Now-Identified Cannondale - 92/93 crossover M500

[P20]

Cannondale did run one inch headsets on their entry level bikes up to about 96/97. This ones not that age though, wrong dropouts

 

[24pouces]

As Retrobike wrote to you, go to www.vintagegannondale.com…
Look the serial number under the bottom bracket and see [/url=http://www.vintagecannondale.com/info.html]there. It's the better solution to know ... was altus group on the cheaper cannondale…

 

[cce]

i've had a good look through vintagecannondale and couldnt find an exact match - there are a couple of catalogues missing though

92's have integrated seat collars - this uses a discrete wrap-round collar

i also cant find the serial number in any of the locations noted on VC. i wasn't that surprised since given where i got it, it's probably been stolen at least once in its life, although i cant find any appropriate paint damage for that either.

 

[development_cycle]

What are the chances that it may have had the serial number removed, a respray, and just Cannondale decals stuck on?

 

[Archangel]

92's have integrated seat collars - this uses a discrete wrap-round collar

Only in catalogue. I had a '92 M700 and it had separate seat collar (Tioga).
I was working in a LBS back then and all the bikes had separate ones. Your bike, however, isn't a '92 model by the colors at least.

It's curious that your frame doesn't have any other markings than the Cannondale logos. In early 90s, 'Dales had lots of different stickers in them, in seat & chain stays, etc. Could yours be built from a frameset ?

 

[cce]

this idea is sounding increasingly like something that might well be the case. any bike that winds up going through a police auction is bound to have had some chequered history.

the paint, whilst a very nice colour, doesnt seem to be the kind of thing cannondale did at that time - it's a very shiny metallic red, and at that time, cannondale's thing seemed to be flat colours and two-tones.

i'm going to pull some bits off her and look for more evidence this evening

 

[cce]

for those still interested - i found a few spots where the red paint is thin, and there's a decided hint of purple showing through, leading me to the feeling that it's a 1993 M500. the bits i pulled off are more like 1992 m500 bits though, so maybe it's some kind of freaky year-end or year-beginning frankenstein

 

[cce]

decided it's time to dig this one up and make a long term project of her. budget is tight, so i've decided to go for the "real BITD" look

beautiful as many of the bikes are on here, i cant help but feel they skew views of the past with their ringley XTR'ed loveliness. hence this one is getting none of that.

current thoughts are for a respray into black, gold decals, possibly a chunkier fork

front wheel is staying, WTB greaseguard on Mavic 220, as are the cranks, which're just painted up shimanos (BITD, everyone i knew was painting parts to create an illusion of pimpy where there was none). nothing else is safe - the intention is for a DX build since it's workhorse-but-decent kit

the fate of the v-brakes is yet to be decided - i'm split between dia-compe cantis with force 40, a set of maguras or keeping the v's.

it's all a bit moot, since i'm completely skint at the mo, but i like to plan