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Cannondale CAAD10 105 review

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$1499

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Cannondale CAAD10 105

BikeRadar verdict

4.5 out of 5 stars

"Fast, fun, and beats most carbon bikes at this price for performance"

8 comments
Tue 15 Nov 2011, 5:00 pm GMTBy

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Cannondale pioneered large diameter aluminium tubes. The bikes were light and stiff, and very fast, though the ride could be quite harsh. Fast-forward from 1983 to 2012 and Cannondale’s CAAD bikes are now in their 10th incarnation, with Giro d'Italia victories contributing to design developments.

  • Highs: A well-finished and sharp-handling frame for the wannabe racer
  • Lows: We miss the super-smooth welds of US-made ’Dales, and the tyres, although grippy, are sluggish
  • Buy if: You’re looking for a good value, high-quality racing bike

Today’s main frame tubes are just as large in diameter, but tube profiles have changed, the bottom bracket has increased in size for extra stiffness and to incorporate the Cannondale design BB30 oversized bottom bracket standard – along with the shaped and bulbous chainstays – while the ‘Thinline’ seatstays have slimmed down and lost the hourglass profile of some earlier versions.

The result? The 2012 CAAD10 is still stiff, light and very fast but, while not super-plush, this racing bike has just enough comfort for day-long rides. It handles nimbly and accelerates sharply seated or out of the saddle. There’s a sense of poise and purpose, an underlying efficiency… a coiled snake ready to launch an attack.

Rolling along merrily minding your own business and somebody sneaks past you? Pah! A few turns of the pedal and the ruthlessly efficient frame will have you on their back wheel and past them like a neutrino overtaking light (er, probably). So, why aluminium and not carbon fibre? Well, at this price you get more for your money with metal.

The CAAD10 has a sophisticated, highly developed frame weighing just 1,274g (an all-carbon fork adding 420g), but this is still cheaper to produce than a carbon frame. Aluminium also provides a more immediate ride, one less insulated from the road. It might mean a slight trade-off in comfort but for many it’s a price worth paying.

As for kit, Shimano’s 105 groupset and RS10 wheels are first-rate performers. The budget Schwalbe Lugano tyres aren’t quite as good, though a fair compromise at this price; the cross-hatch tread grips well, but we’d keep these for training or replace them with Schwalbe’s excellent Ultremo tyres for an injection of race-day speed.

But at the heart of the CAAD10 is a frame that’s a keeper, one to upgrade with higher-spec kit as parts wear out. Deeper pockets? The CAAD10 is also available in stealth black decked with Shimano Ultegra or Dura-Ace.

Cannondale caad10 105: cannondale caad10 105

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 8 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 8 of 8 comments

  • It handles nimbly and accelerates sharply seated or out of the saddle. There’s a sense of poise and purpose, an underlying efficiency… a coiled snake ready to launch an attack.

    Who on earth writes this stuff & who on earth believes it?

    yours sincerely,

    Grumpy old man

  • You have obviously never ridden one...

  • I know we could look on the Cannondale website, but any chance of some decent photos? These are awful, as usual.

  • I have a Caad10. For $1500, you're not going to find another quality bike for that price.

    Yeah, carbon is slightly better for those day-long rides, but seriously most of us probably ride 2-4 hours/ride. As for the welding, I agree with the author; it's just not the same when US made. Frankly, those Chinese making those bikes, probably, don't give a rat's arse whether it's super smooth since they have to make zillion bikes for most of the major manufacturers.

  • Agree with MonkeyPump - what's wrong with some normal side-on shots of the whole bike?

    The arty 45 degree angled image comprising 50% empty space seems to have become the norm but it' pretty useless as a means of either illustrating the points made in copy, or for us to get a feel of the overall look of the bike...

  • I rode the Caad 10 3 (Ultegra version) all of 2011 road season, and probably raced 30+ cat 1/2 races. It really is a great bike. I've raced the C-dale SystemSix, and an older Specialized S-Works Tarmac before this bike, and it really is in the same class. The frame is stiff, but they did design it with to soak up some of the normal road chatter. Handling is great, with its super stiff head tube, it tracks great in hard corners (crits), and responds quick when you have to change lines half way through a corner when something happens in front of you (ie a crash).

    Reviews siting the tires are kind of a moot point as all brands are cheaping out at that area these days, and it takes 2 minutes to switch them out.

  • @ asmallsol

    Why are giving the CAAD 4/5 points? Any cons?

  • just bought a 2011 version of this for £800.

    i have had various bikes of different price points and all i can say is WOW!

    my mind cannot comprehend how this bike rides the way it does, it just goes fast, it handles like it isglued to the road, and literally every % of power throws you forward.

    comfort wise im actually impressed its not soft and bendy for sure but even with a charge knife its perfectly comfortable.

    i went to the bike shop with a maximum budget of £2500 and walked out with this.

    this is the finest thing i have ridden, even though its 'only aluminium' its as light as most cheap/mid range carbons. it looks prettttttttyyyy(although i pine for the liquigas colours of the 2012)

    im old (32) and worried about the comfort but can whole heartedly recomend this bike.

    it should be renamed the cannondale faast10 instead of caad10

    BUY ONE, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

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Specification

Name:
CAAD10 105 (12)
Built by:
Cannondale
Price:
$1499.00

Weight (kg):
8.46

Frame & Fork:

 
Frame Material:
Aluminium
Frame Weight (g):
1274 g
Fork Model:
Full carbon
Fork Weight:
420 g

Brakes:

 
Brakes Model:
Shimano 105

Transmission:

 
Cranks Model:
FSA
Rear Derailleur Model:
Shimano 105
Front Derailleur Model:
Shimano 105
Shifters Model:
Shimano 105

Wheels:

 
Rims Model:
Shimano RS10

Contact Points:

 
Saddle Model:
ProLogo Kappa

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