Cannondale R500 CAAD2 Project - COMPLETED Updated (15/01/12)

[Axeman1977]

Well this is a project I started back in August, saw this particular bike on ebay and thought it wouldn't require much effort to get it roadworthy. Not quite that easy!!

It's a Cannondale CAAD2, not sure of the vintage think it is between 97-99 given the badge on the headstock and fairly sure it's an R500 given the RSX groupset it came with.

The picture above shows the bike as I received it except for the saddle which is one I had from a previous ride. General condition was worse than had hoped (paintwork), however I guessed with a strip and rebuild it would be fine, nothing more than a new set of handlebar tape and new cables.

The groupset fitted was fine and in working condition but it became apparent that the orange at the top of the seat tube was a repair from probably a stuck seatpost, whilst it matched in it hadn't been particularly well done. The top of the tube was meant to be yellow all the way up.

The rest of the paint was tired and there was seemingly a coating of black smoke??? which needed a polish back, it was at this point I decided to do a full strip and rub back the paint to re-polish and also strip the badly done orange paint repair and turn back to yellow.

Stripping the bike has brought some issues particularly with the cranks which were stuck fast onto the BB. Tried to remove in the normal way but stripped the threads on the drive side GRRRR!!! Tried then to heat up with no joy, then used a ball joint separator which got the non drive off, then tried a combination of heat and brute force, still no luck. As the threads were stripped then decided to go to extreme measures and cut the cranks off. This worked!!

Then found the BB was stuck, after using a vice to jam the BB and then twist the frame (thanks to LBS - Hewitts) it loosened.

With needing a new crank I have decided to change most of the components including new groupset and a set of carbon forks.

Have started on the paintwork ......

It'll be a rattle can job but with care should be better than the previous botch. Should just then be a case of piecing back together after giving the frame a darn good polish.

 

[west green]

looking forward to seeing this finished, I have a ridgeback rapide with RSX groupset, and it's a good winter bike.

 

[latman]

I will be watching this with interest too, I am rebuilding my old '89 Dale 3.0 series at the moment.

Have you already seen these ?http://www.vintagecannondale.com/catalog.html that colour scheme was called afterburner fade I believe.

 

[Axeman1977]

Yeah, I've had a look through a number of the old catalogues on that site but still can't find an exact match as to what it is. As mentioned before I'm guessing it's an R500 and it's from round about 1999 given the type of Cannondale logo.

 

[Axeman1977]

Update on frame painting

Here is an update on my painting repair....

Mid way through the painting (4 coats of undercoat and 2 paint) ....

After painting finished and masking removed (another 4 coats of paint)....

And I couldn't resist a quick mock-up with new forks and wheels ....

The paint hasn't come out badly, yes it is a slightly different shade but the finish is better than the previous job. Now it's just a case of sanding the edges back and a whole load of elbow grease to polish it.

 

[Spokesmann]

Maybe the paint can be cut back in with a little T-cut? Looking much better!

 

[law]

Could try a bit of a sand down and overspray onto the old paint.

 

[hirameuser]

paint finish

Thats coming along well, as you can see you can get a good finish with rattle cans it, looks like you are going to end up with a great looking bike.

I hope you don't mind but below are a few tips that I have picked up over time from people who know better than me.
This time of year its best to put the frame and paint on the radiator for a few minutes, spray in your cold garage/shed then bring the frame quickly back into a warm room next to the radiator if you can get away with it. The paint will not bloom then (not that yours has).
The way I evolved to finish patching in (on many old cars from 60's to 90's) is to clean up the original paintwork with rubbing compound No3 grade or tcut but it will take longer, avoiding the decals, this should cut back to clean unfaded paint with luck.
Cleanup the paint work mask up a long way from the area if possible, then as you spray subsequent coats of paint on, finish closer and closer to the masking tape but never spraying over it. Leave the paint to harden for a few days then use the rubbing compound blend in the edge of your spraying and if the paint is a good match once you polish you may not be able to see the difference.
I found out the hard way if you don't have a hard edge/ridge when you try to blend in there is less chance of rubbing through the original paint.
If you are not happy with the paint match a lot of paint factors will be able to fill rattle cans with matched paint, just compound the area before you take the frame to them for matching.

I hope the above is helpfull

good luck

Cheers Phil

 

[Axeman1977]

Thanks for the message 'hirameuser' to be honest I followed most of the steps you suggested, however I did do all my spraying in the house to keep temps up above 15°C, the undercoat was ok but the paint..... wow all the windows open.

The finish isn't that bad and with a bit of polish it looks ok. It would have been nice to get a better fade but due to the orange fade coming the other way this would have been tricky.

I have some Mavic decals on order and my plan is to use these to disguise some of the line.

Here are some pics taken on my phone this morning (will replace with better shots later). Only the top tube has been polished and I am reasonably pleased with the result. This was never going to be a perfect finish but it is certainly a lot better than it was.

 

[Axeman1977]

More updates - 22/12/11

Paint job finished now on with putting the bike back together....

New FSA headset and cranks installed here is another trial fit..

After this I had a bit of work to do on the fork, trim the steerer length otherwise the stack height would have looked ridiculous and then the more troublesome task of getting the quill stem to go into the steerer. It would go so far and then no further, managed to get a reamer which did part of the job however it was good old elbow grease that finished it by filing and sanding to a smooth finish the rest. the Quill then slipped in nicely. Some Mavic decals later and now everything is going back on quite nicely, here are some shots..

I'm relatively happy by how this is coming along and am hoping to get the build finished soon so I can finally get out and ride it.