I Bought a Cheap Cannondale Road Bike for £500! 

I ride a CAAD12 with rim brakes. Also, purchased it used at a very good price. Been riding it for 4 years now and looking forward to many more...

At the beginning of this year I bought a Cannondale CAAD13 Disc 105. I rode it without any problems the whole season this year. Great bike. I'm happier with it than with carbon models.

This 105 5800 shifters are stupid comfortable, had them on road bike and transfer them to gravel bike.

This guy is hoarding old cannondales as if they were going out of style, must be decent bikes.

I just smoked riders in a recent road race on a 20 year old CAAD4 with modern components. I am not convinced modern road bikes are faster

I've got a Caad12 (rim brake) I Built up to be sub 6kg. It sits at 6.45kg with a deep set of areo rims 60/82 and 5.8kg with a set of 33/33 climbing wheels. Sram red22 group with some blingbling. Carbon Ti Chainrings, EEBrakes, 3t ergonova bars, full carbon saddle, Save carbon seatpost. Overall really happy with how well the bike preforms on the flats and climbs. The aggressive geo doesn't really feel all that great going beyond 100km rides but I have my stem slammed. I'd bet it would feel a lot better if there was about 10mm of spacers under the stem. It's a bike that I think will always be in my stable, don't see myself ever selling it.

The problem with modern bikes is while they’re very expensive and have some cool features like electronic shifting, they don’t necessarily ride any better than the older bikes.

Thank you for being a standout on RU-vid and posting content that is more accessible and representative of the average cyclist.

Thank you for doing this, it's something people can actually learn from rather than just dream about

The CAAD 12 rimbrake is lighter than the disc version and nicer to ride. It just is. Cannondale did magic when they created that frame, confusingly it rides even better than the equivalent Supersix to me. Alu is a misunderstood material.

Got my old CAAD10 down to 7.3kg with some Prime carbon wheels, carbon railed seat, carbon seatpost, FSA k-light crankset and lightweight Richey WCS stem and bars.

Love your Caad12 enthusiasm! It's my ride as well. I put on a Hunt carbon 40 wheelset--they make QR--for just under $1000. Fantastic, sporty ride. Love it. It never occurred to me that the shifters and hoods were ugly before now--do tell us why.

Where I live CAAD12 rim brakes are reselling for twice that price…you must be one hell of a negotiator 😅

Mavic make a lovely disc quick-release adapter to their wheels. I use their new Alloroad S on my quick-release disc Masi CXGR with 32mm GRP5000s. Beware-they are sold seperately

Have the same one. Rode 32k km on it. I've put on a set of dt dwiss alloy wheels with 350 hubs. Ride crits on it also. Super bike. Is being replaced by a CAAD 13 due to corrosion under the paint.

oh god trying to find a wheel upgrade with a disc QR wheelset could be hard work these days.

The rule should be that all upgrades need to be 2nd hand and also bargains. Slapping on a new 12sp groupset and expensive wheels takes away from it being a bike for the people. Essentially this is a £500 frameset as everything on it must go. 11sp mechanical Ultegra, SISL, race geometry cockpit, bargain carbon rims and a saddle that costs you under 50 quid from eBay. That would keep it under 2k total.

I went the same route a couple of years ago and bought the same model second hand. i upgraded it with carbon bits and had my lbs build me a custom carbon wheelset. Rode it for 13k and sold it for a carbon frame. This reminds me I actually never seen a caad 13 on the road here in my flanders region...

I bought a 2011 Moda Rubato for £80, weighs 8.5kg, has the microshift gears but could easily be upgraded, many people have never heard of this bike which is why prices are crazy low

Why are the welds on aluminium bikes so lumpy now? I had a Canondale M600 years ago and all the joints were nice and smooth

I have a CAAD12 and eat the Aeros for breakfast

These are the deals I’m always stoked about! I may ride steel bikes, but know if someone doesn’t want steel, they can get a killer bike second hand, and invest the rest of the money that would have been spent on an overly expensive new bike that doesn’t make a performance difference for 99% of riders.

I had the 2019 with flat mount on fork, way better than the horrible post mount, didn't fall in love with the disc model sold it and got a TCR disc, rim brake Caad 12 however is one of the best bikes ever made in my opinion

But by the time you’ve upgraded those parts, how much will it be? Would you have been better off spending more?

I have a 2017 caad12 and it’s the most fun bike I’ve ever had! I’d love much better wheels and a better group set but the 105 is getting the job done

Fantastic video David, can’t wait to see what Jim has to say.. Absolutely love my CAAD12 rim brake and have just bought a Supersix Evo HM rim brake, so will be interesting to see what you do to the CAAD. I decided my CAAD was fine as it was and the Supersix was a better basis for a little weight-weenie project

I purchased a used CAaD12 frame with through axel and disc brake... but oddly cannondale only did the front and QR on the rear... which is a a bit of pain as you need an adopter on the wheelset...

Put Ultegra 12 speed di2. Good wheels and a one piece carbon bar. Then compare to a current superbike😊

My '22 aluminum Orbea Avant has a fantastic ride, very smooth and handles exceptionally well. I'm not disappointed in the least that I didn't spring for a carbon bike. Personally, if I was going to spend the money a good high end carbon bike costs, I'd go for a custom steel frame.

aluminum is just fine, even good. problem is it fatigues quickly; worst fatigue life, by far, of steel, Ti, carbon, etc. every aluminum frame I've had (about five of 'em) cracked at a weld, usually at the very bottom of the seat tube where it meets the BB shell. it wasn't from abuse, it was from simple power being put through the frame.

Upgrade: 50mm tubeless carbon wheelset, slam front end and lose the chimney! Second hand Cannondale SiSL2 crankset (stiff, light), second hand SRAM red eTap shifters and derailleurs. Basically what I have done to my CAAD12 = Superbike 😎

Love that classic look. Never was a fan of sloping top tubes on road bikes.

I have the exact same bike. Really enjoy the bike. Tons of upgrades and still havent broken into the 7kg range. New Mavic Cosmic wheels (disc), FSA K-Force Light crankset, ZIPP SL SS handlebar, Sworks power saddle. Was there a 2nd video on your changes?

I prefer the red CAAD you refurbished to this find, David. Disc brakes are an improvement in theory, but this model is from the days of spec confusion. Today things are sorted with thru axles and wider clearances all around. Wheels that adhere to narrower QR spindles and take rotors are in my mind worse than just finding modern rim brake compatible ones. At least its not a QR in front and thru in the rear. Those are just sad.

Cheers for Aluminium. Serotta selling the last of the A9 aluminium frames and bikes for a bargin right now. I am enjoying mine.

i already have my CAD12 superbike : p I have prime 85mm deep wheels on it, zipp sprint stem, zipp aero bars, 48T garbaruk chainring, specialized 3D printed romin saddle. 1X and no front break, the only two cables from the handlebar are heatshrinked together so very clean look

#savetherimbrake 👀🙌💯🚲 , for 500 u can't get too picky I've bought bikes used and you do your own upgrades, if it rides good then use it as is till u need to upgrade. Now a days some people are selling used bikes for SRP prices 👀🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ just to make some profit. I just scored a LOOK 566 for $600 rim brake. Great bike. If your going to keep it slam the stem but if your going to re-sale the bike don't do that because someone else may need space to go up or down on the stem.

Not to argue but I don't find those hoods to be ugly or anything, sure they are large but O well, that's the design, not a deal-breaker or anything. And for the price, of course, that is a fantastic deal, congratulations on the find, give it some love and ride Bullseye like the wind. 😀

Been looking. Cant find anything less than $1400 usd what a steal!

Weight of the rim brake 54 model is 1170 gr. Rim brake is better option for sure. Best alloy frame that cannondale ever made

I bought a CAAD12 Black Inc frame 4 years ago, hands down the best bike I've had. All this marketing hype for modern aero disc brake bikes for £10k + makes me laugh...

I picked up the midel a couple of months ago. Put some good tyres and a 38cm bar on it but I want to do some better upgrades, so looking forward to seeing your progress.

Insane you can find caad12’s in the uk for that price. In the states I can’t even get a frameset for under $700-$800 let alone a whole bike lol

Cant imagine how you would goto-town on qr disc wheelsets! hope you prove me wrong! Nevertheless great bike and nice episode!

Great review, I'm proper into my caad performance for cost csnt be beaten, also ally can take a better knock more winter friendly

I have a mavic ksyrium s disc wheelset that came with the endcaps to go to 135 and qr. I know that’s an alloy set, but all I’m saying is that possibly mavic would have those end caps through out the ranges 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

For new (reused) wheels, Specialized made them as I had the money my 14 Roubaix. Would be great if that bike were still around. What I didn't like was that QR isn't as solid as Thru-Axle. But it did the job of stopping.

I brought a mint cannondale caad8 during lockdown for a bargain price of about 200 quid and it was like new, The dura ace pedals alone made it worth buying. Lovely frames and almost a shame that it lives on my Zwift set up now.. Done 12000 miles on it indoors and it's not missed a beat!

scratches on the hoods mean he leant it up against a brick wall not that he crashed it...

Sweet bike but the lack of through-axles is kind of an issue because it's not upgradeable...very limiting in terms of wheel choice

I got a Cannondale caad 12 this year 2019 just like this one! Can't wait to see the upgrades you'll make

I think this is a great bike and buy. However, I think it would remain a secondary bike or a bike for someone new and on a budget. For me the 135mm wheel spacing/no through axle with the disc brakes is a deal breaker. Based on that, I say it is probably not worth upgrading and remain a secondary bike or winter bike, at least for me. But it is top notch for a secondary bike.

I has a friend using this bike, he upgrade his wheelset to latest carbon wheel and using dtswiss hub, it was eAsy for him to get a dtswist thru axle/quick release adaptor

I’m looking forward to seeing 105 Di2 on this. And some 40mm (at least) carbon wheels. Very quickly though, your £500 bike will be somewhat more than the bargain starting price! #addictedtoupgrades

Had a caad12 and supersix hi mod at same time . Sold the supersix first as the caad12 was so lively loved it. They were both rim brake . I’ve read the disc version isn’t as a good

Congatulations on the new /old bike. Most reputable wheels manufacturer will have thru axle adapters for 135mm rear. I have fitted Aeolus Paradigm Elite wheels to a LeMond Poprad frame. No issues

Looks pretty well maintained. Nothing more fun than project bikes!! Might pick up a used revolt later and piece together an AXS kit for it.

Mountain biked with QR skewers and disc brakes in the early 2000s - haven't had any issues. Now finding a good modern wheelset that offers QR endcaps, that can be a challenge. Hopefully manufacturers will still keep backward compatibility in mind but sadly the QR + disc brake configuration just never gained popularity (in my opinion).

I bought a used Cannondale CAADx as a gravel bike and it seems like a very slightly modified version of this CAAD 12. Love the bike! Upgraded the mechanical discs to hydraulic and looking to get a road wheelset so the bike can serve as a dual purpose. Finding disc wheels for QR is rather difficult though....

Some road hubs can have the end caps swapped to change between through axle and QR so you shouldn’t have too much trouble sourcing a wheelset upgrade.

The man can’t help himself 😂…

See how it rides, the crank arm ware doesn't bother me that much

Am looking forward to watching what you do with this bike.

swap the fork for a flat mount qr fork. Replace levers and calipers with new flat mount stuff. boom, modernized.

Carbon wheels are a given and 32c or 30c which ever fits gp5000 tr s New 105 12s mechanical but use a ultegra or dura ace crank and cassette Carbon cockpit perhaps? Carbon seat post and a nice Ti railed saddle and it’s sorted

If only you knew a guy who was good with these.

Considering the amount of cyclists killed and injured by distracted drivers, it never ceases to amaze me how many cycling RU-vidrs will happily do it on film - driving without due care and attention and adding sod all to the video for it. STOP IT!

You may have bought the cheapest CAAD12 in the country, but i bought the cheapest Supersix Evo High Mod in the world

Respray into the new ef education colourway👍

I'm deeply sorry but you can't turn a donkey to a horse by changing the saddle. I can understand buying a rim brake aluminium bike but I can't see the purpose of buying of buying that ugly thing.

If you know you know ..

"Renaissance of aluminum"

The lining up of the white bar tape logo with the white line on the bars -- small detail, but super satisfying. 😌

Love it! Great video!!

Where abouts in the Cotswolds are you ?

Yes disc brakes are better. If you know you know.

If you like the CAAD 12, way until you find out about the Slate lol

Been riding my CAAD12 rim for 5 seasons. I had it down to 15lb 2oz (6.89kg) but converted it to DI2 and now it's 15lb 6oz. That's with pedals, cages, and Garmin mount. I'd like a new bike, but can't come within 2lbs of the CAAD for under $8,000. Maybe I'll just paint it...

No. No one is paying 2000 for a Caad 12!! Those ones on eBay you see have sat there all year.

Sorry mate I paid 300 caad 12 from marketplace with receipts used twice

I've got the exactly same bike as this one for about 3 years now, and I love it

I have a Cannondale CAAD12 Disc that I bought in pieces but complete for £150, makes yours seem expensive, haha, it had some issues with the front shift lever having eaten its self internally and a dent in the top tube from a previous owner who shouldn't own a workshop stand, but still owes me less than £400 all in, they are a great bike for the money!

£500 for a caad 12 disc 🤔…. Judging by the prices on E-Bay and FB marketplace I’d say it’s stolen. They are all close to £1000 for a disc version even rim brake models are £700+

I own a 2018 broadmann c7 and it's a dream to ride . I wouldn't change it ❤

I have a caad 10 in black on black, ultegra and carbon rims. Light and nippy, ridden mates new super bikes and not that much difference for me... Have a gravel and MTB that iv dropped money on instead.

Looking forward to you upgrading, im going to get some carbon wheels next year for mine, i dont think i would do anything beyond that, Im running gp5000s currently on spline 1800 rim brake ans have to say it is fairly quick tyres do make a big difference

I bought a CAAD10 in amazing condition for 180 quid... incredible as a winter bike and just as nice to ride as my main bike

You forgot to include the Cervelo S1

That's a bargain. What a great bike for that price. For any curious person this would be the perfect entry level bike to feel why road bikes are just awesome

A very nice bike!

I got mine for 500 too few months back, admittedly it was rim

I had a pair of those hoods on my first Giant TCR. Eventually got rid of them when the calipers started leaking and contaminating the pads (could explain the GRX caliper)

Nice one! New Mavic wheels will fit this frame with QR adapters provided by Mavic.

What if you also went through lite bicycle or some brand like that to get custom made carbon hoops with the spike count of your current hubs?

Sure, check for damage, otherwise just new wheels and tires, trim the cables and cut the steerer, maybe a new stem to suit, same with cranks and chainrings. Then be satisfied and look for another good deal.

Thats a very clean very well looked alter bike,Nice color as well❤

Rimbrake more light and best for caad12😊

I had a CAAD12 105 Disc, possibly the year earlier model; with those awful brake levers. I managed to fit 30mm tyres, and even 30mm CX Pro tyres for some winter off-road excursions.

CAAD12s are nice but if you're gonna tool around with a project CAAD why not hold out for a Black Inc?

I can't get an idea where these bikes for such a price lie...