When it sales time they tend to be heavily discounted, I got my bike for £300 less than the RRP. I would advise anyone whos after one to just wait till Sept.
Cannondale make their own frames and the mold is kept just for them. Planet X,
Ribble, Dolan ,Beacon Bikes etc are generic open molds.
The way you say, it comes across like Cannondale's frames are drastically different compared to the likes of Planet X, Ribble, Dolan ,Beacon Bikes custom builds etc
part of me instantly thought - "a frame is a frame, It has a seat post, handlebars and wheels attached etc...." but thats not the case. The frames look the same (why shouldnt they?) the only thing i can really think of where Cannondale might have the upper hand is materials used to make the frame or the way the frames are made e.g double or triple butted construction. Neither of the retailers that do custom made bikes are going to give you a bike made with the crappiest & weakest materials known to man to save themselves a few quid. So it all falls down to angling/geometry of the frame and from my point of view, the frame of the CAADX looks more or less exactly the same as the ones used by other retailers on their customs.
Maybe Cannondale test their frames to a higher level than where custom bike builders source their bikes from?? I dont know this, I doubt you or anyone else does either and anyone from Cannondale who says they do without providing proof is obviously talking sh!t because they want you to buy their bikes.
At the end of the day. a bike is a bike, i just swing my leg over and start pedalling. I dont need a Cannondale to be able to do that.
Lots of manufacturers talk about frame geometry & how it does this or that but 99% of it is just marketing spin, the market is saturated with choices and manufacturers & retailers have to find a way to sell frames/bikes and as everyone knows, the more fancy & appealing they make it sound, the more people will buy their bikes. New cyclists in particular will be the ones falling into this hole because they dont know whats good and whats not unless they have a friend who can talk them through everything and help them sort through all the marketing blurb and pick the bike thats right for them.
Same way with my HOY Hybrid - It cost me a stupid amount of money. I could have easily afforded a good CX bike for the money i paid but i had no idea what to look for, The folks down at evanscycles in kings cross where i bought the bike from didnt really care to give me advice on what sort of bike either despite me asking multiple times if this bike was the right bike for me. Despite all this my HOY is still a great bike though and it can fulfil many many functions especially as touring bike and something that can handle rougher terrain. Its not going to get me anywhere fast but it will get me there in the most comfort as possible because thats the kind of bike it is.
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