New Cannondale owner in Colorado

Maaakaaa

Member
Hi, I recently had the chance to pick up a couple of Cannondales in great condition at a great price from someone who seemed to be clearing their garage. An ‘86 SR400 best I can tell and a ‘99 SuperV500. I’ve done a little work on the SuperV and gotten it out on the trails a couple of times. I’ve also been going over the SR400 but I’ve only had it on a quick ride around the block since I’m limited after a knee arthroscopy. Can’t wait to do more on that. Photos of the SR show as it is now and how I got it—not wildly different. Saddle is too high in the photos because I raised it for the repair stand clamp :)
 

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black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome. That SR400 looks to be in great shape for its age and all original as far as I can tell. Try some lacquer thinner on a rag to clean up the brake hoods. Super V looks nice too. Wish I could find a good deal on one locally.
 

Maaakaaa

Member
Welcome. That SR400 looks to be in great shape for its age and all original as far as I can tell. Try some lacquer thinner on a rag to clean up the brake hoods. Super V looks nice too. Wish I could find a good deal on one locally.

Thanks! Right now the hoods are really sticky, but when I was checking out why one lever was crooked i realized that the main body of it was bent. I tried to move it back with a C clamp, but it caused or revealed a crack. I have a set of Shimano RX100 levers I can swap on and probably will, though part of me wants to keep the full Suntour/Dia Compe group, which seems kind of unique to this model and year. I need some time on it to ensure good fit before sinking too much into it that won’t increase resale value if it’s not a good fit.

Any thoughts on a good bar tape color? I kind of like the silver that it has. Black is of course a classic, or maybe a bright 80s sort of color to stand out a bit.
 

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JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
Nice looking bikes.
Personally, on a bike like the SR400 and it's classic lines, I would use a nice leather brown or honey color with matching saddle.

In all fairness, I would also likely just go all out and pick up a period correct Dura-ace groupset too.. but I tend to WAY over spend on my bikes.
 
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black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
I tend to shy away from light colored tape as it doesn't seem to take long to start looking grungy. I wash my hands at least ten times a day but they must always be dirty when I ride the bikes. Brown with a matching saddle would be fine, black is a little bit too plain on a blue bike, red/white/blue or similar Cinelli splash would add a bit of color.
 

Maaakaaa

Member
I tend to shy away from light colored tape as it doesn't seem to take long to start looking grungy. I wash my hands at least ten times a day but they must always be dirty when I ride the bikes. Brown with a matching saddle would be fine, black is a little bit too plain on a blue bike, red/white/blue or similar Cinelli splash would add a bit of color.

Brown would look good, but then I have to go shopping for a saddle too. Black does seem blah with dark blue. I had thought that this is my best bike option to do a splash tape on.
 

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
Brown would look good, but then I have to go shopping for a saddle too. Black does seem blah with dark blue. I had thought that this is my best bike option to do a splash tape on.
That would work. I can't remember the brand, but I saw a bar tape a while back that faded from dark blue at the ends to black in the middle. I wish I had book marked it. Even silver to black would look good with your bike.
 

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
That would look really good! I’ll have to get some good rides in before winter sets in too much and make sure I fit the bike well, then if it’s good to go I’ll feel good to pay out on bar tape :)
If all goes well then, we will look forward to a few updated pictures of that good looking bike.
 
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