Show/tell your Cannondale SM/M**** please!
- Thread starter setspeed
- Start date
Vesatoro
Cannondale Fan
So, it's basically if you want:
- threaded headset / quill stem, a bit more old school style, cantilever rear dropouts -> (1992) / 1993 M2000/M1000/M700
- threadless headset, clamp stem, cantilever rear dropouts -> 1994 M700
- threadless, but no cantilever dropouts -> 1995 M2000/M900
The Beast of the East (M800) raised bottom bracket geometry is cool for technical stuff (saddle low riding), but if you want to ride non-technical trails (as most vintage users do) I would maybe steer away from those. For a tall rider it puts the center of gravity quite high, if you want to use all the inseam length for saddle height and efficiency.
The tig welded steel stems of some 1994/1995 bikes are not that awesome. The internal clamping surface is quite small and the thread material is thin, so easy to overtighten and ruin the threads. I think they changed to aluminium external clamp stems somewhere during 1995, even the catalogue photos are with steel stems.
The full rigid Killer V models with Pepperonis are also cool looking, and the reinforced frame is not bad for a bit larger rider.
- threaded headset / quill stem, a bit more old school style, cantilever rear dropouts -> (1992) / 1993 M2000/M1000/M700
- threadless headset, clamp stem, cantilever rear dropouts -> 1994 M700
- threadless, but no cantilever dropouts -> 1995 M2000/M900
The Beast of the East (M800) raised bottom bracket geometry is cool for technical stuff (saddle low riding), but if you want to ride non-technical trails (as most vintage users do) I would maybe steer away from those. For a tall rider it puts the center of gravity quite high, if you want to use all the inseam length for saddle height and efficiency.
The tig welded steel stems of some 1994/1995 bikes are not that awesome. The internal clamping surface is quite small and the thread material is thin, so easy to overtighten and ruin the threads. I think they changed to aluminium external clamp stems somewhere during 1995, even the catalogue photos are with steel stems.
The full rigid Killer V models with Pepperonis are also cool looking, and the reinforced frame is not bad for a bit larger rider.
This is great info, very helpful.
I'm not all that fussed about the type of stem or dropouts (although I think the cantilever dropouts do look cool), I think I just want a really light & fast bike to use mainly on the road, without going full-on 'roadie
'. I'm not much of a Killer V fan, I just think they look awkward...I don't have much to say, so just going to show my '92 M2000 in 20" size. No Force40 (one of the previous owners removed it), and no Pepperoni fork (it was bought by previous owner without it, but some suspension fork instead; that was taken off for his vintage suspension forks collection and crmo Alpinestars fitted), rest is mostly stock spec. As for road use… Not a fan of doing it with mountain bikes, but this one will do with some slick tires. It's not that heavy (although I don't have scales at the moment, but going by feel — it's decent weight), it's stiff and it is cool looking.
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What are and how wide are those rims?
They are Snow cat Magnum 44's (44mm), made in Alaska for 2.1 - 2.5'' tyres, these are 2.3's and they just fit.
MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
Somebody needs to inform me. What the deal with these C'dale frames? I LOVE the weird extra triangle look. I s it exclusive to smaller sizes? I seem to find two versions of the same model, one like this M1000, but was it also available with the boring straight top bar?
Vesatoro
Cannondale Fan
There are Killer V bikes and M series xs-size (14”) bikes with the same extra triangle structure, to give better standover clearance and add strength. The main difference is the down tube diameter (Killer V 2,5”, M-xs 2”). Larger M-series frames are with normal double triangle structure. In the photo an M500 xs.
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MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
Killer V. Now I definitely need one, as my surname begins with v
