Cannondale CAADX 105

Comments:

I could not help myself. I was looking for a gravel / cross bike, I saw this, I bought it. HOWEVER, here are my warnings (READ THESE) - the stock brakes are garbage ! Promax Render calipers MUST be tossed in the garbage. Install a good caliper like the TRP Hy/Rd. Do NOT use the Render brakes, you will hit a car or a fence or a dog or a door or a curb I read a review on the bike and I was laughing at the author as he wrote of his first day on the bike, almost hitting a car as the brakes wouldn't stop him from running through an intersection.... then it happened to me; oops. Again, thank the stars for the TRP Hy/Rd, great cable actuated hydraulic brakes. - the saddle was wide (dunno why) so I switched it out to match my road and mtn bike (every body part is happy now) I seem to recall the stock saddle was approx. 140mm wide, my bikes & bum wear a 130mm wide saddle - the seatpost, stem, and bar are Cannondale house brand. They are good, but, a little heavy. I switched them for some slightly lighter goodies which also made the ride more comfy for me - the stock crankset on the 56cm bike was a 172.5mm, ... hmmmm,, really? I had them switch it to a 175mm crank before I bought it. (I'm 185cm, or 6'1") - the wheels are 'okay', not great, but good enough for lots of commuting and ensuring I ride and do not worry too much about the bike... but then I bought a pair of Stans Grail wheels for the bike. These are the wheels which were built for this bike !! You may wonder why I did all this stuff instead of just buying a bike equipped as I wanted. The answer is that for the price of my time and the extras, I still paid less than my 'finished' bike would have been had I been lucky enough to find it set up as I want. Also, doing it this way gives me extra parts to fit my growing nephews and the original wheels to commute and bang off potholes. Cheers, JP