Cannondale CAAD9 advice

Flintshiremike

Hi all - newbie advice needed.

C2W scheme is opening up and i've got my eye on a CAAD9 tiagra which at £999 comes nicely within the £1000 limit. Net cost to me would be around £600 ish.

BUT..................... Do I go for a CAAD9 105 for proper BB30, upgraded chainset and better wheels and add the £300 myself? By my calcs that would be a net cost to me of around £1000.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Squillinossett

If you have the money to put towards it, for me it is a no brainer.

I would want to upgrade Tiagra, 105 however I would be happy with.

redddraggon

Off topic, but what part of Flintshire are you?

Flintshiremike

I am leaning towards the 105, but is it really worth the extra £300ish? I have not used either Tiagra or 105.

Also any opinions on the diffs between the 2 wheelsets?

Ta

Mike

PS - Reddragon im by Broughton.

carl_p

A CAAD9 with Tiagra is still a great bike - I have one.

An opinion often voiced on here is that 105 is not that much of an upgrade and you get more bangs for your bucks with the Ultegra option.

Have you ridden a CAAD9? Before you commit your hard earned to the scheme and the bike I would recommend you do. There are some people who find the CAAD a harsh ride and find the geometry at bit too racey. I don't, but each to their own.

wildmoustache

IME 105 is a fair bit nicer than Tiagra ... Tiagra is more like light Sora and 105 heavy DA.

I'd put the cash in but whether it's "worth it" depends on how much £300 is worth to you!

Ricey77

IMO
The difference between Tiagra and 105 is marginal, and I tried them both.

incog24

I'd go for the 105, It'll just be easier compatibility wise in the long run. And if you ever need a spare wheel at a race it'll be a lot easier to find a 10speed than a 9speed.

jugglingphil

Check the stock, can you get both in your size?

There have been a few topics floating around recently regarding delivery times for Cannondale lately.

For what it's worth I just splashed out the extra £300 on top of C2W to get CAAD9 105, and I'm very happy with it (although only ridden it twice so far..... roll on weekend!).

I might have gone for the Tiagra if there was stock! Evans where I had to buy is currently suggesting May for next delivery!

ex-pat scot

I would stretch to the 105 version, mainly for the 10 speed and upgraded (lighter) components/ wheels.

That said, the Tiagra's not bad...

Flintshiremike

Hi all

Many thanks for the respective advice/pearls of wisdom. Have ridden a mates CAAD 8, but still planning to ride a 9.

I'm wasnt aware of delivery issues, so will have to start some investigation...................

Its likely to be a one off purchase - new baby on the way and redundnacy looming in the air after the election, so If I can get one im thinking I should bite the bullet and spend the cash while I have chance too!

Home to work is only 8 miles, so a bit of a harsh ride will be ok, to get the gains when racing (currently triathlons, but looking for cycle specific events soon).

If CAAD9 delivery out of the picture - what is a viable alternative (appreciate this is the $64k question)

gabriel959

Which kind of scheme have you got? the Cyclescheme one?

Flintshiremike

Yes its the Cyclescheme one - so Boardmans are out of the question.

redddraggon

Flintshiremike wrote:

PS - Reddragon im by Broughton.

That's where I live half the time these days.

williamac

Flintshiremike

If looking to buy on C2W and you fear redundancy, look carefully at the T&C's of your scheme as you may find that you have to pay off the "loan" in full without the benefit of tax relied etc when you are made redundant

Regards

William

Flintshiremike

Thanks for the tip off william - I'll check the T&C's today.

I'd like to think f I did get the chop, I'd get at least another year in before I needed to go, so that should hopefully mean I can pay off the C2W over the course of the agreement.

Lig

I had this dilemma with a mate and in the end he went for the CAAD8 with 105 (just under a grand). We were informed that unless you are a very seasoned rider you would not notice the difference of the BB30??!!

BUT as others said - supply was an issue. We were quoted delivery mid July by one shop!! But then found another that had the CAAD8 in his size...The other option was the Trek 2.1 OR if you want someing really trick and a bit different with Italian flair go for the Wilier Triestina Mirage - this would deffo be my choice - £150 over budget but a really nice frame with Carbon rear seat stays and is deffo not run of the mill!!!

Cheers,
Lig.

stevie63

Carl_P wrote:

A CAAD9 with Tiagra is still a great bike - I have one.

An opinion often voiced on here is that 105 is not that much of an upgrade and you get more bangs for your bucks with the Ultegra option.

Have you ridden a CAAD9? Before you commit your hard earned to the scheme and the bike I would recommend you do. There are some people who find the CAAD a harsh ride and find the geometry at bit too racey. I don't, but each to their own.

Hi Carl,
I note that you live near Norwich, do you mind me asking where you got your CAAD9 from? Was it a LBS or did you have to buy off the net? As far as I can tell there aren't any 'dale dealers within 50 miles of Thetford where I live. And as much as I would love one I wouldn't spend a grand on a bike without trying it first.

carl_p

stevie63 wrote:

[quote="Hi Carl,
I note that you live near Norwich, do you mind me asking where you got your CAAD9 from? Was it a LBS or did you have to buy off the net? As far as I can tell there aren't any 'dale dealers within 50 miles of Thetford where I live. And as much as I would love one I wouldn't spend a grand on a bike without trying it first.

Hi Stevie. You're right I'm not aware of any 'Dale dealers locally.

I bought off the net from www.labicicleta.co.uk. Bought a 2009 model. Their service was very good, although I did have to replace a kinked cable.

What size and spec are you looking for?

stevie63

Yeah I am looking for the 52cm model. I will prob go for the Tiagra compact.

carl_p

stevie63 wrote:

Yeah I am looking for the 52cm model. I will prob go for the Tiagra compact.

I'm 5ft 9. Size 54 fits me perfectly.

Buying online without riding it first is a bit of gamble. If however you don't like the bike, the CAAD9 is well sought after and you shouldn't have trouble offloading it. Some online sellers will do returns, but it's quite a hassle shipping a complete bike.