"Accidental" Vintage Cannondale Owner

[Fourester]

I bought my 1989 Series 3.0 road bike from a friend who bought it new and used it for triathlons in the 1990s. I had not intended to buy the bike, but at the time I was training to compete in some kayak triathlons and needed a road bike as some of the races included road riding. He was downsizing, and the price was certainly right.

The previous owner made some changes, including a narrower drop bar, an aerobar (which I removed), Speedplay lollipop pedals, and Matrix rims. I added a Brooks B17 saddle. Everything else is original. He was a commercial pilot and stored the bike in his temp controlled hangar. I, unfortunately, did not have a temp controlled storage area and kept it in my barn. The paint has bubbled in several spots and the aluminum has anodized in a few locations. I now store it in my home office when not riding. I recently re-taped the drop bars. I use the bike for club rides 2 times per week, about 65 miles total. I also have an REI touring bike that I ride about 45 miles per week. I am not a bike junkie; I just like to ride. Like most riders these days, I am having to learn how to fix it myself (or wait 2 weeks for the shop to fix it). Up next is fixing the creaky bottom bracket and some new tires.

 

[black lightning 1987]

The paint bubbling and corrosion is usually because sweat collects in places where it can get under the paint (cable guides, water bottle bosses) and the salt goes to work on the aluminum. A good rinse every now and then will help in preventing corrosion. If you have significant bubbling you should probably try to sand it out and repaint the areas to prevent tube damage.

If your bottom bracket is original it will look something like this one:

http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=80D4BC7A-5539-4D81-AE2D-D853603CC6F6&Enum=119&AbsPos=3

You can often make them run a lot more smoothly just by replacing the balls, greasing, and adjusting. You will need tools similar to the Park Tool HCW-5 and HCW-4.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293906849588?epid=1942418718&hash=item446e369f34:g:DL4AAOSwcRlf3M1E

https://www.ebay.com/itm/231370956103?hash=item35dec89d47:g:r50AAOxyaTxTShne

If you are close to a bike co-op, you can usually find tools there for most basic service jobs.

 

[Fourester]

Thanks for the info. I give the bike a thorough cleaning every 500 miles and don't ride in harsh conditions. As for the bottom bracket, I am not sure if it is the original. The cranks are Shimano Dura Ace silver. According to the 1989 catalog, the SR2000 is the only road model that came with those cranks. However,, the paint scheme is the same as yours, Black Lightning. I have ordered the Shimano spanner tool that I hope will allow me to remove the cranks so I can see what I need to get the bottom bracket out.

I wish we had a bike co-op here. As it is, we only have about 10 serious cyclists in our county. The nearest bike shop I trust is 1.5 hours away.

 

[black lightning 1987]

The bottom bracket will have the notched lock ring/pin holes in the cup with two flats on the other cup - or it will likely have a replacement bottom bracket with splines on the inside of both cups. Splined cup (sealed bearing) bottom brackets became the standard in the 1990s, and have been used to replace loose ball bottom brackets ever since.