1990 SM400

[JohnnyD]

This works - especially in rough terrain!View attachment 12259

You forgot to say that it works AND looks great doing it.

 

[FPrue1304]

Thank you, much too kind.

And I weighted the whole thing: 9.4 kg. That is actually pretty good. I remember, roughly 30 years ago in the old mtb trim, it was around 11 kg.

 

[JohnnyD]

Thank you, much too kind.

And I weighted the whole thing: 9.4 kg. That is actually pretty good. I remember, roughly 30 years ago in the old mtb trim, it was around 11 kg.

Nice and light.. unlike modern MTB

 

[FPrue1304]

Minor update: I found 26 inch alloy rims which are TL compatible (yes it is true) and build another 26 inch wheelset with Novatec hubs (the old ones go to another Cannondale 3.0 frame which I am setting up as a commuter bike). The tubeless tires are really nice (2.25 inch wide). You can ride at 1.5 bar and it is amazingly smooth on rough terrain. The bike as it is is pretty fine now, and I cannot think of further improvements.

 

[JohnnyD]

I still love riding my 92 m700, I think it rides better than my 06 F600.
On a side note, I am really enjoying the GRX 2x11 that's on it now. With the clutch on its damn near silent over any terrain.

 

[FPrue1304]

Yes! What makes the 3.0 frame quite pleasant for fast gravel-riding is the low and long geometry, which makes riding with a drop down bar very road-like. Add the road-width of the bottom-bracket to this. At the same time the wide tires provide lots of traction and with tubeless I am running lower pressures without sacrificing speed (the width does sacrifice speed, though!). Rather, on rough terrain I can go faster because the bike is not rattling my teeth loose. And this with a weight of roughly 9 kg.

I can directly compare with my Cannondale Slate gravel bike. The Slate does not have this aggressive geometry and a Lefty suspension fork, so you find the steering bar higher and more to the back.