A lightweight carbon bike, a bike helmet, a clothing range and indoor training software might not sound like we’re walking on uncharted ground this week but all of these products are far from ordinary.
Cannondale’s newest road frame, a limited-edition featherweight iteration of an existing model, looks good enough to hang in a gallery, while MAAP’s latest road collection wouldn’t appear out of place on the catwalk. German tech company nFrontier have turned to the automotive industry for cues as they seek to develop a bike helmet that’s smarter and safer than the rest and the CADEsport virtual cycling game looks to make indoor training ‘fairer and more inclusive’.
Like we said, far from ordinary…
Did Cannondale’s ‘pursuit of the perfect ride’ just get closer?
(Image credit: Cannondale)
In recent times there’s been a trend for race bike advancements to focus predominantly on improving aerodynamics and saving watts. So there’s something reassuring about Cannondale returning to an age-old obsession in what it describes as its ‘pursuit of the perfect ride’. Weight.
The SuperSix EVO Leichtbau is the SuperSix but lighter. Thanks to what Cannondale is calling its “most sophisticated carbon construction to date”, the frameset now has a claimed weight of just 750 grams. This means it shaved off around 90 grams from the Hi-MOD carbon version ridden by the EF Education – EasyPost WorldTour team among others.
(Image credit: Cannondale)
As for the frame design, it retains the elements that have made the existing SuperSix EVO such a popular bike. That means truncated airfoil tube shapes for reduced drag alongside the SAVE rear stays, a 27 SL KNOT seatpost and clearance for 30mm tyres for added comfort. It also still means a press fit bottom bracket, a standard that other brands have been deserting like a sinking, or perhaps creaking, ship of late.
But the Leichtbau is about more than just a reduction in weight and an improvement in performance. Decked out in black and chrome, with CNC-machined alloy details, this is a bike to turn heads. This is further enhanced by its exclusivity; the frame is individually numbered and there’s only 200 available worldwide.
For more information visit cannondale.com (opens in new tab)
CADEsport aims to create the ‘fairest and most inclusive virtual cycling experience’ yet
(Image credit: CADEsport)
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