CannondaleSuperSix EvoDura-Ace
Whenever you’re looking at a bike range, there will always be one standout model. The one that the product manager pulled out all the stops on, not to create a superbike that only one per cent of bike buyers can own, but one that hits the balance between price and specification to create something that’s really desirable and attainable.
In terms of Cannondale’s Evo range that superstar is this SuperSix Evo Dura-Ace. It’s got probably the best mechanical groupset to date in 9100 Dura-Ace; a system so slick and sharp it’s hard to believe it relies on cables.
The Evo is also now capable of taking a wider range gear than before. Cannondale has deviated from full Dura-Ace by using its own Si chainset, which was designed to work flawlessly with the original innovation, BB30. The machined one-piece SpideRing looks like a work of art, and performs as well as Shimano’s efforts in chainshipping duties.
Compared to the latest dropped stay, sloping top-tube designs from the likes of BMC and Specialized, the Evo looks quite traditional with its standard two triangle design and effectively horizontal top-tube.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking the Evo is outdated. It remains one of the most exciting and compelling pure race bikes we’ve had the fortune to swing a leg over. The sheer speed it exudes is addictive, the
One of the most exciting and compelling pure race bikes we’ve had the fortune to swing a leg over
way in which it responds to the smallest of inputs makes the handling almost telepathic, and threading the Evo through tight turns is a joy.
On climbs the SuperSix excels, in no small part due to its overall lack of mass. Our 58cm test model weighs 6.6kg. The solidity of the chassis also makes it a masterful climber – the response to your efforts makes you feel like an ascending hero.
The firmness translates into a swift descender. With no discernible flex, it’s a bike that you can lean into, snap through the apex and get on the power swiftly. The comfort levels at the back are remarkable for such a firm feeling bike, which is down to the slender seatpost and the SAVE carbon construction. Up front, the C1 alloy bar is stiff and well shaped, but it does feel firmer at the front than at the back. An upgrade to a quality carbon bar would make this Evo pretty much the perfect road bike.
The solidity of the chassis makes it a masterful climber – the response to your e orts makes you feel like an ascending hero