Cannondale or Merlin?

Mombee

So I’ve decided that a CX bike with Sora kit is going to ideal as a starter race bike and winter hack… The Cannondale CAADX was the way I was heading, my previous road bike was a 'Dale, I’ve always liked the brand and the bike seems to be noticeably lighter than other similar bikes (like the Cube Cross Race)… but Merlin, with their winter discounts have just thrown their x2.0 in to the mix. Unfortunately being Bristol-based, I’m not going to be able to see one in the flesh easily, but while the Merlin seems to be carrying a bit of extra weight, it does seem to be closer to the ideals of cyclocross race bike (the CAADX is great, but is it closer to it’s road bike heritage)… and Merlin have some more local roots… any thoughts on either would be gratefully received.

ugo.santalucia

The Merlin is an infinitely better deal. With the Caad you are essentially buying bottom of the range parts and some expensive stickers

Mombee

I don't think that it's that simple, as both bikes are built pretty much round the Sora groupset… I'd agree that the brakes (Avid BB7's on the Merlin) seem to be the main differentiator… but Cannondale use the Promax Render's across the bulk of their CAADX range, and you could easily argue that 'Dale in-house components are better than the parts sourced for the Merlin.
Note that part of the reason for going with the Sora option, aside from cutting some cost from a winter bike, is that I may be recycling an Ultegra 6800 groupset sometime next year, so I'm interested in which frame is most worthy of that.
Note also that I recognise that the standard wheels are a compromise on both bikes, so they'll be part of an upgrade sometime next year as well.

ugo.santalucia

I was looking at the wrong Merlin, the 105 one... :oops:

Mombee

There's a CCADX in 105 as well… so like-for-like, is a 105 Merlin better than a 105 'Dale CAADX, or vice versa?

How Far is too Far

The CAADX is well reviewed and always seem to get good write ups. This along with a good warranty and you could get it from a local shop. Also if you wanted to sell the bike I am fairly sure the CAADX would be easier to sell and you would probably loose less money.

imposter2.0

You might want to consider whether you want BB30 (on the dale) or a standard 68mm threaded BB (on the Merlin). I know what I'd prefer....

Mombee

Thanks for this… the future-proofing of the BB30 does counter the BB7's somewhat… I'd like to think that this was a simple head vs heart decision, but I think the familiarity with Cannondale is going to swing it. Something to ponder for the next few days while the shops are shut :-)

ugo.santalucia

Mombee wrote:

Thanks for this… the future-proofing of the BB30 does counter the BB7's somewhat… I'd like to think that this was a simple head vs heart decision, but I think the familiarity with Cannondale is going to swing it. Something to ponder for the next few days while the shops are shut :-)

At a guess I'd say Imposter meant he'd rather have the threaded BB. BB30 has been more trouble than it's worth and quite a few people use the conversion kit to make it into a traditional size...

imposter2.0

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Mombee wrote:

Thanks for this… the future-proofing of the BB30 does counter the BB7's somewhat… I'd like to think that this was a simple head vs heart decision, but I think the familiarity with Cannondale is going to swing it. Something to ponder for the next few days while the shops are shut :-)

At a guess I'd say Imposter meant he'd rather have the threaded BB.

Correct

Mombee

Hmmm… I'd not heard that about BB30, I thought that they were proving to be a fairly reliable standard… more homework??

ugo.santalucia

Mombee wrote:

Hmmm… I'd not heard that about BB30, I thought that they were proving to be a fairly reliable standard… more homework??

Maybe according to Cannondale... according to others BB30 is absolute garbage...

How Far is too Far

Or many other have no problems with them, I have 6 bikes 5 of them are BB30.

How Far is too Far

Got to be worth considering at this price.

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/cannon ... 15-p258055

Silly Old Hector

How Far is too Far wrote:

Got to be worth considering at this price.

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/cannon ... 15-p258055

That's the baby - great bike, great price. BB30 fine from C'dale. Remember to size it small.

tgotb

How Far is too Far wrote:

Or many other have no problems with them, I have 6 bikes 5 of them are BB30.

5 CX bikes with BB30, or just 5 bikes?

Both mine have BB30, and it's great, especially in the first part of the season. Only downside in the later part of the season is the maintenance; so long as you do this properly after every ride, especially if you've pressure-washed the bike, you shouldn't have any problems:
1. Remove cranks
2. Remove all bearing seals
3. Remove mud/grease as best you can
4. Regrease
5. Reassemble

Only takes ~10 minutes.

You can occasionally get away without doing this even if it's been muddy, though there's a risk that the bearings will seize.

If you're less keen on bike maintenance, you might want to look at something like Hollowtech, though you'll have to put up with the extra flex of a 24mm spindle.

tgotb

Silly Old Hector wrote:

Remember to size it small.

Why? Unless you're very small, and standover height is an issue, not sure I agree with this.

How Far is too Far

TGOTB wrote:

How Far is too Far wrote:

Or many other have no problems with them, I have 6 bikes 5 of them are BB30.

5 CX bikes with BB30, or just 5 bikes?

Both mine have BB30, and it's great, especially in the first part of the season. Only downside in the later part of the season is the maintenance; so long as you do this properly after every ride, especially if you've pressure-washed the bike, you shouldn't have any problems:
1. Remove cranks
2. Remove all bearing seals
3. Remove mud/grease as best you can
4. Regrease
5. Reassemble

Only takes ~10 minutes.

You can occasionally get away without doing this even if it's been muddy, though there's a risk that the bearings will seize.

If you're less keen on bike maintenance, you might want to look at something like Hollowtech, though you'll have to put up with the extra flex of a 24mm spindle.

My 5 BB30 Bikes are
Cannondale Supersix HM
Cannondale SuperX
Cannondale SuperX DiskHM
Cannondale Synapse Disk Alloy
Whyte 29C MTB

I Have a Canyon CF SL with a press fit bb

Between the above bikes I have cycled over 15,000 miles and 900,000 ft climbed this year alone, so they get used. They are all on original bearings, BB30 just needs a re grease after a few 1000 miles

tgotb

How Far is too Far wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

How Far is too Far wrote:

Or many other have no problems with them, I have 6 bikes 5 of them are BB30.

5 CX bikes with BB30, or just 5 bikes?

Both mine have BB30, and it's great, especially in the first part of the season. Only downside in the later part of the season is the maintenance; so long as you do this properly after every ride, especially if you've pressure-washed the bike, you shouldn't have any problems:
1. Remove cranks
2. Remove all bearing seals
3. Remove mud/grease as best you can
4. Regrease
5. Reassemble

Only takes ~10 minutes.

You can occasionally get away without doing this even if it's been muddy, though there's a risk that the bearings will seize.

If you're less keen on bike maintenance, you might want to look at something like Hollowtech, though you'll have to put up with the extra flex of a 24mm spindle.

My 5 BB30 Bikes are
Cannondale Supersix HM
Cannondale SuperX
Cannondale SuperX DiskHM
Cannondale Synapse Disk Alloy
Whyte 29C MTB

I Have a Canyon CF SL with a press fit bb

Between the above bikes I have cycled over 15,000 miles and 900,000 ft climbed this year alone, so they get used. They are all on original bearings, BB30 just needs a re grease after a few 1000 miles

Yep, they're great in benign conditions.

How many of those miles were in muddy CX races, and how many times have you pressure washed those bikes?

Mombee

I’ve stuck with what I know best from a sizing and ride perspective, the ‘Dale… a very good price from Westbrook Cycles… http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/cannon ... 15-p258053 (it’s back at RRP at the moment, but was £680). I know it’s not a local bike shop, but I do make good use of the local shops, so I don’t feel too guilty about buying this remotely.
I will take a good look at the BB30 service needs - bottom brackets tend to get completley overlooked, so it's probably a good discipline to get in the habit of regular checks.
And I've not ruled out the Merlin as an upgrade next season… just need to see a few in the flesh, at various CX events maybe?
Quick commemnt on the sizing… my Cannondale road bike was a 58cm frame and always felt a little over-sized - the Bianchi is 57.5cm, but when you compare the geometry's, it's very closely matched to the 56cm 'Dale… so I've down-sized the 'Dale.