Looking For Cannondale TX1000 Info - Who Has or Had One

[CanvasAndSteel]

My opinion on used bikes is buy them IF you are a bike mechanic and do ALL of your own mechanical work.  If you are paying a bike shop to do the mechanical work, then stick with new or almost new bikes.  Slightly used only.  Newer bike parts such as shifters, hubs, gearing, brakes are better than parts from 25 or more years ago.  Parts change over the years and trying to fix older parts may be difficult.  And hard to find.  And the new stuff does work better.  There probably isn't a good reason to add stress and hassle to your life.  So stick with newer bikes.  Especially if you don't know anything about bike mechanics.

Concerning the Cannondale 1000.  If its 1990 or newer, worth considering.  But since its Suntour, its probably 1980s or before.  Maybe not worth considering unless you know bike mechanics.

Correct. I decided I wanted to learn how to work on bikes, so I bought two bikes very cheaply, tore them down and built them back up. I also read. A lot. Not everyone wants to do that. Anyone could, but not everyone wants to.

My one disagreement with the above is with respect to quality and serviceability of older components. Drivetrains and shifters from 35 years ago are much simpler to work with than indexed systems and in most cases after a good cleaning should last another several decades.

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[CanvasAndSteel]

It is fine to put a 130 mm axle hub into a steel bicycle with 126 mm spacing. Do not do this with an aluminum frame such as the Cannondale the OP is talking about buying. This will lead to a cracked frame.

Thanks for pointing that out. We don't want anyone trying to bend aluminum to make things fit.

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[DaveB]

It is fine to put a 130 mm axle hub into a steel bicycle with 126 mm spacing. Do not do this with an aluminum frame such as the Cannondale the OP is talking about buying. This will lead to a cracked frame.

Interesting posting.  Too bad it's not correct.  using a 130 mm hub in a 126 mm spaced aluminum frame is done all the time with no problems or harm.  You don't want to "cold set" (i.e. permanently bend) an aluminum frame to widen the dropouts but force fitting a 130 mm hub into a 126 mm frame is not damaging.

[Augie Dog]

Thanks everyone lots to consider. Here is the link that way y'all can look at it.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bid/4289515297.ht
I actually found it using Search Tempest which is a link accessing Craigslist on covers larger area. It has quite a few photo's.

[CanvasAndSteel]

Augie, I thought that was the one you were looking at. I would not pay that for it. $500 is what you would pay for one of the top flight touring bikes and the TX1000 is not in that category. It's really worth maybe half what is being asked when compared to other bikes that could be had for that price. There are no fork mounts for racks, the XCM line of Suntour was not the great stuff the company was making through the mid 80s, etc. With a little patience you can do much better.

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[CanvasAndSteel]

If you're looking for American made, why not Surly or Soma? LHTs are always hitting CL. This one is in your atea: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/4270770793.html

And I know it's not American made, but this Dawes, also in your area, looks pretty special: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/4270770793.html

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[CanvasAndSteel]

Sorry. Here's the Dawes: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/4289197336.html

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[Augie Dog]

CanvasAndSteel I did not ssee the Surly!! Looks interesting and very close by so I could go and look at. Only issue I see right now is size so I do need to look at it.Did the LHT conme with 26" wheels? The owner said he used mtb parts. Just wondering. What search source are you using for Craigs List?

[CanvasAndSteel]

The LHT comes with 26", 700c, canti or disc. Buyer's choice. I use dailylister.com, but I just took a look on your area's CL by going into the bikes category and running a search for touring. On dailylister there are always a dozen or so LHTs. Good bike.

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[DaveB]

If you're looking for American made, why not Surly or Soma?

Because they aren't American made either.  Surly is a house brand of QBP and their frames are all made in Taiwan.  Soma's own web site says their frames are made in Taiwan. 

For that matter, Trek, Cannondale and Specialized, the Big-3 "American" brands, also source most or all of their frames in Asia.  If you really want a US made frame you have to go to a custom builder and, even then, the tubing is most likely to be imported.  After all that, there are no US made component groups.   

[CanvasAndSteel]

Yep. There's not anything fully made anywhere anymore. "assembled in" is as close as we get. I just have no desire to talk the OP out of his desire to have an American bike. I just want to help him get on two wheels. Broadening the pool of American brands will do that.

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[Augie Dog]

I looked at the Cannondale today and I must say it is in excellent condition!! The Suntour butterfly shifters are indexed and the bike is impressive. I did notice it would be difficult to add fenders and wider tires though. Front fork looks to be steel and not stock. Very hard to pass this up but I will keep looking. It is a ST1000 not a T1000. It has all the brazeons for racks. I am leaning towards a BoB trailer instead of panniers so I am not sure about the ability of the aluminum chainstays supporting a trailer.Bottom bracket and all joints looked good with no cracking visible. I could do a UT test on it to verify this but I am looking at some steel frame bikes also. Leaving my options open.

[CanvasAndSteel]

Good decision, I think. It would be fun to know what you settle on, so let us know.

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[Augie Dog]

I just lost an ebay sale on a Trek 720 frame and fork. It went for $408.00 I have found a Trek 970 built like a LHT. It has many upgrades. Trouble is it's in Canada and I have not recieved a comment from owner. After doing some more research on the Old Treks site I discovered Trek made a 990 also. I think I am leaning towards the Trek 970 or 990 to build up as a touring bike. I base this on my plans to do some rail trail tours using upgraded rail beds (no asphalt). Any way if you see any 970 or 990 let me know.
Thanks
Alan

[CanvasAndSteel]

That's a great plan, Augie.  What size are you needing?  Might I also suggest that you keep tabs on CL for a donor road bike on the cheap, i.e. a road bike you can use for bars, brake levers, etc.  Doing it that way is often more economical than purchasing separate parts outright. Also, do some studying  on what to do with shifters. I'm using barends on my mtb drop conversion (86 Schwinn High Sierra). Lastly, check out the Classic and Vintage section at bikeforums.net and look for the thread on drop bar conversions. It has some examples of 990 and 970 conversions.

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