Cannondale R700 CAAD3 Road Bike (1998)

[-ol-]

Hello everybody

A few months ago I acquired a barely used, vintage Cannondale R700 Road Bike in yellow. According to the serial number at the bottom of the frame it was built in 1998. The groupset on the bike is a mix of Shimano Ultegra (STIs, Front & Rear derailleur) and 105 (the rest). A similar bike was offered by an English shop on Facebook a few years ago, judging from the pictures it had the same components as mine.

Since the bike is not in any of the catalogues on this website I was wondering if it was a special model for the European market? Also the geometry of my bike (frame height: 50cm) is quite strange with a surprisingly short horizontal tube length (50,5cm).

I really like my new, old bike even though ride quality sometimes reminds me of a British Morgan roadster... So any intel on what I am having here would be very much appreciated!

Cheers from Germany,
Oliver

P.S.: The picture I borrowed from the seller of my bike, it was one of those of the ad a few months ago.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Seems likely that it's a 1998 European model. 1997-8 models had the CAAD decal on the top tube. It moved to the seat stays for 1999. Is it CAAD2 or CAAD3? May be a compact frame. The 49 compact had a 50 cm top tube while the 50 cm standard road frame had a 52 cm top tube. Does it have 650C wheels?

The R700 was a time trial bike in the 2.8 era. When the CAAD frames came out in 1997 Cannondale adopted the "Multisport" designation for time trial frames. I don't think R700 was used for a US road model until the CAAD7 in 2005.

It's not surprising that the ride is a bit harsh, given the inherent stiffness of the design coupled with a short wheelbase (and 650C wheels?). You might try fitting wider and/or more supple tires. 28s will generally clear on road frames of that era. I've been running 28s on my '98 R4000. Should check actual width and model of the tires.

 

[-ol-]

Thanks a lot for your reply!

It´s a CAAD3 frame (decal on top tube). I think you´re right that it could be a compact frame, when measuring the way described by Cannondale in the catalogue of that era it´s 49cm actually - so your suggestion makes sense as the according top tube length fits the description!

I switched to 23x700 (front) and 25x700 (rear), stock were 23/23(x700). 28 may be a bit too much, 25 was already a tight fit. It can get a bit twitchy in tight corners because of my shoes touching the front wheel but I learned how to deal with that. Also I changed the seatpost to a dampened one (Tranz X Antishock), now ride quality has changed to absolutely acceptable to me. The impact of that last change was really impressive I have to say. Right now I am waiting for a longer stem to tame the bikes´ nervosity (stock stem: 80mm) when going downhill, as well as achieving a more stretched riding position.

Thanks a lot for maintaining this site, it´s a beautiful resource for information on these beautiful & in some cases rich in history bikes!

 

[black lightning 1987]

Interesting that it has 700C wheels. I believe all the US compact models were 650C. They were replaced by the Feminine frames in 2001, which could be either 650C or 700C.

Sounds like you are getting the bike sorted out to your liking. Your mods all sound reasonable to me. I have several NOS steel stems that Cannondale used in the late 1990s. See the 1998 R600. I believe they are 120 or 125 mm. Very light and nicely made by Alico. Might be expensive to ship to Germany but I didn't spend a lot for them.

 

[-ol-]

To be honest I am not quite completely sure that the wheels were stock 700s since I bought the bike used. Maybe the first owner switched them? It´s the typical Mavic CXP21 rims of that time that are on the bike.

Thanks for your kind offer for the stem, I went for a 100mm one which appears to work fine for me, so I would expect 120mm+ to be a bit on the longish side for me. I have to admit that almost 20 years after I sat in the saddle a lot of my time adjusting to the positioning on the road bike takes much longer and needs smaller steps than I remember. In my 20s I was pretty painless...

Perhaps I will upload some current pictures when the bike has received its finishing touches

 

[black lightning 1987]

I doubt that you could fit 700c wheels to a frame made for 650s. You might be able to do the opposite with long reach calipers.