Any ideas what this bike originally was? (under the blue house paint)

[uart]

Last Sunday when we stopped for coffee a guy in an adjacent shop came to ask us if anyone want to buy this thing cheap (bike of deceased friend or family member I believe). Sorry for the rough picture, I only snapped it really quickly on my phone as I wasn't the least bit interested in it at the time (but told the guy I'd show it to a friend who may have an interest).

So now I'm just wondering what this thing is. No remaining decals that I could see. Pretty sure the frame was aluminium, felt fairly light. Horrible blue paint job that looked like someone had some left over house paint.

The really thick down tube with the taper (getting fatter towards the BB) looks familiar. Can anyone eyeball this one?



Larger Image HERE.

[P!N20]

Cannondale CAAD 4?

[uart]

Cannondale CAAD 4?

Thanks PIN20. I was also thinking Cannondale, but knew very little about their line up. How did you come up with the CAAD 4?

BTW. Would that be an Al or a carbon fork if it's the CAAD 4?

[P!N20]

^ Looked like a Cannondale so I just Googled a few of the earlier CAAD models. I reckon it would be an alu fork, but I’m no ‘Dale expert.

[bychosis]

I thought Cannondale when I saw it, but have very limited knowledge of alloy road bikes.

[10speedsemiracer]

I briefly thought Cannondale/Trek but am now wondering if it's some sort of older Avanti ?

[jaseyjase]

Cannondale CAAD 4?

id say a CAD3 going by the (removable) down tube shifter location.

Junctions and rear drop outs also look consistent.

Slice forks? unsure if carbon or alloy.

[Derny Driver]

Looks and sounds stolen

[uart]

Cannondale CAAD 4?

id say a CAD3 going by the (removable) down tube shifter location.

Junctions and rear drop outs also look consistent.

Slice forks? unsure if carbon or alloy.

Yeah I was looking at old CAAD images after PIN20 mention the CADD4, and I also came to the conclusion that it looks a lot more like the CAAD3 than the CAAD4. Especially around the rear stays and dropouts.

I'm still a little unsure about the two little "pins" projecting from the rear dropout (not the hanger, but just in front of the hanger). So far none of the images I've seen have that particular detail. What are those anyway, are they for attaching a different type of hanger or something?

Will have to look up some images of old Advanti's and see what I can find.

[uart]

Looks and sounds stolen

No, the guy seemed legit. The bike is in crap condition (brifters not even cabled up, unridable), not worth pinching in the first place and definitely not worth this guy's time to be messing with stolen property at this lower value while he's running a legitimate business.

I believed him that this is just something that got left to him in someones estate.

[10speedsemiracer]

to be honest, I think this may be one of those late '90s low-mid bikes which includes a bunch of things like Avanti, Wheeler etc. Probz nothing special but could make a fun project, or if it's cheap enough and some of the bits are in good condition, may be worth grabbing for salvage purposes and sell the frame on.

[P!N20]

Cannondale CAAD 4?

id say a CAD3 going by the (removable) down tube shifter location.

3, 4, 10...as if there was any difference. <evil>

Just check if there’s any cracks and that will tell you if it was a C’dale.

[trailgumby]

to be honest, I think this may be one of those late '90s low-mid bikes which includes a bunch of things like Avanti, Wheeler etc. Probz nothing special but could make a fun project, or if it's cheap enough and some of the bits are in good condition, may be worth grabbing for salvage purposes and sell the frame on.

Um... Nope.

Observe that the tube junction welds are sanded smooth. So far as I'm aware, only Cannondale bothered with that, and even if I'm mistaken about that, the extra labour cost involved is definitely a mark that it is *not* a low-mid frame. If it's carbon rather than alloy, at that vintage it's even less likely to be a low-mid frame.

Does that make sense?

Edit: Fat DT is another hint in the direction of it being a 'dale.

[10speedsemiracer]

Understand what you're saying, and the DT was the first indicator to me that it may be a Cannondale, but the fork profile and the DT taper sort of took me away from that. I think perhaps my choice of low-mid terminology wasn't entirely the right terminology to use but based on one photo of a bike in Bunnings duco, it doesn't look like a high-end bike. In my mind I was thinking a $1000 +/- bike at the time it was sold, I don't know why, it's just the feeling I get, and still think it's something semi-generic along the lines of an Avanti or Wheeler or something like that, but in reality we would need better/more pics to get any further.

[Thoglette]

Any numbers under the bottom bracket?

[P!N20]

Dibs on the pedals.

[munga]

seat tube clamp says cannondale to me too

[10speedsemiracer]

Actually the more I look at it the more I think trailgumby, Munga and others are right. Possibly a late-90s Cannondale r600 :