Hi, I just bought this for $110. I think it’s an older bike. I don’t know how much it is worth but I think shimano 600 parts make it worth the price. It fits me perfectly. It is 22.5” or 23”. I’m not sure. The serial says BB114. That’s all I know about it.
by Efficient-Fruit-4880
5 Comments
Decent bike, $110 is a fair price. Give the drivetrain a good clean and reapply some chain lube. Store the bike drive side up in your car so the drivetrain doesn’t get completely covered in dog hair next time. Happy riding!
If it’s a bike that actually moves forward when you pedal it, it’s hard to imagine that anyone selling it would ask for less than what you paid, so don’t stress over the cost. Understand, though, that bikes haven’t been configured like this for decades—this thing has been around for quite some time. Also, the way you have your seat slammed all the way down would suggest that you don’t know how you’re supposed to be sitting on a bike or that you’re riding a bike that’s too big for you. Watch some YouTube videos about seat height adjustment to see which is true in your case.
That is a first gen cannondale road bike. They were notoriously harsh riding ( tho very stiff ! ) and possibly warped, as c-dale had not mastered mass scale heat treating quite yet. Which was no huge shame as very few had, and none on the scale ( or price point ) of c-dale. Most importantly the forks in these bikes were not safe and were recalled. It was fixed in later years but not sure which you have there. The Shimano 600 parts are of course awesome and you’re right worth what you paid or pert near anyway.
On the other hand it’s a cool bike due its nice condition. And, they were quite a hot topic when they arrived, being the first large diameter alu welded frames for an affordable price ( compared to the more exotic Kleins and Cunningham of the day ).
I’d be wary of the fork. The bikes themselves were massively overbuilt and in one ad they had a guy perched on one of the rear dropouts with the wheel removed and the frame on its side !! .
it’s a a cannondale st. i had an st600 a while back. but truth be told, there are really only two kinds of cannondale st’s: the st1000 and “the rest of them” lol
these are basically just the touring version of the sr, which was the purebred road bike cannondale was putting out at the time. with the exception of the st1000–which came with cantilever brakes (instead of calipers, like these here) and a better fork and the highest-end components–these st’s were basically just sr’s with extra mount points, and a steel fork instead of an aluminum one if memory serves.
the pros are:
– like i said, most of the st’a minus the st1000 are basically the same. so even if you have an st200 (the lowest-value one iirc), the only difference is components. the frame/fork itself, from st-200 to st-800, is the same. so this is a rare case were it actually probably BEHOOVES you to end up with a “lower-end” one, and then you can just put whatever components/accessories you want on it. hard to go wrong with a good 600 group though, so you’re off to a great start on that front either way.
– you have eyelets out the wazzoo. whatever you want to mount, you (theoretically, with one notable exception) probably can.
– as far as light/fairweather commuters go, this is probably one of the better ones, especially for this price.
– the aluminum frame makes it much stiffer and more responsive than its heavier steel counterparts (this has a potential con).
the cons are:
– the race bike origin, potentially. the aluminum frame is stiff and snappy, which isn’t ALWAYS necessarily what you want in a cargo bike perse, but it’s not a dealbreaker. if you’re already used to road bike twitchiness it can just be an uncomplicated benefit, because pure road vs touring handling can be different enough to trip some people up for a day or two. not really a big deal at the end of the day but worth noting.
– the BIG “racing bike pedigree” downside for these st’s is that they DO NOT accomodate bigger tires like other touring bikes. these st’s have weirdly THICC chainstays, and iirc they can only just barely handle 700x28c tires without fenders. i think when i went to put fenders on the one i was experimenting with, i had to drop down to 25c. which can make the stiffness of the bike even more of a potential con, on longer rides. you’re gonna feel every crease in the pavement pass from your wheels to your saddle after enough miles in one sitting
– another related downside to the aboce is that the rear bridges aren’t necessarily ahaped well for fender installation, unless you get the CRAZY thin ones that are basically just flat strips of thin metal. which might be enough, but honestly for a bike like this idk if i’d put fenders on it. because road calipers also like to pinch the fenders out of alignment. very annoying.
– the stock bottom beacket requres some bullshit cannondale-specifc tool to remove. they aren’t necessarily hard to find but they’re like twice as expensive as a regular bb tool just because the tooth number is different 🤬
– the little cable guides on the top tube are kinda flimsy, and definitely breakable if you put too much stress on them. also not the end of the world but it’s just one of those annoying and perplexing build decisions. just make the guides out of the same metal as the bike, come on lol
that’s all i can remember off the top of my head from when i had one. looks like this one’s in pretty good shape, hope you enjoy!
Beautiful classic cannondale frame in red..🧡