There's the move.......
This year could be the turning point when it comes to disc brakes on Race bikes, not just on the Endurance and leisure models that we have seen filter into the market over the last few years. Cannondale are a huge advocate for the technology and have, in their typical innovative fashion, already developed their own frame mounts in order to make the technology less intrusive, lighter and better performing. More on that in a bit.
Cannondale have been lobbying numerous cycling governing bodies for the widespread introduction of discs at the Pro level and they have obviously made inroads since the bulk of their 2017 SuperSix Evo range come disc-equiped. There are arguments for and against the technology and its place in the race bike market, but whatever your view, there is no doubt that they are here and will likely affect your buying options going forward. Ultimately stopping power is improved and should be particularly beneficial in wet and/or dirty conditions. Wear on your rims is eliminated and (arguably) frame aesthetics are improved by removing the calipers from the top of the forks and the stays.
The advent of the Disc Evo has brought about inevitable change in the frame design as hinted at above. While the frame and fork overhaul of 2016 remains (details of which are below) there have been smaller changes to accommodate the discs. The new Disc forks retain the CFD Design but employ a 12mm Thru-Axle for improved stiffness and braking stability.
The rear of the frame sees the introduction of Cannondale's Patent-Pending Flat Mount integrated Disc design - easily the most discreet in the industry - which simplifies adjustment and keeps weight increases to a minimum while maintaining the ride characteristics of the frame. Wheel retention duties remain in the hands of a standard QR at the back. All this adds less than 150g to the non-disc variant.
The rest of the frame remains quintessentially Evo........
In recent years there has evolved an Arms Race witihin the bike manufacturing fraternity : A quest to produce either 'the most aerodynamic' or 'the stiffest' or 'the lightest' or 'most comfortable' bikes available. In Cannondale's view this is a nonsense. It is often the case that a drive for any one of these features invariably leads to compromise in other areas ie, a light bike may not be stiff; an aero bike may be less comfortable.
Over the last decade we have seen numerous brands create a range of dedicated Aero bikes to complement their range of 'traditional' race bikes, however, more often than not, we don't see the Pro's riding them. Why? Because of the compromise. This is why Cannondale plough their own furrow.
The notable absence of a dedicated aero frame in the Cannondale range is a conscious decision by the innovative brand and one of the reasons that the Evo is such a highly praised bike by the pro riders. There is not a team member among the Cannondale Garmin team that refuses to ride one!
The original concept of the SuperSix EVO was to balance all the aforementioned requirements of a road bike, and it was a roaring success and it is why Cannondale have continued the process of evolution of the platform. Redesigned for 2016, the 2017 EVO Hi-Mod frame and fork has been around for a year now. A new mold with a brand new carbon lay-up and a ground-up fork design in conjunction with blind-testing within the Pro Team yielded some impressive improvements on an already incredible platform.
The most obvious change, and one driven by the Team riders, is the front fork which is notably slimmer than the previous incarnation. This has come about as a result of feedback from the team who, despite having always loved the stiffness of the EVO, required a little more compliance in the front end. By removing the aluminium crown race, Cannondale have been able to use a continuous fibre lay-up allowing fibres to run from the tip of the steerer to the drop-out. This method makes for a far stronger fork that is also lighter. The processes and resulting shape help yield a 21% increase in the compliance of the bike making the ride more comfortable. This front end improvement to comfort mirrors developments to the rear, where the Speed-SAVE micro-suspension compliance has again been improved, this time by 15%. In addition, and like the Synapse range, the New EVO Hi-Mod employs a 25.4mm seatpost for greater deflection to offer further improvements to ride feel whilst in the saddle. These compliance changes improve not only the comfort, but more importantly handling. By allowing the front wheel to track better over rougher surfaces, the bike remains markedly more planted and this is particularly evident whilst descending. You only have to watch Talansky's impressive descending on Stage 17 of the 2015 Tour de France to see the results!
Despite this improvement to the compliance, the Evo Hi-Mod remains incredibly stiff. The all new carbon lay-up at the fork, head-tube and Bottom Bracket has increased the already impressive stiffness by 6.1%, 2.2% and 8.8% respectively, whilst key areas benefit from a continuous carbon fibre construction helping Cannondale to strike the important balance of stiffness to compliance for excellent response and handling, without punishing the rider. Something else to note is the use of the 73mm wide BB30a bottom bracket platform. Widely used across the Synapse range last year, the wider platform BB30a is now used on the Hi-Mod EVO range in conjunction with the new Delta 'flared' downtube for improved power transfer and to help maintain Cannondale's much-loved out of saddle response.
So what about Aerodynamics? Despite the EVO Hi-Mod not being a dedicated Aero frame, significant drag reduction has been made when compared with the preceding model. Much like Pinarello, Cannondale have made the move to refine the aerodynamics of their road frame. The SuperSix EVO of last season had already seen reduced frontal structures and a host of smaller refinements over the competitors road frame sets. This season the EVO frame tubes feature Truncated Aero Profiles (TAP). This simple change to frame shape is not new – Colnago and Giant have both used it on their bikes as well as many others. TAP is featured on the Down-tube, Seat-Tube, fork blades and on the upper seat stays. This aero profile helps to maintain stiffness whilst keeping the frame weight low (traditional tear-drop aero tube shapes add weight) and in total yields an impressive 70g of drag reduction (6 Watts) over the previous frame in the same test.
With all these developments to stiffness, aerodynamics and compliance, Cannondale have still managed to reduce the overall weight of the package by 70g. This is no small number when you consider that the EVO was one of the lightest frames in production anyway!
The overall ride quality of SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod is something that is immediately recognisable. From the first pedal stroke you notice just how responsive the bike is, it feels like it wants to go without you having to put too much effort in - but never in a way that makes you feel that you might be out of your depth. Poise is the word. At the same time it feels remarkably refined - a super-smooth ride feel that allows you to concentrate on the road or focus on your race tactics rather than worry about what your machine might be doing underneath you. It handles like a dream, the front end is sharp but controlled and the new fork and headtube design is certainly noticeable whilst cornering at speed. The rear of the bike tracks beautifully, sling-shotting you out of the corners and launching you up the inclines.
It is available in 6 sizes from 50cm to 60cm.
If you would like to discuss sizing or arrange a bike-fit please contact us