1994 Cannondale M800 ‘Beast of the East’

March 24th 2018

A couple of years ago there was a red 1994 M800 for sale an hour and a half up the coast. At the time, I’d just bought something else, so I didn’t buy it. Since then, I’ve often wished that I had.

Then this bike appears for sale two hours up the coast. Same year, same colour, same size. The seller said he bought it a couple of years ago. I wonder if it’s the same bike?

Anyhow, a 5 ½ hour round trip later it was mine. The For Sale photo is pretty grim – it really doesn’t look worth the asking price – but it’s all there (including a bag of bolts). I got it home and gave it a good wash and degrease, threw on a pair of Panaracer tyres, gave it half an hour with a spanner, and here it is.

Tyres aside it’s as it left the factory  – Ritchey Rock 440 rims, Dia-Compe 986 cantis, Shimano LX shifter levers and hubs, Selle SL saddle – and is actually in pretty good shape, with just a few areas where the paint has scraped (or been bashed) through to the frame. Also, both bottle cage mounts are on an angle, which I’ve never seen before, so will ask around to try and get those sorted. (Update: These are now sorted – the threads were crossed and the rivnuts were bent.) Also, the bearings were dry so hubs and headset have been checked and re-greased.

There’s still plenty to do – at some point I’ll polish the paint, and find a new seat post and saddle. A silver stem is on the way, as are some red Cannondale grips and I reckon some red Kool Stop brake blocks might be in order.

I’ll also source a NOS Shimano HG70 11-28t cassette and chain, and maybe some NOS Smoke and Dart tyres if I can find them.

One more thing to fix: It’s wearing odd cranks. They’re both Sugino but don’t match, so a replacement shall have to be found. It might have to be a CODA with black arms and silver chainrings (as in the ’94 catalogue).