1988 SM500

opuntia-humifusa

opuntia-humifusa

Member
I recently finished up my first bike build using a 1988 SM500 that I picked up from an estate sale. The color and the big tubes really grabbed me and I thought it looked like it had potential and would make for a fun project. I went back and forth for a while with how far I wanted to change things. Ultimately I decided to upgrade and modernize a few things while also keeping it pretty true to the bike's character. It has been a joy to ride. Below is a list of parts for those interested:

Seatpost: Soma Layback
Saddle: Old Vetta
Handlebars: Nitto B802 HT
Tape/Grips: ESI Chunky
Bar Plugs: Nitto ec-02
Stem: Nitto FW30 Power Stem - 90mm
Headset: Tange-Seiki Tioga
Brake Levers: Dia-Compe Tech 5
Shifters: Ene/Rivendell S2
Front Brake: Dia-Compe 988 Cantilever
Rear Brake: Dia-Compe 996 U-Brake
Cables/Housing: Velo Orange
Front Derailleur: Shimano Exage
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Exage Mountain
Crankset: Shimano RSX 46-34
Cassette: Shimano Alivio 9 sp. 11-34
Rims: Sun Rhyno Lite 26" 32H
Hubs: Velo Orange
Tires: Simworks the Homage 26x1.95
Pedals: MKS Slyvan Touring
Bag: Blue Lug Handlebar Pouch

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letsbike

letsbike

Well-Known Member
Well Done! I really like the balance that you achieved with your choice of components. The Bike is a one of a kind. What pops out to me is the modernization of the drivetrain with its 2X crank and large rear cassette. Those handlebars and narrower tires seem right for their intended tasks. At first I wondered why you chose to mix brake types, but seeing the "before" shot, I see that's how it was originally equipped.
For a first rebuild you did a spectacular job of cleaning up and upgrading a Cannondale classic. Thank you for saving this bike, and welcome to our group.
 
letsbike

letsbike

Well-Known Member
This bike would look really nice with a classic Cannondale Toot bag on the back. Maybe one could be found on ebay?
 

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opuntia-humifusa

opuntia-humifusa

Member
letsbike said:
Well Done! I really like the balance that you achieved with your choice of components. The Bike is a one of a kind. What pops out to me is the modernization of the drivetrain with its 2X crank and large rear cassette. Those handlebars and narrower tires seem right for their intended tasks. At first I wondered why you chose to mix brake types, but seeing the "before" shot, I see that's how it was originally equipped.
For a first rebuild you did a spectacular job of cleaning up and upgrading a Cannondale classic. Thank you for saving this bike, and welcome to our group.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much! It was a long time in the works but I'm happy with how things ended up. I had wanted to move on from the 6sp uniglide setup and am truthfully not a big fan of the look of 1x conversions. I understand their simplicity but this works for me. The Exage brakes were in okay shape, but after getting the new stem, bars, and pedals, it was easy to be talked into getting new brakes - thankfully there is a great BMX shop that sells them for relatively inexpensively.
 
opuntia-humifusa

opuntia-humifusa

Member
letsbike said:
This bike would look really nice with a classic Cannondale Toot bag on the back. Maybe one could be found on ebay?
Click to expand...
I did consider it and put some eBay offers in, but I wasn't able to get one for what I thought was a reasonable price. A big part of building this bike was to have a more comfortable bike to carry a kid's seat on, sadly having a bag on the back of the saddle is just inviting some mischief. Perhaps in a couple of years when they're on their own bike I will pick one up.
 
opuntia-humifusa

opuntia-humifusa

Member
letsbike said:
The choice of Sun rims look good too since that was a brand that Cannondale used for years.
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The Sun Levanter L25 rims that came with the bike are in good shape and I hope to use them on another project. But yeah, finding the NOS polished Rhyno Lites for a good price was really lucky. Trying to source 26" rims without going up to the Velocity price point was a challenge.
 
letsbike

letsbike

Well-Known Member
opuntia-humifusa said:
I did consider it and put some eBay offers in, but I wasn't able to get one for what I thought was a reasonable price. A big part of building this bike was to have a more comfortable bike to carry a kid's seat on, sadly having a bag on the back of the saddle is just inviting some mischief. Perhaps in a couple of years when they're on their own bike I will pick one up.
Click to expand...
Understood. I hauled around my own Mischief Makers for a few years.
 
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