For our blog this week we have the Cannondale CAAD8 review. This road bike was the bike I bought to start taking triathlon more seriously. The bike is a perfect second hand choice for anyone looking for a sensibly priced road bike. My review was for the 2013 model but I have updated this to provide information on the 2024 range. If buying second hand then you should be looking at £150 for a well looked after model in this space.
Summary of CAAD8 Review
Trivelo Score – 3.5 / 5
Bike Manufacturer – Cannondale
Bike Model – CAAD8 Sora
Price when purchased – £600
The Cannondale CAAD8 Sora is the bottom end of the road bike hierachy. This may come as a surprise if you are not a cyclist. It is relatively heavy in road bike terms and comes with the entry level Shimano groupset.
It makes a perfect first real road bike. Stable on the road. Inexpensive to maintain. Ripe for some easy upgrades to help make the bike quicker.
Pros & Cons of the Cannondale CAAD8 Sora
Pros
- Super reliable bike
- Quality frame ripe for upgrade
- Great finish on the frame
Cons
- Wheels are heavy and let the bike down
- Brakes are low quality and I have had to replace them after issues on a Sportive really affected my ride
My Road Bike History
My previous experience of road bikes was a racer bought for me for my 10th birthday. Following this a second hand steel road bike I picked up on Gumtree following a drunken bet to complete a triathlon. Bought as a result of realising that my hefty and aged mountain bike wasn’t going to cut it. On arrival at transition for my first triathlon adventure I quickly realised this bike business was serious. My new road bike costing less than a decent lunch might not be up to the job.
First Impressions of the Cannondale CAAD8
I picked up my Cannondale and immediately loved it. A gorgeous finishing kit on the frame with simple white paint job. My knowledge of the wealth of upgrades available had yet to become established. I commenced my love affair for road cycling fitting my bike with a set of pedals and venturing onto the road.
CAAD8 Bike overview
My bike was the entry level CAAD8 with aluminium frame and carbon forks. The bike came with the Shimano Sora groupset all of which worked without fault and happily covered distances up to 100 miles. The bike runs a triple on the front so makes hills pretty straight forward.
Compared to full carbon bikes it isn’t the lightest so you may find your carbon cousins smashing it on the hills. The bike isn’t the most relaxed of geometry with no sloping sportive top tube and reasonably long as you consider sizing. I tend to hover between a 58cm and 60cm frame depending on the manufacturer and on the CAAD8 it came up on a 58. As an entry-level road bike it offers plenty of upgrade opportunity. There are three further models in the CAAD8 range above the SORA and we will provide more details later on these.
If you are looking for indoor training you need a smart turbo trainer. Read my round-up of the 5 best smart turbo trainers for 2024. Posted over on our dedicated cycling site.
Bike Specification
| Brakes | Tektro R741 |
| Shifters | Shimano Sora |
| Wheelbase (cm) | 100 |
| Top Tube (cm) | 57.5 |
| Standover Height (cm) | 82.6 |
| Bottom Bracket Height (cm) | 27 |
| Stack | 59 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Wheelset | Maddux rims, Formula hubs |
| Weight (Ib) | 20.98 |
| Stem | Cannondale |
| Seatpost | Cannondale 27.2mm |
| Cassette | 11-28 |
| Seat Angle | 73 |
| Saddle | Cannondale |
| Rear Tyre | 25mm Schwalbe Lugano |
| Head Angle | 73 |
| Handlebar | Cannondale |
| Front Tyre | 25mm Schwalbe Lugano |
| Frame Material | 6061 aluminium |
| Fork | Carbon |
| Cranks | FSA GOSSAMER COMPACT BB30 50/34 |
| Frame size | 58cm |
CAAD8 Recommended Upgrades
The wheels were an early candidate for an upgrade being both pretty heavy and not with the finest set of bearings. Over many evenings of drooling over bikes I continued to dabble with the prospect of upgrading the Shimano Sora groupset. Looking at the 105 but ultimately decided the money was better spent on a new bike.
As well as upgrading the wheels to some Planet X deep rim tubs for races I upgraded the brakes to Shimano 105. This followed the Tektra brakes failing on a Sportive and having to be disabled.
Pedals are a likely consideration for any bike upgrade. But are clipless pedals worth the upgrade? We compare clipless pedals and flat pedals with the science behind differences. If you have resisted using clipless pedals to date you should read this post to help you make the right decision for you.
Riding the CAAD8 Sora
The CAAD8 continued to serve me well enough and ultimately fully carbon aero bikes came into the frame. Using the bike in numerous Sportives and Triathlons it never let me down. It continues to be my turbo partner to this date. Only frustrations with the bike would be the odd corner cut by Cannondale such as wheels and brakes. Using some cheaper components fitted to keep costs down. In fairness the money has been spent on the frame. Exactly where you would want and all sub £1000 bikes have to make some compromise.
Riding it the bike is quick through corners and pretty stable on a range of road qualities. The off the shelf tyres provide reasonable all weather performance but merit an upgrade. This continues to build on the confidence felt in corners. Downhill the bike is pretty quick benefiting from some additional weight over a carbon frame.Uphill it is comfortable although not the quickest with power being lost through the triple. Comparable speeds between this and a carbon bike are notable on uphill climbs but given price point is still good value.
If you are in the market for an electric bike read my review of the Tenways CGO600. A single speed eBike that is a well priced road bike. Embrace the n+1 of bike buying!
Latest Cannondale entry level road bikes
Cannondale has replaced the CAAD8 with the Optimo range which now uses the Shimano Claris groupset in place of the Sora. Colours have evolved from the modest white to a Lamborghini green but the heritage remains. Cannondale still has the perfect first road bike for any cyclist to consider.
Next model up from the Cannondale Optimo Claris is the same frame with the upgraded Shimano Sora groupset. The frame finishing on this is revised to the more modest white. Up a further step in the Optimo range is the Shimano Tiagra groupset. Top of the range is the 105 fitted bike. This is a marked improvement in the shifters and a direct cousin of the Dura-Ace range. Pricing wise this gives you bikes ranging from £600 – £1000 depending on the groupset.
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