Hey all, recently acquired a dirt cheap Cannondale Bad Boy for winter / quick spin on the roads / commuting duties

Bike has been well used and somewhat neglected by previous owner and needs a little attention to get it going properly

First up, the good bits…
Frame and forks are all in good, useable nick, drivetrain still has lots of life in, disc brakes, although not the best, work and can stay put if only for now…

The bad and the bits I need a little advice with if the singletrackworld would be so kind as to share their thoughts…

Rear hub – Shimano FH-M475 I think is shot! Spin it and there’s no click as such, more just a bit of a dull rattle than anything so suspecting freehub could be the issue, haven’t had a chance to take it apart as yet to see what’s what so very much in the land of the unknown at the minute, which leads me to my advice seeking question(s)
– The wheels are 26” and I was thinking of finding some cheap 700c wheels to put on it, is it worth putting bigger wheels on or should I have the hub serviced / refreshed if this is even an option?
– I’ll be buying used and trying to keep budget to a minimum, can anyone recommend any wheelsets I should be looking at for a possible swap / upgrade?

Currently has 3x Shimano Deore drivetrain, I’m weighing up options to change it to a 1x, can anyone advise on any of the following points
– what would I need?
– Is it really worth it?
– would I just be throwing money away for the sake of it doing this?

Any help / advice would be massively appreciated

If you put 700c wheels on you might squeeze a 38c tyre in the back without guards but that’s about it. I’d probably go 650b wheels and fatter tyres and guards. Someone is bound to have some cheap 650b qr mtb wheels they’ve upgraded for cheap.

32/48 chainrings on the standard cranks if 104 bcd with a 12-28 cassette worked well on mine. If you end up on the bigger ring a lot a narrower bb might help the chain line a bit.

Make sure the seats comfy mine seemed to transmit every ripple in the tarmac.

I’d go with 700 wheels and as big as you can with semi-slick gravel tyres. You might need to dish the rear wheel though due to Cannondale’s AI frames.

Why change a perfectly good drivetrain?  cost a lot for no gain and the bike is designed for 26 inch wheels and big tyres – IIRC they are a very harsh and rigid frame so in skinny tyres it will not ride nicely

26″ rear wheels in 9spd will be cheaper as well

Used to use an F500 for commuting, with Big Apples and the Headshok perma-lockout. It was still quick. Loved it both on and offroad (XC in summer)

If was me I’d:

– Strip and clean
– Spec balloon slicks on the 26ers (something like 2” Kojaks*)
– Convert to 2x with bash ring and gearing for your terrain
– Inspect the freehub. Either service or cheap to replace
– Spec and fit bars/bar-ends (I favoured the On One Mary bar at the time, now carbon 640mm and Ergon GP3 grips/stubbies) stem, grips, and saddle to your comfort and performance preference.
– Fit full mudguards. Use rubber washers and spacers for silence ( I cut discs of rubber from old inner tube and use rubber solution from the repair kit to layer them up thick). Use mudflaps. Prob something like SKS chromoplastic 55s. If the bike is satin black then wet-sand the guards and stays and spray 4 coats of

(I just refurbed a white-coated steel guard with that stuff and it turned out amazing). Was a doddle.
– Decent road-specific lighting

* May have been specced with these already?

Questions on going from triple to double

I wouldn’t worry about the lack of buzz from the freehub. M475 is Alivio/Deore-ish level and they’re never very loud from day one, but cheap Shimano freehubs do just keep on going. What is worth looking at though is the condition of the hub bearings, they’re cup and cone so you can pull them apart, clean everything, replace the bearings and regrease with a couple of cone spanners and some patience. If the rims are good I would definitely try to save the wheels, you’ll get more comfort and arguably as much on/off-road capability from some 26″ slicks as blowing the budget on some 700c wheels and Skinner tyres, it might also benefit you clearance wise if you want to fit guards for commuting.

As for going 1x, do the cranks have a 104 BCD? If so a cheap N/W chainring shouldn’t be hard to obtain. It’s probably only worth doing if the existing chainrings are shot, as a fresh set or a whole new chainset will potentially be more expensive than a single N/W ring.

How much of the drivetrain would you plan to keep? Rear mech, shifter? If the chainrings are knackered them the odds are the chain and cassette are going to be in a similar state.

TBH though it’s quite amazing what a good clean up and some re-lubing can achieve.

Ultimately it’ll be the annoying little things you didn’t think of initially that will cause the headaches, shagged headset bearings, struggling with indexing because the old gear cables need replacement and/or there’s a slightly bent mech hanger, an annoying rounded stem bolt, a corroded in seat post you can’t shift. Some of the most frustrating issues have a £5 or less fix but still catch you out at the most inopportune moments…

Wow! So much advice so far! Thankyou all!

I should have probably mentioned previously, the bike itself and drivetrain is FILTHY, it does need a GOOD strip and clean up (as was suggested in the replies) and truth be told once I’ve done that it MIGHT be good to go as is

The drivetrain, pre-cleaning looks like it should have a fair few miles left in it so I think I’ve got a fair bit of time to work out what to do with that yet

My main reason for wanting go 1x is that this will be for my run around on roads, canal paths and very light off road duties (fire roads, bridleways and the like) the parts I’ll be mostly riding with it are relatively flat with a few hills here and there which have never been a problem for me on a regularly borrowed 29er single speed, from previous 3x experience on road bikes I tend to default to the middle ring and stay there most

My main issue with the whole bike is with the potentially iffy rear hub really, I do plan on stripping and cleaning and seeing how it is afterwards but I got to thinking, if it does need replacing then a “new” bigger wheel set COULD be a way to go

I don’t intend (currently) on fitting mudguards as such and have parts in terms of chain, gear cables, grips, bars, stem and saddle so thats half a problem sorted

If you’re just using it to commute around town, leave it as 3×9. There’s zero benefit to 1x for commuting.

I used to work in a shop that sold those, they were wildly popular. However, the biggest issue with them was that they were woefully undergeared. All Cannondale had done was take a rigid MTB base frame and put some slicks on it, they’d left the original 3×9 gearing in place. Wasn’t uncommon to see bikes in for repair with outer chainring and the smallest 3 cogs absolutely trashed and the rest of the drivetrain as new!

I’d give it a complete total strip down. Bare frame, ditch the cables. Clean up everything else. I suspect you’ll find that the rear hub, while it’ll never be clicky is basically serviceable. Those Alivio grade hubs roll forever although they can sound pretty dreadful.

To be honest, if it’s just going to be a winter commuter there’s little point doing much else to it now. Rebuild it, ride it for the next 4-5 months and trash whatever life is left in the parts then rebuild properly next year once you’ve worked out the gearing. You can easily go 1x on it and potentially a much more compact cassette too. Leave it as 26″ though. They were never designed to take 700c (Cannondale did the Bad Boy Ultra for that) and you’ll run into problems with geometry, handling, clearance and toe overlap (yes, I’ve seen it done, it wasn’t a good idea!)

The front mech on this looks fairly rusted up so until I can clean it up (Monday once rugrats are back at school) it’s questionable how well it’s going to work anyway

@thols2 I see your point and do concur, I think, as shallow as it may be, I do ok on my other bikes running a single chainring so have grown a bit of an aversion to front mechs, there’s part of me that just wants it off ha ha

Just thinking out loud here, how possible would would it be to leave the chainring as is, sticking the chain on the middle ring and fitting a chain guide, thus giving me room to take the front mech off

Middle ring won’t be big enough for flat areas.

Just thinking out loud here, how possible would would it be to leave the chainring as is, sticking the chain on the middle ring and fitting a chain guide, thus giving me room to take the front mech off

It’ll be undergeared on the terrain you mention.
If you’re going to go 1x, ditch the entire chainset and put a 42T single ring on it.

Sounds big, especially when you look at regular MTB 1x setups, but for a 26″ slick tyred bike on flat terrain, it’s about what you’ll need.

There’s zero benefit to 1x for commuting.

depends on the commute, mine is 1x with a 7 speed cassette and a 42t N-W front so the chain doesn’t come off. It’s all I need.

Echo the thoughts of folks above, I wouldn’t change the wheels if theyr’re straight, but I would change the cables and give everything a strip down/ check bearings etc etc.

Makes sense! So, think I’m leaning towards leaving the groupset as is for now and see how well I can get it working, if only for now

Leaves me with my main issue of wheels / hubs, fix or replace, but first, strip, clean and see what we have

@crazy-legs initially missed your reply, Thank-you for that, has cleared some bits up, as has all the other helpful replies so far, starting to see a clearer picture of what would be good and what would be wasteful on it

Seems, from a lot of the comments here, I was jumping ahead of myself and that getting the current wheels/hubs up to scratch would be the best way forward

Groupset can wait for now providing post-clean-up it’s still useable as is

@nickc @thols2 I used to commute regularly (20 miles each way) on a road bike and some of the route is quite hilly, I found myself using the rear cassette to its full potential but only really using the front rarely when I was feeling lazy

If you’re going to go 1x, ditch the entire chainset and put a 42T single ring on it.

Depends on how you pedal.  I ran a commuterised MTB  with 1×9 11/34 with 36 chainring and that was perfect for me.  But I pedal high cadence.  I could pedal that to over 30 mph ( downhill) and still climb step hills sitting and spinning

No need to change the crankset anyway – just put the ring you want in the middle ring piosition

OP considering what you’ve since said about mostly flat terrain* then don’t rule out singlespeed/tensioner. Much lightness, little maintenance.

*Unless you have a long commute then the same cadence can get boring IME. But I do really enjoy single-speed. Currently rebuilding a 26er SS (Dialled L/H)

Rebuild it, ride it for the next 4-5 months and trash whatever life is left in the parts then rebuild properly next year once you’ve worked out the gearing

Also sensible.

@p7eaven a single speed something is going to my next project once this one is done, commute is the same as before, little bit flat, little bit hilly, gearing is a must have for it realistically

The “sensible” advice as given by @crazy-legs has been well heeded! Gonna just get this thing going and work out the rest after that

Might get a chance to have a good poke around this afternoon so we’ll have to see what I do (and possibly don’t) have that’s workable

Strip it to the components, build back up again. Replace freehub if necessary, otherwise bearings as above.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/shimano-fhrm408-cassette-freehub-body-y3sl98030/

I bought a set of similar quality 650b wheels off here and the hubs have been great. You’ll need a 13mm cone spanner plus an adjustable for the locknut. A vice helps when adjusting on reassembly.

I always lusted after the Headshok Badboy back in the day. Regret never buying one, although HSs were difficult to maintain in the end, very few places had the the tools and parts to strip and rebuild them.

Update…

I’ve been meticulously dismantling, stripping and cleaning everything from bottle cages to bearings

Long story short…
-Wheels have an ever so slight wobble when turning, nothing a bit of spoke tension adjustment won’t fix
-Rear cassette is almost like new
-Chain has stretched so much it may as well be an elastic band
-front hub and bearings (now cleaned) are good, running smooth with no play at all
-Headset and bearings (now cleaned) running quite nicely
-Rear hub was so gunked up I was almost scared to touch it, freehub is done for, could’ve been serviceable but I’m not sure where the metal swarf inside has come from
-Front chainrings are so worn (yup! All of them) that they could be an extra in a jaws film

Other than that, everything is all good

Ordered the free hub body that @montgomery linked above (ta very much for that) some new brake pads, and gear cables

Had a chat with the LBS regarding options to replace front chainrings and/or cassette, he agreed with me that the rear cassette looked pretty good, said to give him a couple of days to see what he has in regards to getting the front end sorted from his “unsold items spares boxes”

Looks like we could be up and running pretty soon for not much more than a mid ride coffee stop…

If the chainrings and chain are as worn as you say I think it’d be unlikely the cassette will work with a new chain.

@crazy-legs @p7eaven (and anyone else with any experience…)

Would 27.5 wheels with skinny slicks on present the same issues that were mentioned above regarding putting 700c wheels on?

Just found some 27.5 wheels for sale locally for a decent price, wondering if it might be worth a punt…

Could you buy the wheels and just hold them up next to the bike as already fitted with 26″?

Technically, 27.5 is only 1 inch bigger than 26 just becasue of the way the sizing is actually described. If you go off tyre measurements:

26in = 559mm ETRTO
27.5in = 584mm ETRTO
29in = 622mm ETRTO

So it’s only an inch. It’ll probably raise the bike up a fraction – higher BB and saddle. Definitely check for toe overlap too! However if you’re fitting it with thin slick tyres, it probably won’t be that different to using 2″ tyres on a 26″ wheel. Do note though that the bike was known to be harsh; the whole point of using big tyres was to take out some of the sting. Worst case, you can always just re-sell the wheels if they don’t work!

Don’t suppose you know what model year it is do you?

I’ve been trying to find out but searching the serial number hasn’t thrown up any conclusive results, it’s a Taiwanese frame and if I’ve got this right would make it post 2012 at the very least?!

Would 27.5 wheels with skinny slicks on present the same issues that were mentioned above regarding putting 700c wheels on?

Yes, because skinny tyres will make a Bad Boy = a Sad Boy

It’s a swift urban warrior, not a boneshaking bronco!

@p7eaven ha ha I couldn’t agree more but can’t work out how to do so as I don’t have one of those online cloud, picture storing thingymabobs

Also a fair comment that…maybe I didn’t mean skinny, was thinking more along the lines of dmr motos or even a set of kojacks, nothing Uber skinny, just more slick than anything

Ah, gotcha. I had a mental image of:

OP, for instant image hosting I use imgbox, it’s free (no registration), just:

1. Upload image

2 Then it generates a thumbnail with links

3. Click on hat thumbnail to open image and check it. If ok then right click the image (or hold and copy) to get the link/jpg

4. Paste that link into STW comment using the IMG function in comment toolbar.

Done.

If you need to resize (shrink file size) yr pic then you could use https://resizeimage.net/ before uploading to imgbox

Ha ha that’s just asking for trouble surely?! I really meant skinny as in, not the HUGE nobby nics I have on my identiti ha ha

Image hosting thing seems simple enough, I’ll have a look into it and get some pictures up pronto, bike is in pieces currently so they’ll be a few of them ha ha

I had 700 x 38’s on mine and found it harsh but think 650b x 47’s would be fine on road and fireroad stuff.

The 700 x 38’s were right on the limit of fitting

@crazy-legs still trying to decipher the serial number for year/model info but to no avail, do you know anything about the serial numbers on these?

https://images2.imgbox.com/54/79/dEXkumTB_o.jpeg

This may help:

Vintage Cannondale – Serial Numbers & Information

I’ve owned a number of used Cannondales over the years as nearly always regretted selling them and do re-bought similar. I found the the easiest way to date was to check the head-badge and decal designs to identify the period, then check colour, components and spec against online brochures to narrow down the exact year. Retrobike is a good source for such although yours looks newer and maybe is missing the barcode stickers?

Pic of the bike with spec list would help 😉

Pic of the bike with spec list would help

Yep, the serial numbers mean nothing to me I’m afraid. Pic of the bike would help – I assume most of the kit on it is original?

@p7eaven good call, may try looking into it that way…
Will get some pictures up this arvo

@crazy-legs I’ll assume the same thing

Deore group set (FD-M590 front derailleur, RD-M592 rear derailleur)
Tektro Draco brakes front and back (one white, one black)
C4 stem
Rear hub as above
Quad(?!) Front hub

Let’s just take THOSE links away…

Ha ha just clicked on the links to see if the pictures worked…somehow it’s included the, shall we say, fruity, ads

https://images2.imgbox.com/fe/26/Z6ICFYJd_o.jpeg

https://images2.imgbox.com/61/45/Mq2n6fru_o.jpeg

https://images2.imgbox.com/55/6a/Av54UpPG_o.jpeg

https://images2.imgbox.com/70/36/3RzMa52M_o.jpeg

C4 is Cannondale’s own brand, the “upgrade” from the utterly dreadful Coda stuff.

Guessing somewhere between 2010 and 2013 or so assuming that the brakes and groupset are original. They varied it a bit, sometimes there were 1 or 2 models in the range, other times there’d be up to 5. The cheaper ones had Altus and Alivio level kit on them so yours could be that with a “new” chainset from whenever it was last serviced or one of the mid-range ones that came with Deore and has just never been replaced.

Update. From those pics, that’s a 2013/14.

Top man, thankyou @crazy-legs, gives me SOMETHING at least

If I may ask, from the pictures, how to tell?