The frameset – sleek, slim, with a touch of the Synapse

At first glance, the design looks very much the same as the previous version of the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod which proved so popular since its launch in 2011, retaining the slim stays, sleek tube profiles and straight lines, except this time it’s been refined even further. It now makes more comprehensive use of Cannondale’s proprietary BallisTec carbon material throughout the frame and fork, making a total claimed weight of 1,303g on my 56cm test machine. Bottom line, that’s one of the lightest frame and fork combos you’re likely to come across.

• Specification

• Price: £2,999.99
• Weight: 7.0kg (56cm)
• Sizes: 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60cm
• Website: Cannondale
• UK distributor: Cycling Sports Group

The only area that visibly looks chunky, unsurprisingly, is around the bottom bracket, where the oversized area caters for the (now wider) BB30A standard setup. That undoubtedly helps with power transfer, providing a solid basis from which the rest of the frame can flourish.

Elsewhere, know-how from the Synapse endurance bike has been integrated, so despite the lightweight and stiff intentions of the frame, you’ve got some smoothness along for the ride as well. Cannondale’s Speed Save tech has been introduced at the rear of the frame, with a carbon layup which is said to improve compliance by 21 per cent over the previous SuperSix. The fork, which drops 40g in weight to a claimed 280g, gets the same technology – designed to ensure maximum stiffness without sending equally violent vibrations back at you

Descending, the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod is just about as predictable it gets. Lean on the bike, and it turns in a gracious arc. There’s no sudden darting through the front end, no nervousness, just easy-to-read responses and feedback. It gives you the strange – albeit welcome – feeling that the front and back ends are genuinely working together to inform you about the road beneath you.

Even with the rear frame under heavy braking, there’s not a vague feeling as the rear end goes light and skips, but a sense that the bike hunkers down to re-establish cohesion with the tarmac as soon as you release the levers. This is one sorted out chassis.

We’ve already touched on compliance – it’s where the know-how from the popular Synapse comes into play – and the occasionally broken road surfaces encountered in the Alps were easily dealt with. It’s not just a flash in the pan, either, as back in the UK on more ‘realistic’ roads, the SuperSix remained forgiving for all-day comfort, and not just a unbridled race machine focussed purely on speed.

The geometry is equally well tuned and that contributes significantly to the excellent handling. It’s a racy setup, as you’d expect, but the traditionally straight tubes help give a direct feel to the bike. It’s like being in a well-looked after home – everything is where it’s supposed to be, and instantly rideable from the first pedal stroke.

While the Etape, and my local test ground in fact, is rarely flat, on the rare occasion I came across flatter terrain I was impressed with the SuperSix’s ability to maintain speed. It’s no aero demon, but the low weight ensures it accelerates quickly and there’s certainly no sense of lugging the bike up to speed.

Up front you’ll find an alloy bar which does a great job of smoothing out the road buzz which does make its way through the fork. It’s a sensible shape and provides numerous comfortable positions, with a looping drop that facilitates a low-slung position. One area I found lacking was in the diameter of the C1 handlebar, which could’ve done with being a few millimetres wider for comfort. While the general trend towards narrower profiling for added compliance is a theme on the SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod, a thicker bar may offered more comfort through improved ergonomics. The specced ‘bar tape is grippy and plush enough for the job.

At the back, the supplied carbon seatpost, paired with a Fizik Arione R5 saddle and aided by Cannondale’s comfort-inducing tech elsewhere on the bike, helps provide a buzz-free ride.

Finally, the rolling stock, which comes from Mavic with the French firm’s Ksyrium hoops and Yksion Elite tyres. Honestly, they’re adequate – everything you’ll need in an everyday training wheelset – but when you’re spending £3,000 on a bike with a frame which absolutely justifies that price tag, it’s an area which also completely justifies further investment.

Conclusion

The Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod is one of the best all-rounders out there – quick on the flat, with buckets of predictability going downhill, prodigious talent on ascents and a slathering of compliance thrown in.

Pros

• Light, stiff & responsive chassis
• Impressive comfort for a race bike
• Superb handling

Cons

• It’s hard to fault