1995 Giant Cadex CFM 3

1995 Giant Cadex CFM 3

The previous owner of this bike was a Major in the Army. A common friend told me that this bike would be well used as this fella was an adventure sort of person. Well, he was not wrong. When I first got the bike, it was in a really bad shape. The bottom bracket was seized up due to rust, muck everywhere and no wonder, nobody bought the bike even though it was rather exotic with carbon and kevlar body parts. Actually, that made it worse because you cannot see damage on carbon or kevlar until it falls apart.

I spoke to the Major to get some history about the bike. He seems honest and trustworthy and told me that the bike never had a serious crash and everything was in good condition except that it was dirty because he had no time (read as lazy!) to clean it. Anyway, one of the core value of an officer is honesty, so I believed him and bought the bike. 

It would be good to show you the 'before' pictures but strangely, I realized that I do not enjoy taking pictures of bikes in bad shape. Anyway, countless hours of cleaning, polishing and parts sourcing produced this bike in its present condition. Some of the blemish could not be removed e.g. clear coat chipped but whatever that can be done has been done.

The initial idea was to return it back to its original form; a lightweight racing MTB. But, that soon changed. With its lightweight frame, it would be perfect for the wife. Besides, I will not take a risk thrashing the bike on the trails because it might fall apart! So, on goes the slick tires, slight riser handle bar, a relatively upright stem and most importantly, a comfy seat.

I kept the 7-speed drivetrain because that is all you need for road rides. To add a modern touch to the bike, I added a front disc brake while keeping the rear caliper brakes.

Microshift components were used. This is about the only company that still produces 7 speed stuff.

The most comfy seat I know.

In spite of the exotic materials used to make the bike, it does not look stunning but rather subdued.

This is a great bike to own and though I will never know how much it went through, it will get the TLC it needs under my charge.