New Cannondale Bikes Hit the Back Roads of Vermont
From Ted King’s house to the Trapp Family Lodge, the Green Mountain State has excellent riding for the Topstone Carbon and the Supersix EVO
From Ted King’s house to the Trapp Family Lodge, the Green Mountain State has excellent riding for the Topstone Carbon and the Supersix evo
There was gravel beneath my tires, blue sky above and rolling green hills all around. The tree canopy over the roads, both rough and paved, the streams, the flowing trails through maple forests and the steep inclines past red barns and fields of grazing cows made the area an idyllic cycling destination. I was in Vermont, an adventurous cyclist’s paradise, to ride Cannondale’s new Topstone Carbon and Supersix evo. More and more cyclists are looking for the types of rides that a place such as Vermont has. It seemed fitting to form my first impressions of these bikes
on the roads, gravel and trails of the Green Mountain State.
The Topstone Carbon is an all-road gravel bike with a new suspension system designed to smooth rough terrain. With wide tire clearance, a carbon construction and an endurance geometry, the Topstone was ready for the mixed-terrain ride that Vermont-based, retired pro Ted King led us on.
At the midpoint of the Topstone’s seat tube, the seatstays connect to a thru-axle sealed bearing pivot that delivers 30 mm of travel. The Kingpin suspension absorbed the jolts and bumps of the uneven surfaces making the bike feel grounded and stable on rough roads, keeping traction and control in tricky situations, like speeding down a descent on a freshly graded gravel road. The Kingpin system features flex in the Topstone’s chainstays, seat tube and top tube to provide travel.
Transitioning from tarmac to singletrack and then on to gravel really pushes a rider’s limit. The taller stack and shorter reach of the Topstone, when compared with other Cannondale performance road bikes, put me in a position that felt comfortable on all terrain. On extended sections of tough singletrack, I found a good balance of traction, manoeuvrability and comfort. On long stretches of gravel, I noticed how the Outfront steering geometry with increased trail and a wider wheelbase gave me greater stability when I was trying to hold my speed. If you want to expand the Topstone’s abilities, you can put on 650b wheels with 48c wide tires. On 700c wheels, you’ll find a comfortable 40 mm of tire clearance.
On the steep gravel climb to the Trapp Family Lodge, I put in a dig to test my limits and those of the bike. After feeling the excellent contact between my rear wheel and the rough
stuff, I was riding with more confidence. On the climb, I got out of the saddle repeatedly without any hesitation, knowing that I’d have traction at the back. When we got to the top of the climb, someone suggested we explore the trails behind the lodge. While cold beverages and an array of sausages, cheese and sauerkraut – to go with the von Trapp/ Soundof Music vibe of the lodge – were tempting, I found the prospect of continuing to ride the Topstone was too exciting to resist. It’s a bike than can keep going, so that’s just what we did.
Equally tantalizing was a lit tle adventure between King’s house and the lodge on the tough climbs and quiet country roads of Stowe. We tackled that route on Supersix evos. The new version of Cannondale’s general classification machine has truncatedaerofoil tubing to slice through the wind, a small rear triangle to increase rigidity and a lot of clearance for wide tires. The Supersix frame is light and stiff, making it suitable for climbing the cols of the Tour de France, speeding along gravel roads or, in my case, trying to hold a retired pro’s wheel.
The new Supersix’s radical redesign takes the all-round frame into the aero age while maintaining the right combination of handling, performance and comfort. It’s Cannondale’s take on what a modern road bike should offer. The fork crown transitions smoothly into the down tube. The head tube has been redesigned to accommodate hidden brake, Di2 and mechanical shift cables that run from the new Knot stem and Save handlebar.
Cannondale says the bike has 30 mm of tire clearance, but that’s a conservative number. There are whispers that some test frames had been mounted with treads as wide as 33 mm. Worldtour riders, such as Ottawa’s Michael Woods, generally don’t need that much clearance, but you might enjoy it when you have a big gravel ride planned or just want to experiment with different tires. The Supersix also has an updated geometry with a taller stack and a shorter reach, perfect for navigating uneven gravel roads or tackling long rides.
On the Supersix, I felt ready to hop into a road race or fondo, but what really got me excited was the prospect of mounting wide tires onto the bike and seeing how far I could push it. That will have to wait until another ride. Cannondale’s two new bikes beg to be pushed to their limits. As for the types roads suited to these machines, none are off limits.