Recovered - Stolen '96 R900

[Mike Madden]

Patience and careful sleuthing led to us recover our R900 polished Aluminum R900 after 6 months in the crook's hands. He made a mess of things in that short period of time including destroying the serial number.

We want to restore it using as many New Old Stock parts as possible. We need a Composite Sub-1 fork in black, headset and stem to get things going. Any Ideas where to get NOS parts?

 

[Brian]

That is great news!!!! I lost a good chunk of my Cannondale in 2013. I recovered one, but it was destroyed.

We are here to help you rebuild your bike. Ask away!! Very happy for you...

 

[black lightning 1987]

Great to see you retrieved one. I can tell you it doesn't happen often. I think it's going to be tough to find a NOS Sub One. The original headset was a DiaCompe which you might turn up at a local shop or eBay. The original stem was a Control Tech. I have one NOS black 1" threadless but it's at least 140 mm long and I'm not sure if the clamp is 25.4 or 26.0 mm. I might have a very slightly used silver one on a bike but I'm not sure about another black one. Your best bet for finding any of these items is eBay or a big swap meet like the winter ones in Chicago, Madison WI, and VeloSwap in Denver. In my experience these swaps have a great selection of both new and used stuff. If you are aren't looking for anything too specific, you're likely to come home with a car load of stuff. I wouldn't be too hopeful of finding any of your NOS items at one though.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

I am back after a long absence and under a new screen name. A bit of back story about why this bike is special to me and my son. Scott Montgomery son of the founder, Joe Montgomery approached the company I worked for about sponsoring their new mountain bike team. I was responsible for Volvo Cars of North America's sports marketing efforts at the time. Well, you can put 2 and 2 together. I fought hard to convince Volvo management that the relationship would help us with younger buyers when we introduced the new 850 Turbo wagon. I was right.

I enjoyed working with the Cannondale management and as a show of their appreciation, Scott built this very bike for me with a unique (at the time) carbon fiber crank. The bike was stolen while my son had it while living in Boise, but we knew we would someday find it. After scouring Craigslist for 6 months it popped up right in Alex's neighborhood. He went with a friend to "buy" it and when he was sure it was ours, he left and called Boise police. The thief made a mess of it to try and disguise it. He placed stickers everywhere, painted the Sub 1 fork white getting white paint all over the front of the bike.

When Alex moved back, he brought the bike to me hoping Cannondale would be interested in restoring it for us. But they have moved on as you know with the Montgomerys long gone. So I started just this weekend to strip the bike myself and start by polishing the frame. It is looking excellent. The fork and stem are toast and the gearset is suspect. So I think I'll bring the frame and the parts to my local Cannondale dealer and have him order what they can to make it look as original as possible. I thought I might find some good used parts or New Old Stock but as some moderators mentioned when I posted originally, that might be difficult living here in Connecticut with eBay my only option.

I hope you enjoyed my story as much as we love this bike.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

I forgot something...The thief scratched off the serial number on the bottom of the frame. But I found this after polishing near where the serial number is - B1-0302

 

[black lightning 1987]

My guess is that's either a 1992 or 1993 model frame. Our serial number section says that the last year for serial numbers on the stays was 1992. Not sure if that means 1992 production date or 1992 model year. If production date, it could be a 1993 model made in 1992. 1992 road bikes in the catalog are shown with welded on seat binder bolts, but it's interesting to note that my 1992 (only year made) R1000 with full Mavic group has a separate clamp type binder like yours. So they must have changed to the clamp type binder while 1992 models were still being produced. The fork in that period would have been the all aluminum Sub 1. There were no carbon forks on production bikes before the 1995 R900. I have a couple of frames here that may have a Sub 1, may be able to spare one if you are interested in a used one. I need to research them a bit more, not sure if all Sub 1 forks were threadless but guessing they were. My frames may have the threaded version which would have had a steel steerer. I'm sure I have a polished Kinesis fork here somewhere that would also have a steel steerer. The 3 armed spider Coda Magic crank first appeared on the 1994 R2000, and was used on the 1995 Silk Road 2000 as well. The first full polished frames were the 1994 R900 and R1000. All things considered, I'd guess your bike was put together in 1994 using a frame that was produced in 1992.

 

[black lightning 1987]

After looking at the 1993 catalog, it appears that there were threaded Sub One forks. The 2.8 frame page (pg 27) says that it is all aluminum and 1.25". 1.25" headset doesn't seem likely though they were used on some Cannondale MTBs at the time. It could be 1.125" though. Can you measure the steerer diameter of the fork that was in the frame when you recovered the bike? I wasn't aware of anything other than 1" steerers on road frames until the CAAD5s came out - around 2000.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

Thanks so much for your help. I think Scott cobbled my bike together because I was sort of a novice rider and began riding the MS100 Bike Tours. My first Tour was on a mountain bike and that wasn't too successful. I wanted lighter and he gave me lighter. I think I borrowed a set of carbon fiber wheels for one ride but gave them back after.

BTW, we also sponsored The Motorola Cycling Team at the same time. We provided support vehicles throughout the world. It was when Lance was coming up and I got to know the team pretty well. I had a brainstorm that we should merge the 2 teams for a training session in the winter in Austin. Can you imagine Missy, Tinker, and Alison riding with Lance and Hincapie? It was lots of fun. I actually rode with them for about a quarter of a mile before I couldn't see them anymore. One of my team cars came to my rescue.

Back to the bike. It is a polished frame and had a serial number in the appropriate place for a '94 but it was obliterated by the thief. I found this (the B1-0302) 2nd number on the stay. So I don't think it is a '92 frame. The Sub 1 diameter measured across is 1.25". I would be a buyer for anything you want to give up. I need a new stem (or used) too.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I misunderstood what you were saying about the serial number, didn't realize that your frame had one on the BB shell. What's damaged on the original fork? Guessing that a 1 1/8" Sub1 is going to be tough to find. My 2.8 frames are all 1" head tube. If you can't use the original, I think the most practical thing to do would be to find a carbon fork that is either unbranded or a brand that was around in the 90s: Look, Time, Kestrel, Profile, Ritchey, etc. There's a chance I have a Control Tech stem, will have to look around.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

Not for nothing because I appreciate your guidance but doesn't my picture of the Sub 1 indicate 1 1/4" and not 1 1/8"? I spent some time trying to clean up the brakes the hand controls. Too much time trying to clean 25 years of gunk and then a guy who spray painted everything. I will try and buy new but on the positive side, I know how things work by taking them apart!

 

[VolvoCannondale]

I misunderstood what you were saying about the serial number, didn't realize that your frame had one on the BB shell. What's damaged on the original fork? Guessing that a 1 1/8" Sub1 is going to be tough to find. My 2.8 frames are all 1" head tube. If you can't use the original, I think the most practical thing to do would be to find a carbon fork that is either unbranded or a brand that was around in the 90s: Look, Time, Kestrel, Profile, Ritchey, etc. There's a chance I have a Control Tech stem, will have to look around.

Not for nothing because I appreciate your guidance but doesn't my picture of the Sub 1 indicate 1 1/4" and not 1 1/8"? I spent some time trying to clean up the brakes the hand controls. Too much time trying to clean 25 years of gunk and then a guy who spray painted everything. I will try and buy new but on the positive side, I know how things work by taking them apart!

 

[black lightning 1987]

Yes it does. I guess that I didn't really believe that 1 1/4" road forks existed, so when I saw that your fork was clearly over 1" didn't bother to look at the ruler - assumed it was 1 1/8".

The fork is going to be a major obstacle. If the original isn't damaged I would put whatever effort it takes into utilizing it. I will check around but have never come across another 1 1/4" road fork.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

Hey there. A quick visit to a Cannondale dealer near me reveals the internal dimension of the fork is 1 1/8th. So it goes. He is trying to help me source somethings.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Are you saying that the ID of the steerer is 1 1/8"? That would make the OD 1 1/4" most likely. I did some asking around about other companies that used 1 1/4" forks. Santana (threaded) was mentioned as one that existed in the 1990s, and Giant and Canyon were said to have made carbon forks recently. Here's a Sub One on ebay but I'd be wary of the unpictured repaired fork tip.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CANNONDALE...158973?hash=item41de0b557d:g:PRQAAOSwX2xasVsv

If I can find time I'll look through some 90s mail order catalogs and see if there were any 1 1/4" offerings.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Here's a nice Enve carbon fork. It has a tapered steerer so you'd have to use a reducer in the head tube of the frame to take the 1 1/8" top bearing. One advantage would be that it's going to be much easier to find a 1 1/8" stem compared to a 1 1/4".

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Alchemy-by...AOSwCEFdtxgD:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!61345!US!-1

 

[VolvoCannondale]

Thanks for this information. I took a look at the Sub 1 a few weeks ago. It has been hanging around for a while. I didn't like the repair and if I wanted a repaired one, I would have mine repaired. The Alchemy fork is a beauty but too expensive. My Cannondale shop has sourced a fork that will work (don't recall the manufacturer). Unfortunately, bronze in color so I have to have it painted. Awaiting an estimate from the shop on what this will cost. Their review of the parts I dumped on them revealed that I need new shifters and derailleur in addition to cables, brake shoes (I am a car guy primarily) bar tape, seat, tires, and labor.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Will be interested in what they found for a fork. I have lots of parts here, might have the shifters and derailleur depending on what model you want. Probably have some NOS period correct tires but not the Continentals that were on most road models in the mid 1990s.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

Sorry for the long pause but I have been at the mercy of the bike shop and their pricing out of the rebuild. The only fork found that will work is bronze in color so I have to have it stripped and painted. Total cost for brakes, cables, derailleur, shifters, tires seat tube, pedals, handlebar tape, and the seat is under $1000 (including labor). I didn't expect it to be that much but $200 of it is to strip and paint the fork by some master frame painter. Yikes. I need to get a grip here. If I am going to spend that much, I'm going to pick my own comfortable seat like a Brooks Saddle.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Still interested in what they found for a fork. I would find and install the rest of the parts myself, as well as paint the fork.

 

[VolvoCannondale]

I finally got the Cannondale finished! It took a village to get it back in shape and my thanks go out to Class Bicycles in Southbury, Conn and Austins Auto Works for his masterful painting of my new "used" fork and original stem. We specified Claris ST-2000 shift/brake levers, Claris RD-R2000 8-speed and a bunch of other necessities topped off with a new Brooks saddle. Can't wait to get a ride under my shoes.