The Cannondale Bicycle Corporation was founded by Joe Montgomery in 1971 with the initial purpose to manufacture bags and backpacks for camping. A short time later, bicycle trailers became part of the company's production. The Cannondale market today includes a variety of bicycles, with the most popular being the aluminum frame design.

Aluminum racing frames were introduced by Cannondale in the 1980s. The first aluminum frame in a series known as CAAD was recognized by the oversized down tubes. The frames quickly became popular and were noted to be extremely stiff and efficient. An S-bend aluminum seat stay was introduced later in the series in the CAAD3 model to improve the seat comfort.

CAAD6 and CAAD7 models were further improved by changes in the oversized tubing. The redesign was intended to retain the efficiency of the original design while improving the overall comfort of the Cannondale bike. Later, in 2004, another design was introduced which utilized carbon tubing in the front and aluminum in the rear triangles. More recent models include an all-carbon frame. Cannondale is known for contributing to the industry standards for biking competitions around the world.

Cannondale continues to be a recognized name in the production of top-quality racing bikes. As a pro sponsor, the name rises to the top in the mountain biking circuit. For that reason, buying a used Cannondale bike is considered by many to be a great way to get into biking with top rated equipment, without spending big bucks. To many bikers, the Cannondale name stands alone when it comes to buying the best.