Still in love with my CAAD12 — light, stiff, responsive… and now fully custom. I just wanted to share some appreciation for a frame that, honestly, still holds up even years after it came out — the Cannondale CAAD12. Yes, it’s aluminium. But yes, it’s absolutely brilliant.
Even with all the carbon hype these days, the CAAD12 still surprises me with how stiff, light, and responsive it is. The frame really feels alive under you. Every pedal stroke goes straight to the road. When you sprint out of the saddle, it reacts immediately. On fast descents, it handles like a razor. And for an aluminium frame, the comfort is actually very impressive — especially with a proper setup.
I’ve modified mine quite a lot over time and turned it into something very personal. It now runs full Shimano Di2 — I really wanted to go electronic — and with the semi-internal cable routing on the CAAD12, it looks super clean. I also changed the fork to a another carbon version with a bit more comfort in the front, and I can definitely feel the difference. Then I installed a 0° setback seatpost to get a more aggressive position. Still very comfortable, even for long rides.
At this point, it’s kind of a sleeper bike. From far away it looks simple, but it’s a real weapon on the road. I’ve used it for everything: fast group rides, solo intervals, even some light gravel (not recommended, but it survived). It always performs and never complains.
And not only for training — I’ve also used it for some amazing bikepacking trips. I rode with it towards Paris, did tours through France, Switzerland and even traveled in Japan by bike. Fully loaded, rough roads, long days — and the bike never let me down. It just kept going, kilometer after kilometer, solid and reliable the whole way.
What I really love is that it’s still lighter than many carbon bikes in the same price range. It rides like a real race bike — direct, fast, and sharp. It doesn’t try to show off, but it performs like crazy. And the feeling is just right. No unnecessary extras. Just pure engineering and good geometry.
So if you still have a CAAD12 at home, or you see one second-hand — don’t hesitate. Upgrade it, set it up well, and you’ll get so much performance in return.
Aluminium is not dead. It’s very much alive — and mine runs Di2
by cl0r0xxx-
9 Comments
I dont think Ive ever heard anyone claim that aluminium is dead. It is probably the most widely used material for quality bicycles around the world.
I didn’t read all that but those spacers low key disqualify it from being on this sub
I used to have a CAAD10 and loved it, still the bike I have done the most kilometres on. I have a bunch of other bikes but recently picked up a rim brake CAAD12 as my “sunday bike” with Mechanical Dura-Ace and some carbon wheels it’s nice and fun to ride.
Curious choice with the (deda?) stem you have.
For those that love CAAD’s caadastrophe on IG is worth following.
The best bike is one that gets used. Yours is beautiful!
CAAD12 is/was a fantastic frame.
But that Deda integrated cockpit/headset spacer stack is garish.
I guess it is porn if you want to fuck your bike
I rode a CAAD Optimo for about 10,000km before getting a rim brake CAAD12. The difference in ride is very obvious even though they don’t look too different from afar. While the CAAD12 is an exceptional bike, I very much appreciate the Optimo for what it is too.
I wonder if someday we’ll look at carbon fiber the way we look at asbestos now.
You love the bike, fine. But that thing is ugly piece of s*** and doesn’t belong to this sub.