We chase the superbike sweet spot in Cannondale’s range, from a £3k CAAD to a £10.5k SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod
How much difference does £7k make? With a price range between £3000 and £10,500, we test three of Cannondale’s best rides to establish which one is on target
As one of the first brands to build oversized alloy-tubed bikes, American-based bike company Cannondale has always followed its own path. Judging by our past Bike of the Year awards Cannondale has earned its stars, with the Synapse, CAAD12, SuperSix EVO and Topstone Lefty (to name a few) all winning titles and categories over the years. While road race bikes have always valued sharp responses and raw speed, fatigue-fighting smoothness and aerodynamics are now also being recognised as key contributors to performance, and Cannondale’s latest race-bike range targets all of these characteristics with machines that not only perform well, but look great too.
We took three of Cannondale’s best models – the alloy £3000 CAAD13 Disc Ultegra, the £5500 SuperSix EVO Carbon Disc Ultegra Di2 and Cannondale’s flagship £10,500 SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD Disc Dura-Ace Di2 – to see which bike comes out on top and to answer the all-important question: can an o -the-peg bike possibly feel like it’s worth £10,500?
Take a look at all three bike specs and you’ll see they share the same silhouette as well as many of the same design details (and parts too), which means this three-way shootout comes down to the ride quality, more than just the price tag and groupsets. Armed with this terrific trio I ventured out on my favourite Yorkshire-based roads, complete with brutal climbs and cobbled streets, plus I did classic-style rides as well as the ultratough Struggle Dales sportive – so I was able to get right to the heart of each bike’s character.
WHAT A CAAD
Cannondale’s CAAD12 was a truly iconic bike; a snarling, sparkling, alloy-framed beauty that shamed its more expensive yet docile carbonframed brethren. So, when the CAAD13 was released in 2019 (reviewed in issue 361), it had a lot to live up to.
The CAAD13 is instantly a very di erent beast from the CAAD12 and may disappoint those who just wanted more of the same. The CAAD12 was an evolution of the classic round-tubed, super-light alloy frame that Cannondale had been pushing for decades, yet the CAAD13 is a non-carbon copy of Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO frame, complete with D-shaped aero down tube, skinny tapered top and seat tubes plus dropped rear stays. It even sports the same super-slim D-shaped KNØT seatpost design, so it’s only the surprisingly chunky, unsmoothed welds that show that the frame is metal (rather than composite).
The geometry includes a relaxed 71.2-degree head angle on the smaller models (48, 51 and 54cm), which is very relaxed for a race machine but avoids toe overlap. The larger models get a di erent fork o set and 73-degree head angle. Unsurprisingly, the alloy frame is heavier than the SuperSix EVO’s but not dramatically so as the complete bike weight is only 510g more, 210g of which is down to the wheels. Considering that the carbon SuperSix EVO, which comes with carbon rims and integrated KNØT carbon bar/stem costs £950 more, it’s a lot of cost for a small weight advantage.
SURGE OR SNAP?
As part of the testing process I swapped the wheels (as well as saddles and seatposts) back and forth between the bikes to ascertain how much the wheels a ect performance (a lot!). The Fulcrum wheels aren’t light at 1950g and, while the Vittoria tyres with their Graphene G2.0 compound have decent longevity and roll okay, the combination of the two dulls the CAAD13’s ride and responsiveness compared to the KNØT 45 SL wheels and lighter, more supple tyres.
On the plus side, this poor performance highlights the fact that this a bike that’s already a lot more creamy and luxurious than you’d expect for an alloy frame. As a result, the CAAD13 repeatedly surprised and impressed me with how comfortably it cruised, even on 25mm nontubeless tyres. With room for 30/32mm tyres and a tubeless-compatible rim (it’s only 19mm internal width) there’s potential to make it even smoother too.
The aerodynamic e ect of the tube profiling is noticeable, even without deep section wheels, making it much easier to push on past our normal cruising pace and hold on to it. The clever speed-release, slotted dropout 12mm axle system nails down handling, which proved to be impeccable. The cockpit is also easier to adjust or change sizes than the KNØT setups on the carbon bikes, making the CAAD13 experience-friendly and e ortlessly fast. Compared to its carbon competitors here the CAAD 13 surges rather than snaps, which makes it less exciting to ride hard or to attack climbs if group rides turn combative. This did improve significantly when I swapped the wheels and tyres around, but it never achieved the addictive acceleration levels that used to give me goosebumps when riding the CAAD12.
Overall, Cannondale has done an awesome job in creating a much smoother – and probably faster – overall bike than its predecessor. Ride quality, handling and speed sustain will still shame far pricier carbon bikes so, while it’s expensive for alloy, the overall package is great value. No matter how much Cannondale tells us that the sti ness and weight are equal to the CAAD12, and that the aero advantages of the CAAD13 are clear, I did still miss the visceral personality of its predecessor.
THE EVOLUTION
The SuperSix EVO uses exactly the same frame form as the more expensive Hi-MOD (£10,500)
but in a cheaper, slightly heavier (100-150g depending on frame size) composite layup. The hubs and cranks are also cheaper and heavier and the EVO features Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 groupset (compared to the Hi-MOD’s Dura Ace Di2). While this may show on the scales, the e!ect on the bike’s character is minimal and the overall ride experience is awesome.
The frame format is the same as the other two bikes on test here, with a massive head tube that’s blended into clip-on/o! stem spacers and fork crown, and a skinny top tube. There’s a big D-shaped down tube, a tiny D-shaped seat tube and an even slimmer D-shaped SAVE seatpost that clamps in place with an awkward yet discreet bolt in the armpit of the frame (positioned underneath the top tube/seat tube junction). Slim dropped stays and centre-tapered chainstays keep the back end tidy while reducing vibration. Neat little features include slotted, quick-release 12mm axles that require only partial removal to free the wheels, lower and upper down-tube bottle cage positions and a clip-on mudguard bridge, as well as a BB30 bottom bracket.
While the aesthetics of the broad rounded KNØT alloy stem won’t please everyone – and the messy cable routing at the chin certainly doesn’t seem very aero – comfort is good for a combo bar setup and, unlike most, it’s angle adjustable too. Like the D-shaped SAVE seatpost with internal Di2 battery, it’s the same as the one on the much more expensive Hi-MOD Cannondale model.
The KNØT wheels also use the same carbon rims as the SLs on the Hi-MOD with a 21mm, tubeless-ready rim bed and rounded 45mm depth, but they’re laced onto heavier hubs. A small niggle but the o"cial spec lists 25mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres as standard but our sample bike came with 30mm Vittoria Corsa Control tyres, adding weight and resulting in a more sluggish feel than the Hi-MOD.
TIME TO FLY
On the road the EVO has real character and a pop that brings an e!ervescent feel to every pedal stroke. It’s not just whippy spring, though, so you can stomp a lot of watts through the frame without any sense of flex. The spidery crank looks great, and there’s a real lightness of touch to both the feel and handling of the SuperSix.
While it floats over the rough there’s still enough bite that you never feel disconnected on corners, and the balance through the bar and fork is impeccable. Swapping wheels/tyres confirms that, as long as you run pressures low enough (1 PSI per kilo of bodyweight was what I settled on), the big volume rubber adds float but there’s still a palpable buoyancy to the carbon frame, even on narrower tyres. The 45mm-deep wheels amp up the speed sustain but without misbehaving in blustery crosswinds. As a result, even when setting out with social intentions, I found it nearly impossible not to hunker down into a full tuck and start leading out the pack, pain-train style. Solo cruises soon crept up to threshold with speed-stoking corner exit
sprints. This bike just feels so great being properly gunned. It goes without saying that the Ultegra Di2 shifted and braked flawlessly, and the Prologo saddle was consistently comfortable all day.
But there were a couple of flies in the ointment. There was a nasty cracking/clicking noise from the press-fit bottom bracket when pedalling out of the saddle, which occurred after just a few thousand miles of testing, so keep an eye on the bearings and replace them before any issues propagate into the frame. The limited steering lock of the headset also meant that turning around on narrow singletrack roads could be sketchy, but that’s not likely to be a regular issue unless you’re on a photoshoot in the Yorkshire Wolds.
Without doubt, £5500 is a lot of money to drop on a bicycle, especially when you don’t even get the premium composite chassis and the wheels and crank are second string too. But if I hadn’t tested it directly alongside the Hi-MOD, I would never have guessed that it was a cheaper frame. The SuperSix EVO Carbon Disc Ultegra Di2 has a deliciously smooth and confident yet punchy ride. Just keep an ear out for signs of complaint from the BB30 before things get serious.
MOD RULE
At first glance the only di erence between the Hi-MOD and the standard SuperSix EVO is the Team EF/Rapha paint job. However, as you’d hope and expect for a bike almost double the price, there’s magic woven into Cannondale’s ultimate race machine.
The frame uses the same down tube-centric design, skinny top and seat tubes, dropped stays, shaping and profiles as both the CAAD13 and EVO. While you also get speed-release axles, the BalisTec carbon fibre composite is di erent to the EVO’s. Hi-MOD tag stands for High Modulus, which means finer fibres in a tighter weave with a higher-spec resin holding it all together. That creates a frame that’s 100-150g lighter and is slightly sti er than the standard EVO carbon in feel. The HollowGram SiSL2 cranks feature the same OPI rings as the other bikes on test here but the Hi-MOD’s clamshell crank arms are handmade in the US. The bike’s Dura Ace groupset is 241g lighter than the Ultegra on the cheaper two bikes thanks to details such as carbon fibre rather than glass fibre, clamp bands on the shifters, and use of alloy, titanium and carbon rather than steel and alloy materials.
The tyres come in at 25mm on the SL (superlight) HollowGram carbon wheels. The very skinny D-shaped KNØT seatpost is carbon, not alloy, and the saddle rails atop the sci-fi-looking saddle are carbon too. This all adds up to a 880g weight saving compared to the SuperSix EVO, but also adds an eye-watering £5000 to the price tag. It’s worth
noting that you can get a Hi-MOD frame (along with carbon seatpost and SL wheels) on the Ultegra Di2 bike for £7250. Or, if you’re happy with conventional cable shifting and slightly shallower HollowGram carbon wheels, then the Hi-MOD Disc Ultegra is ‘only’ £5000 and is potentially the biggest bargain in the Cannondale SuperSix family.
A WINNING RIDE
If you can a ord it (or the SRAM Red eTap AXS model for the same price), you’ll be blessed with a ride that really is next level. Its light weight and the subsequent decrease in gravitational pull is significant even if the road only rises slowly, but if it gets steep then it’s a real advantage.
The real magic here is the balance between low weight, savage power transfer and a floated yet totally sure-footed road feel. This became very obvious when I took the Hi-MOD on a shortened ‘highlights’ version of the Ronde Van Calderdale event, which is loaded with brutal cobbles and even more devastating gradients. Every time the road twisted up steeper, or the stone setts spread further apart, the Hi-MOD carbon frame made it a breeze compared to other bikes. The handmade HollowGram SiSL2 cranks certainly strained against the relatively tall gear ratios in places, but the bike never felt like it was getting bogged down and it stayed bright and positive even when my heart was smashing against my ribs.
Taking a ‘bonus’ detour up Crag Vale (the longest continuous road climb in England) saw smooth tempo turn to attack as the summit flattened out, the speed rose, the aerodynamic edge kicked in and the Hi-MOD refused to be sociable. Whether I was dropping o the tops on twisty cobble plummets or making the most of those tall gears with flat-back, multi-km power dives back into the valleys, it always felt totally connected and calm. That let me push riders who normally vanish on the uphills, and it was the same story through flat corners or tech sections when pushing the pace on a fast, flat crit-style circuit.
The shock-absorbing e ect of the SAVE frame, fork, seatpost and bar not only makes it surprisingly smooth and floated for such an effortlessly rapid bike but also boosts traction, whether climbing, braking or cornering. (SAVE is Cannondale’s term for the flex it engineers into tubes to reduce transmission of road shocks and vibrations.) The Hi-MOD’s float and grip was hyped even more when I removed the 25mm tyres, stuck the supplied valves in and went to tubeless 28mm.
The warning about limited steering lock still stands though, and while I did less mileage on the Hi-MOD than the other two bikes I was still starting to get occasional ticks and clicks from the BB30 bottom bracket when cranking big gears for the photoshoot in the Wolds. Nevertheless, the Hi-MOD Dura-Ace Di2 is sublimely smooth and calmly confident on cobbled descents or tight corners yet still effortlessly, ego-boostingly effervescent when you stamp on the pedals or tuck in your elbows and tear the bunch apart. Yes, it’s ridiculously expensive, but it’s stupendously good.
THE POWER OF THREE
When I was riding race bikes 30 years ago they hadn’t really changed much since my grandad’s day. Then carbon and alloy appeared and sti ness and lightweight became the focus for a couple of decades. Then aero was introduced, derived from time trial/triathlon bike technology, which added straight-line speed but often didn’t do ride feel or handling any favours. Recently, race bikes have become a whole lot more holistic and these three Cannondales are all brilliant examples of how good a modern race bike can be for regular riding. The smoothness of the CAAD13 might not please CAAD12 dragster addicts, but it’s an awesome all-rounder for an alloy bike.
Getting all three bikes together back-to-back in the Wolds for a final shoot-out proved that the combination of the Hi-MOD’s ability to float over rougher surfaces along with its calm and effortless speed really is worth the extra money for those who are lucky enough to be able to a ord it. While all three bikes are impressive, we need to choose a winner – and the SuperSix EVO Disc Ultegra Di2 takes the crown. It might be closer to the CAAD13 in weight, but the overall ride vibe is a whisker o the hyperexpensive Hi-MOD. As long as you keep on top of the needy bottom bracket, it’s the sweet spot of a very tempting line-up of bikes.