Joe Baker finds Cannondale’s second-tier race bike is still a top performer
Back in February, Cannondale released the fourth generation of its much-loved SuperSix EVO. The race bike platform saw an aerodynamic redesign, as well as a frameset hierarchy changes. The introduction of the LAB71 framesets, which dethroned the Hi-MOD as the range-topping build option, made headlines with a price tag of £12,500.
The SuperSix platform may still be Cannondale’s ‘climbing’ bike, but with all the new aerodynamic updates, from new tube shapes to fully integrated cabling, can it also become a true all-rounder, delivering a performance to challenge the dedicated aero bike? I tested the slightly more reasonably priced Hi-MOD 2, Ultegra Di2-equipped bike to find out.
The frameset
In recent years, we have seen a trend of lightweight bikes becoming more aero, and aero bikes becoming more lightweight. After completely remodelling the SuperSix from its previous generation, the new SuperSix EVO has continued down a more aerodynamic path.
The biggest visual change between the SuperSix EVO V3 and V4 is an all-round aerodynamic clean-up of the frame shape. The 2023 race bike is more compact, featuring a sloped top tube and lower dropped seatstays. The fork has also been widened to reduce high-pressure air build-up around the front wheel, which not only makes for smoother airflow but also gives the new SuperSix clearance for up to 30mm tyres.
Cannondale says the design is the result of hours of wind-tunnel testing and the use of computational fluid dynamics – software that can cycle through hundreds of virtual designs and test them for aerodynamic efficiency. One touch I personally love is the fork blade – the thru-axle is only visible on the side it’s tightened from, which makes for a clean look.
And it’s echoed across the bike. The redesign has resulted in a far more refined-looking machine, though with performance benefits as the driving force; Cannondale claims it saves 17 watts at 45kph when compared to the previous generation. There’s a new internally routed headset; by using a triangular steerer it allows cables to pass either side. Attaching standard stems is still possible thanks to a few shims, which were less finicky to set up than I had imagined.
My size 54 test bike tipped the scales at 7.69kg, which occupies a similar ballpark to many of its competitors at this price point. While Cannondale has dropped the seatstays in a bid for more frame compliance, it has also fitted a wider seatpost than on the V3. Could it be they e
