After nearly twenty-two years since it was released, the Cannondale 3.0 Series Track bike is still one of the most popular models from its entire catalog. Perhaps it’s because the uncluttered lines of the track frame is the best to admire their trademark oversized aluminum tubes.
Cannondale was founded in 1971 by Joe Montgomery, Jim Catrambone and Ron Davis, originally to produce backpacks and other camping gear, before branching into bicycle trailers (including the unfortunately-named Bugger which, regardless, was still exported to the United Kingdom).
Named after Connecticut’s Cannondale Railroad Station, the company moved into bike manufacturing in 1983, starting with the innovative aluminum racing and touring models, followed by their first mountain bike, the SM-500, in 1984.
More design innovations followed throughout the 90s, like their Elevated Suspension Technology for mountain bikes, the Super V frame and Coda Magic Crank, all piloted to victory by the pinup teams of Volvo-Cannondale and Saeco-Cannondale, elevating the brand to rockstar status.
Cannondale suffered Led Zeppelin-like financial difficulties, however, but not before releasing the 3.0 track frame, one of which found its way into the hands of Will Goodan, one of our favorite photographers, who previously presented us with beautifully slender, steel keirin bikes.
Amazingly, Will scored his 3.0 Series in an auction — in his size and clean as a whistle. It took him about a year to source the parts, opting for a fixie build that may not be straight out of the ’93 catalog, but suits his dual Tokyo / LA locations and heritage.
The component list consists of predominantly Suntour Superbe, including an NJS bottom bracket, sourced from a mate who owns a bike shop in Tokyo. Will didn’t settle for a straight build, hand polishing the rims and Sapim spokes to a mirror finish.
Even though he’s used to the extreme responsiveness and geometry of tightly tailored keirin frames, Will still rates the Cannondale Track as one of the best frames he’s ever ridden.
See more ‘Dale details, and the rest of his beautiful photography, on his Flickr stream.
