CANNONDALE CAAD OPTIMO 105
£999.99 CANNONDALE.COM
This Cannondale Optimo looks like it means business. It shares a lot of its DNA with the CAAD12, and Cannondale even call it ‘CAAD12’s over-achieving little brother’. It comes with a largely Shimano 105 groupset, though in this case it’s the Ultegra-inspired R7000 version, albeit with brake and chainset deviations from the complete groupset.
The Cannondale has a more aggressive outlook with geometry leaning towards the racier end of the spectrum. The Cannondale’s top tube is longer than both, the wheelbase a tad tighter, the frame angles slightly steeper and the head tube much shorter.
As a result of the above, the stack is lower so you’ll be more nose down. Yet Cannondale do counter this with spacers, so you’ll be okay even if your lower back isn’t that flexible.
We do miss the lovely smooth look of the Americanmade Cannondales of a few years ago (this bike’s welds are more basic looking) and it’s a surprise to see external cable routing, though this does make it easier for the home mechanic to service.
The lack of internal cabling didn’t affect the quality of the shifting, either. The updated 105 shifters have smaller hoods with ribbed tops that are designed for better grip, and slightly redesigned paddles, which are easy to use even with thick winter gloves.
The derailleurs have also been redesigned to benefit from a claimed improvement in shifting both front and rear, and a slightly lighter action at the front.
Both worked very well. Are they noticeably better than before? Not necessarily, but that’s only because the previous versions were so good. The result is that there is now even less of a gap between Ultegra and 105 shifting in a head-to-head test.
UNDER CONTROL
The 11-30 cassette is a good choice for the Optimo, giving you more leeway than 11-28 when you’re climbing. The Tektro brakes are okay, though we’d have preferred the excellent Shimano 105 brakes, given the choice.
The own-brand wheel-and-tyre pairing is also decent without being inspiring. The weight, a mite over 9kg, is alright for the price and combines with the aggressive geometry to deliver a fun, fast and feisty ride.
There’s the expected stiffness from the chunky down tube and tapered steerer tube, and there’s no sense of your energy being wasted when you’re giving it your all. It climbs well and the gearing gives you the option of staying in the saddle or dancing on the pedals. Control is very good downhill, you can throw it into bends confidently and it’s an equally-convincing sprinter on the flat.
It doesn’t quite have the comfort of the other bikes here, with its 25mm tyres providing less plushness than the other test machines’ wider rubber. The frame, too, goes for firmness over comfort, though with Cannondale’s decades of making high-end aluminium bikes, it’s still easily comfortable enough for day-long rides, if not super soft.
The absence of rack and mudguard fittings reduces its versatility, though you could squeeze in some aftermarket blade-type mudguards for a super-sharp training bike.
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