Is this a cannondale cad3??

[willem]

Hi All,

recently I bought what seems to be a cad3
the previous owner had it for about 20 years and bought it second-hand.

All the decals seem to be incorrect but the collars and the way of painting look to be true.
also looking at a lot of the details on the bike they seem to match.

on the bike I found letters and numbers that kinda match with the serial number file.
but it looks like I have too many numbers on there.

I = 1997? B = Febuary??

in the 1998 Catalog I could find only one picture that comes close in the letter style

Things to consider;
-I live in the Netherlands (I came across some info stating that in Europe styles could be different)
-The shop mentioned on the frame. did also do custom paint back in the days
-The bike has all Shimano Ultegra parts (derailleurs , crank, brakes, wheel hubs) The shifters are ultegra flightdeck and the steer comes from cinelli

Really hope someone can help me
Thnx!

 

[Brian]

The decals to me look non original. Is there any sign of a re-paint? or replacement decals? Even the CAAD decals looks off, and is missing other standard decals.

It looks like you will restore this anyways. You might have a though time tracking exactly what is is. It looks like your SN top left is a "I"? if so that is 97/98.

https://vintagecannondale.com/info/serial_numbers/

 

[willem]

The decals to me look non original. Is there any sign of a re-paint? or replacement decals? Even the CAAD decals looks off, and is missing other standard decals.

It looks like you will restore this anyways. You might have a though time tracking exactly what is is. It looks like your SN top left is a "I"? if so that is 97/98.

https://vintagecannondale.com/info/serial_numbers/

Thnx! Yes I am restoring this bike. this is why I would love to know what bike it is so I can do it the right way
or maybe in case it isn't even a Cannondale I can do something creative whit the paint

 

[black lightning 1987]

Looks like a CAAD3 to me. CAAD2 had a 1.625" (41.4 mm) constant diameter down tube. CAAD3 down tube increases to about 2.2" (56 mm) at the bottom bracket.
Interesting that it has the threadless Time fork. The Saeco team used Time forks in 1997 but I'm not sure that they used threadless ones. I know they used threaded Time forks. In the 1999 catalog there's a picture of Cippolini riding a CAAD4 frame at the 1998 Giro. The fork appears to be threaded. No production CAAD3 models would have used that fork. If it were mine, I'd make a 1997-8 Saeco replica out of it and not worry about the fork discrepancy. I believe the team used Dura Ace in 1997 and Campagnolo Record 9 speed in 1998.

 

[willem]

Looks like a CAAD3 to me. CAAD2 had a 1.625" (41.4 mm) constant diameter down tube. CAAD3 down tube increases to about 2.2" (56 mm) at the bottom bracket.
Interesting that it has the threadless Time fork. The Saeco team used Time forks in 1997 but I'm not sure that they used threadless ones. I know they used threaded Time forks. In the 1999 catalog there's a picture of Cippolini riding a CAAD4 frame at the 1998 Giro. The fork appears to be threaded. No production CAAD3 models would have used that fork. If it were mine, I'd make a 1997-8 Saeco replica out of it and not worry about the fork discrepancy. I believe the team used Dura Ace in 1997 and Campagnolo Record 9 speed in 1998.

I do believe it is a threaded fork. there is just a little adapter piece where normally the stem would go. this piece is tightened with a bold just like you would see on a threaded stem.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I do believe it is a threaded fork. there is just a little adapter piece where normally the stem would go. this piece is tightened with a bold just like you would see on a threaded stem.

You are correct. I should have take a closer look at the first picture you posted. That solves the fork issue. I'd still build it as a Saeco replica. You could go with another 1997 CAAD3 model but the Viper Red paint of the Saeco is probably as easy to duplicate as any of the other colors. I guess it depends on how closely to a production model you want to replicate.

 

[Ultegra105]

I have a pre cannondale 2.8 Frame. It is a 1996 Road Frame. I posted on the vintage website.
I also use the following website to get decals: https://velocals.com/
I hope this helps