Cannondale CAAD8 2013You don’t have to spend a lot of money to ride a high-performance road bike. Cannondale still offers the best price/performance ratio with its award-winning CAAD series of road bikes (Cannondale Advanced Aluminum Design) (since 1983).

You’re a mountain biker, and want to buy a road bike as a second bike? Or you’re a youngster who wants to start cycling in the fastest fashion? Or for some other reason… You want to buy a road bike, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars? Then Cannondale CAAD8 may be your best choice.

Cannondale has always been renowned for their fat-tubed and smoothly welded aluminum frames, and the CAAD 8 was, until a few years ago, the Cannondale’s top-end race offering.

CAAD8 is built of a lesser quality aluminum than the CAAD10, and the tubes are not hydroformed, mechanically shaped. But the bike looks and rides almost as well as its more expensive counterpart, CAAD10. The frame geometry is virtually the same: this means you can get a time-tested (CAAD series of road bikes appeared in the grand tours like Tour de France and Giro d’Italia in the first half of the 2000s), race-worthy bike for surprisingly less money.

Racing with a Cannondale CAAD8?

I personally rode a Cannondale CAAD8 2006 for 4 years, and I loved the bike much. I even enter my country’s (Turkey) national road championship with it (finished 12th in 30+ age group), and the bike performed very well in the race. I used the bike in some other races too, and I was always satisfied with the bike’s performance. So if anyone asks me which low-price road bike is best to buy, I always suggest a Cannondale CAAD series bike, currently CAAD 8 or CAAD 10.

Cannondale CAAD8
I am riding my Cannondale CAAD8 in Turkey National Championships 2010.

I would recommend that you stay away from Shimano Sora because it is a 9-speed system. If you want to upgrade your gear system partially in the future, you will have to change the whole gear system. But Tiagra and 105 are both 10-speed systems. For example, you can upgrade only the rear derailleur to Ultegra or Dura-Ace, because they’re 10-speed systems too (Dura-Ace 2013 is 11-speed, though).

All three default configurations of CAAD8 is good for your everyday rides, training rides, or even 100-mile weekend rides. With better wheels and a 53/39 crankset, you can enter local crits or even bigger races. CAAD8 is a race-proven bike.

Cannondale CAAD8 2013 builds

Cannondale CAAD8 5 105

Cannondale CAAD8 2013: Cannondale CAAD8 5 105
2013 Cannondale CAAD8 5 105

Specifications

  • Frame: CAAD8, Optimized 6061 Alloy, SAVE, BB30
  • Fork: Cannondale Ultra, carbon blades, 1-1/8”
  • Rims: Maddux RS 3.0 Speed, 32 hole
  • Hubs: Formula, RB-51 front, RB-52 rear
  • Spokes: Stainless Steel, 15g
  • Tires: Schwalbe Lugano, 700x23c
  • Pedals: Wellgo
  • Crank: FSA Gossamer, BB30, 50/34 (crank option: 50/39/30)
  • Bottom Bracket: FSA BB30
  • Chain: KMC X10, 10-speed
  • Rear Cogs: Shimano Tiagra 4600, 12-28, 10-speed
  • Front Derailleur: Shimano 105 5700, 31.8mm clamp
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105 5700
  • Shifters: Shimano 105 5700
  • Handlebar: Cannondale C3 Compact
  • Grips: Cannondale Suede Bar Tape w/ gel, 2.5mm
  • Stem: Cannondale C3, 31.8mm, 6 deg.
  • Headset: Tange Seiki Integrated, 25mm top cap
  • Brakes: Tektro R540, dual pivot, cartridge pad
  • Brake Levers: Shimano 105
  • Saddle: Cannondale Stage Ergo w/ Crmo Rails
  • Seat Post: Cannondale C3, carbon wrap, 27.2x300mm
  • Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm

Cannondale CAAD8 6 Tiagra

Cannondale CAAD8 2013: Cannondale CAAD8 6 Tiagra
2013 Cannondale CAAD8 6 Tiagra

Specifications

  • Frame: CAAD8, Optimized 6061 Alloy, SAVE, BB30
  • Fork: Cannondale Ultra, carbon blades, 1-1/8”
  • Rims: Maddux RS 3.0, 32 hole
  • Hubs: Cannondale C4
  • Spokes: Stainless Steel, 15g
  • Tires: Schwalbe Lugano, 700x23c
  • Pedals: Wellgo
  • Crank: FSA Omega BB30, 50/34 or 50/39/30
  • Bottom Bracket: FSA BB30
  • Chain: KMC X10, 10-speed
  • Rear Cogs: Shimano Tiagra 4600, 12-28, 10-speed
  • Front Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra 4600, 31.8mm clamp
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra 4600
  • Shifters: Shimano Tiagra 4600
  • Handlebar: Cannondale C4 Compact
  • Grips: Cannondale Suede Bar Tape w/ gel, 2.5mm
  • Stem: Cannondale C4, 31.8mm, 6 deg.
  • Headset: Tange Seiki Integrated, 25mm top cap
  • Brakes: Cannondale C4, dual pivot, cartridge pad
  • Brake Levers: Shimano Tiagra
  • Saddle: Cannondale Stage Ergo w/ Steel Rails
  • Seat Post: Cannondale C4 alloy, 27.2mmx300mm
  • Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm

Cannondale CAAD8 7 Sora

Cannondale CAAD8 2013: Cannondale CAAD8 7 Sora
Cannondale CAAD8 7 Sora

Specifications

  • Frame: CAAD8, Optimized 6061 Alloy
  • Fork: Cannondale Ultra, carbon blades, 1-1/8”
  • Rims: Maddux RS 3.0, 32 hole
  • Hubs: Cannondale C4
  • Spokes: Stainless Steel, 15g
  • Tires: Schwalbe Lugano, 700x23c
  • Pedals: Wellgo
  • Crank: FSA Vero, 50/34
  • Bottom Bracket: FSA
  • Chain: KMC 9-speed
  • Rear Cogs: SRAM PG-950, 12-26, 9-speed
  • Front Derailleur: Shimano Sora, 31.8mm clamp
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano Sora
  • Shifters: Shimano Sora
  • Handlebar: Cannondale C4 Compact
  • Grips: Cannondale Suede bar tape w/gel, 2.5mm
  • Stem: Cannondale C4, 31.8mm, 6 deg.
  • Headset: Tange Seiki Integrated, 25mm top cap
  • Brakes: Cannondale C4, dual pivot, cartridge pad
  • Brake Levers: Shimano Sora
  • Saddle: Cannondale Stage Ergo w/ Steel Rails
  • Seat Post: Cannondale C4 alloy, 27.2mmx300mm
  • Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres

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1 Comment

  1. still finding this website useful, when I first bought this bike it was after reading your review amongst many others and I look at it again today after having ridden it for the last 7 years! still going strong, just dunno if I should upgrade anything – have the sora set

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