rupertpupkin
Retro Newbie
1997 Cannondale M400 Killer V Restomod 26 inch
This bike was new to me back in 1998/1999. It was won by my aunt in a raffle. I purchased off her and rode it around a bit back then. It had a low level Rock Shox fork on it that I have never been able to identify. Had very limited travel and adjustment knobs never seemed to make a difference.
In 2008, I was riding the bike in college and bent a wheel. I decided to replace the wheelset with Mavic Crossride UB wheels and at the time I installed a new Easton EA70 Monkey Bar Riser and Stem. These small mods made it nicer to ride around campus.
The bike sat virtually unused for about the last ten years. The frame has very minor scrapes, and the components saw very little use for a bike of its age.
Fast forward to 2018. I wanted to use the bike again, but it needed some love. The current tech and standards are far from this relic. I decided to restore it and make it a color scheme I actually liked. The very loud mango and red was too much for me. I decided to strip the bike down to the frame and restore or replace every component. The frame had absolutely zero dents, or any major issues. Most of the components had some surface rust, but otherwise were in excellent shape.
I will list below, but nearly everything was replaced with newer, better components. My first task was to find a fork from that era in good shape, and that had the proper straight through 1 1/8 inch steerer with a usable length on the steerer tube. I came across a gem of a fork in this legendary Marzocchi Z.1 BAM 130mm fork from 1999. It had just a hair over the length I needed and was in excellent shape. It needed new seals and oil which was not a big deal. When I broke it down and drained the oil I am convinced it was all original oil and seals from 1999. The smaller components were all sourced from various online retailers and over the course of two months I assembled this bike.
The frame is a size small or medium and has an October 1997 date according to its serial number. Originally it was an “m400,” but was an odd frame with the V option. I am not a big person 5’6” so it fits me well. As for the people who say why not put the money into a new bike…This thing is flat out cool to me and that wasn’t the point. I am very happy with the outcome and the mix of old and new tech. Hope people enjoy this, and it will be put to good use. I plan to ride this thing and get it dirty and enjoy it. On to some photos of the whole process and a list of components.
The only original components left are:
• Frame
• Seatpost clamp
• Drivetrain (3x7) and cranks
Component List:
• 1997 Cannondale V Frame
• 1999 Marzocchi Z.1 BAM 130mm Fork
• Enduro Seals and wipers 30mm
• Spectro Golden 125/150 7.5W Oil (Original spec from Marzocchi)
• Cane Creek Forty Headset (Replaced AHeadset)
• Hope Space Doctor Headset Spacers
• Mavic Crossride UB Wheelset 26 inch
• Shimano UB 55 Bottom Bracket (Upgraded from UB27)- 68x110 Square Taper
• Shimano Deore T610 V Brakes F/R
• Shimano Revoshift Shifters 3x7
• Lizard Skin Lock on shorty grips
• Easton EA70 Monkey Bar Riser Handlebars
• Easton EA70 Seatpost
• WTB Volt Team Saddle
• SRAM Truvativ Hussefelt 40mm Stem
• Shimano SAINT MX80 Flat Pedals
• Shimano HG71 Chain
• Michelin Wild Grip’R2 26x2.1 Tires
• Schwalbe Tubes
• Shimano Deore T611 V Brake Levers
• Frame stripped and powder coated close to VW Nardo Grey- High gloss, no metallic
• Black vinyl decals by Gil from Retro Decals
• 170mm cranks powder coated semi gloss black
This bike was new to me back in 1998/1999. It was won by my aunt in a raffle. I purchased off her and rode it around a bit back then. It had a low level Rock Shox fork on it that I have never been able to identify. Had very limited travel and adjustment knobs never seemed to make a difference.
In 2008, I was riding the bike in college and bent a wheel. I decided to replace the wheelset with Mavic Crossride UB wheels and at the time I installed a new Easton EA70 Monkey Bar Riser and Stem. These small mods made it nicer to ride around campus.
The bike sat virtually unused for about the last ten years. The frame has very minor scrapes, and the components saw very little use for a bike of its age.
Fast forward to 2018. I wanted to use the bike again, but it needed some love. The current tech and standards are far from this relic. I decided to restore it and make it a color scheme I actually liked. The very loud mango and red was too much for me. I decided to strip the bike down to the frame and restore or replace every component. The frame had absolutely zero dents, or any major issues. Most of the components had some surface rust, but otherwise were in excellent shape.
I will list below, but nearly everything was replaced with newer, better components. My first task was to find a fork from that era in good shape, and that had the proper straight through 1 1/8 inch steerer with a usable length on the steerer tube. I came across a gem of a fork in this legendary Marzocchi Z.1 BAM 130mm fork from 1999. It had just a hair over the length I needed and was in excellent shape. It needed new seals and oil which was not a big deal. When I broke it down and drained the oil I am convinced it was all original oil and seals from 1999. The smaller components were all sourced from various online retailers and over the course of two months I assembled this bike.
The frame is a size small or medium and has an October 1997 date according to its serial number. Originally it was an “m400,” but was an odd frame with the V option. I am not a big person 5’6” so it fits me well. As for the people who say why not put the money into a new bike…This thing is flat out cool to me and that wasn’t the point. I am very happy with the outcome and the mix of old and new tech. Hope people enjoy this, and it will be put to good use. I plan to ride this thing and get it dirty and enjoy it. On to some photos of the whole process and a list of components.
The only original components left are:
• Frame
• Seatpost clamp
• Drivetrain (3x7) and cranks
Component List:
• 1997 Cannondale V Frame
• 1999 Marzocchi Z.1 BAM 130mm Fork
• Enduro Seals and wipers 30mm
• Spectro Golden 125/150 7.5W Oil (Original spec from Marzocchi)
• Cane Creek Forty Headset (Replaced AHeadset)
• Hope Space Doctor Headset Spacers
• Mavic Crossride UB Wheelset 26 inch
• Shimano UB 55 Bottom Bracket (Upgraded from UB27)- 68x110 Square Taper
• Shimano Deore T610 V Brakes F/R
• Shimano Revoshift Shifters 3x7
• Lizard Skin Lock on shorty grips
• Easton EA70 Monkey Bar Riser Handlebars
• Easton EA70 Seatpost
• WTB Volt Team Saddle
• SRAM Truvativ Hussefelt 40mm Stem
• Shimano SAINT MX80 Flat Pedals
• Shimano HG71 Chain
• Michelin Wild Grip’R2 26x2.1 Tires
• Schwalbe Tubes
• Shimano Deore T611 V Brake Levers
• Frame stripped and powder coated close to VW Nardo Grey- High gloss, no metallic
• Black vinyl decals by Gil from Retro Decals
• 170mm cranks powder coated semi gloss black
