New Cannondale frame need help!!

[Greg Johnson]

Hello, Ive had this frame for a few years now and am finally gonna built it up, and i'm trying to figure out any information. Brand new aluminum; Cannondale, XL, made in the USA are the only markings besides whats on the bottom bracket. There is a barcode U114722, and the letter "U" should indicate 2009, but ive looked through 2008, 2009, 2010 USA and Euro catalogs trying to identify it without luck. Any information would be a huge help.
I measured the bb and it 68X42 so its the bb30 standered if that helps at all. I always thought 68 was a rod bike bb and 73 was mountain. I put a 26" 8 speed rear wheel in it off a kona i have. So i thought it was going to be a mountain bike frame.

 

[Greg Johnson]

Heres with the 26” wheel. It could be a 29er? The dropouts and seat stays look the same as well does the shape of the down tube from the pictures I’ve seen but nothing in that paint scheme. That’s my closest guess

 

[Greg Johnson]

Just found this on the inside of the dropout, not sure if it helps or not.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Pretty sure that 2010 was the last year for USA made frames. Since there is no model decal, I'd guess that it was sold as a frameset or warranty frame.

It looks like it would be a 26" wheel frame to me. Doesn't look like a 29" wheel would clear, but perhaps a 27.5" would. The catalogs from that period are so lacking in detail that they don't even list the basics, like frame material and wheel size.

 

[black lightning 1987]

All of my Cannondale MTBs have had standard British threaded 68 mm BB shells. If your frame is BB30, that might help narrow down the possibilities.

 

[Greg Johnson]

I was thinking warranty too, and yes it measures out to a BB30. Agreed the catalogs don't have much or very high res photos either. I was looking at the frame and wheel today, and I feel like it has to be a 26". Did they sell framesets that weren't available as a whole bike? Because the only other cannondale frame with the same seat stays are the 29ers, and same goes for with the dropouts. The 29er is the only one to have the same shape when the seat and chain stays meet.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I haven't checked all years of the catalogs, but take a look at the 2004 IFG Headshok, page 19 in the catalog. It appears to have the same dropouts, used 26" wheels, and had an ISIS bottom bracket mounted in an eccentric to tighten the fixed gear chain. I'm wondering if the shell might have been the same for BB30 and the eccentric BB. Looks like your frame has a cable guide for a rear derailleur though, so it can't be an IFG. Have a look at the 2005 F4000 SL on page 30. It appears to fit the bill as it's geared and has an SI Hollogram crank.

Catalog pictures don't show the stays very well, but they don't appear to be the wishbone type seen on some earlier hardtails.

In some years the catalogs list frames that were only available as framesets, so plenty were sold that way. I'm guessing that if you wanted a specific frame bad enough, most years you could have purchased anything you wanted as a frameset. I only purchased one of my Cannondales as a frameset, a 1999 R4000.

 

[Greg Johnson]

Checked out the 04 IFG, the pictures of the dropouts are blurry but they don't seem to match my bike. While on the 2004 catalog I noticed that the f4000 sl and the f2000 sl have the same dropouts and seat stays as i do, and its a 26". I think 2006 was the last year of the f4000 sl. Looks like the only fame difference between the F4000 and F2000 is the bb. F4000 bb30 f2000 might be threaded, but i cant back that up, only hearsay off the web. Here is the link, it's not in the specs listed at the beginning but someone mentioned it a little further down.

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/f4000-sl-f2000-sl.150960/

The 2005 F4000 SL optima has the closest color scheme I've been able to find so far.

 

[black lightning 1987]

I have a print catalog from 2004, and the dropouts on the IFG look the same as yours to me. Same applies to the F series frames in 2004/5.

I think you have an F series frame from mid 2000s. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the paint as paint schemes that don't appear in any catalog are one of the most frequent topics on this site.

The F4000 would have been BB30 with the Hollogram crank. You can assume that any bike that came with a Shimano crank had a threaded BB shell. Shimano has yet to go down the BB30/press fit bearing road as far as I know.

 

[Greg Johnson]

I found some high res of the IFG, and you're absolutely correct about the dropouts, they are the same. I agree with you, it think it's safe to say that the frame is a F series frame. Definitely looks like it was mid 2000's design and not the 2009 or 2010 like the serial was suggesting.