Killer Delta F?

[SBC]

Hey y'all,

I picked up this frame at a yard sale with an old non-original XTR crank and a Flite seat for $5. I can't seem to figure out what it is!



The date code on the BB shell is 'GB' indicating a 1995 February build. The frame decals state F400, and it has a black to dark metallic green colorway. It has a standard size steer tube, not a Head Shok compatible one.

Here's what I've been able to piece together from the catalogues:
This appears to be a Killer V frame, but with a smaller steer tube.
Build date is February 1995.
The 1995 catalogue notes on page 11 that the F1000, F700, and F600 are available as Delta V frames. No mention of the F400 though.
The paint looks similar to what was on the 1995 M400 on page 22 of the '95 catalogue. (The photo below is in crappy light, the rear triangle is a dark metallic green.)
The welds are not finished as nicely as higher end Cannondales, which makes me think it is a lower end 400 model.

Is this frame a weird one-off? A mis-label? Or am I just incompetent at reading catalogues?



Thanks in advance!

 

[black lightning 1987]

It's definitely a 1995 model as that was the first year for F series models, and 1996 would have had a CAAD2 or CAAD3 decal. Seems likely that the F400 was a mid year introduction with the M400 paint. The frame finishing depended somewhat on who was doing it. I've seen some variation on higher end frames.

 

[SBC]

Ah, super interesting, thanks for the input! So the thinking is that this was a'95 F400 that was able to be had in the Killer V configuration? It's too bad I bought this as a frame only without knowing what the original parts were on it :/

Still learning about Cannondale history, but seems like in the mid '90s they were still pretty nimble and willing/able to make mid-season additions and changes?

 

[black lightning 1987]

A complete bike always helps to identify a model, but Cannondale often made changes to the components listed in the catalogs. Cost of parts may have had something to do with it. There were a lot of relatively new component manufacturers in the 1990s, especially for MTB parts. Some may have offered better pricing on a given component than the supplier listed in the catalog. During the model year other parts could have been substituted, whether due to cost or supply.

I didn't check the catalogs but I know that the KV frames were optional on some if not all sizes/models in some years. In other years they were standard on the smallest frame sizes.

 

[SBC]

Got it, makes sense.

It's nice to options come back to the MTB parts landscape in recent years. It's nice to see that we have options from the likes of Box, Microshift, and even Tektro/TRP for drivetrains these days in addition to the two big S companies.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I agree. I have such a stock of 8/9/10 speed parts from the 1990-2010 era that I have been able to build and maintain everything I've come across with parts on hand. One of these days I'm going to have to give some modern parts a try.

 

[bluegill]

Didn't some of the small frame sizes default to the Killer V configuration?

 

[black lightning 1987]

Didn't some of the small frame sizes default to the Killer V configuration?

Yes, some years the smallest size was a KV frame.