Cannondale has always been renowned for an innovative approach to bicycle design, and has never been a company that can be accused of following trends. Face it, the company designers have stuck with aluminium until they’ve honed it as far as they possibly can. Now, though, they’ve turned out their first all-carbon frameset. It could be the company’s best road bike to date.

This is the bike that the Liquigas pro team will be hoping can take them to some stage victories in the upcoming Tour de France, and from the looks of things the riders won’t be able to blame the bike for not being good enough. It’s quite a stunner.

Cannondale start with an enlarged bottom bracket shell that houses their open-standard BB30 Si Zipp/Cannondale Vuma Quad chainset, with ceramic bearings press fitted into the BB shell. Around this stiff base is built a full-carbon frame, with a high modulus uni-directional monocoque for the front triangle and the one-piece bottom bracket and chainstays and the super skinny seat stays co-molded in place.

There’s much careful profiling of each tube: a trapezoid 1 1/8 to 1 ½ headtube, asymmetrical thin wall chainstays and skinny hourglass seatstays – designed to provide some level of comfort. It all looks very impressive and it’ll surely ride well. Weight-wise, Cannondale claim 1.05kg for a 56cm frame with the full carbon fork including carbon dropouts a further 340g .

The model pictured costs a credit crunch unfriendly £7,999! But… you do get an impressive spec list which includes Zipp Zedtech 3 wheels with ceramic bearings, SI Zipp/Cannondale Vuma Quad chainset, SRAM Red, Zipp Carbon SL handlebars, FSA stem, headset and a USE Alien Cyclops Carbon seatpost topped with a Fizik Arione K1 Full Carbon saddle. And… it’s even available in eight sizes from 48cm to 63cm. Where’s my cheque book…[under lock and key, where it belongs – ed.]

More at www.cannondale.com