How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

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edk
Posts: 57
Joined: 10 May 2010, 10:06am

How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by edk »

I have a Cannondale CAAD 8 Tiagra 2011 bike (£300 second hand) and am looking to upgrade it a little - I have about £300 to £400 to spend on it.

So far I have changed the crankset from FSA to Tiagra and the tyres are 23mm Continental Grand Prix 4000S with Michelin A1 Aircomp latex inner tubes.

Everything else is stock.

I was thinking about changing the wheels but know very little about what would be a suitable upgrade. Recently alot of rear spokes have been popping.

In the past I have bought hand built wheels from Spa for an everyday bike so the emphasis was on reliability/longevity (Sputnik rims/105 hubs/double butted sapim spokes).

I don't race and I only ride about 120 miles a week - normally just an hour for each ride (trying to build up my avg from 18mph to 20+ mph over an hour at the moment). Not a massive amount of hills here. Quite a few potholes.

So, for me, I don't need an ultra light race wheel but I would like something that lasts well but will be an improvement on the current Maddux R 3.0 wheels.

Other things I was thinking about replacing:
Brakes - currently C4 / should I be looking at Tiagra or maybe 105 ?
Saddle - currently Cannondale own brand - starting to wear through - I like the idea of a Brooks saddle but not sure which model ?
Any advice?
edk
Posts: 57
Joined: 10 May 2010, 10:06am

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by edk »

Just had a quick look at some reviews:
Are the Campagnolo Zonda clincher a good option? (I can get them for £224 ex-vat)

Price seems good and would leave me with a little to spend on other upgrades.

Or would I not see much of a difference with the current maddux wheelset?

Thanks.
student
Posts: 115
Joined: 20 Dec 2012, 7:48am
Location: Hungary

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by student »

Zondas are awsome, consider them as Fulcrum Racing 3s.

around 1.6 kg, and spin very smootholy, a very rigid wheelset imho. Would be a nice upgrade. You can build lighter wheels (ie.: open pro rims, 2-1.5-2 DB spokes, novatec hubs) but those will be more expensive. Campag wheelsets are hammerred around here alot, and most hungarians prefer campag or fulcrum wheelsets over mavic or shimano manufactured ones as they'rwe more durable.

Oh, and most of us cannot afford lacing a custom wheelset, which would be even better imho. BTW, selling the whole group and changing it to campag veloce would save a lot of weight. Tiagra is totally reliable, but a bit on the heavy side. I guess your Tiagra gruppo is from the 4500 series, correct? (9speed)
I'm located outside the UK. Never been there, not even considering getting a work there once I have my degree. :)
edk
Posts: 57
Joined: 10 May 2010, 10:06am

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by edk »

Damn Just broke another spoke tonight... (rear drive side)

@student : Thanks for the info - will consider the Zondas - might see how much a handbuilt set will cost too and will also have a read around.

Any other advice?
Thanks,
Ed
student
Posts: 115
Joined: 20 Dec 2012, 7:48am
Location: Hungary

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by student »

If you were Hungarian, I'd just recommend wheeldoctor, who essentially has the same niche here as the cycle clinic in the UK :D

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-Cycle-Clinic

Miche Racing Box or Primato Sintesi hubs in pair cost 20k HUF (54 GBP). Those are mostly laced with ACI alpina DB spokes or with Sapim Race spokes, with ambrosio evolution or excellence rims.

If on a very tight budget, then rims can be have from remerx or ryde (eg..: remerx rapid, ryde flyer) and with standard 2mm spokes

I always prefer 3cross pattern front and rear, more comfortable, more compliant, less harsh. :\

or another option:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/road ... aid:339571
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/road ... aid:401816

rosebikes offer several handbuilt wheelsets with 36 spokes. Though robably they can build them with 32spokes also..
I'm located outside the UK. Never been there, not even considering getting a work there once I have my degree. :)
edk
Posts: 57
Joined: 10 May 2010, 10:06am

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by edk »

Recently the rear mech flipped into the wheel.
I have replaced the rear derailleur and started to put the bike back together last night & I can see that the rear wheel is out of alignment.

I've tried to get it back into shape but can't tweek it very well with a spoke key.

Currently out in two places by about 5mm side to side and also out vertically by about 5mm.

Spokes look damaged too from the rear mech damage.

So thought I could either buy the cheapest spoke tensioning tool and check the tension on all the spokes & replace damaged ones.
or...
Buy some new wheels.

I'm 90kg.
Will I be too heavy for the Zonda's?

Are the Zondas suitable for 9speed cassettes?

At the moment I am a bit fed up with the current wheels as I seem to spend time fixing/replacing spokes/truing them. They are 3 years old. I've put 1000 miles on them and my mate who had them before probably put 2000 on them.
As you can see I'm leaning towards the Zondas!

Good idea? Bad idea?
edk
Posts: 57
Joined: 10 May 2010, 10:06am

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by edk »

Bought Zondas and an ultegra 6500 9 speed 11-23 cassette.

Hopefully that should work.
Brucey
Posts: 44522
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: How to upgrade a CAAD 8 2011 ?

Post by Brucey »

it is very handy to have a set of spare wheels; if the old ones are not too badly worn in the rims, it might be worth getting them respoked by someone who knows what they are doing.

BTW @90kg you are on the bubble for most campag equipment's 'recommended maximum weight'. Plenty of people exceed this, but campag don't recommend it.

I guess you will now have learned what to look out for in terms of rear mech adjustment; a top tip is to check your bike every time you ride it; all it takes is for the bike to get knocked or to fall over and this can bend the rear mech in slightly; this can be just enough send it into the spokes when bottom gear is selected.

Very many current rear mechs are very badly designed in that they seem almost intended to snarl up in the spokes without the slightest provocation, having sharp edges on the parts that touch the spokes first.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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