Reviewed: Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod
If you’re a serious racer and want to own just one bike that climbs as well as it weaves through peloton traffic, this is it.
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Lab: 17.4 (.8mm BB deflection; .6mm head tube deflection)
Build: 12.8
Comfort: 14.4
Value: 10.4
Handling: 14.3
Pedaling: 13.7
Looks: 4.0
Overall Score: 87.0
Buying a bike is often the process of measuring trade-offs. A good climber sometimes won’t descend well, or an aero bike will feel too twitchy and stiff for longer days in the saddle. But we just couldn’t find the fatal flaw in the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod. This WorldTour-proven racer comes with a high price tag (a flaw, sure, but not fatal), yet Cannondale backs it up with a striking balance of stiffness, compliance, and exceptional handling. It really does exemplify the upper echelon of the all-around category.
That’s primarily because the SuperSix can adapt. A day in the mountains? No problem. Weekend crit? It’s got you covered. It’s all about the balance of stiffness and comfort that makes it a jack of all trades, not just in name, but in performance. Our stiffness testing reveals the SuperSix is solid in both the bottom bracket (0.8mm of deflection) and head tube (0.6mm of deflection), but not nearly as unyielding as an aero bike like the Trek Madone (0.41mm of deflection in both the head tube and bottom bracket). That little bit of flex gives the bike a more lively feel, a certain something that connects to the curves and is just malleable enough when you’re throwing your weight around on climbs.
It’s no noodle; it flexes where it needs to flex to keep things comfortable, but it responds when you punch the pedals. The dramatically shaped chainstays and seatstays flex like leaf springs while maintaining professional-caliber torsional stiffness, especially out of the saddle when you’re grinding up climbs. Perhaps it’s Cannondale’s BB30A asymmetric bottom bracket that makes the SuperSix feel so lively and eager on the ups, or maybe it’s the sub-14 pound build. It’s likely both.
On top of that, a short, 989mm wheelbase (size 56cm) helps create an amazingly peppy bike that’s equally at home weaving through the peloton or exploding off the front of it. That peppiness is a bit surprising given the somewhat tall 155mm head tube, yet that same tall head tube makes the SuperSix stable on climbs and through sweeping turns. And that’s just it: Cannondale has nailed the geometry. It borrows elements from every other category, from endurance to aero — tall head tube, short stays and wheelbase, long top tube — to combine the best of everything.
Mavic’s Cosmic Pro carbon wheels were too narrow for our testers’ liking, though. The trend toward wider rim profiles allows for a wider contact patch that improves traction, cornering, and bump compliance, so the SuperSix could only be improved with a wider set of wheels like Zipp 303s or the less expensive Hed Ardennes.
If you’re a serious racer and want to own just one bike that climbs as well as it weaves through peloton traffic, this is it. Full stop.
Price: $10,660
Component Highlights: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain; Dura-Ace brakes; Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels; Cannondale HollowGram SiSL2 cranks
Weight: 13.89 pounds (size 56cm)