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Help Help me decide!

OK, got it. In the EVO vs CAAD10 issue, the only change is frame material, same geometry and tube shapes all around. They are the same frame just different frame material.
 
Also one thing to note is that when I bought my Pinarello the range structure was very different as they only had 4 bikes in the road series avalable.

  • Prince - Race
  • FP3 -Race
  • FP2 - Road
  • FP1 - Road

Pinarello only replaced the top of the line bike every 3 or 4 years, the previous technology then filtered down which again was then replaced on the same kind of rotation.

I bought the FP3 as they phased the Prince and the FP7/5 out to be replaced with the Dogma 60.1, FP3 and then 22 years later by the Quatro.

So at the time if you wanted a race frame you either bought the Dogma or the FP3 if you were luck you could possibly have bought a Prince.
 
OK, got it. In the EVO vs CAAD10 issue, the only change is frame material, same geometry and tube shapes all around. They are the same frame just different frame material.

Which produce VERY different rides ;)
 
Which produce VERY different rides ;)

Less than you think, but different doesn't necessarily mean that one is better than the other. It depends on your preferences. Do you want a more dampened feel (negatively described as "dead") or do you want a more lively feel (negatively described as "harsh")? Personally, I like the very smooth but alive feel that the CAAD10's alloy frame provides. These are definitely not the harsh, bone jarring alloy Cannondales of the past!
 
so then why did you upgrade?

This is the exact point I was trying to make if the CAAD10 is so good and so like the top of the line EVO then apart from gear lust there is absolutely no point in spending thousands on the upgrade.

However if the Evo really is the bike of your dreams and that one day you will own it then surely buying the cheap bike that gets you riding and gives you the riding "FIX" you need the better option as it means the least amount spent on getting you out on the bike, while also supporting the company that you love and thus saving you a lot of money that you can then put towards your dream bike?
 
so then why did you upgrade?

This is the exact point I was trying to make if the CAAD10 is so good and so like the top of the line EVO then apart from gear lust there is absolutely no point in spending thousands on the upgrade.

However if the Evo really is the bike of your dreams and that one day you will own it then surely buying the cheap bike that gets you riding and gives you the riding "FIX" you need the better option?

I went from a CAAD9 to a CAAD10, and it was a huge change! As for not spending the extra thousands for the EVO, I agree it's not worth it. That's why I'm riding a DuraAce kitted CAAD10 and not an EVO! If I really wanted an EVO that badly, I'd have one. No BS, the CAAD10 is that good!!

And for the record, it's not just me saying it. Visit the Cannondale sub-forum on RoadBikeReview.COM and you'll see a lot of people that have ridden both frames that are touting the virtues of the CAAD10. Cannondale really hit a home run with it!
 
I went from a CAAD9 to a CAAD10, and it was a huge change! As for not spending the extra thousands for the EVO, I agree it's not worth it. That's why I'm riding a DuraAce kitted CAAD10 and not an EVO! If I really wanted an EVO that badly, I'd have one. No BS, the CAAD10 is that good!!

And for the record, it's not just me saying it. Visit the Cannondale sub-forum on RoadBikeReview.COM and you'll see a lot of people that have ridden both frames that are touting the virtues of the CAAD10. Cannondale really hit a home run with it!

Sorry Pete I actually thought you had the Evo - that changes everything!
 
@AlmightyShoe.

Look what you have gone and started! :D

LOL, yeah any "discussion" with James... :D

Well only bikes guys ;)

But my points are valid Almightyshoe, you are planning on upgrading then its either best to buy the bike you want straight way even if it means waiting a little longer or buying a cheap bike that is capable of doing what you want and saving the money towarrds the dream bike.
 
Well, Pete has decided he is having mine when I inevitably die in some comedy way.
 
The way you ride (or should i say look at it while it sits in your room) then the bike will have died also in a spectacular way that even the best FX team couldn't replicate.
 
But my points are valid Almightyshoe, you are planning on upgrading then its either best to buy the bike you want straight way even if it means waiting a little longer or buying a cheap bike that is capable of doing what you want and saving the money towarrds the dream bike.

I basically agree with this, James. My point is that the CAAD10 should be under consideration as your dream bike, and as a bonus it's in your price range! :D
 
I basically agree with this, James. My point is that the CAAD10 should be under consideration as your dream bike, and as a bonus it's in your price range! :D

Sorry Pete it will never be my dream bike :D LOLZ

But yes you are spot on if its in his price bracket then its a no brainer!
 
Do you want a more dampened feel (negatively described as "dead") or do you want a more lively feel (negatively described as "harsh")? Personally, I like the very smooth but alive feel that the CAAD10's alloy frame provides. These are definitely not the harsh, bone jarring alloy Cannondales of the past!

I went from a CAAD9 to a CAAD10, and it was a huge change! As for not spending the extra thousands for the EVO, I agree it's not worth it. That's why I'm riding a DuraAce kitted CAAD10 and not an EVO! If I really wanted an EVO that badly, I'd have one. No BS, the CAAD10 is that good!!

I have a CAAD 9 and for me the ride feel sits right in the sweet spot. Not in the remotest bit harsh - never once felt uncomfortable/beat-up. My only complaint is the FSA Omega Handlebars, that I will get round to replacing one day. Actually, when I got mine, the CAAD 10 had just come out and I spent a weekend test-riding it. I found the CAAD 10 to be slightly harsher than the CAAD 9, more `dead`, and felt more like a carbon frame.

The EVO is amazing! That being said, the CAAD10 is pretty amazing as well, IMHO, offering probably 95% of the performance of the EVO for about half the cost.

I haven`t tried the EVO, but my guess would be that the CAAD 10 is pretty much indistinguishable from the EVO, performance wise. I doubt you would notice any difference apart from the weight when climbing. Personally, as you can guess, I love the CAAD 9 and don`t lust after any other bike.

If you want a cheap (pricewise) bike, I would probably look at the Giant Defy range. Value for money - hard to beat.
 
There's a massive difference between carbon frames and alloy of exactly the same geometry , etc. Builders use carbon so they can 'create' the material required to give the structual results required. You simply can't do that with an alloy (or steel). You get what you got in terms of Young's modulus, etc , consistently throughout the tube. So - only by changing shape can you redistribute the said properties. With carbon - the builder can enhance stiffness, compliance, dampening, etc at ANY POINT in the frame. Probably Pina kicks everyone's butt on this, btw. The maturity of the company and consistent podiums in the last, what 75yrs? pretty much speak for themselves. That's why everybody COPIES them. How many Chinese CHEVO's do you see on the market??? ZERO, actually. I'm not really grandstanding for either - but - being in the biz - I'd be looking at either a Pina or a Giant, myself. Giant has the cushy position of building most everybody ELSE's bikes - and therefore have, ahem, inherited a mass intellectual trust and factory experience. Then that is passed into the consumer-ville via very affordable and performance driven products as super reasonable prices.

Cannondale was an alloy bike innovator - and the CAAD10 puts it pretty much in the sweetspot as 'the best alloy you can get'. Since alloy bikes are dirt cheap to make - the CAAD 10 is an awesome perfroming rig at insanely low price compared to say, a 350,000 yen (emerging brand) carbon frame with literally ZERO Palmes. It's a very neutral frameset that does everything just fine. Including winning tons of club races. And if you look at Mavic's Yellow cars - they usually have a dozen of them mounted on top as the 'neutral support'.

Get the cheapest frame that does the job in fit, etc. And the best groupset and wheels you can afford. As long as the total bike is sub 8kg it will likely be pretty darn good.

This is why our 'team carbon' frames are so popular. They get the job done, are inexpensive and allow for that extra step-up in groupset and wheels that make the total package just better overall. We're not Pinarello - but I sure saw alot of them on the road in the Alps -... behind me!
 
I have ridden the CAAD9 for a couple of years, and also tried out the CAAD10. I now have an Evo.

They all feel completely different, sorry to contradict anyone who is claiming they feel the same.
 
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