Returning to the fold in England

[Deleted member 1443]

Hi one and all - I've found this website after searching for information before making a second hand bike purchase and it's a great resource! I first fell in love with Cannondale in the late 1990s when I owned an MT1000 tandem so when my wife was looking for a new bike last year I recommended she check out this brand. I was a bit surprised to find that her new Contro wasn't quite the Cannondale I remember but perhaps the less said about that the better! Although it isn't a work of art it is still a brilliant bike which does her proud. It's prompted me to go vintage with my purchases and I've managed to find a nice Warrior 400 for myself and a Los Dos tandem for the two of us... we are collecting it next weekend and really looking forward to it.
Thanks for a great site
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[black lightning 1987]

Nice to have another member from the UK. The Contro doesn't look much like a traditional Cannondale, but it will surely serve her well. I've searched many times for a Warrior, have never seen one for sale in the USA. Is your Los Dos rigid or does it have a suspension fork?

 

[Brian]

Welcome. If you have any questions about the new purchase, the community is here to help.

 

[Deleted member 1443]

Thanks for the welcome, both. I've never seen another Warrior but I really like it for general riding: It's reasonably light and responsive but the geometry is just right for it to be suitably relaxing on longer rides. The los dos has the rigid Pepporoni style forks. It has been kitted out with a rack and mudguards as well as a drag brake which is perfect for what we need: Especially the mudguards because this is England..... I think that the MT tandems make great touring bikes with the right kit. They are also very capable off road (but not with mudguards and drag brakes!
Pictures to follow when I can get some

 

[black lightning 1987]

I agree about the MT tandems and touring, they have lower gears and fit bigger tires so are a perfect choice.

What size tyres on your Warrior? They mostly seem to have been shipped with 25s, but I've always wondered if they wouldn't fit 30 or 32. Here's what I'd ultimately like to find but have never seen one for sale.

 

[Deleted member 1443]

I've been looking at the picture you posted with interest and have had a look also through the catalogues on the website: I think that the Warrior we got over here in England is a rather different bike which has more of a touring geometry and with longer chainstays. It also has mounting points (rivnuts?) for a carrier on the front forks. The handlebars are straight and the tyres are 700 x 35c It suits me incredibly well since it feels lively enough to be fun on shorter rides and comfortable enough to be out on all day. I live at the bottom of a mile and a half long hill which has a 1 in 4 gradient at the top and the stiff frame is an absolute bonus for the climb!

 

[black lightning 1987]

There were separate geometries for the drop and flat bar versions of the Warrior. Both were available with rigid or Headshok forks. Chain stays are 4.6 cm longer on the flat bar version, and the top tube is considerably longer as well, especially on the smaller frames. Both pics are from the 2002 catalog. What you mention about climbing is a Cannondale trait that I noticed early on. My first road bike was a 1987 R600, and my second was a Reynolds 531 Bob Jackson. At the time I was doing a bit of road racing with a local group. I quickly discovered that I couldn't average the same speed on the Jackson that I could on the R600, riding the rolling terrain typical of the area.