Slice Forks & Dura Ace 7400

[Denni]

Hi all!

Hope everyone is well.

I have two questions please.

I have browsed the catalogs quite extensively but some info is hard to read, I wondered if anyone has a rundown of all the Slice forks offered on the CAAD series and their quality ranking? I don't know if Cannondale ever offered a specific catalog with this info and pics?

Secondly, will a full Dura Ace 7400 groupset fit on the road CAAD frames, everything from CAAD 5 - Optimo (03/04)?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[black lightning 1987]

There is a whole range of Slice forks, the early ones were 1" and had threaded steel steer tubes. By 2004 you could get a full carbon Slice SI, but it was 1 1/8" so won't fit the early CAAD frames. I'm not sure if the SI was necessarily higher quality than a Time built fork with a steel steer tube, but it would be considered higher end and certainly is lighter.

7400 will work fine on CAAD5 and later, as long as the frame has a threaded bottom bracket and the 7400 group has STI shifters. I am not aware of a square taper bottom bracket that will fit in a BB30 frame such as a CAAD6, unless one of the old pressed in Klein bottom brackets would work. I believe Cannondale did make a threaded sleeve that could be bonded into the BB30 frames. The last frame with downtube shifter bosses was the CAAD4, and later CAAD4 frames also lacked the bosses.

 

[shannonq]

Hi! For the first question, Cannondale offered several Slice forks (aluminum, carbon, and variants with carbon steerer) through the CAAD series, but catalogs rarely detail all differences. Generally, higher models (like full carbon Slice Premium or Ultra) had better materials and lighter weights than alloy versions. For your second question, Dura Ace 7400 (being standard 130mm rear spacing and 1" headset) should fit CAAD 5–Optimo frames without major issues, though double-check bottom bracket and front derailleur clamp compatibility. Hope this helps!