I own a beautiful Cannondale SR400 that I bought on craigslist in April of 2007 for $100. It replaced my equally splendid Haro V2 BMX that I had been riding on, retrofitted with police tires and a kickstand. The beauty of the Cannondale is that it is still in an amazing condition even after 16 years, and bikes of this caliber are hard to come by. I like to think of the fact that you can always buy top of the notch new amazing titanium-frame bikes, but you'd be hardpressed to find an aluminum frame Cannondale still with its original pieces.

Specifications of the Cannondale SR-400

For your vintage Cannondale information and catalogs, be sure to visit VintageCannondale.com

Cannondale SR 400

Bike as it currently appears, June 2008:

Circuits I've taken:

Swarthmore - Ridley Park

Notes: Distance: 6.9 miles. A mini loop that can be readily expanded with a route into Tinicum Township, but it's nice and flat and is a great ride to stretch your legs after a long day.

New York Five Boro Bike Tour
See pictures of the 30th anniversary Five Boro Bike Tour that I participated in on May 6th, 2007 at my gallery.

Philadelphia Museum of Art - Ambler/Penllyn, PA

Notes: Distance: 42.2 miles. The ride took us from Philly’s Art museum to Ambler, just north of Plymouth Meeting, where we stopped for a short snack. The terrain is 60% flat with a fair amount of hills along the way, but it gets really picturesque once you hit the Walnut Lane Golf Club. One highlight is Schuylkill River trail on the way back, but beware of slower riders and runners.

New York - Edgewater, New Jersey

Notes: 30.2744 miles. I was surprised by the pretty decent roads in Harlem, though the George Washington Bridge was not as exciting, since you have to carry your bike up one set of stairs, down another, then up another before getting onto the bridge, and then up another and down another just to get off (which is not nice when you're wearing Look cleats). Route 505 is a nice challenge, with a fair amount of hills and flat ground, and on a good day the scenery of Manhattan should be unbeatable.

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

New York - Central Park

Notes: 6.1133 miles. Repeated approximately three to four times. Since they repaved a section it's been a sweet and smooth ride (save for the crowd, but then again it's more fun over the weekends because there are other riders around too) and though I've looked for alternatives, there hasn't been one quite as nice. (There's one section towards Wall Street and the West Side/Riverside drive but I have yet to document it).

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

Swarthmore - West Philadelphia

Notes: 18.4494 miles. Baily Road (by Holy Cross cemetary) is horrible to ride (mixture of rock and cement with potholes everywhere) and West Philly doesn't get any better, but it's a nice and decent route. Providence Road is a joy to ride (as it is in the opposite direction). Though I didn't realize it until later, I had taken the almost identical commuter route that my Engineering professor had outlined long ago.

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

Swarthmore - Paoli

Notes: 36.8084 miles, 22 miles to get there and the rest to get back, which shows how much of a detour I took. I made a turn at West Possum Hollow Rd instead of following on North Providence road into Media, and so I ended up by Granite Run Mall. I did however get a beautiful, undisturbed scenic ride on Providence road, which made up for the horrible mistake. I passed a place called Sugartown, as well as Malvern, where I stopped at a Wawa for a twisted cinnamon doughnut, and then arrived at my destination, the Performance bike store, where I promptly spent $100 on necessary items like shorts, shoes and cleats. The return ride was smooth and eventless on the southbound 252.

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

Swarthmore - Ridley Creek State Park, Route 1

Notes: 14.4286 miles. I tagged along a friend of mine, and the ride was smooth. I didn't have much time to look at the scenary as I was busy trying to catch up, but Ridely Creek park is beautiful, with its old buildings and the like.

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

Swarthmore - Ridley Creek State Park, Route 2

Notes: 13.4291 miles. A shorter route that I found using Providence road and 252 Northbound, which provides a comfortable ride through Media and not much stop and go traffic. The one reward is Chapel Hill road, which is a beautiful downhill ride to the park.

(route on Gmaps Pedometer)

Upgrades:

Bontrager Race Lux, Hollow rail saddle: $5.00
Hutchinson Team Discovery tires. $19.99 apiece
White cork handlebar tape $3.99

Resources:

Erik Cheever's Bike Rides in and around Delaware County, PA. With cue sheets too link
Swarthmore to Center City commuter route link
Five Boro Bike Club: Free day rides in and around the city.

From Cannondale's 1991 bicycle catalog, available at VintageCannondale.

The bike as it currently is: updated April 23, 2007.

Blog Style 11

Previously

Haro V2 bike, 2004 release with police tires and kickstand. Bought at Katrina relief sale for $40. Amazing shock absorbers and simply comfortable ride. Sold for $200.