Let them enjoy their few days of "glory" until Trek Madone Disc (launch on 6th of July), new Venge Disc (soon), new BMC Road Timemachine Disc (soon) and Cervelo S5 Disc (not so sure about this one anymore though) all claim to be the new fastest ones :)

---

----------------------------
Need more W/CdA.

Looks really, REALLY, good.

Great looking bike. I found this excerpt rather enlightening:

That bike has Damon's pawprints all over it. Stunning piece of work. The only thing that bothers me is the bottom end of the Cannondale wordmark being covered up by the crank.

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

  
I wonder if that is the newer disc version of the Scott Foil that was tested? Nice looking frame overall and a. Umber of things look really well thought out, but the color schemes are not very exciting. Black/grey is getting a little worn as every manufacturer is using it and not a huge fan of the shades of green either.

---

Matt

Watching the GCN video about it and the put the Rubino tires on there over the Corsa Speed becuase CDale said they had a lower rolling resistance.

Has anyone seen this else where?

hmm reminds me of the Diamond back vitasse podium

This was interesting from a claim perspective:

He said "Corsa", not "Corsa Speed"...I would believe the former being slower than a Rubino Pro, not the latter.

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Except it won't be covered up on the "regular people" bikes due to so many people running 50/34 these days ;) But yeah, that's a bit weird that they screwed that up.......

---

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM

Personally I love the obnoxious Volt yellow and the styling of all the models... They'll never please everybody!

Just a question..

but do you think that a TT model, maybe Ironman friendly with aero drink, storage etc...will be realized ? i have a 2013 slice but now i really prefer bikes with 'ironman looking' such as canyon or scott or trek

I have zero insight beyond speculation, but I think the first thing happening would be the official unveil of the SuperSlice - which probably will not be focused heavily on the tri marketplace.

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

You'll have to pry 50/34 from my cold, dead legs.

And, well, I think it's still going to get covered up.

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----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I am in the market for a new road bike and Tri-bike. My road (Cannondale Evo Frame w/ 15 yo DA components) and my Tri (Slice RS) are ready for retirement.

The question is whether this SystemSix will be able to cover both. But if it were... I'd throw clip-ons on this new System Six for my few Tri Races.

BUT, with so much SI going on, I doubt this SI custom handlebar and stem would be clip on friendly.

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Appears to be bike only data..."rider-on" data please. Also, we need to see how each bike was set up equipment-wise. Same as always...

edit: Found the white paper here: https://www.cannondale.com/...emSix_Whitepaper.pdf

Apparently, that drag plot is values normalized to a SuperSix with the same KNOT64 wheels. In other words, it's a difference plot, not absolute values.

There's bike build detail list (no pics though) in an appendix. Some interesting wheel depth (e.g. Aeolus 5 on the Madone) and tire width selections in there IMHO...



Hmmm...a yaw-weighted look at an overall value. Interesting...Now, if only someone would combine that with rolling resistance values to determine an overall system value ;-)

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

My aesthetic sense can't get over the "overbite" of the fork crown though...

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Now that the cat is officially out of the bag, does this mean we can start peppering Damon with questions?

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

We need the SuperSlice info!!! Is it going to be the exact same frame? (With a little Tri-biased geometry.)

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

That is until you try a 52/36 with an 11-30t...........

I found that interesting as well. IMO, it always gives a little bit of credence to data when a manufacturer says "we're actually a bit slower than Brand X with Y tire." I find it very curious that both Cannondale and Specialized arrived at very similar solutions with regards to optimum rim depth, rim width, and tire width.

DGR: It's just typical LSWT output. The "normalized" comment reflects that the output is normalized to a standard day: 30.0 mph, etc. as usual.



DGR: All as delivered. I agree, a product manager who knew and cared about performance could have made some different spec choices.



DGR: Hm, do we know someone who might have already done that?
Actually, we included Crr, etc. in the calculations and system performance is reflected in the scenarios in the white paper (climbing, descending, sprinting, etc.)

Nice to have your comments Tom.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Assuming this is a "yes," at least after things calm down for him after the release, I'll start...

Disclosure: Our team is sponsored by Cannondale, and last year added Trek so we are now dual-sponsored. I'm currently on an EVO Hi-Mod and ready to make the move to disc brake road. I'll definitely be getting a CAAD12 Disc as my back-up/trainer bike, but for the main road bike it's going to be between the new SystemSix and the new Madone disc. So either Cannondale/Cannondale or Trek/Cannondale.

System Design: I think we see in this bike what Damon was referring to when he said that even with the aero penalty of a disc rotor and caliper, bikes can be made faster when freed from the confines of a rim brake. While I am sure Damon could rattle off a laundry list of areas on the bike where this is true, the area I see it the most is in the rim design. It looks like Cannondale (Knot) has gone all-in on Hed's patented rim design, which requires a curved rim surface where the brake track would normally be.

Reflective Logos: The first pre-dawn ride I did riding behind a buddy wearing the silver reflective Empires, I knew I had to have a pair. If you're like me and sometime on the road at 4am to get your training in before work, you owe it to yourself to get some reflective kit to go with your rear light. One of the first things I do with wheel stickers, whether they be Zipp, Enve or Bontrager Aeolus TLRs, is peel them right off because they do no nothing positive for the ride. But if the Knot stickers are reflective, I will have to reconsider that practice. At least until I scratch one or it starts to peel.

Computer/Accessory Mount: This one worries me a little. It looks like it's plastic and affixed with a single bolt. Is it a combo mount, i.e. can you mount a GoPro or light underneath? While I wouldn't race with it, I love my Fly12CE for training and it seems unlikely this mount could handle it. Without any info or seeing it in person, it does seem like a 2-bolt mount, perhaps with something like an alloy or heavy-duty option, would be nice there.

Weight: It looks like Cannondale is already getting out in front of this one, with the calculations conceding mere seconds up a climb like Alpe d'Huez but noting that the bike is faster in all other scenarios. While all true, the Cannondale brand has long attracted the weight-weenie crowd, with bikes like the EVO Hi-Mod able to offer us amazing stiffness and handling all while being crazy light. I'd be curious to see the weight difference between a comparably equipped SuperSix and EVO. 1kg? More? It also seems like it might be tough to lighten up the SystemSix, as the seatpost, stem and bars are all proprietary parts of the "system." Overall, we get it, aero>weight in almost all use cases, but I think you've still got that instinct/emotional hurdle to overcome with the "heft test."

Handling: Damon, are you allowed to share the front-end stiffness of the bike, and perhaps more specifically, where frame will score on the Tour magazine NM/degree test? Is that something you test in-house or would we need to wait for the Tour test?

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Thanks Damon...but, now I'm confused by this statement in the text:

"For comparison, Figure 7 also includes a classic road bike, modeled here by our SuperSix EVO with the same matched wheelset."

I don't see the SuperSix EVO line in Fig. 7.

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Nice to see your comments Robert!




Tough decision. Have you seen the white paper? We tested the Madone, but in rim brake form. Other than the Cannondale, it was the lowest drag road bike in our test. Tom, do you think the disc version will have different drag?



Exactly And not only curved, but 32mm wide. Very few (none?) high-end rim brakes available today can fit rims that wide.



The frame has reflective elements, but not the wheels. I think the logos are under clear coat though, sorry.



Don't worry, it's aluminum, not plastic. Yes, it's one bolt, but it keys into the two handlebar mounting bolts.



Yeah, this will be the toughest nut to crack with riders who aren't ready to believe the data. For what it's worth, the SystemSix accepts standard stem & bars so you have a choice there.



Tested at Zedler per Tour Magazin's protocol:
Head tube 105 N*m/degree,
Bottom bracket 73 N/mm.

Just stiffer than the sweet spot. Should be a lot more stable than your last aero road bike. :-)

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Tom,
I'm guessing that probably should say figure 8. I know the figure numbers changed a bit in revisions, we probably missed this one.
Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

So the mount is (or can be converted) to a combo mount, so we can use our computer on top and another accessory below?



I have no problem with logos under clear coat. They are not going to get ripped, snagged or peel off that way!

One other question: While I am sure the 65mm deep wheels are killer and pretty stable for their depth, for smaller riders, those just not comfortable with a front wheel that deep, or riders looking to take their bike into gusty canyons or exposed, windy alpine descents, are you planning on offering a shallower version of the wheels, with the same inner and outer rim dimensions, same Hed 2.0 toroidal rim shape, etc?

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

That's 32mm wide at the rim edge? or is that the max width? The paper suggests the latter...

If the latter, what's the outer width at the bead and then 10-15mm away from the bead?

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Yes, Garmin mount on top and bottom. Don't get too carried away though, max two devices. Don't go stacking three or more.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Tom,

32 mm wide at the maximum width, which in this design is at the brake track.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Aaah...so that chart is missing. Got it.

Also, in the section on wheel testing, it says the KNOT wheels were tested against rim brake models of the competitors. Did the KNOT wheel include a braking disc? If so, what size and model?

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Hi Robert,
For now 65 is the only rim depth. Sideforce transitions smoothly in gusting yaw angles though so give it a try first.

If you still want shallower wheels, no problem. Even though the frame and fork are Speed Release, they accept any 12mm through axle road wheels. Just put the Cannondale Speed release through and tighten in place.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Dang it, sounds like we missed that one. I guess that's what I get for having back surgery the week before go-live. I'm actually at home typing from my recovery bed right now...



No disc rotor, just the disc hub (together with spokes and rim and tire, obvs). As you've pointed out, we have more spokes than some (20 in the KNOT64 front wheel). And you probably know that even the smallest disc brake hub has more frontal area than some rim brake hubs (larger diameter, center lock disc mounting splines). And dish. Given all that, we minimized the size of our hub, the number of spokes and were happy the KNOT64 beat rim brake wheel models.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Dang...I hope your back is better.

I only asked about the braking disc to put that data in context. How much do you think a 160mm rotor would add to that plot for the non-zero yaw angles?

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Thanks Tom. Me too. It's already starting to get better, so I'm feeling hopeful!



Based on the data we have, on a complete bike, about 3 watts @ 40 km/h (rotor & caliper), same as adding a rim brake.

But on the SystemSix, without rim brakes, we can have the good KNOT64 wheel performance you see in the graph, *and* reduce frame & fork drag by shaping the crown & downstream areas.

Today, the fastest bike we know of... has disc brakes. Sorry my friend. :-)

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

You mean disc brakes?

---

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Yes, thanks for catching my mistake Bryan. I'll edit.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Freudian slip ;-) Of course, since rim brakes are "disc brakes", both statements are correct :-P

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Hmmm...I wonder if I could spec a rim-braked bike that could beat it in the overall system simulations... :-)

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Five quick questions:

First, I saw in the GCN video that this bike is "cleared up to 30mm tire". Should I assume that's 30mm measured width?

Second, what are our options for aftermarket bars? I see that it's a standard 31.8mm steerer but is there anyway to put on another bar and not totally kludge the brake cable routing?

Third, how does the steerer tube come? Slammed or with plenty of spacers and room to trim?

Fourth, what sort of spokes do you have on the wheels? Bladed/aero I hope? Very interesting wheel design you have there.

Lastly, do you have any information on how a bottle on the downtube affects the aerodynamics of the bike?

Thanks. Beautiful bike btw.

A little inelegant, I'll grant you, but if it makes the bike more aero, I can live with it.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

What is the reason for the women's model having a much more sloped top tube?
Why, at $10k, does it not include the integrated stem that the men's versions do? And how come only mechanical at that price point, when the men's version is Ultegra Di2?
Why is there only one women's version? And only in pink?

Not on some equality tirade here, just trying to understand the reasoning behind these choices. Buying a bike for my girlfriend recently, every shop we went into zeroed in on the women's frames. She didn't want any of them. They looked lame, weak. And silly colours like pink and aqua. A man at 5'6" and 125lbs would not be sold a women's bike, so why a woman at that size? In the end, we said f-it to talking to sales people and went for the bike she wanted, pretending it was for me. Also, having worked in sports retail selling running shoes, I can tell you that many women would rather have the men's colourways – I had to apologize so many times for the barbie girl colours and watch potential customers walk out empty handed.

---

Group Eleven – Websites for Athletes / mikael.racing / @mstaer

What I really like is that all frame sizes match the stack numbers in the geo charts .. a ride to percieve the machine on the road would be most interesting ..

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*
___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

The "shrink it and pink it" mentality took a long time to die in running. We're still not there in cycling/triathlon, or trying to make additional margin on the women's edition by taking away certain features (looking at you, 2XU aero kit from 2017) relative to the men's version.

---

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Wow, that looks freaking amazing Damon!

After your speed concept blew the doors off the industry on all performance, innovation and aesthetic levels... Everything you design should have your signature on it

Respect!

A couple more random questions:

Spacers: What is the stack height of an individual aero headset spacer? Will they be available in lower stack heights so riders can fine tune their stack, e.g. if they are "between" spacers?

Tires: Should we read anything in to the choice of the Vittoria Rubino Pro tires? Normally, I disregard the tires that come on a bike, because I'm just going to replace them with whatever it is that I prefer. I'm just wondering how much we should infer from the "system" approach - did it go as far as tires or did the product manager just cut a great deal with Vittoria? Seems a little odd not to offer a tubeless tire with the tubeless Knot wheels (even though I understand the decision to ship bikes with tubes in them for the average consumer), when you could ship it with Schwalbe Pro Ones, which have tested about 1W faster and are tubeless compatible. And you already include Pro Ones with other bikes, like the CAAD12 Dura-Ace Disc. At least for now.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Hi GreenPlease, let me answer.




Correct, measured. With such variation in rim inside widths, we almost don't go by labelled tire size anymore.

By the way, rule of thumb: same tire on a wider rim gets wider (and taller) by about half the increase in rim width.



Fork accepts any stem, so you have your choice of any bar. Brake hoses still go into the top of the head tube; no measurable change in drag. EF Drapac p/b Cannondale uses standard Vision stems, so check out their set ups to see what it looks like, not so bad.



Room to trim.



Can't remember if we settled on CX Rays or Aerolites. they tested the same for us.



We didn't test without, since the goal was to make the fastest race bike, which most of the time means two bottles. But based on past experience I'd guess adding a bottle would add around 3-5 watts at 40 km/h. Less when the bottle is low on the downtube (which is why we have the optional lower position there).



Thanks, I think so too. :-) I'll pass your appreciation on to the other design team members.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Staer,



Great questions, I'll ask our women's product manager.

FYI, the frames are the same. The top tube slopes more with each smaller size, for two reasons: to decrease the seat tube length and increase stand over clearance. This is true for both unisex and women's models. It may look different because the sizes in the photos are different. So anyone who fits can ride either unisex or women's versions.


I'm with you. (And speaking for myself, I sort of am on an equality tirade!) Women and men should buy and ride (or run in, or wear, or use) whatever products they like, and get decent sales help while buying it. We would be happy if your girlfriend chose a Cannondale bike of any kind.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi sausskross, very perceptive of you. Correct, a classic steel frame racing bike's stack is almost always very close to the center-to-center seat tube length (a.k.a. size). Size 56 has stack of 560 mm. (This trend stops when sizes go below about 53cm).

Since the SystemSix is a (new) classic racing bike, we stuck with the classic sizing. No surprises for fitters or riders.

Would be great to get your comments after you get a chance to ride one.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Thanks lacticturkey, but I must emphasize this Cannondale SystemSix project was a big team effort, with several other engineers and designers too. I'll pass along your praise to the team.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Makes sense to slope the top tube for smaller sizes, I've seen that on pretty much every other bike, TT bikes included. But there was a deliberate decision to feature on the website/SystemSix product page the women's version at a smaller size with sloped top tube, despite all frames being portrayed at equal optical size. So it makes it look like the womens version is designed like that (look at the weaksauce Amira for example).

Would be good to hear from the women's product manager. Because of the bike is otherwise exactly the same and scales the same way with size, then the only difference is paint. So why the lesser groupset and compnents at the same price point?

(Ok I guess I am on a bit of a tirade)

---

Group Eleven – Websites for Athletes / mikael.racing / @mstaer

Hi Robert,



Edited: Just checked, they're 12.5 and 7.5mm. Normal round spacers also work.



Yes. Including both aero & Crr, it's the fastest road racing tire we tested, including Schwalbe, Continental, Michelin, and others.

To save a lot of typing, I'll just paste from the white paper (you can find the data in figure 20):

Quote: "Effect of Tires on Wheel Performance
Tires have a profound influence on the drag of a wheel. Figure 20 shows the KNØT64 rim tested with a range of different tires, all similar width. Drag at low yaw is tightly grouped with only small differences between tires. But at higher yaw angles the effect of tires on stall is pronounced; note the magnitude of difference at 15 degrees yaw angle. The stall of the wheel is not only connected with the width of the tire but also the construction method
and tread profile. The fact that the biggest differences occur at high yaw angles also highlights the value of yaw weighted drag in evaluating on road performance.

Our approach to wheels and tires is consistent with the whole SystemSix project; focussed on speed. As we identified earlier, performance is not just about aerodynamics. This is especially true for wheels and tires as we must consider both the aerodynamic performance and the rolling resistance of a tire. A tire that tests well in the wind tunnel may have high rolling resistance that nullifies any aerodynamic benefit. Similarly, a low rolling resistance tire might be compromised by poor aerodynamics. We analyze performance using the power model taking yaw weighted drag from the wind tunnel and combining with the rolling resistance of each tire to model on road power differences. From this we can then determine the fastest combination.


There are several public sources for rolling resistance data available, including conducting your own testing at home. We find bicyclerollingresistance.com a great resource for comparing the performance of a large range of road tires. SystemSix comes with Vittoria Rubino Pro Speed tires which were selected due to their balance of low drag and low rolling resistance. The Corsa G+ is another high performance tire from Vittoria but is hand-made, whereas the Rubino is vulcanised. The two tires are manufactured from identical compounds which leads to very similar rolling resistance. However, handmade tires like the Corsa generally have a significant aerodynamic penalty. Overall performance therefore favors the Rubino Pro Speed. Just another area where SystemSix delivers more speed to more riders."



We included the Pro One in our testing and found the Rubino Pro Speed faster. The rims are tubeless compatible because the market expects rims to be tubeless compatible today, and it gives you options.

By the way, the KNOT64 rim shape is quite aero-neutral to tires of different widths (between 26 and 30mm measured). We found more performance variation due to tire make & model than due to width. For example, even a wider 25C (~29 measured) Rubino Pro Speed out performed a narrower 23C (~26mm measured) Corsa Speed.

Last comment on the Vittoria Rubino Pro family of tires: in the wind tunnel we found them to mimic the vaunted Conti 4000sII in their consistently great aero performance. It may become a new favorite for some people.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

So it seems we may have found another "magic aero" tire, at least with this particular "system"



There's a lot to like with this bike, err... "system." It's almost like the downtube logo placement was intentional [ ;-) ], to give us something to complain about, since there are so many well thought out details and the whole thing comes together so nicely.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Damon,

I hope your back heals quickly, completely. Great work on this bike and give my best to Nathan too.

I'm really thrilled that the steer will accept other stems - however the Knot stem/bar system looks great and I know many of my customers will want to keep it if they can. Regarding the Knot stem/bar spec on each size - it looks to be -17deg.....What is the bar curve and stem length on each size?

Ian

---

Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

That absolutely gels with what we've seen testing HED wheels and, since at least part of the wheel shape (or the tire/wheel interface) is licensed from HED, it makes perfect sense.

The only reason I chime in is to let everyone know there's some independent verification of Damon's claim, not that he needs it. I think we all know how trustworthy he is.

---

Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Damon (good luck with your back),
Do you think there will be a way to add clip-on's to this proprietary handlebar?

(Or should I hold my comments until I see the SuperSlice? :-) )

TIA

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Kudos for making the wheels tubeless ready, and for not playing it safe on the design. With the SuperSix, new BMC coming, the Trek Madone Disc and the next gen Specialized Vias Venge the bar has been set on next-gen aero super bikes. A bunch of manufacturers just saw their "race" bike fall out of contention with these new aero disc bikes.

When might we expect dealers to have stock?

For a dual purpose rig, You may have to go to something like a TriRig Sigma stem and a Vision Metron 4D Flat bar

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Wow, I love it! Ha ha.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the well wishes, I hope the same!

I don't have the size-by-size specs with me here at home, but you're right the KNOT stems are indeed -17, come in 8-12 cm lengths and are scaled with frame size.

The KNOT bars are made in 38, 40, 42 and 44cm widths. The drops have a typical compact ergo bend in all sizes. The drops are rolled inward so the width at the ends is 1 cm wider and the width at the hoods is 2 cm narrower. This is similar to a few other low-drag drop bars and helps encourage the rider into low-drag positions, but of course riders should feel free to change it up to fit however they like.

And you are also correct, the fork accepts any stem (thus you can use any bar). In fact the EF/Drapac p/b Cannondale pro team is sponsored by FSA/Vision and uses stock Vision stems and bars to good effect.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Thanks Jim. Good correlation strengthens the observations.
Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

I have a himod ultegra di2 on order, can’t wait !!

If this is correct, you will never hear back from Cannondale on this. They would have no answer for this other than they think women can be fleeced for more money.

Damon,

For the 38cm bars, what stem length(s) will be available? Will it be possible to get a 110 or 120 stem length?

Thanks

---

Matthew
Twitter: @AlphaDogCycling
Instagram: @AlphaDogCycling

Hi TriSliceRS (nice username!),

We considered making the KNOT drop bar clip-on compatible but decided against it. Gary p already named a good solution: Vision 4D drop bars. They come stock on three of the five SystemSix models.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Rondal,

Depends on size and model. Please check with your local Cannondale dealer.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi gary p,

you got it. The Vision 4D is a good low drag drop bar, and as you mention it works with clip ons. And thanks for finding and posting the photo.

As I mentioned above, we've speced it stock on three of the five SystemSix models.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi alphadogcycling,

All KNOt stem lengths are compatible with all KNOT bar widths. This is one of the reasons we didn't go with a one-piece bar+stem design.

Another reasons is the KNOT SystemBar allows 8 degrees of pitch adjustment, to give you a chance for your preferred bar angle compared to a fixed one-piece design.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Damon,

That's great news. Weird that it isn't on the Cannondale site. Or if it is, it is really well hidden.

---

Matthew
Twitter: @AlphaDogCycling
Instagram: @AlphaDogCycling

Yeah, we tried to get all the details in there but there is so much info...!

It's in the white paper in the "Cockpit" section. Here's the white paper:
https://www.cannondale.com/...emSix_Whitepaper.pdf

Here's what it says:

Quote:
Cockpit
The KNØT SystemBar and Stem is a unique
setup designed specifically for SystemSix. It
provides the integration of a one-piece bar
and stem but retains the fit and adjustability
of a two-piece system. The cockpit, especially
the handlebar, has a profound impact on
the drag of the bicycle system and so it
is an important element of performance.
However, a cockpit is central to fit and
rider comfort on the bike. Herein lies the
advantage of an integrated two-piece setup.
The KNØT SystemBar comes in four widths: 38,
40, 42 and 44cm. Every size bar has a 30mm
flair from the hoods to the end of the drops.
A size 42cm bar measures 40cm at the hoods
and widens 30mm at the end of the drops
(center-to-center). This narrower than standard
hoods position is designed to further help the
rider maximise their speed. Narrower hand
positions reduce frontal area and can help
reduce drag on the rider, while maintaining
width in the drops for stability when needed.
The bar a stem interface permits 8° of pitch
adjustment in the handlebar. The bar tops use an airfoil section with a large truncation.
This is relatively insensitive to pitch angle and
ensures flow remains attached at all positions.
Therefore, drag penalty from personalizing
your bar position is negligible. The bar cross
section has large radi on the trailing edge for
better ergonomics, but without sacrificing on
aerodynamic performance. Utilizing a very
gradual taper on the bar means that flow
remains attached to the end, even when pitched
up or down. With flow attached over the full
chord of the bar, adding a large radius has
negligible effect on the drag. If more comfort
is desired then the bar tops can be wrapped
with a relatively small aerodynamic penalty. Our
wind tunnel testing showed that fully wrapping
the bars, like a traditional round bar, only adds
0.001 m2 drag; < 1W at 40 km/h (~25 mph).
The KNØT stem comes in a range of lengths
to allow riders to dial in their fit: 80, 90, 100,
110 and 120mm. The stem is an open c-section
design that cradles the handlebar and permits
easy assembly. The lower cover then snaps into
place once all the cables are in place. This is
coupled with a split-hinge spacer design that
allows a spacer to be added or removed without
disconnecting hydraulic hoses or shift housing."

End quote.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Damon,

Deal!

I am 'in'. Just trying to figure out whether to do DA Di or Non-Di.

At last count, this would be my 17th Cannondale purchase. Happy fanboy here. Pretty excited.

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Hi Damon,

there is a big shop in our neighbor city, they should get some soon .. great you/we got the HT and BB stiffness for all frame sizes with the notice of the sweet spot ..

Greetings and all the best for your convalescence

Hanno

p.s. sun is rising, time for a ride .. oSo >>

---

*
___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

Just figured I'd provide a picture of that bar and routing. Still looks clean to me. I'm seriously contemplating this bike to replace a couple of bikes in my lineup.... if you guys had offered a bike/frame in classic Cannondale Green to match my F-Si the decision would have been very easy :p

How is green classic Cannondale? It's only since Liquigas team that there has been green everywhere. I'm not quite in TriSliceRS category but I had 8 Cannondales up until ~2008 when I switched to another C brand. None of which were green! A couple were red because of Saeco team, that was very much the theme for a while.

Of course, that little rant has nothing to do with the fact I think this bike package is awesome.

This green :)



Frankly, I love this bike. It might be my favorite bike (don't tell the others). It could almost be a proper 2-in-1 XC and gravel bike if you could get a bigger gear on the bike.

For full disclosure, this includes all C'dales that I've bought since coming state-side in 1994 and includes bikes purchased by me for myself or my family members. :-)


Funny thing is, my go-to bike color is white. It sometimes takes years to get a white c'dale to come back around.

Ironically, our Tri-kit is lime green and our local bike shop is fluro green. Just can't get away from it.

But... At this point I am gonna have to give it up and go Black.

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Damon,

Nice work on this bike (included all components) and on the white paper !

One thing I'd like to ask you about in the White Paper, about tube shapes :

"The specific tube shapes used on SystemSix are also
dictated by the strict rules of the UCI. The critical one being
the collection of 80mm boxes that dictate the maximum
depth of the tubes. The UCI rule states that the main tubes
of a bicycle must be no less than 25mm and no deeper
than 80mm. To understand the implications, consider an
airfoil which is a slender body. Typically an airfoil has a
thickness that is < 30% of the length. For a 25mm wide
tube this would make the length 83mm. This means that
any true airfoil will need to be truncated in order to meet
the UCI rules."


--> Clear that 3:1 is gone so the limit are min width 25mm, max depth with cut view perpendicular to tube lenght is 80mm, so what you say is easy to understand for a head tube for example (which can be almost vertical), but now if we consider a down tube, if you cut it with horizontal views the section actually is much longer than 80mm while the perpendicular cut view can be 80mm (to satisfy UCI rule)... ok a downtube with 25mm width creates other problem in term of stiffness and there are bottles to "hide" behind it... but in general the NACA shape has to take into account the angle of the tube relative to horizontal, don't you think ?

So...that means on wheels alone, it adds MORE than 3W...

Now then, if all that other shaping was also done with an integrated rim brake setup, instead of slapping on standard calipers and exposed cabling... ;-)

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Wait a minute...based on the Crr differences, that means the Rubino Pro Speed would need to be ~5W faster aerodynamically across the board in order to "out perform" it, on an overall system basis, no? Are you saying that's the case?

A couple things about the Rubino Pro Speed give me pause after looking at the BRR review. First, there's no puncture strip and the tread is thin. Secondly, the scores for tread puncture resistance, and especially sidewall puncture resistance, are among the lowest he's measured. If people think a Corsa Speed is "fragile", then this is even more so...and it's not even TLR. Thirdly, my past experiences with similar Vittoria models using that 220tpi nylon casing (Diamante Pro Light) tell me that these will probably suffer sidewall cuts just looking at them...just sayin'...




Well...according to Slowman, the GP4Ks don't actually have "consistently great aero performance"...so, I'm not sure that's saying much

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

BTW, the 3T Aeronova and Aerotundo bars also allow clip-ons to be mounted next to the stem...just another option.

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I have no problem with pink on my women's bike; in fact, I own a pink, black and grey WSD roadie and love the heck out of it. Colour options are nice, but they're nice for everyone to have, not just women.

In Cannondale's defense - the women's version has mechanical DuraAce and the same-priced unisex version has Ultegra Di2. So there is an argument to be made that it's not a lesser groupset, just different. Why Cannondale would think that women would not want electronic shifting when men would though.... that's beyond me.

I do have a problem with the underspec'ing of women's bikes, and the fact that the range options are so much more limited. In fairness, this is not an exclusive issue to Cannondale, but if you're going to make women's bikes, don't just offer us one model with components that are inconsistent with the men's offerings at the same price point, or that miss out important parts of the range. (Look at Liv's single CX offering vs. Giant's CX fleet, as one example.) I'm just a hair under 5'4"; I don't always fit well - or at all - on men's bikes. It's nice that the SystemSix comes in the same size run for all models - but sure does raise the question of the difference in spec for the money.

(Women-specific be damned, I'm all in for the $6K version in obnoxious grellow if anyone's offering....)

Hi, Cannondale women's product manager finally chiming in here... here to tell you that spec and pricing decisions were in fact deliberate. Of course we would rather offer the very top of the line Dura Ace Di2 in a women's version, but instead saved the rider money and lightened the bike weight by giving her Dura Ace mechanical on a hi-mod frame. I don't actually see any instances of lesser spec on this bike: hi-mod frame, KNØT64 wheels, Dura Ace groupset, carbon saddle, Hollowgram cranks with power measurement are all pretty reasonable here.

Bar & stem was not a price-based decision; it was one of initial projected availability dates on our narrower-width handlebar. As it turns out our KNØT bar and stem will be available aftermarket very soon so it will be an option to swap it out, for no more hassle than on other road bikes. The women's bike comes spec'd with slightly narrower handlebars that will fit female riders better from the get-go. Other spec differences are the Fabric Line saddle, which has a shape preferred by our female testers and racers, and shorter 165mm cranks on the smallest sizes.

As for the different appearance of the photographed women's SystemSix, the shape of a size 51 frame is indeed different from a size 56. But the average height of a woman in North America is a little under 5'4", so we want a woman of average height to be able to see the bike we made for her. I personally apologize to approximately 50% of the female population who will need a bigger or smaller SystemSix, but if they contact me directly I will be happy to share some images and help guide their size choice should they have any difficulty deciding. That isn't sarcasm: based on my personal feelings for SystemSix I just want every female cyclist to get to see how rad this bike is!

And as for the color, we know it's personal, but when you see this bike in person you will wish you were the 6'3" dude in our office who went through the trouble to order a custom 62 in this paint. We keep having to wipe the drool off the sample Women's SystemSix we have on display in our hallway. Sure, plenty of male and female people don't want a pink bike but they haven't seen this one yet. And as noted elsewhere, we welcome anyone to pursue the color they like best, even if they can only do so by trying to hold the wheel of a woman on a fast acid strawberry bike...

Thanks for pointing out the Dura Ace / Ultegra hierarchy, UK2ME... agreed electronic is nice and we would have liked to have more women's options, but opted to go with the mechanical Dura Ace instead of taking the weight penalty for Ultegra Di2.

Thanks for the details. Personally, I'd like to see a non Hi-MOD, Ultegra spec women's version as an entry point to the line with those women-specific features you mentioned - considering that almost any bike I buy has to be custom ordered from the manufacturer anyway, I don't think it would be a huge burden to offer.

Hi pyf,

Yes, we call your horizontal section a "waterline section" and aerodynamic design in the SystemSix was done in planes parallel to the local flow all over the bike. So the effective aspect ratio is much more than 3:1, or even 80:25. In fact, if you could look in our CAD design, you'd see the elongated airfoils driving the surface contours, not the UCI's 80mm sections...

You're also right that 25mm is no longer the best performing width, either. But happily (at least for a road bike), a wider down tube works better (lower drag) with bottles, and of course really helps stiffness, so we can save weight as well.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi TriSliceRS,

One reason white bikes are less common: the paint is heavier (weighs more). A smart product manager allows white usually only on a particular model which might be less weight sensitive, i.e. usually the carbon version, rarely the Hi-MOD version.

Cheers,
Damon

P.S. Thank you for paying my salary, LOL!

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Tom,

Yes.



Yes, speed costs, how fast do you want to go? (j/k)

Actually, we've been riding the Rubino Pro Speed a lot and haven't suffered the punctures we though we might. But the Rubino Pro (not the Speed version) has the same great low-drag shape, with more puncture protection. And of course other tires (like the GP4ksII or Corsa series) also fit the KNOT 64 wheels. And the rims are tubeless ready so you also have that option.



LOL, "Show me the data" Ha ha.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Can you let us know the top tubeless tire contender(s) with these wheels? Some of us just love spraying our riding buddy wheelsuckers with sealant when we get a puncture.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Hi Staer,

I hope you got to see Nina's (Cannondale women's product manager) response above.

Also, here's a photo of one of the SystemSixes of EF/Drapoac p/b Cannondale pro team, in a size 54 (might be a reasonable size for your GF?), with a moderately sloping top tube, looks pretty good (even pro men ride it!):



Source:
https://www.facebook.com/.../?type=3&theater

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi Robert,

Good question, but we've decided to mask the identities of the tires we've tested.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

I did see the reply. Thanks.

That paint job and setup looks fire.

---

Group Eleven – Websites for Athletes / mikael.racing / @mstaer

Thanks for coming on here and addressing these questions.

---

Group Eleven – Websites for Athletes / mikael.racing / @mstaer

Darn it. I was hoping to catch you on some post-surgery meds with your guard down. Hope you're feeling better, and thx for fielding all our questions. I'm sure there will be more.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Hi Robert,

LOL! Yeah, the drugs were good (too good?), but I got off them as soon as I realized they were a major factor in my inability to go #2... (Sorry if TMI)

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

THANKS Cannondale for joining us here on the interwebs/Slowtwitch!!! Great to see / hear your participation. Love the work you do!!!

1) It seems Japan has been able to custom order C'dale bikes.... When's that coming State-side? :-) (I always feel C'dale coddles the market in Europe and now Asia (?) and forgets about us loyal "made-in-the-USA" (you know what I mean) fans here.) But, thanks Damon for the (white) paint weight enlightenment.

2) It's rare to see (a variety of) these high end C'dales in the stores. We end up special ordering, and then you are locked in. Let us (me? DM?) know if any store will have a selection of these SuperSixes in stock. I'd like to see Black and Volt side by side. I travel a fair amount, so might be able to stop by a bigger dealer.

---

________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Along those lines, it’s interesting how the Felt AR held its own quite well in this test. Given the OEM spec of the standard Dura-Ace caliper brake, I’d bet the gap would shrink a fair bit with something like a TriRig Omega instead. It’s close enough I wouldn’t be surprised if a different choice of bar/stem/wheel/tire/groupset/skewer could even put it ahead of the SystemSix. I also wouldn’t be shocked if it couldn’t; I have no data to say for sure.

Of course, I can’t say I love dealing with the BB mounted rear brake and there’s certainly no room to cram in a 30mm tire. Horses for courses, I guess.

Damnit, I need you guys to offer that color scheme to us mortals! ;)

Got to see the bike at ATOC a few weeks ago and it looked awesome. I'm in the market for a new road bike for road racing (but first bike with with Jim at ERO) and hopefully this will fit me. And I've started the process of convincing my wife why I need a new bike but that'll require quite a bit more work :-D .

Striking bike! I've always had a soft spot for C'dales being a current S6 owner but some of those marketing claims just sound ridiculous. I'm sure it's backed by well thought out engineering and lots of testing...

You can run 28mm tubs on the AR, tested & confirmed ;)

Slap a Tririg Omega front, direct mount EE brake on the rear, and you have as-aero bike as it gets with decent (but definitely not the best) braking power. Of course, the aero is without bottles, I still remember SuperDave (when he still worked for Felt) having this as the only question he avoided answering when the new AR came out :)

---

----------------------------
Need more W/CdA.

Hi Tom,

Actually, we tested a nice aero Tririg caliper and didn't add any cables at all.

Cheers,
Damon

Here's the article:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/..._Aero_Drag_6073.html

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Question about the wheels....
If you get a flat tire won't those exposed edges of the rim make contact with the ground? This worries me a bit, I might run 25c GP4000s when I get the bike

I know I am late to the party, but as I was reading the road.cc article, this caught my attention:


140W -> 30km/h? Sounds a bit ambitious, no?

I quickly searched some of my strava segments.. I found 1mile 0% segment where I did 17.2mph @ 133w.. round tube bike, on hoods most likely and a powermeter and I would have been on non aero wheels too

Oh Damon, you know that's not an integrated brake...plus you put it in front of sections that weren't designed with that in mind. So, that's not really answering the question ;-)

---

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Hi ridenfish39,


Yep, same as every clincher rim with a flat tire.

The 25C Contis are a good choice aerodynamically and Crr.
On the 21 mm inside width KNOT64 rims they'll balloon up quite a bit, I recommend trying them first to be sure they'll fit.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hey, the national csg dealer days are in my home town at halle02 soon .. unfortunately I'm not a csg dealer .. maybe I'll see some test riders riding around ..

---

*
___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

Let's hope so!

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Thx for all the info Damon! Mine is on order from my LBS - looks like delivery will take 2 months, so I’ll just have to suffer on my EVO until then ;-)

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Watching TDF- I think I saw Lawson Craddock riding a SuperSix though the pics with bikes on the team car show all SystemSix bikes. Edit - sounds like he crashed earlier on so is probably riding his spare bike instead.

Happy to help. Enjoy!

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Good looking bike from Cannondale....for once (generally I have hated the way their bikes look) ...but here's my disclaimer.....beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

---

"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

Really nice guys there .. if it works out I can show Philipp and his colleagues some beautiful roads of the Kurpfalz at the given time ..



.. all of them ..



.. my size ..



.. from the other side .. and wow, that down tube is really really promising .. oSo >>

---

*
___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

Beautiful! Hope you get a nice ride and a chance to take some more pictures. Say HI to the great Cannondale team there.

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Looks like Philipp is caught in the trade show, no time window so far .. a side note .. some guys from Turin smashed the KOM in one ride at our house mountain on SystemSix road bikes .. impressive show .. oSo >>

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___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

Damon, thanks for educating Cannondale on how to do Stack/Reach on the smaller sizes - the figures for the 47 look much better than for my 48 CAAD9. My CAAD 9 will be due for replacement soon, but the disc brakes, rule it out for me. I shall wait and see what you do with the CAAD 14 (next year?; presumably no '13'), which I hope will come with a rim brake option.

Any word on actual delivery dates on these bikes? I'm hearing different things

ridenfish39 wrote:

Any word on actual delivery dates on these bikes? I'm hearing different things

Hi ridenfish39,

Please check with your local Cannondale dealer as global roll out dates do vary.

Here's one way to find a dealer:
https://dealerlocator.cannondale.com/

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi trimon, glad you like the fit on the 47!

Of course, buying now or waiting are options for everyone, since as I expect you can understand, we're not willing to reveal future plans to a very large extent. :-)

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

They are really busy with all their guests .. later in the year there will be an local event with the fahrstil magazine at their club house for locals .. oSo >>

---

*
___/\___/\___/\___ the s u r f b o a r d of the K u r p f a l z is the r o a d b i k e .. oSo >>

I was initially told Sep 15, now told early Oct

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Got told sometime in August today.

I’d take that! Hope yours stays on that timetable

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Me too, but I’m not counting on it.

What 28's did you fit on your AR and is that only with EE brakes? I'm thinking of putting some on

I have 25 mm GP4000 which measure 28 mm on 21 mm internal rims on my AR. Dura Ace 9010 rear and ultegra 6800 front brakes. I would't be comfortable running anything bigger than that in the rear.

I haven’t been able to watch TdF coverage non stop and there haven’t been many close up shots so I may have missed something but it looks like the EF guys haven’t been riding the new bike for the last few stages. Are they looking for their lighter bikes now?

Specialized Hell of the North (basically a Turbo Cotton tubular, the only one they have in range).
Tririg Omega front, DM EEbrake rear.

But other 27mm tubs, like Veloflex Vlaanderen or the new Veloflex Raven (the same tire, just with black sidewalls), would definitely fit as well.

---

----------------------------
Need more W/CdA.

jesus that would be nice. i was told jan 2019 for canada delivery.
deposit already down, just patiently waiting.....impatiently.

this is one big cock tease, considering some sizes are already sold out in early august and you're still not likely to have a bike for the 2018 season.

There’s one here in the wild at the Iron hill ceit in west Chester. Looks real good in person

test rig or early delivery?

One of the Cannondale reps is racimg

.....impatiently waiting.....

Phil Gaimon has his already, but he rode his EVO today to take down more local KOMs.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Does anyone know the stock stem lengths bikes are coming with, and what you do for bike fit if your fit does not match the stock stem length? I've been playing around with my fit and overlaying onto geo and depending on what stem length the bike comes with I may need to go a touch shorter to make things work.

Sure, here you go;


Bar:
47: 380MM; 51-54 400MM; 56 & 58CM: 420MM; 60 & 62CM: 440MM

Stem:
47: 80MM; 51CM: 90MM; 54- 58CM: 100MM; 60 & 62CM: 110MM

Cranks:
47CM: 165MM, 51-54CM: 170MM, 56-58CM: 172.5MM, 60-62CM: 175MM

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

First, I'm loving this bike. I was out of the market... but may now be back in. (Looking at BMC, Canyon and Cannondale... but that's a topic for another day.)


That said, I'm curious about the decision to include a power meter. That strikes me as a waste on a bike that's likely going to attract people who already have power meters. (I.e. those for whom a $7k aero racing bike seems worth a look.) But maybe that's the way things are going to start going.

Personally I own 4 power meters now. (1 old quarq that's no longer reliable, one quarq on my main road bike, a stages (which was an experiment (I kept it on a bike I left at a vacation home)) and now I have P1 pedals so that I can maintain consistency between bikes, and don't have to , and maybe sell the rest (although they are freaking heavy and I miss the clip-in from my Keo Blades, but I'm not racing crits anymore so it doesn't really matter).

I would think that the vast majority of people would be in a similar boat and the power meter will either be an automatic ebay, or just end up as a heavier crankset than they would otherwise have.

When you go to Cannondale's site and click on size under each model, it tells you "in stock", ''limited stock'' or ''call for availability''.
I saw a couple at the crit on Saturday in West Chester, so they are out there in the wild.

Hi ridenfish39,

That's a new feature on our site, and I like it - gives riders an idea what might be available.

That said, I believe it only shows what we (Cannondale) have in stock. I recently heard we're sold out, so all our first batch of SystemSixes should already be in Cannondale dealers or on the way there. I don't know when the next batch is due.

Did you recognize anyone on a SystemSix Saturday? Get a chance to look at one up close?

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

I've literally spent hours considering the potential background economics between Cannondale, P2Max and the LBS on this. And depending on (1) P2Max's customer acquisition cost, (2) the expected adoption/activation rate by SystemSix buyers, and (3) the cost to P2Max to manufacturer and deliver the NG ECO spiders to Cannondale, I could see anything from P2Max giving the spiders to Cannondale free to charging Cannondale some amount. In fact, if (1) and (2) were high enough and (3) low enough, it could even make sense for P2Max to PAY Cannondale to put the NG ECOs on its bikes.

And then of course there is the activation revenue. Does that go 100% to P2Max? That wouldn't make sense, because then what incentive does the LBS have to "sell" the customer to activate? Does Cannondale share in that revenue too? I dunno.

The most I will allow myself to believe is that Cannonale/P2Max (and the LBS) are using this SystemSix rollout with the neutered NG ECO as an experiment in the market. They'll see if it works generally (i.e. customer activation rates) and then look to potentially adjust the deal terms if things don't go as they expect. Or ditch it if the model doesn't work. I'm curious to see what results.

As to seeing SystemSix NG ECOs on eBay, I'm sure we will, but then again a new NG ECO from P2Max is $590 and the activation cost is $490 so that leaves a "value" of the unactivated NG ECO at $100 at most so not sure many will bother (to buy or sell).

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

My order has been in for a while despite the fact that I have never seen one in person. I will say though, every single person I know who has seen one in person tells me it looks badass.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

I knew one of the guys. And yes, the bike is really bad ass looking in person. I’m hoping mine is on the way because I ordered it really early.

Apologies if this was covered already (I didn't recall seeing it in the thread or the whitepaper), but what's the max spacer height on the steerer tube?

I can confirm they fit! How do I know? Because the only SuperSix I have seen in the wild came to my LBS shipped with them rather than the 23c Rubino Speeds.

They did seem like a good match for the KNOT64 rims, though probably not as ideal a rim/tire "system" shape for the HED Toroidal 2.0 design as a 23c tire. They definitely don't expose as much of the rim as the photos I have seen of the KNOT64 rims with the 23c Rubino Speeds.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Which model did you order? If the Carbon Dura-Ace (pictured above), I would imagine there is a good chance, as my LBS got two in last week and all photos I have seen posted of the bike in the wild have been this model. Pretty sure this is the one that Phil Gaimon has as well (he does our local weekend group rides pretty regularly).

If the Hi-ModDura-Ace Di2 aka "BBQ," then it could be a while. Cannondale has an issue they are sorting out on these bikes. Latest quote on mine is October 27.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

I ordered the ultegra di2 version. Was told mid September now :(. Mines a 60 cm, and it was ordered very early. I’ll keep on rolling around on my ancient Ridley Noah with ultegra 10 Speed and god awful braking old enve wheels in the mean time

That one seems like the best value in the lineup. Great choice! Hope you get it soon.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Me too. Can’t wait. Problem is I have an SRM already for the bike. Gotta try to sell a power meter that costs 500 to activate lol

I saw them in close-up at the Tour of California and indeed they look totally badass. It was a top contender for me to get a new bike out of the list of the SystemSix / Felt AR / Canyon Aeroad. The systemsix had the worst fit for me vs the perfectly fitting Aeroad hence I got the Canyon instead.

The shop owner got his the other day. Looks awesome. And, it had GP4000 25s on it as well. That makes me happy as I won't ride Vittoria junk anyway and would have swapped them out for the Contis.

Which one? The neon yellow DA mechanical?

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Hi mod da di2 I’m a 58. He owns the shop so I’m sure he has a little bit of pull. It’s a great looking bike in person. I picked it up, had pedals on it but the post and saddle were out. It felt pretty light to me, but then again my Ridley Noah weighs 18.5 lbs :D

Anyone actually get one of these things? The only one I've seen is the shop owner's bike. If it keeps getting delayed I'm going to cancel and get a Madone. Trek is actually making them lol. A friend of mine had his frameset in a couple days after he ordered it (He's doing an Etap build)

I've been told that they're already sold out... as in they've already sold all of the bikes that they made.

Correct, first batch is gone. Second batch being made. Check with your Cannondale dealer for estimated time of arrival.

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Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

I ordered mine really early...

Any minor changes with the second batch???

Damon, I may have asked this earlier but do you guys have any data on the bike with a bottle on vs off the downtube? In other words, how much, if any, of an aero penalty does running a bottle on the downtube impose? I'd imagine it would be less on a bike like the SystemSix than on the new Super Slice.

Anyone else thinking of putting clip-on aerobars on this bike?

Hi ridenfish39,

No change, just more SystemSixes with the same Faster Everywhere speed. :-)

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi GreenPlease,

No hard data, because we only tested the SystemSix with bottles, an intentional choice for this project. Instead of doubling our test runs, we spent that time answering other important questions in the tunnel. :-)

However, as an estimate, based on my past experience including years and years of testing bikes always with and without, adding a bottle on either seat or down tube of "any" bike typically adds between 3 and 5 Watts (at 40 km/h). Based on the SystemSix's down tube dimensions I would guess closer to 3 Watts, which sounds like it's in line with your guess as well.

Cheers,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Did you hear anything more on your bike? I ordered mine on July 6, 4 days after the bike was unveiled. At that time, the system said early September 2018 for delivery. Then that got moved to January 2019. Then moved to late October 2019. Now showing February 2019.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Wow. I ordered mine a little bit earlier. My recent update says it will be shipped the 29th of September. But I'm not holding my breath, I think Cannondale only made a handful of these bikes.
I can get a good deal on a Madone too, but they all went up a few hundred bucks with the new tariffs.

i cant get a straight answer out of my dealer so its frustrating.
hopefully things arrive ahead of a december camp.

I got the first one from my dealer, 54cm Ultegra Di2 model, swapped to Etap, swapped tires too 25mm Vittoria Corsa Speed, swapped to 39/53 spidering and added stages PM. Bike sits at 17.03 with Look Keo Ti's and one bottle cage, Super fast bike, maybe 25 or so KOM's on it and 1 road race win(solo for last 23 miles). Had it Pro-fit by my fitter Todd Shoeni who has fit all my bikes, all in all very happy with it.

Taking a bike picture with the chain in the small ring, have you no shame?!?!?

---

Matt

Looks awesome but have to ask; with all of those stem spacers could you have fit better on a larger frame?

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

Cool but but those colors - ugh

Im 5'9 so the frame fits great, I am a little worried lowering the front much more will make climbing even worse, yeah the colors are not my taste but I didn't want to spend the extra on the DA model only to till convert to Etap

$10,000 bike, check.
Subaru, check.
Cannondale Licence Plate frame, check.

You're Slowtwitch approved. Seats too high.

if thats what 5'9" look like on a 54 im glad i ordered a 56cm.

75cm top of saddle to center of BB, I have long legs, 32 inseam

yeah still has toe overlap, my Evo and SuperX does also, only bike I have without overlap is my Felt IA and Slice

I can tell you're from Pa by all the water on the ground, it hasn't stopped raining here for 6 months. I'm in Philly.....

17 lbs with those changes is good, I'm hooping my 60cm comes in at 18 with pedals. I ordered the same model.
I'm going to wrap the seat tube green in glossy black vinyl, did a quick photoshop of it and it looks a lot better that way.
That is............if I ever get the bike

I got an update from Cdn distributor on Friday, they are saying mid-Feb 2019 for delivery. According to him I was one of the first to put cash down so it's not about the timing of the order its simply the fact that Dorel screws Canadian distributors by filling the Cdn orders last.

Ugh I’m in the US. It’s supposed to come this week but I’m not holding my breath. If they tell me February I might cancel. The new Cervelo is tempting.

Haha. I was thinking, "Those colors are perfect"

Looks like the new tariffs have hit the Cannondale website. All the bikes are up several hundred dollars

Boom.

Thanks for the design, Damon. Just picked up my 60 cm Systemsix. MY 17th Cannondale!

Off to ride now.

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________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Beautiful bike!

Did you happen tonweoght it? Curious as that’s my size ....

Hmm.. I took my old Cannondale Super Six with Zipp 404’s and it was 16.4 lbs, and the new SystemSix was 18.2 lbs with some crappy flat pedals and the OEM saddle. I switched to a carbon Arionne Saddle and put by DA pedals on, but forgot to weigh it again. I’d say something just over 18 lbs. I’ll have to eat less cookies, I can easily lose that 1.6 lbs.

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________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

So, we had our regular sprint Tri evening.. (last of the year)... So, I skipped the swim and run and just went for a ride on the new SystemSix until it got dark. Just 15 miles.

First impression... WOW. It just rolls so smooth. It was a windy night and it took no effort downwind to fly along. Back into the headwind, I wasn't buffeted around like the Tri bike, despite the pretty deep wheels. Climbing was wonderful, solid on the descent. It just feels 'tight'/responsive. Hard to explain why it feels so good, but it does. (Maybe it just doesn't creak like my old bike.)

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________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Ouch. I got the ultegra di2 model so I’ll be adding another 1/2 lb. And I really can’t afford to lose any more weight off my scrawny ass :)

Awesome looking bike! I like the look of your choice of plain clear bottles. Thanks also for your first ride report. Seems you're feeling what we tried to put into it!

Cheers,
Damon

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Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

First DA HI-Mod I’ve seen in the wild! Good to know they exist after all. I’m 3 months into a 7 month wait from order date to delivery - I keep seeing more SystemSixes - albeit not DA Hi-Mods - popping up as if to taunt me. May have to start a support group with Ridenfish.

First world problems.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Damon,
You gotta do something about these goons at Power2max. I paid my $564 to 'turn on my power', and 2 weeks later I still can't get it figured out. Their support email line sucks. I have a 'receipt/invoice' but no instructions on how their website or app work. Very upsetting.

Mark

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________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

When you have a chance, can you take a photo of the bike using the flash on your camera? I'm curious to see how reflective it is.

Really I'm just trying to keep myself occupied while I wait for mine.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

I am a bit confused about the correct order of events... but, in absence of any other instructions, I offer my recollection and perhaps suggestion of the correct process to turn on your power meter.

1. Create your account on http://www.power2max.com
2. On the NGECO Upgrade tab... select "NGECO Upgrade" button at bottom
3. Enter Serial number (sticker on your bike, don't lose it!)
4. Go through purchase process (since the company is in Germany, my credit card declined a half dozen times, even after calling the CC company... I eventually resorted to PayPal.)
5. Download the Power2max for your iPhone (or Android, I guess)
6. Created your account on the app
7. Add your power meter using the serial number
8. (The serial number will 'link' the two accounts together)
9. Wait for email/receipt from Power2max to confirm they have authorized your upgrade.
10. On the app first screen, press to scan for your PM.
11. Select PM, and then 'upgrades'.
12. Make sure Power checkbox is checked.
13. I got a 'no transmission key' first time... after some back and forth, it mysteriously resolved. Perhaps due to email and account sync.
14. I also had to upgrade the firmware on the PM, but the PM battery was dead (or... at 35%, even though it was new) be sure to have a extra 2450 battery handy.
15. If Power checkbox is checked, you should be good....
16. Turn on Garmin, try to find PM
17. If you can't... remove battery for 30 secs and try again. Mine worked after all the above.
18. good luck.

I am waiting for better/official published instructions.

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________________________________________________
Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

I have 4 rides on this bike so far. I got the System Six Ultegra DI2 version. It's a 60 cm and I changed the stem to a 120 and the saddle out to a Fabric carbon rail version. With pedals, Bontrager cages and the garmin mount it comes in at 18.6 lbs. About where I expected for it's size.

It is SUPER stiff, I mean no frame flex at all. I currently own an older Ridley Noah and a last gen Synapse HiMod, this bike is way more solid in the front end and the bottom bracket. I used to think the Ridley was stiff but this is a couple levels better. The thru axles probably have a bit to do with how it feels. However, with the super wide wheels I'm running the GP4000 at 80/85 psi so you don't feel the chip and seal at all.

I have yet to hit the fork stop when steering or doing a track stand. I was a little worried about this but it's a non issue.

The wheels are awesome. The bead locks in to them hard, I would not hesitate to use them tubeless, and will go that route when the GP4000 that are on the bike wear out. I was hesitant to try tubeless on the road because I have Stan's rims on my Synapse. I had a front blow out at 25 mph and the bead unlocked and I was on rim quick, thankfully I stayed up but it definitely made me not want to try tubeless. There is no way the bead will unseat on these rims. They also make a cool humming noise as a bonus :D

I ride with a couple guys, one is shorter and heavier than me and on a new Madone now. The other is a little taller and 15 lbs heavier. They both would coast away from me on downhills when I was on my Synapse. Not now, this bike is noticeably faster and corners better than anything I have owned. I can't wait til next spring when I don't have 4 layers of clothes on to see just how fast it is by comparing Strava segments.

The only gripe I have is about the post. There is just too much set back, at least for me. I have the seat pinned forward and I need another half an inch. I did hear there is a straight up version coming in the next couple months but it sucks having to buy a whole new post to get the fit right. Cannondale could have made a replaceable head like a lot of companies do. Minor nit pick for an otherwise awesome bike.

I am super happy with this thing. Great job to Cannondale and their team with this bike!

I got in several rides on the same bike as you - a demo Ultegra Hi-Mod Di2 - and my review would be the same as yours. Also agree on the seatpost.

I run the Pro Stealth saddle 87mm behind the BB. On my 56cm EVO with a 20-25mm setback post, the seatpost clamps the saddle rails almost square in the middle of the rails.

To get the same fore-aft position on the 56cm SuperSix, I had to mount the saddle almost as far forward as possible. If I were to guess, I would say probably 20-25mm farther forward that on my EVO. So for me at least, it seems like the SuperSix seatpost has an effective setback of ~40-50mm. Which is a lot.

But I'm with you, overall the bike was great. Really looking forward to getting mine.

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Link to SystemSix Facebook group if you're into that sort of thing

---

Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

I have a question regarding Cannondale Systemsix frame size choice...

I´m 1m73 and saddle height at 72cm from BB. I´m not sure what Systemsix frame size fits me better. I´m between 51 and 54.

It looks like both of them are fine in terms of reach and stack for my position but the size 51 has a 71,2º head angle vs a common 73º for the rest of the sizes. Also fork rake is different (5,5cm for size 51 vs 4,5 for the rest of the sizes).

How that difference in HTA and fork rake can affect my riding ?

Hi Damon, amazing bike. Great job!

I can't see anything in the white paper about the 'unicorn horn' computer/light mount. It's angled up a lot compared to other solutions and aftermarket providers like "racedirect" and others are selling a more standard solution that screws in underneath the bars. Do you have any drag numbers or logic behind this unusual design touch? Thanks very much!

Hi moulli,

Thanks, I agree, the engineering team did a great job on this fast bike!

Where I used to work we did wind tunnel testing of a computer in different positions and found this position (just above the level of the bar & stem) had lowest drag, with a mannequin rider on the bike. So we put it exactly there.

Thanks,
Damon

---

Damon Rinard
Engineering Manager,
CSG Road Engineering Department
Cannondale & GT Bicycles
(ex-Cervelo, ex-Trek, ex-Velomax, ex-Kestrel)

Hi thought Trek was overhauling the Emonda this year (Domane was last year)? Unless you have an insider scoop? :D

Thanks for taking the time to respond, much appreciated. My new Systemsix is arriving Friday...

Hello - first post here, I hope it's okay to bring up this old thread but I figured this was an appropriate one.

I'm on the verge of buying a SystemSix and have done a lot of research; the bike looks incredible. I'm wondering how this bike would fair to dual purpose as a TT frame, switching out the cockpit (and wheels) on race day.

My TT saddle position is basically identical to my road bike saddle position with a lot of setback and me requiring a lot of arm pad stack. Fit wise I would imagine this could be better for me than a regular TT frame. My question is will this frame be significantly slower than a full fledged TT frame, take the SuperSlice as an example? Or will it likely just be two or three watt loss? My target races are likely to sustain speeds of around ~29-32mph.

For reference I am pretty serious about time trialing, to remain semi anonymous I got top ten at TT nationals and top ten at Grand Fondo Worlds TT, with a target of winning both in the future.

Thanks!

my instinct tells me that you have better options available. 2 things come to mind. first, you're a very strong rider, and you therefore take this seriously. nobody that i know who's really good time trials in the same saddle position as his road bike, and with a high front end. that's how we started. in the beginning of 1987, when we first got the aerobars and no one knew how to use them. we had them figured out by the end of 1987. so, notwithstanding your palmares, i question whether there's a better position available for you, simply based on 30+ years of evolution.

second, there is not going to be any cockpit switching on that bike. there could be cockpit adding, that is, you put an aerobar on the road bike. but not on that bike. so, you'd take off the front end. but that bike has hydraulic brakes, no? you're going to disconnect the hydraulic brake line, take the front end off, replace it, and reconnect and bleed the brakes? for your TT? and then switch everything back? you can tell me what you think, but, i'm guessing not.

if you wanted to spend the SAME money, you could go to The Pro's Closet, right now, get a supersix evo, basically new bikes, the demo fleet, and have enough left over for a standalone TT bike. and then we'd work on your position here on the forum ;-)

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Thank you for the quick reply. I believe I've found a good deal on a lightly used SystemSix which has sparked my interest in the bike.

My intentions are to add aero bars to the drop road bar during training and non-target TT's (there's hardly any around here anyway.) This would allow me to "ride my tt bike" basically all of the time. For TT nationals, and if I go back to Grand Fondo World's, I do intend to completely swap the cockpit even with the hydraulic brakes as I do all my wrenching and have shop tool access. Running mechanical actuated Spyres is also an option which I'm running on my current bike.


Off topic regarding TT fit...



To start I am completely open to all advice. I am 6'3", 800mm saddle height to BB, ~10cm setback, long femurs, short tib/fib, only size 11 shoe, and a shorter torso with longer arms. My lower back does not bend too well and instead I have a hunch in my upper back. For the past year I've been stretching and working on mobility religiously to get my lower back to bend more.


In my experience - I must have my pelvis upright to activate my glutes & hamstrings and be "behind the pedals" to generate my power. I've tried the forward saddle, forward tilted pelvis, low torso - and my power would uncomfortably drop ~50 watts at threshold, and practically prevent me from going to higher power zones. With my more upright pelvis position and higher pad stack, I can comfortably "sink" between my arms, turtle up my shoulders, and have a relatively flat mid to upper back/head/helmet. In short - instead of getting low I try to get narrow and flat; right or wrong I don't know...



I am really fascinated about aerodynamics and time trial bike fitting, balancing with power output; but I have only researched the internet and have never really conversed with anyone on the subject.

I have the Systemsix with mechanical Ultegra and Vision Metron 4D bars and there are mounting points specifically on the bars for their MAS TT extensions on there. Although your position will be a compromise I think, you wouldn't have to swap everything to make it work. I don't have the TT extensions but it's a great bike, I really love how responsive and quick it feels without being too hard or nervous.

Long time lurker, first time poster here.
For the owners (or designers) that run fully integrated mechanical setups through the handlebar, stem and head tube:

1.) Did you use an aftermarket cable system like Alligator iLink or Jagwire Elite Link to make the tight bends through the cockpit?

2.) Can you use the BB cable guide as a cable stop for the derailleurs (and rear brake if you’ve got mechanical discs)?

3.) How is the shifting performance? I’m planning on building with Campy SuperRecord 11spd with a Quarq PM and have heard the front derailleur can be finicky during shifts from small to big ring. I know Damon says it’s possible to do the full integration. But, it’s not endorsed by Cannondale and the shifting won’t be 100%.

Thanks for the input!

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Brett Z

“Livin’ in a van down by the river”