look into those. Got a new Rutland cycling open near me and a new Evans shop in Cambridge to explore. Are Evans generally regarded as one of the best shops to go to

As a national chain, you won't go too far wrong with Evans. Always get the impression the staff know exactly what they are talking about whenever I've been in one of their stores, which is more than can generally be said for Halfords.

Depends what size you are requiring with the Fuji I suggested, as they only had 56cm and 58cm left I think (mail order). Would also suggest having a look at the Felt range too. I have a Felt F95 which I have been extremely happy with. Again, where Felt are not exactly a household name they seem to trade on their ethos of building great value machines rather than letting you pay a premium for riding a big name. Cannondale didn't get a great reputation for nothing, but I sometimes wonder whether people buy a Cannondale.........because it's a Cannondale, rather than because it represents fantastic value alongside lesser known competitors.

 

[bororider]

Thanks again for your reply. I guess it's the same with anything you buy where you are drawn towards a recognised brand. It's not alwaya the case that they offer the best product or value. Will look into it the above mentioned bikes

 

[andyfraser]

I have a Felt F95 which I have been extremely happy with. Again, where Felt are not exactly a household name they seem to trade on their ethos of building great value machines rather than letting you pay a premium for riding a big name.

I have a F95 too and am also very happy with it. It's that time of year again and Wiggle have the F75 for £700. I'd pick that over the F95 because of the 105 groupset if I had £800 to spend.

 

[Mrs M]

The lime green Cannondale is a lovely looking bike .
When I went to buy a road bike I was out to get the Cannondale Synapse, but they didn't have any left so I bought a ladies Felt.
It's been a great bike, very comfy and a perfect fit.
It's all down to personal choice but good suggestions so far.
Have fun trying and choosing .

 

[NorthernDave]

Seriously consider this one...a Cinelli Experience Veloce. I bought mine nearly three years ago and it's been a source of joy after my first road bike, a Specialized Secteur. I really never got on with the Spesh at all.
This one's an absolute steal, but you really do need a test ride before you buy.
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b75s6p2932
Have fun, whatever you choose.

That Cinelli is a very nice looking bike, especially in white.

And Harrogate is only half an hour away...

 

[slowmotion]

That Cinelli is a very nice looking bike, especially in white.

And Harrogate is only half an hour away...

Excellent! Nip down there and give it a go.

 

[russ.will]

When I was looking into a similar level of bike, I ended up with a Planet X RT-58. Triple butted 6061 frame, GXP BB, Campag Khamsin wheels and a FULL SRAM Rival 22 groupo. 0.5kg lighter too, not that it matters when my capacious butt is on it.... I was lucky as I bought mine during a flash sale for £500, but even at the current £700, I still have look around and see nothing that touches it spec wise from the big name brands. Thread here.

As for Evans Cambridge; I've been in there several times, had excellent knowledgeable and enthusiastic service each time. Costing me a bloody fortune having one on the doorstep though!

Russell

 

[frogeyes]

I have a Cinelli Experience. I think the fact that it has Campag is enough to warrant buying it.... i love my Cinelli. ive upgraded the brakes to Campag Centaur and added Campag Scirocco 35 wheels although straight out the box its a great bike and nice change from the usual suspects. I always keep an eye out for a cheap one to use as a winter bike.

 

[outlash]

As a national chain, you won't go too far wrong with Evans. Always get the impression the staff know exactly what they are talking about whenever I've been in one of their stores, which is more than can generally be said for Halfords.

So because Evans is a national chain they're fine but Halfords isn't? Any shop is there to sell stuff, my local Rutland Cycles seemed hell bent on selling me a Trek despite my lusting after a Wilier which they also stocked. A shop is only as good as it's staff no matter how big the company is.

WRT the CAAD8, it's a superb bike, I've done over 6,000 miles on mine (and replaced the BB without any hassle) but it may not be the one you're looking for. Test ride as many as you can and make an informed decision on that rather than spec sheets and random people from the internet say.

 

[bikeman66]

So because Evans is a national chain they're fine but Halfords isn't? Any shop is there to sell stuff, my local Rutland Cycles seemed hell bent on selling me a Trek despite my lusting after a Wilier which they also stocked. A shop is only as good as it's staff no matter how big the company is.

WRT the CAAD8, it's a superb bike, I've done over 6,000 miles on mine (and replaced the BB without any hassle) but it may not be the one you're looking for. Test ride as many as you can and make an informed decision on that rather than spec sheets and random people from the internet say.

As I clearly said, my experiences of Evans stores have all been positive. The same, unfortunately, in my experience (and many others on this forum it would appear) cannot be said for Halfords.

To clarify, I never suggested the CAAD 8 wasn't a good bike. I know for sure that there are better value bikes in that price bracket, but I certainly did not say the Cannondale isn't worth a look. The issues with the BB30 system seem to be well documented on this forum, to the point where people have had such issues with it that they state they would never buy another BB30 bike. Obviously, not all owners of bikes with BB30 will have serious problems, but the tales of woe I have heard, including those of my next door neighbour, would be enough forme to steer clear of purchasing a bike with this system.

I have found that "random people from the Internet" (i.e the majority of learned members of this very forum) are well worth tapping in to for advice. Do you normally go to a shop intending to make a significant purchase, take a few test rides and them stand there happily believing everything the salesman is telling you just because he really is desperate for you to buy one of his bikes, whilst conveniently forgetting to mention any possible shortcomings his machines may have? Random people from the Internet can sometimes (through personal experience) highlight potential pitfalls before you make an expensive mistake! I, for one, have been most grateful for advice from a number of members of this forum in the past. I'm not saying one way is better than the other, but certainly the ability to cross reference what the salesman at the bike shop told you with advice and experiences of the guys on here, should help people make a better informed decision.