First Ride: The All-New Cannondale SuperSix Evo 2023

Nearly four years after the last version, Cannondale unveils its all-new SuperSix, the brand’s traditionally versatile model, which here stands out as a machine that is at once light, comfortable, aerodynamic and incredibly fast! A bike that will make its mark on the history of the American brand, as we discovered at the end of this first ride on the road.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©brazodehierro.com, ©3bikes.fr / DR

Every time a new bike model launches, we get the same pitch from the marketing team of the brand in question, with a well-rehearsed list of arguments that always leans toward “more, more, more”, as if everything done before were completely outdated. Cannondale usually doesn’t break that rule, but for the launch of this new SuperSix Evo, the brand chose first to let the journalists on this preview ride simply ride, rather than overwhelming them with technical information, focusing on the most visible changes compared with the previous version, launched in 2019.

The SuperSix is normally the most versatile bike in the Cannondale range, which the brand has wanted to be light, easy and comfortable since the first version came out in 2008. Its success has never waned among amateur racers and cyclosportive riders. Among professional riders, in the WorldTour team EF Education – Easy Post and the continental team ST-Michel – Mavic – Auber 93, the SuperSix had until now been backed up on rolling courses by the SystemSix, a more aerodynamic bike and, above all, much stiffer, and therefore faster, but also heavier and more demanding.

Following the trend set by several competing brands with bikes that excel on every terrain, Cannondale sought to further optimize the versatility of the SuperSix, keeping its main characteristics while making it even more aerodynamic. This new version, already spotted in the hands of professional riders since the start of the 2023 season, clearly keeps family resemblances with its predecessor, at least in profile. But seen from the front or rear, the slimness of the tubes is much more evident, and you can easily imagine all the work the engineers did to help this new SuperSix Evo cut through the wind. Moreover, according to wind tunnel tests run and released by Cannondale, this SuperSix would be slightly less slippery than the SystemSix in terms of aero drag (but the SystemSix is really at the top of the class in this area), and better than most of its versatile rivals. We’ll see how that plays out on the road.

Subtle but Essential Changes

In terms of the design of the SuperSix Evo frameset, the major changes compared with the 2019 version come down to a few key points:

• The integration of the brake hoses into the steerer tube is now more seamless in terms of handling, with handlebars that can now turn fully (which was not the case on the SuperSix 2019 or the SystemSix), thanks to a triangular fork pivot that leaves room for the hose routing without disrupting the bearing system.

• The seatpost abandons the famous “D” shape in favor of a very tapered profile lengthwise, while keeping a step just below the seat clamp to provide some flex for comfort.

• The shape of the seatpost now rules out placing the Di2 battery there, so it now sits in the bottom of the down tube, in a dedicated housing accessed through a small hatch near the bottom bracket, which also lowers the bike’s center of gravity.

• The bottom bracket adopts a traditional format with a width of 68 mm (instead of 73 before) and threaded cups, for greater compatibility with all cranksets on the market, and also more reliability (limiting the creaking noises that are fairly common on frames with integrated bearings).
• Cannondale has dropped through-axles with quick releases and adopts a fastening with a 6 mm Allen key recess. But on the opposite side of the fork, the thread is fully integrated and invisible from the bike’s side profile.

This new SuperSix Evo also features new dedicated equipment that contributes to the brand’s performance focus:

• The SuperSix Evo models in the range come with dedicated bottle cages and bottles, with flattened sides to follow exactly the shape of the down tube walls, thereby improving the aerodynamics of the whole. According to the brand, these bottles would save 3 watts at 45 km/h.

• On the two highest-end models, a new cockpit designed with Momo Design completes the perfect integration at the front, with an ergonomic control position and a very nice finish. Note, however, that the bike can be fitted with any handlebar using the Cannondale stem dedicated to the SuperSix, as on the lower models in the range, with a Vision aero handlebar.

• Cannondale is offering the new SuperSix Evo with two new pairs of Hollowgram wheels with a slightly rounded 50 mm rim profile, an internal width of 21 mm and an external width of 32 mm, fitted with DT 240 (R-SL 50) or DT 350 (R-S 50) hubs, for a weight of 1,520 to 1,620 g per pair.

This launch was also an opportunity for the American brand to showcase a new range called LAB71 (for 1971, the year Cannondale was founded), which is in a way the equivalent of the S-Works range at Specialized, that is, the pinnacle of the collection in terms of construction and performance. The SuperSix Evo LAB71 frame is made from new, very high-end carbon fibers called Series 0, and is claimed to weigh 770 g in size 56 (painted), compared with 810 g for the SuperSix Evo HiMod (the one we tested) and 930 g for the SuperSix Evo Carbon.

Frameset weights and prices:

• SuperSix Evo LAB71 frameset (770 g frame): €5,499
• SuperSix Evo HiMod frameset (810 g frame): €4,199
• SuperSix Evo Carbon frameset (930 g frame): only sold as a complete bike

At the very top of the complete bike range, the SuperSix Evo LAB71 at €14,999 is claimed to weigh just over 6.8 kg without pedals, while the SuperSix Evo HiMod 1 with SRAM Red that we tested weighs 7.14 kg (7.44 kg as verified with Garmin pedals and bottle cages, size 51), for a price of €13,499.

The full SuperSix Evo range:

• SuperSix Evo LAB71, with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Hollowgram R-SL 50 wheels and SystemBar R-One cockpit by Momo Design (6.8 kg): €14,999
• SuperSix Evo HiMod 1, with SRAM Red AXS groupset, Hollowgram R-SL 50 wheels and SystemBar R-One cockpit by Momo Design (7.1 kg): €13,499
• SuperSix Evo HiMod 2, with Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, Hollowgram R-S 50 wheels and Vision Trimax cockpit: €8,999
• SuperSix Evo Carbon 1, with SRAM Force AXS groupset, Hollowgram R-S 50 wheels and Vision Trimax cockpit: €6,999
• SuperSix Evo Carbon 2, with Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, Hollowgram R-S 50 wheels and Vision Trimax cockpit: €6,799

Magical Sensations

This first ride, around 90 km with 1,200 m of elevation gain (including a 10 km climb), quickly set the tone. The new-generation SuperSix Evo keeps the fabulous road feel of its predecessors, with very good comfort, the same handling, the same snap when accelerating, the same easy feel with efficiency under the pedals but without stiffness, and extreme versatility, whatever the gradient.

But Cannondale has managed to add to these qualities what sets the best bikes on the market today apart: a “positive” inertia, and a flowing, energizing ride that is clearly helped by the sharp (in the literal sense) profile of the frame. This new SuperSix Evo has clearly progressed when it comes to tackling wind or speed, without becoming a demanding bike as a result. The bike has excellent rolling qualities: you feel it from the first few hundred meters, during the warm-up. You also feel it when riding in a group, when you drop back into the wheels after a rotation and feel sucked along by the movement of the peloton, saving even more energy than usual.

This new SuperSix Evo has clearly progressed when it comes to tackling wind or speed, without becoming a demanding bike as a result.

On climbs, the bike adapts to your mood, whether you are pushing a big gear with plenty of torque or spinning more smoothly in a small one. It never seems too inflexible in terms of lateral stiffness, and it does not impose, as the SystemSix does for example, an optimal pedaling cadence range to deliver efficiency. But efficiency is not lacking, and behind this silky feel lies a perfectly consistent behavior between the front and rear of the bike. The brand also saw no reason to change the geometry compared with the previous model, which was already praised for its overall balance.

Fast and stable on the flat, the new Hollowgram wheels prove fairly neutral on climbs, at least up to gradients of 6 or 7%. Beyond that, and for real mountains, lighter wheels would probably be more suitable, but on our usual routes, the combination with the new SuperSix frame seems to work wonderfully. When picking up speed and in gusts of crosswind, they may make the front of the bike wander a little, but it seems to us that the effect is less pronounced than with other wheels of the same profile.

In terms of comfort, the new SuperSix Evo once again keeps what has made it a success for about fifteen years: the contact with the road is rather soft, even here with 25 mm tires (with inner tubes), while the bike can accommodate widths up to 34 mm (like its predecessor). Even with a fairly race-oriented size, the bike absorbs small road irregularities properly, without the need to run big, under-inflated tires, which inevitably mean more weight, less efficiency and less snap when accelerating.

The version we tested is not quite the top of the range (it sits just below the LAB71), but we are still talking about a bike that sells for €13,499, a very high price, and weighs 7.4 kg in size 51 with pedals and bottle cages. On paper, it is not the airiest bike on the market, but its behavior places it well up among the leading group for those looking for a high-performance machine that is comfortable on all terrain. The ultimate bike, in a way.

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