In the late 1990s, the Italian Saeco team dominated global road cycling, and they did so in an exceptionally bright style. Mario “Lion King” Cipollini was winning races all over the show on a “Made in the USA” Cannondale CAAD3 - often in an iconic red colour scheme with yellow details.
Cannondale was a trailblazer in using computer-aided design (CAD) and aluminium, hence the clever play on words with CAAD marketed as "Cannondale Advanced Aluminum Design". They were able to mass-produce the CAAD3 frame with a weight of just 1.2 kgs. This was at a time when aluminium frames were typically handmade in small numbers and only steel bikes were mass-produced (almost the opposite of what it is today).
Another interesting piece of history is that when Cannondale sponsored the Italian road cycling team it was one of the most expensive sponsorship deals ever made at the time. Cannondale was a leader in the mountain biking scene but did not really have a name on the road bike scene - dominated as it was by many legacy brands.
It turns out that the deal paid off, thanks in no small part to Cannondale's ingenuity but also to the star power of Mario Cipollini, his flamboyant skin suits and unrivalled sprinting power.
Shimano Tiagra 9x2 integrated shifters
Shimano 105 rear derailleur
Coda dual pivot brake callipers
Coda (53/39) crankset
Cinelli handlebars
Cannondale stem
Front hub Coda
Rear Hub Shimano 105
New Elvedes stainless steel gear and brake cables, New Elvedes cartridge brake blocks, new Velox bar tape.
60cm centre to top, 59 cm top tube, 9cm stem suitable for people 178-188cm
