CDV900
Cannondale Fan
After years watching from the sidelines I’m taking the plunge with my first post. Finally found time and motivation to start a project which I will post about when complete; but predictably timings have stretched so attention turned to another of my bikes. It’s a 1996 Cannondale M300, not that desirable or rare, but with a lot of sentimental value having been in my family since new as my brother’s first proper bike. And inspired by @Cloverleaf 's equivalent M300 post I figured it would be worth sharing here.
I claimed it as my daily commuter in 2000. Given the utilitarian charcoal colour the idea was to create an urban bike similar to the just launched Bad Boy concept. By this stage the original Altus / Alivio / Acera / Gripshift components were fairly worn out. On went a set of M750 XT / Mavic X317 wheels shod with Specialized Fatboy slicks and relatively newly released Deore M510 cranks, derailleurs, shifters and V-Brakes. Needing the bike quickly I focused on the best price rather than aesthetics leading to an unpleasing mix of black and matt silver components. They functioned perfectly but I still felt the bike could be lighter, so I ditched the heavy Cr-Mo forks (still have them kicking around somewhere), stem and seatpost; replaced by a Pace RC31 fork, Thomson Elite Stem, Ritchey ProLite EA70 Bar and USE Alien seatpost.
The bike felt transformed and served me amazingly for many years covering mixed on and off road duties and considerable commuter miles. It was my go-to for the London to Brighton as well as my first foray into triathlon. As the events got more serious however I finally gave in and acquired a road bike … relegating the M300 to lighter duties. After a year back in storage I figured the bike deserved a full strip-down, clean and overhaul.
The crankset, whilst still usable, was pretty beat-up so I hunted down something a little nicer; a set of CODA Tarantulas which I felt suited the bike and somehow seemed appropriate for the build. On went an XT M751 rear derailleur (helpfully matching my hubs) and M950 XTR brake levers; both thrown in with a separate frame purchase. I also managed to track down a matching XT M750 front derailleur. I discovered hairline cracking around the drive side eyelets on the rear wheel rim; annoying as otherwise the wheelset was in great shape. I might have got away with light use but figured it wasn’t worth the risk. Whilst searching for a replacement rim to rebuild the wheel I managed to track down an identical full M750 / Mavic X317 rear. Turned out it wasn’t an exact match with plain gauge spokes rather than butted; and needed more work than I anticipated. Bearings ran rough, the freehub was shot so I had to swap my original one over and it needed some work to true and tension the spokes. After a bearing service it seems okay. To complement the refreshed wheelset I sourced some early Hope Ti QRs ( thanks @bhill22 ) to replace the cheap anti-theft bolts installed for commuter duties (the original XT skewers seem to have been mislaid). Also thought I’d try a set of wider multi-use tyres to up the grip and comfort a little. Predictably ended up with Schwalbe Billy Bonkers which seem great value compared to the other options. Done to death I know ... sorry! Will see how they work out in use. Completed with a new 9 speed chain and it’s done. Feels as good as always and looking revived … really pleased with how it came out.
M300 - Original 1996 Catalogue
I claimed it as my daily commuter in 2000. Given the utilitarian charcoal colour the idea was to create an urban bike similar to the just launched Bad Boy concept. By this stage the original Altus / Alivio / Acera / Gripshift components were fairly worn out. On went a set of M750 XT / Mavic X317 wheels shod with Specialized Fatboy slicks and relatively newly released Deore M510 cranks, derailleurs, shifters and V-Brakes. Needing the bike quickly I focused on the best price rather than aesthetics leading to an unpleasing mix of black and matt silver components. They functioned perfectly but I still felt the bike could be lighter, so I ditched the heavy Cr-Mo forks (still have them kicking around somewhere), stem and seatpost; replaced by a Pace RC31 fork, Thomson Elite Stem, Ritchey ProLite EA70 Bar and USE Alien seatpost.
The bike felt transformed and served me amazingly for many years covering mixed on and off road duties and considerable commuter miles. It was my go-to for the London to Brighton as well as my first foray into triathlon. As the events got more serious however I finally gave in and acquired a road bike … relegating the M300 to lighter duties. After a year back in storage I figured the bike deserved a full strip-down, clean and overhaul.
The crankset, whilst still usable, was pretty beat-up so I hunted down something a little nicer; a set of CODA Tarantulas which I felt suited the bike and somehow seemed appropriate for the build. On went an XT M751 rear derailleur (helpfully matching my hubs) and M950 XTR brake levers; both thrown in with a separate frame purchase. I also managed to track down a matching XT M750 front derailleur. I discovered hairline cracking around the drive side eyelets on the rear wheel rim; annoying as otherwise the wheelset was in great shape. I might have got away with light use but figured it wasn’t worth the risk. Whilst searching for a replacement rim to rebuild the wheel I managed to track down an identical full M750 / Mavic X317 rear. Turned out it wasn’t an exact match with plain gauge spokes rather than butted; and needed more work than I anticipated. Bearings ran rough, the freehub was shot so I had to swap my original one over and it needed some work to true and tension the spokes. After a bearing service it seems okay. To complement the refreshed wheelset I sourced some early Hope Ti QRs ( thanks @bhill22 ) to replace the cheap anti-theft bolts installed for commuter duties (the original XT skewers seem to have been mislaid). Also thought I’d try a set of wider multi-use tyres to up the grip and comfort a little. Predictably ended up with Schwalbe Billy Bonkers which seem great value compared to the other options. Done to death I know ... sorry! Will see how they work out in use. Completed with a new 9 speed chain and it’s done. Feels as good as always and looking revived … really pleased with how it came out.
| Frame | M300 1996 (20") CAAD2 |
| Fork | Pace RC31 |
| Stem | Thomson Elite 25.4 120mm 5 degree |
| Headset | FSA Orbit 1” |
| Handlebar | Ritchey ProLite EA70 560mm x 25.4mm |
| Grips | ODI Rogue PWC Lock-on |
| Seatpost | USE Alien Aluminium 350 |
| Saddle | SDG Bel-Air RL Titanium |
| Hubs | Shimano Deore XT M750 |
| Rims | Mavic X517 SUP 32/32h |
| Wheel QR | Hope Titanium |
| Shifters | Shimano Deore SL-M510 3x9 |
| Front Derailleur | Shimano Deore XT FD-M750 bottom pull top swing triple |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano Deore XT RD-M751 9 Speed |
| Brake Levers | Shimano XTR BL-M950 |
| Brakes | Shimano Deore BR-M510 V-brakes |
| Bottom Bracket | Shimano BB-UN52 110mm axle |
| Crankset | CODA Tarantula SL 175mm |
| Chainrings | CODA 7075-T6 Aluminium (44/32), Titanium (22) |
| Cassette | Shimano CS-HG70-9 9 Speed |
| Chain | KMC X9 EPT |
| Pedals | Shimano PD-M540 |
| Tires | Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 26x2.10 folding |
