Cadex, I hear you say? 2nd coolest bike on here, you say?

MattFalle

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

pblakeney said:

masjer said:

Unless this friend is a model, I don't see how he can be shot unless we're in a war I don't know about.

Currently in the hottest of cold wars in the past 60 years.
RAF scrambled today to meet Russian aircraft for example.

Cold war , cold being the operative word. Let's hope it stays this way!

Hope, but people are already there. Ready to be shot at.

So this wheelbuilder is a Ukrainian?

Just in case you are not keeping up with the latest developments, UK personnel are already there and more on the way.

tbh, if you're after a scrap i'd look in the other direction: loads of tasty stuff going on already.

webboo

MattFalle said:

Question is though, sunny weather bike only or not?

although its been checked for delamination, etc and all 2Pak Shakur'd up, it is carbon and old carbon at that, so will the weather affect its integrity?

We all know that modern carbon has its, how shall we say, idisyncracies, but a beautiful classic such as this?

waddya say hive mind?

A light shower and all that will be left is something like the sludge you get out of your washing machine filter.

First.Aspect

In seriousness, you need to watch for the carbon aluminium interface. If the aluminium gets exposed and oxidises at all it may compromise the bond. I think you would have to try quite hard for a number of years mind you, but something to watch for if the joint flexes and cracks the lacquer.

Take a look at photos of old examples of the 6-13 to see what I mean.

MattFalle

FA: grazie mille - have checked all that (a previous Cadex I had suffeted with exactly what you described so was turned into a display piece and am conscious of that with my Peugeot Vitus Project Beige Arrow) - am more thinking about the Webboo situation he described succinctly above.

First.Aspect

You need to worry about spontaneous combustion above about 30C. No one mentions that about early carbon frames.

seanoconn

shirley_basso said:

Here are some sh!t photos of my old Cadex

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65473577@N08/albums/72157629865510459

I’m still working my way through the Botswana pictures

seanoconn

What’s a Cadex? And why is it good?

pinno

seanoconn said:

What’s a Cadex? And why is it good?

It was made by Giant in the mid 90's as an affordable carbon frame when the true disciple of the bonded frameset was the C40. It flexes a bit and it was prone to coming unbonded. A bit like the Vitus 979 and Carbone 9 that preceded it.

Never lived up to this

masjer

^^That is nice. Have you thought about sending it to MF for a special custom make-over?

pinno

The paintwork (courtesy of Atlantic boulevard) is stunning and no picture does the Saronni cherry red with metallic flick justice.

pinno

pinno

masjer said:

^^That is nice. Have you thought about sending it to MF for a special custom make-over?

That is a painful thought.

pinno

seanoconn said:

What’s a Cadex? And why is it good?

I forgot to add - Cadex frames are two a penny and with elbow grease, some sandpaper and lacquer looks like...
something I would hang on the wall.

First.Aspect

You barstweards are going to have me on eBay at this rate.

I already have a six-13 (well actually a supersix, which was more 13 than the six-13).

How many classic frame designs is it reasonable to have?

pinno

As many as you have room to put them?

darkhairedlord

First.Aspect said:

You need to worry about spontaneous combustion above about 30C. No one mentions that about early carbon frames.

that's only if you use a cotton cloth to polish it; the static build up can cause serious issues in the lay-up. Essentially they act as capacitors but the very high voltage from the static breaks down the bond between the layers.

First.Aspect

darkhairedlord said:

First.Aspect said:

You need to worry about spontaneous combustion above about 30C. No one mentions that about early carbon frames.

that's only if you use a cotton cloth to polish it; the static build up can cause serious issues in the lay-up. Essentially they act as capacitors but the very high voltage from the static breaks down the bond between the layers.

That is why they were so flexy.

pinno

But as far as classic frames go...
[lights touch paper] The C40 was way ahead of it's time. I rode a Columbus SL Battaglin for 18 years. After that a Alu Pinarello with Carbon forks, then a Wilier Izoard. The Izoard just about killed off any nostalgic notion of riding a classic (steel) frame on a regular basis.
Carbon is beautiful, forgiving and in the case of the C40 - a frame I couldn't afford at the time, a frame for a while that seemingly every classic and WC was won on a C40 ridden by someone better accustomed to EPO.
I bought a very tired frame for £440. Here is the original listing shot:



Looked great but discovered a deep scratch on the other side of the top tube and flaky paint, corroded drop outs and on exposed bits of the BB shell. Well used, as it should be.
But is was the legendary C40 and I owned it.
Clad it in Chorus with Ksyrium''s and pedalled 35 hilly miles on it on my first outing. I was totally deflated by the whole experience, completely uninspired.
It sat in the corner of the living room for 6 months until I went out with the local guys in winter and got dropped up a climb because my now winter hack, the Alu Pinarello with lights and mudguards was waaaay below the rides of everything buzzing around me and heavy.
So I took the notion to turn the tired C40 into a winter bike, bought some better (more forgiving) wheels. This a set of 'very used Dura Ace C35's with some wear left on the rims', for a mere £254 on fleabay. I got them and my jaw dropped. They weren't mint but they were in far better condition than I anticipated from the description.
On the next outing I was received with some admiring glances and a bit of incredulity at a C40 with mudguards but the wheels and the gruppo together made the frame sing.
What I got form the Izoard was an immediacy from every ounce of pedal power (an immediacy I miss I will seek another greyhound this year) and making the comparison with a frame some 14 years it's junior and made in the dawn of the CF era is somewhat erroneous.
But is it? The Izoard benefitted from 16(?) years of CF evolution, it is a monocoque frame and the C40 is bonded CF tubes into lugs like the Vitus before it. So it rides like a classic frame but it has a subtlety alien to the feeling of the Izoard. It is testament to the C40's brilliance that a Wilier (benefitting from evolution and technology, lightness and rigidity) is no better in many ways than the antiquated, seemingly crude combination of CF, glue and aluminium.
You press the pedals on the C40 and the bike does respond albeit without that immediacy - and for what purpose and with whom will I race off the lights? You go over rough roads and the bike absorbs all the shock and road buzz and you get off the bike like you have done a ride 15% less distance.
It's forgiving but not soft though it's never harsh. I can descend with silly confidence in a way classic steel frames do but without any suggestion of twitchyness.
Now loving my comfortable winter slippers and it's inherent subtlety of inexplicable attributes and experience plied into it by the great Ernesto, I had it repaired, restored, painted and embellished.

If you want to be on the beach before the Germans, better buy a C40 and in the process, empty the bucket list of classic frames...

Except maybe one of these:



Though I wouldn't ride it; it would just hang on the wall.

slowmart

MF You need to post images worthy of your new love.

MattFalle

Will get some done today - tricky to get decent piccies of the carbon weave with rubbish telephone camera but will see what I can do!

shirley_basso

seanoconn said:

shirley_basso said:

Here are some sh!t photos of my old Cadex

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65473577@N08/albums/72157629865510459

I’m still working my way through the Botswana pictures

You should go, if you haven't been before.

pinno

shirley_basso said:

seanoconn said:

shirley_basso said:

Here are some sh!t photos of my old Cadex

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65473577@N08/albums/72157629865510459

I’m still working my way through the Botswana pictures

You should go, if you haven't been before.

Yes, before all the Rhino's are gone.
60 were lost to poaching on the Okovango last year alone because the current president is a d1ck and de-armed the anti-poaching squads.

masjer

MattFalle said:

masjer said:

That crank-chainring combo looks a bit iffy.

its not.

its fits perfect, works perfect and is as light as and better than anything you have.

i have the same set up on 3 other bikes and they all work perfect.

just because you don't understand how to set up somethibg or how something works doesn't mean its iffy. all you have to do us ask a question and we'll explain.

The reason I said the crankset looks iffy, is that you've fitted the chainring on the wrong side of the spider.

masjer

masjer

Looks like it's fitted the wrong way round in the pic too.

MattFalle

First.Aspect said:

You need to worry about spontaneous combustion above about 30C. No one mentions that about early carbon frames.

So would it be best if it wasn't kept

masjer said:

MattFalle said:

masjer said:

That crank-chainring combo looks a bit iffy.

its not.

its fits perfect, works perfect and is as light as and better than anything you have.

i have the same set up on 3 other bikes and they all work perfect.

just because you don't understand how to set up somethibg or how something works doesn't mean its iffy. all you have to do us ask a question and we'll explain.

The reason I said the crankset looks iffy, is that you've fitted the chainring on the wrong side of the spider.

you are incorrect.

you can fit them on either side in order to improve the chainline and therefore stop the chain dropping on changes high up the cassette.

see discussions passim.

masjer

You ain't going to get it "fuckinggorgeous" with that!
How about BB length/size for chain-line

masjer

This might help you understand;
https://parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chainline-concepts

Ben6899

pinno said:

I forgot to add - Cadex frames are two a penny…

Find me a 980c.

First.Aspect

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Racing-bike-Alan-Carbon-Alu-Campagnolo-C-Record-Delta-52-x-53-Vintage-Heroic-/265531110248?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=724-127637-2357-0

I'll just leave that here.