# 86 CANNONDALE sm800 46er



## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

I know some people here hate C-dales, but I rather like them. I was tempted to post this in the 69, 96, 650b forum espousing the superior handling characteristics of the 46er configuration, but chose not to stir the pot. 
Picked this up this past week, from a seller on CL. H said he got it as a frameset and had it built up. In any event its spec'd out as an 87 SM800 except the rear derailleur. No model name on the frame. The serial number puts the frame as a 86. My oldest bike yet by 10 years.
Suntour XC Hubs, shifters, front derailleur, roller cams
Shimano XT rear derailleur
Dia Compe levers
Araya (7x?) rims
Sugino Cranks 
Nitto Bars/stem (maybe just one or the other, not sure)

Gave her a light tune up and cleaning last night, I'll strip her down and give it a thorough one this winter. Right now the Hanebrink is getting most of my attention.... Bikes in pretty nice shape,with just a few chips on the chainstays and fork. Plus its got the 13" BB, which I was always curious about.....


































I'll get some outdoor pics this afternoon....


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'd like to find one of these on CL one day too -- always thought they were pretty cool.


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## Andy FitzGibbon (Jul 7, 2007)

I like those old Cannondales, have a few of them kicking around (mostly as frames). They were one of the original MTBs to show up around here, since Blackwater Bikes in Davis had a fleet of them that they rented out. They are pretty wacky, but fun to cruise around on.
At least you got one with roller cam brakes- I have a 1984 model that used cantilevers on the front and a Weinmann side-pull brake on the rear. You can imagine how well that works.
To anyone who is looking for one- because of the 13" BB, they fit weird. If you normally ride an 18" MTB, you will probably want a 20" in one of these.
Andy


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

Got out for a little ride today, very upright postion, feels kinda like a cruiser. It has a short top tube by todays standards, really didnt feel bad on the trails though. Its fun just to ride something this old and think of how far it has all come.... Its a flux capacitor shy of a time machine

Here some better pics:


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Don't worry about those who aren't C-dale fans. This is the place to post such a bike. LIke the brakes (lose the pie plate). It's been a long time since I've ridden of those but I remember the shop explaining the 4/6 idea to me.


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## metaljim (Apr 22, 2009)

I love old Cannondales. One of those came in the shop I was working at and I had a blast giving it some sanctioned test rides. It felt more like a big BMX bike than a mountain bike.


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## RobynC (Feb 14, 2004)

When you're over 6' tall your options are limited. Nice bike. About 1/2 the price of a Klein back in the day. What's not to like? I still miss my Black Lightning.


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

Hey, hope you dont mind me throwing these pics of my old 24\26 SM700 onto the thread to pay homage to these very cool bikes. It had the Grove Innovations fork and stem\bar combo. Pretty wild paint to boot. Pretty much the original components with mostly first generation XC. Ended-up with a guy in France!


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

metaljim said:


> I love old Cannondales. One of those came in the shop I was working at and I had a blast giving it some sanctioned test rides. It felt more like a big BMX bike than a mountain bike.


Definitely has a different feel to it then a newer bike. I dig it, cant say that I notice any specific attribute of the smaller rear wheel. Climbs pretty nicely, and I notice that it is a little reluctant to pop the front end up over obstacles, but I could adjust to it. Felt pretty nimble all in all.



robynC said:


> When you're over 6' tall your options are limited. Nice bike. About 1/2 the price of a Klein back in the day. What's not to like? I still miss my Black Lightning.


Wow didnt realize they were an economical alternative back then. When I was a kid I used to go to my LBS and drool over all the C-dales with the super fat tubes that I couldnt afford....Eventually I worked there and my 1st "real" mtb was a Killer V, that was in 96 though....



N10S said:


> Hey, hope you dont mind me throwing these pics of my old 24\26 SM700 onto the thread to pay homage to these very cool bikes. It had the Grove Innovations fork and stem\bar combo. Pretty wild paint to boot. Pretty much the original components with mostly first generation XC. Ended-up with a guy in France!


Dont mind at all, very 80's color scheme with the yellow housings....Are those Monty tires? 
Funny, my wife ended up with a guy in France


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

N10S said:


> Ended-up with a guy in France!


Am I confusing two bikes? I want to say the new owner posted it here a while ago, buncha great pics of it in a corn field or something?

Cool bike :thumbsup:


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

I just threw in a few pics of my old 86 SM700 24\26 in support of the thread since you dont see too many posts relating to the old Cannondales. The mid-80's Cannondales are (in my opinion) cool old bikes and fun bikes to ride especially on slow technical trail segments where the tall bb and steep head angles made it pretty agile. I had asked if the OP minded me throwing them in and don't have an issue pulling the pics if they are distracting to the thread. Sorry for the confusion.


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

N10S said:


> Sorry for the confusion.


You're all good! I should apologize for the confusion.  I was simply commenting on the fact that I recognized your bike, or one just like it, from some pics another user posted a while back. And, I thought it was in Europe somewhere.

Can't be too many of those around at this point.....

Post all you like, old Cannondales are fine by me. In fact, here you go!


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

I understand where the confusion is coming from now as I did a little searching and found this original thread, which had been added on to by the French buyer.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=204593&highlight=cannondale+sm700
I had purchased that bike from ScottyMTB and rode it down in New Mexico for a while before painstakingly packing the bike in two boxes and shipping it to France. I was aware of that orignal thread, but never realized that the thread continued with pics from France! Even been raced!! Who would of thunk it eh Beav ? Pretty cool that old C-dale is a seasoned traveler and has seen the world so-to-speak. I am glad I was able to own the bike for a while and get to enjoy it before giving it the opportunity to become a world traveler!


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> You're all good! I should apologize for the confusion.  I was simply commenting on the fact that I recognized your bike, or one just like it, from some pics another user posted a while back. And, I thought it was in Europe somewhere.
> 
> Can't be too many of those around at this point.....
> 
> Post all you like, old Cannondales are fine by me. In fact, here you go!


 OK lets see the rest of it!!!


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## sah (Dec 1, 2008)

*Here's another grove special*

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=4115079#poststop


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## shickapooka800 (Sep 21, 2010)

cool bike! 

i had odyssey pitbull brakes on my Free Agent bmx that look like your brakes (same roller/cam mechanism). takes me back.


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## Ride Free or Die (May 4, 2010)

I had those on a bmx bike years ago as well. They are basically the same thing too, they just have a integrated mounting plate that bolts up to a center hole, instead of the brazed on bosses these have. They worked awesome too.


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## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Want one. Bad. Those sure look fun and have super short chainstays.


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## syklystt (Mar 31, 2010)

i see them on ebay every couple/few months...usually aorund 400.00 in good condition.
I have a nice 84 that I have never used but intend to someday.

ya...short stays, high BB and tight steering...just how I like my bikes....Great for that east coast rocky riding at its best..


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## broomhandle (Jul 27, 2006)

26/24's are one of my favorite rides... I love them and I'm glad you do as well. And the green/yellow one that went to France, is my friend in France that loves it, takes great care of it and rides it a lot!


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## broomhandle (Jul 27, 2006)

Also. 87 sm800 came in pink or white. Your decals are not original. The chain stay decals are on the down tube. And you have 89/90 decals on the seat tube. Could be a 86 though if yellow is original, they had them from 84-88 and the frame you have was made from 85-88.


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

broomhandle said:


> 26/24's are one of my favorite rides... I love them and I'm glad you do as well. And the green/yellow one that went to France, is my friend in France that loves it, takes great care of it and rides it a lot!


Glad to hear the old green and yellow SM700 cannondale is still well loved and going strong in France! I enjoyed that bike while I owned it and am glad it has continued to be enjoyed by an enthusiast that appreciates it and still rides it! Truly a unique bike, that's for sure.


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## 24pouces (Jan 8, 2007)

As you can see, this bike is still riden !


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## 24pouces (Jan 8, 2007)

And pics of my other 46 'dale : a 1988 SM600, last year they used the rear 24" wheel





With this 2 'dale, I own a 1987 Fat Chance with the rear 24 wheel.
I really don't see where is the interest with 29" wheels


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## asphalt_jesus (Aug 13, 2010)

Hijacking this thread a bit, for the casual reader, during this era I recall a few things going on:

1. Wheel sizes not-yet settled on 26" front-and-back. It wasn't so many years before Victor Vincente was doing 20" wheels.
2. "Trails" then were not the super-groomed stuff brought on by defined mountain biking activity areas. These designs work well on a trail designed for walking, yet you are riding a bike up/down them. 

If my recollection is wrong, it could be, feel free to correct it.


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## syklystt (Mar 31, 2010)

asphalt_jesus said:


> Hijacking this thread a bit, for the casual reader, during this era I recall a few things going on:
> 
> 1. Wheel sizes not-yet settled on 26" front-and-back. It wasn't so many years before Victor Vincente was doing 20" wheels.
> 2. "Trails" then were not the super-groomed stuff brought on by defined mountain biking activity areas. These designs work well on a trail designed for walking, yet you are riding a bike up/down them.
> ...


Yes and yes....and I still seek out those rocky wonders that only get hiked....the trails of new are wayyy too flowy for me, I love it for about 15 minutes then get real bored, I love to go fast, but I love to be challenged too, bring on both and thats where I like it. Smaller wheels with high bottom brackets and super tight steering. If I were to build one nowdays, I'd shorten them stays as much as humanly possible so I can manual it eeeeasily (and tuck that tire up high on big air jumps)...(mine has looong chainstays)...and a super short stem (must have).....and a big pile of rocks!


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## banks (Feb 2, 2004)

24pouces said:


> As you can see, this bike is still riden !


Nice! Why is the Cousin mounted backwards?


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

24pouces said:


> As you can see, this bike is still riden !


Hey, thanks for sharing the pics! So how did you do in that race? Looks like you were having a good time! Its been a while since I sold that bike to you and always good to see it again. When you won that auction on ebay years back I was totally freaked because I had not intended to ship it out of the country. A few emails later and I was comfortable the bike was going to the right new owner, and your pics and enthusiasm reinforce my hopes.

Btw- I still have a Raleigh Edge 46 that I ride from time to time. Its not as cool as the grove -cdale, but its fun to ride on technical terrain.

Jeff


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## 24pouces (Jan 8, 2007)

To Banks : Sorry, it's an error from me. What a shame ! 
To N10S - Jeff : I was in the last position in that race. But it was only for fun !


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