NEW BIKE- Cannondale

daniel Preston

Hi Guys,

Just looking for my first geared road bike having ridden a single speed for the past 4 years.

I would really like a CAAD 8, but not sure what is best between the CAAD 8 7 Sora or the CAAD 8 8 Claris. Obviously Sora is better but is there any difference in the frame etc from year to year?

I also had a look and a go on the Pinnacle DOLOMITE FIVE with sram apex set up that felt nice but it is a bit more expensive than the CAAD's. I know that Cannondale are pedigree when it comes to there aluminium frames, how does pinnacle stack up against them?

Thanks

iron-clover

Hi there!
There won't be any difference in the frame between the two Caad8s, only the components.

You are right that Sora is a rung higher on Shimano's tree than Claris, but there's not a lot of difference between them tbh now that Claris has come out to replace the old 2300. The only real difference is that Claris is 8 speed and Sora is 9 speed.
Until a couple of months ago I rode and raced on 2300 (the precursor to Claris) and got on well with the 12-25 cassette, and had an 8 speed 12-23 SRAM cassette for racing duties. With a compact chainset that 25t sprocket on the back got me up every kind of hill you can imagine in the South, all of the iconic Peak district climbs and only came unstuck on the 33% hairpin of Hardknott pass (I had *just* managed Wrynose about an hour earlier, but that's about the limit before the front wheel leaves the ground...)

I also have 9 speed on my TT bike, and there is little difference between tooth spacing, the only advantage is you can put on an extra cog without having big gear ratio gaps (which is very bad!) and say have a 28t bail out gear or an 11t power gear for racing.
Bearing in mind you've spent 4 years on a single speed I don't think you're going to need super low gears most of the time so I would save your money and go with Claris- replacement chains and cassettes are also very cheap now so makes a good workhorse group.

As for the Dolomite, the reviews seem fairly good for their frames, although their earlier models were a little harsh, but they have mudguard mounts and clearance for much bigger tyres which is a definite plus.
The Caad8 is more of a sporty ride- I can't see any guard mounts and probably has tighter clearances, but they have bought their experience to bear on the frame and it is apparently quite good, and probably the superior of the two tbh.

At the end of the day though, you'll need to find a bike that fits you best, otherwise no matter how good the frame is you're not going to enjoy it at all!
Good luck!

daniel Preston

Cheers Clover, thanks for the in-depth feedback should make my decision a lot easier. I thought that might be the case with the frames.

I will ride both the CAAD and Dolomite again and see which I prefer.

Thanks again!

banditvic

Pauls cycles doing a CAAD 8 for £399 in most sizes 2013 but who cares.