The Cannondale CAAD14 goes back to its roots

The Cannondale CAAD series is one of the more iconic lineages of bikes, especially in North America, where bikes like the CAAD8, CAAD10 and CAAD12 were a popular option for criterium racing because of their durability, low entry-level price and stiff, high-performing aluminum frames. With the CAAD13, however, Cannondale moved away from the straight top-tube silhouette and made a more balanced bike. This change was fine, but the CAAD definitely lost a bit of its racing heritage. Largely, fans of the series preferred the older models. Now Cannondale has listened to those fans and brought back the CAAD14 as an out-and-out aluminum race bike.

The Cannondale CAAD14: A renewed focus on performance

“CAAD13 was where we sort of lost sight of what makes CAAD CAAD,” said Murray Washburn, Cannondale’s global director of product marketing. “We designed the CAAD13 to look like the Gen 3 SuperSix EVO. The tube shapes, the frame silhouette—it all mimicked what we did with the carbon SuperSix EVO.”

Essentially, the CAAD13 was a bit off the mark; while it was a comfortable, capable bike, it fell into the same trap many budget alloy bikes do of copying their carbon counterparts without considering the unique ride quality of aluminum bikes and the design that goes into getting the best out of them.

For the CAAD14, the brand wanted to learn from its mistakes. “I think there’s always a lot of pressure to look at your halo platform, such as SuperSix, and create that alloy imitation. Now, honestly, with CAAD14, that pressure was no different. We really had to take a step back and look at CAAD in a different light, really treat it as its own halo bike platform,” said Tanner Van De Veer, senior industrial engineer at Cannondale.

So with that, the CAAD14 was set to do its own thing once again.

Paying homage to the Cannondale CAAD series

The first part of that process was returning to the frame shapes that gave the CAAD series the look and performance it’s known for. You’ll notice the new bike actually looks like a CAAD. That was no accident. Cannondale knows that the oversize tubes, traditional geometry and smooth welds are a fond memory for many cyclists and hit the nostalgia sweet spot that is so common these days. For years, the CAAD series was the go-to bike for beginners with its great value and wide availability in bike shops. Many people fell in love with the sport on a CAAD and will instantly have a connection with the design of this bike.

The…