Upgrading CAAD8 - false economy?

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DickP

Regular
Location
Greater Manchester
Good evening,

I have been riding regularly for a year and a half now, and although my road bike is a mere CAAD8 Claris it has so far served me well. This has seen it go through a set of tyres and brake blocks from pure wear.

I am now hankering for an upgrade however - is upgrading the CAAD8 Claris a false economy? Would it make more financial sense to buy a bike which is with say the 105 groupset already?

If I were to upgrade as a whole bike I would probably look at going for a slightly smaller frame I think. The CAAD8 is the 54cm and I am 5'10" but it looks as though Cannondale oversize their frames as I had to reduce the stem length slightly to get a comfortable fit.

I am also wanting to get a winter-ised bike setup going too as a "do everything" sort, and the CAAD8 does not lend itself to this because it has such tight clearance between the tyres and frame, plus no mounting points!

Thoughts appreciated.

Regards,
 
Spiderweb

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
If you enjoy the bike and it's running fine then keep it. You can buy some Crud Roadracer full length mudguards which are designed to fit bikes without mounts and clearance. Most Cannondale bikes do tend to size longer in the top tube.
 
OP
OP
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DickP

Regular
Location
Greater Manchester
Spiderweb,

Thank you for the reply.

I used the Crud Roadracer guards last winter although admittadly they were quite a faff and seemed to be a nightmare to stop being knocked and then rubbing the tyres! Since then when changing the tyres I've upped the size to 25c and it appears that they no longer will fit with the even tighter clearance. Oops!

So are you in principal suggesting I would be best upgrading the groupset on this existing bike? I have treated it as my "nice bike" since getting it earlier last year.

Regards,
 
Spiderweb

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
If it's all working fine then I wouldn't upgrade until parts start to fail or wear out. If you upgrade the groupset you may achieve a slightly smoother gear change and knock a few grams off in weight but that's all really.
I agree the Crud Roadracers can be a bit tricky to fit, but it sounds as though you got them sorted.
Personally I would revert back to a 23mm tyre, you can always swap to the 25mm in the spring/summer when the mudguards are off again.
You sound to have a nice bike there, just ride and enjoy. It seems false economy to make unnecessary upgrades.
 
outlash

outlash

also available in orange
Location
ice station zebra
My CAAD8 originally had Tiagra on it, but I've replaced the worn out parts with 105 as I've gone along. It was an easy enough change as they were both 10 speed at the time. You'd have to do it wholesale as Claris is 8 speed. TBH though, you might as well keep it as it is for now, nothing wrong with Claris and it's a fine frame. If you want to spend some money on the bike, some decent tyres and brake pads with give it a better feel, better wheels if you're feeling flush too. SKS raceblade guards would fit and they're much better quality than the cruds.
 
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User33236

Guest
If it's anything like the CAAD8 I bought at Sora level a couple of years back you will have a cracking frame with the benefit of a threaded bottom bracket instead of BB30 as you would have if bought with 105.

I didn't realise that difference myself until I passed the bike onto my son and updraged in from 9 speed Sora to 105 5700.
 
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TeeShot

Veteran
I've used the SKS raceblades on my CAAD10 for a couple of winters and I found them much better than the crud guards. The only upgrade I've gone for are some Kyserium Elite wheels.
Brilliant bike, always makes me smile
 
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