Cannondale Bad Boy – a commuter’s view

I’ve had my Bad Boy 8 just over a week now, and I thought I’d share my thoughts so far. I commuted on it three days last week, and again yesterday – a total so far of 84 miles and just over 5200 ft of climbing. The bike was bought on the cycle to work scheme, and replaces an aging CAAD 5 road bike which I’ve used on and off over the last year or so. The Bad Boy has performed well so far, it is certainly more comfortable to ride than the CAAD, with none of the lower back pain I’d been suffering on the older bike – that said I didn’t like the look of the standard saddle so I replaced it with a trusty SDG Bel Air. The Alfine hub is smooth, quiet, and shifts nicely, although it has a much shorter top gear than the 105 equipped bike it’s replaced. For my journey this is not a problem, as there are relatively few “flat out” sections of my commute. The Kojak tyres seem to grip well, even coping with the two-inch-thick layer of mud and slurry I had to ride through on my way home yesterday…nice. The lefty is incredibly stiff, as expected, and the frame seems to have the right balance of comfort and feel. All in all I’m very happy, and as I intend to ride all winter, at least three days / 63 miles per week, I reckon the lack of derailleurs etc. will save me loads of cleaning, adjusting and heartache over the coming months.