Buying a new bike can be daunting, spending months researching models and brands making sure everything is perfect. Endless lists of pros and cons and scrolling through forums to find exactly what you want in a bicycle. That's why I decided to write this blog, as someone who is fortunate enough to work in a bike shop which means I can access pretty much all the brands in the industry, I wanted to showcase why the SuperSix from Cannondale stood out for me.
Firstly, being a female cyclist its often very hard to find a brand which takes women's cycling seriously and in turn offers a high end women's option(s) so initially that's why Cannondale caught my eye. They are also one of the few brands who have female brand ambassadors as opposed to solely male riders. As well as being female, I am also only 5ft so this also makes buying bikes hard, for both vertically challenged men and women. However Cannondale offer their SuperSix Evo right down to a 44cm frame (I ride the 48cm) making the bike super accessible to all riders.
In the past I have only ever ridden aero road bikes as my heart lies in racing and riding flat out. However when Cannondale released their new rendition of the Supersix in 2020 marketing it as the perfect all rounder with new truncated aerofoil tubes, the bike was instantly on my radar. I've never been much of a mountain goat, so the idea of having the best of aero and lightweight interested me. After the SuperSix won 'Bike Of the Year' for 2020 I knew it was a force to be reckoned with.
After doing a bit of digging I found that the new SuperSix truncated aerofoil tube shapes have reduced drag by 21% compared to its predecessor. I also found another study showing that the Supersix came out on top in a windtunnel Yaw angle test covering 95% of riding conditions at 30mph against the top competitors lightweight models from brands such as Specialized and Cervelo. I'll link the full article below if you really want to nerd out.
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Another deciding factor for me, as silly as it might seem, was the colourway. I already had another bike from Cannondale, the women's Topstone Carbon 2 which I love! Both of which are in Cannondale's stunning Lavender colourway, which is like a pearl purple. So it would have been rude not to get bikes that complimented each other.
I also love to make my bikes different from the stock model and the Cannondale came in at a price that let me do that. Unfortunately you cannot buy the SuperSix as frame only, however you can sell the stock components to fund different ones, which is what I did. Originally the bike came with a Shimano 105 hydraulic disc groupset, Cannondale One crankset and Cannondale RD 2.0 wheelset, I had other ideas. The wheels were changed out for Enve Composites Foundation 45mm carbon deeps (a nod to my aero obsession) the tyres changed to Vittoria Corsa Control Tubeless Ready in 28mm. I also upgraded to a Sram Red AXS electronic groupset (including cranks) and finished the build off with an Deda Zero handlebar and stem combo.
My new SuperSix (nicknamed Suzy) turned out to be pretty much my dream build which I am super proud of. I've only managed to get out on her for a few rides so stay tuned to see my next write up in the coming months after I've had a bit more time in the saddle, where I will go into a bit more detail on how she rides.
Thanks for reading, Ellie :)
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Check out the range of Cannondale Supersix's on our website.
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