What member of the cycling industry got its start in a loft in a pickle factory? That would be Cannondale in 1971 when it began making bicycle trailers in Connecticut.
Twelve years later it introduced its first bicycle, a touring model. I remember it well because my friend bought one for our TransAmerica tour the following year (that's Bruce and his Cannondale in Virginia), and I think it's still sitting in his basement.
At first glance I was taken by the bike's over-sized frame tubes. That was necessary to compensate for the aluminum that was used.
I was a little worried about him using a new fangled aluminum bike on our 4,000-mile bicycle tour, but I changed my mind the first time I pushed it over a curb somewhere in Virginia. It was super light! No wonder I was lagging so far back on my steel bike as we ran the ridges.
David Arthur at BikeMagic.com writes about the first Cannondale he saw.
I bought my own Cannondale racing bike three years later, and rode it faithfully for more than 10 years. It was stiff and light, but I eventually got tired of vibrating to every bump in the road.
I'm back to steel, Lemond Tourmalet, but I still fondly remember the stiffness of that Cannondale on hill climbs. Now they've taken the shake and rattle out of the roll. I'm told they provide a much less teeth shattering ride.
Cannondale has gone ahead to make more than 80 bike models for sale in 70 countries. Here's a link to Cannondale's history and the Cannondale bicycles they sell in the US.
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