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The Cannondale CAAD8 is one of the best aluminium bike available at this price. The years of experience Cannondale have in developing aluminium bikes has come to the fore here, with a flattened top tube and asymmetrical chainstays that's similar in profile to the CAAD10, and the same SAVE stay design as the SuperSix. These stays keep the frame stiff, but manage to isolate the rider from the majority of road buzz. This is also in part down to Cannondale's excellent welding, rather than welding and sanding, Cannondale use a double-pass smooth weld that is vastly superior to the majority of aluminium frames on the market. The geometry is similar to the Super 6, Cannondale's race bike, but with a slightly taller head tube. That means miles of comfortable riding, but without sacrificing the ability to put the power down when you need to. It's an ideal bike for getting the miles down, whatever the pace

The CAAD 8 is well-paired with Tiagra shifters and mechs, and a compact FSA Omega BB30 chainset. The stiffness of the BB30 chainset, combined with smooth Campagnolo shifting make for an excellent pairing, and the 50/34 chainrings and 12-28 10 speed cassette give you a broad range of gears to deal with any terrain. The wheels are Maddux RS 3.0 rims laced to Cannondale's own hubs, providing reliable rolling and sturdy wheels that will happily deal with bad road surfaces, with the C4 dual-pivot brakes providing decent stopping power in all conditions.

There is very little not to recommend this bike as an excellent entry level road bike, or as the perfect winter trainer. The ride quality is as high as you would expect from any Cannondale, and the mudguard mounts mean this isn't just for sunny days. The CAAD8 delivers impeccable bang for your buck.

- Frame: Caad8, Optimized 6061 Alloy, Save stays, Bb30

- Fork: Cannondale Ultra, Carbon Blades, 1-1/8"

- Groupset: Fsa Omega BB30 50/34 cranks, Shimano Tiagra 4600 shifters, deraileurs and 12-28 cassette. Cannondale C4 dual pivot brakes. 

- Wheels: Maddux Rs 3.0, 32 hole rims to Cannondale C4 hubs. Schwalbe Lugano 700x23c Tyres

- Finishing Kit: Cannondale Stage Ergo saddle, Cannondale C4, 31.8mm, 6 Deg Stem, Cannondale C4 Alloy, 27.2mmx300mm Seatpost and Cannondale C4 handlebars

Geometry is available on Cannondale's website.

Brand Info

Ever since the early 70's, Cannondale have been at the forefront of innovation, and it has paid off. Their track frames are now sought-after prizes, and their incredible carbon fibre frames are racking up professional wins faster than any other, being ridden by Peter Sagan and Eli Viviani.