Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hello-Mod assessment: A superbike you are able to do something with

Within the fashionable bike trade, there is a small group of motorcycle firms who’ve managed to turn out to be mainstays at outlets and races all the world over. Whereas these manufacturers provide a variety of bikes, there’s at all times a couple of fashions in every class that sit on a pedestal. These are the superbikes you see racing within the UCI WorldTour and very often, they populate our record of the finest street bikes.  

One of many manufacturers that at all times has fashions to match that description is Cannondale. Based in 1971, the American model has been a mainstay in skilled racing for the higher a part of 30 years. In the present day you may discover EF Training–EasyPost powering quite a lot of bikes with wild paint schemes and Cannondale branding. 

One of many Cannondale bikes you may discover ridden by EF Training–EasyPost is the Cannondale SuperSix EVO. Whereas the SystemSix nonetheless exists as probably the most aero mannequin from Cannondale, the Supersix is the one which’s seen continued growth over the previous few years. In 2016 it was the climbers’ bike with out a lot aero optimisation and in 2019, it acquired aero tweaks. 

This yr the SuperSix EVO bought one more replace that brings it even farther from its historical past as a pure climbers bike. It isn’t fairly a real aero bike nevertheless it’s very shut. The bike stands out not due to race wins however somewhat by being the bike that may race whereas additionally doing extra. 

Provided that that is precisely the kind of using that is smart to me, I shortly mentioned sure when given the chance to check the 2023 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hello-MOD. The EF males’s and girls’s groups have already confirmed this bike can race at UCI WorldTour stage, so I made a decision to see what else it may do. I put all the main points to the take a look at overlaying private time trials, group rides, and a giant journey experience. Maintain studying to learn how it carried out. 

Design and aesthetics

Prior to now, the Hello-MOD variant of a Cannondale body was the very best you possibly can get, however with the introduction of the SuperSix EVO 4, that fundamental understanding is altering. You possibly can nonetheless get a Hello-MOD variant of this bike however now, that is the tier-two choice. Launched alongside this bike is the idea of Lab71 and a brand new stage of efficiency, in addition to pricing.

The ‘commonplace’ carbon stage of body which covers the Evo 1, Evo 2, and Evo 3 weighs in at 930 grams. If you wish to go a bit lighter on the scales, the Hello-MOD choices provide an 810-gram body. Then, on the very prime of the mannequin vary is the Lab71 mannequin. It is a strong soar in pricing ($2,000 / £1,500) that nets you a extra modest 40 grams of weight financial savings. 

Whereas the paint is actually not the very first thing I take into account when shopping for a motorcycle, the end of a motorcycle is a crucial a part of the acquisition to all of us, and a possible downfall is that the color choices are restricted within the vary. In order for you a uncooked end, for instance, that limits your option to solely the Evo 2. In order for you the very best Hello-MOD construct, meaning you’ve got solely bought a single color choice. 

My take a look at mannequin, the Hello-MOD 1, comes solely with the Mercury paint scheme, nevertheless it’s bought lots going for it and it seems a bit completely different than the image would have you ever consider. The entrance of the bike, and the fork, makes use of a barely heat silver with a deep gloss to it. You possibly can’t see it within the Cannondale footage however within the solar there’s vital steel flake and a richness and depth that’s onerous to seize in a picture. On the highest tube you may actually see the depth of this paint because it butts up instantly towards a layer of solid carbon fibre. From the aspect although, the shiny paint fades to a matte carbon on the rear. 

There’s lots to absorb on the entrance along with the paint although. Aero bikes are inclined to web probably the most positive factors on the entrance, the place the onrushing air is ‘clear’, and Cannondale appears to reflect this development. Though the tubes are smaller than you would possibly count on from a real aero bike, the headtube actually isn’t that of a light-weight climbing bike. As an alternative, the deep built-in design helps add to the general efficiency uptick in comparison with the final technology. Cannondale claims the 2023 SuperSix EVO will prevent 12 watts at 45 km/h / 28 mph.

The steerer tube is a rounded triangle, which the model refers to because the Delta Steerer tube. The design leaves room on both sides for cables nevertheless it additionally retains the headtube slender. From a person perspective I am unsure that it truly issues that a lot the specifics of how the cables are routed by the headtube. Though Cannondale performs up the distinctive form of the steerer tube, different manufacturers have discovered different distinctive methods to do the identical factor. For those who don’t just like the one-piece bar and stem, you may swap it to quite a lot of different choices that additionally route the cables by the stem.

For me, what truly catches the attention greater than the entrance is the rear of the bike. For my part, this entire space is a murals. The aero detailing is just like different aero bikes with dropped seat stays however Cannondale does one thing completely different.

Simply above the BSA threaded backside bracket, the seat tube is extremely skinny earlier than it flares out (sideways and rearwards) on the seat tube junction. As you proceed up, the subsequent part is not that notable from afar. There is a hidden seat tube fixing bolt and a gasket the place the seatpost inserts into the body, and while you view it from the entrance or the rear, you may see simply how slender it’s.

That narrowness continues into the seatpost itself. The entire part is so slender that Cannondale has needed to transfer mounting for an inside digital groupset battery to the down tube. There’s a component of Dr. Seuss to it the place you query if the carbon will maintain and but, in fact, it does. 

The slender seat publish and lack of battery storage additionally has one other impact on the design. I’ve by no means liked the best way Cannondale makes use of two bolts to set the angle of the saddle, and that hasn’t modified. It continues to be difficult to guess the angle a saddle will land at after torqueing down the bolts, however that is the very best I’ve seen it, as each bolts at the moment are simply accessible from beneath as they arrive down by the highest of the seat publish. 

The construct

Just like the restricted paint choices, there are additionally some peculiarities with the construct choices. My take a look at bike is the Hello-MOD 1 construct; the best Hello-Mod mannequin and solely crushed by the Lab71 choices. It is solely out there with SRAM Purple, so in the event you want Shimano you will have to both step as much as Lab71 for Dura Ace, with a worth improve of $2,000 / £1,500, otherwise you’ll have to step right down to the Hello-MOD 2 construct to get Ultegra Di2. For those who determine to step down a mannequin, the worth financial savings is large however you do lose out on a few of what Cannondale considers particular in regards to the newest SuperSix EVO. 

Particularly, the model claims “the frameset, seatpost, bars and wheels have been all designed in unison” however the bars are distinctive to the highest two fashions. With the Hello-Mod 1, the cockpit is a single piece unit Cannondale designed in collaboration with “legendary motorsport design agency, MOMODesign.” For those who determine to maneuver right down to the Hello-MOD 2 choice, it’s important to sacrifice that cockpit. It nonetheless has a one-piece bar and stem nevertheless it’s not the identical unit. 

It is also price noting that even with these prime builds, an influence meter is not included. 

Whatever the larger image although, my Hello-MOD 1 construct begins with SRAM Purple AXS. To that, Cannondale provides the SystemBar R-One designed in partnership with MOMOdesign wrapped with 3.5mm bar tape. 

Gearing is 48/35 chainrings paired with a 10-28 cassette, each from the SRAM Purple vary. Wheels are the Cannondale R-SL 50 tubeless prepared aero wheels they usually come paired with 25mm Continental GP5000. The saddle is the Prologo Dimension NACK NDR with carbon rails.

Efficiency

After I picked up the SuperSix EVO from an area store, I chatted with the mechanic a bit and as we did, he mentioned one thing which caught: “nobody desires race bikes anyway, simply endurance bikes.” We are able to argue if that’s true nevertheless it additionally highlights a few of what I like about this bike. 

The Cannondale SuperSix EVO transcends the thought of neat and tidy classes; it is quick nevertheless it’s additionally snug. You possibly can placed on 30mm tyres, a lightweight, and larger bottles to experience all day, or you may as well depart it the best way it comes and race it in your native criterium. To precisely present that, I needed to verify I examined it in quite a lot of conditions. 

That began with what I name my midweek TT effort. It is probably not a time trial however it’s a principally flat bike path that I take to the tip and switch round for a 27 mile / 43.45 km door to door experience. There are some street crossings, and slower riders, so it is not precisely scientific nevertheless it’s a strong effort with lengthy sections of uninterrupted using. After I set a brand new finest time with out making a single change to the bike, I began to get a way this was a critically quick bike. 

In the course of the summer season I experience this route as a lot as 4 instances every week and infrequently on what most readers would take into account tremendous bikes. The final time I set a brand new document was virtually a yr in the past on the Orbea Orca Aero full aero bike. That’s a motorcycle that sacrifices weight for aero benefit and even goes as far as to incorporate a UCI unlawful fairing. I am not forgetting that this is not completely scientific take a look at, however my quicker time with the Cannondale SuperSix EVO is an efficient indication of simply how aero it’s. 

In one other instance, I took the bike to an area group experience. It isn’t as quick as a race nevertheless it’s a small group of skilled riders who experience onerous. There are pacelines, recognized locations for sprinting, and that is in all probability the type of using most individuals will use this bike for. If that sounds proper to you, it excels. 

Each time a niche would open within the paceline, the bike felt proper at residence leaping round a drained rider and shutting it. Similar to each Cannondale I’ve ever ridden, I virtually felt compelled to experience like a idiot who has power to spare. Even when that power was flagging, the uphill dash level appeared like an ideal thought. 

To place it one other means, the SuperSix is a enjoyable and responsive bike that urges you on. It is greater than aero sufficient to problem some of the excessive aero bikes available on the market, and at 7.33kg (excluding pedals) it will possibly climb effectively. I will cease in need of saying it is market main on the burden entrance, although, since my colleague’s 58cm Tarmac SL7 weighed in at 7.29kg with pedals and an influence meter, and the brand new semi-aero Issue O2 VAM, additionally 58cm, was 6.71kg. 

No matter that, it was a constructive begin on the efficiency entrance, so it was time to handle that remark about endurance bikes. I’ve performed a few 200-ish mile (322 km) rides this yr and this appeared like the right alternative to do another. This time I opted to move to the coast and again on a route that coated 215 miles / 346 km and roughly 12,000 ft  / 3658 metres of elevation. 

In preparation for that experience, one change I made was to swap the included HollowGram R-SL 50 wheels to a set of Zipp 353 NSW wheels. 

Very often, the included wheels on any bike, even one this costly, find yourself being changed. Given my time with them, I’d argue rethinking that with the HollowGram R-SL 50. The wheelset weight is a fairly aggressive 1520 grams and the rear hub makes use of DT Swiss 240 EXP internals. At a depth of 50mm paired with a 21mm inside/32mm exterior width, they appear to be optimised for the included 25mm tyres however they really feel stiff and responsive. I by no means felt aspect to aspect flex and after I was prepared to leap, the wheels have been at all times proper there with me.  

I actually solely made the change as a fast technique to make use of the already-mounted Cadex 28mm tyres. It additionally offered a good way to check the frameset in isolation. I understand how these wheels experience already, likewise the Cadex tyres and the SRAM Purple groupset, so right here was an opportunity to concentrate on the body alone.

To get straight to the purpose, the primary factor I discovered on the lengthy experience was simply how environment friendly the SuperSix EVO is. I’d observed on different mid-distance rides that I used to be steadily capable of cross different riders whereas coasting downhill however on a experience of this distance, it stood out. The cornering is secure sufficient that I felt snug staying in a deep aero tuck (sorry UCI) and each descent appeared to be over in a flash. 

I did additionally discover a few small negatives on the massive experience. The included ReGrip Aero bottles and cages could also be aerodynamically superior however the bottles solely maintain 600ml. This might be tremendous for many rides, however I needed extra right here. Given the cages did not play too properly with bigger bottles, I used to be compelled to swap each out. 

I additionally didn’t love the outfront mount and included GoPro/mild mount. The connection to a Garmin laptop felt a bit obscure on centre whereas the sunshine sits to this point again, and shut, that I used to be restricted how far up I may angle it. These are clearly small particulars, and certain not that related for a pure race bike, however you are able to do lots with the SuperSix and these particulars are noticeable. 

Nonetheless, the truth that it comes with bottles, cages and an out-front mount in any respect is a characteristic that not each bike can boast, so take my criticisms right here with a giant grain of salt. 

Worth

My preliminary response to this part was to say the SuperSix EVO was sitting above trade requirements. Lab71 is, in some methods, a response to S-Works and the Tarmac is certain to be a motorcycle that can see cross-shopping. That body is $5,500 / £4,500 whereas the Cannondale Lab71 is $6,000 / £4,500. You do get, arguably, higher paint choices on the Lab71, and it is 40 grams lighter. With leaks of a brand new Tarmac already within the wild, I count on issues are about to alter there anyway.  

I did not assessment the Lab71 although and after I appeared on the Hello-MOD pricing, the story is completely different. The bike I examined retails at $13,500 / £10,500 and the frameset is $4,500 / £3,750 making it a barely extra interesting proposition towards the identical S-Works Tarmac. Even in the event you keep in mind the shortage of together with an influence meter, which is a particular destructive, it is a cheaper bike. 

There are different bikes price contemplating as effectively. The Enve Melee is sort of precisely the identical geometry because the Tremendous Six Evo Hello-Mod and the Cannondale is cheaper even in the event you take into account the shortage of bar and stem that the Enve consists of. The brand new Look 795 Blade RS is one other contender which can also be costlier. 

Verdict

I take a look at a number of bikes and a few of them aren’t sensible. After I experience a couple of in a row that I do not love, I begin to assume perhaps it is me; can I actually even inform what a great bike appears like? Then I swing a leg over a motorcycle like this Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hello-MOD 1 and I do know I can. There are hardly ever dangerous bikes however there are bikes that do not really feel as thrilling to experience, then there’s bikes just like the SuperSix EVO. That is an thrilling bike. 

It’s not the standard of being thrilling, and even the power to win races, that units this bike aside although. As an alternative it’s the concentrate on doing all the pieces and the best way that speaks to most individuals. The SuperSix EVO is thrilling nevertheless it’s additionally snug. You possibly can take it to a bunch experience or an area weekly race however you may as well do lengthy distances with it. I’d like to see extra color and groupset choices throughout the vary, and higher pricing on the Lab71 model, however in order for you a street race bike that isn’t going to carry you again it doesn’t matter what you wish to do with it, the SuperSix EVO is an ideal selection. The one cause I’d counsel trying elsewhere is in order for you an much more specialised bike that’s maybe longer and decrease or lighter.