A couple of years ago, Cannondale was acquired by a Canadian company. Cannondale had always been a proudly American company, and it was seen as a triumph of Canadian business. A relatively small manufacturer of frames, Cannondale had broadened from its history of pure aluminum to include other even lighter materials. They were hugely innovative, particularly in the area of front suspension. The Headshok system put the suspension mechanism in the headtube, eliminating leg flex and resulting in a lighter mechanism (albeit at the cost of custom, proprietary headsets); The Lefty system was even more radical, eliminating one half of the front fork altogether.

The road frames were beautiful too. They were light, and stiff, and strong. When Miguel Indurain retired and had to buy a bike he chose a Cannondale.

The only mountain bikes I’ve ever owned were Cannondales, and I used to beat the hell out of those things. I still have my last one, though it’s retired as I’ve moved back to the road. It’s in the garage, and basically gets used for neighbourhood cruising by others when they need it.

In a move that’s surprising only because it comes so long after the acquisition, Dorel Industries has announced that they’re shifting production of Cannondale frames to Asia. While this may be completely unsurprising, it’s sad. It’s what happens when a company built on passion becomes a company run for profit…a notch in a portfolio, a cog in a machine.

Posted by skooter at 3:49 PM This entry is filed under Cycling.
This entry is tagged: Cannondale, Cycling