well, it might not be as smooth as carbon but i just picked up BMC street racer sr02 with 105 for $999, free shipping, not tax…18.5lbs and nothing fancy but it’s about the engine at the end of the day, isnt it?
My Caad9 was the best bike I have ever owned until it died in a car accident last month. I test rode both the caad10 and the supersix and for me, the supersix felt as quick and responsive as the caad10, but a little nicer (possibly placebo). I went with a supersix and love it.
As the owner of a Supersix and a CAAD8, I don’t know why for $150 you’d even consider the aluminum.
thanks for the reply!
yeah, I was up in the air but loved what I read about the caad10 here and elsewhere and then found a 2011 so the price difference became $450. I’d rather save for wheels 
read nothing but 5 star reviews on your SuperSix – enjoy!!
It has already been said on this thread, but I think I agree that the durability of alu over carbon makes aluminum a better choice for many who don’t want to worry about damaging carbon - either by crashing it, or over tightening the seatpost, etc.
Am I not giving carbon enough credit? Assuming two bikes have identical components and geometry and price, is carbon always the better choice? If so, why? Second, at what price differential does the benefit (if there is one) of carbon become not worth it (subjective I know)?
So happy with your responses – found a great deal on a 2011 Black Caad10 5 – pickin it up Wednesday!!
good decision (IMHO). We got team c-dales last year and I had that choice too … and the shop guys said the same, they would take the CAAD10 over the SS (regular). HiMod is a different story but last spring they had shortages in the most popular sizes.
I was really happy riding the CAAD10. I went from a carbon frame to Alu (after having ridden Alu before that). The stuff about Alu being ‘harsh’ is BS. It’s mostly a function of what tires you have and how much pressure you put in them.
Caad10 all the way. It’s purely emotional for me but Cannondales aluminum is always the way to go. It’s cause I am old.
I don’t get why more people aren’t buying the CAAD10. It’s a better frame than most within $500, and is actually considerably lighter than many of the carbon bikes we sell at my shop.
Can’t go wrong with a CAAD10. Best bang for the buck of any road bike out there as far as I am concerned.
I don’t get why more people aren’t buying the CAAD10. It’s a better frame than most within $500, and is actually considerably lighter than many of the carbon bikes we sell at my shop.
Because you can’t win without carbon.
I just picked up my 2012 Caad 10 3 Ultegra in sweet ass white. Very impressed so far. When compared to anything else spec’d with “Full Ultegra” it is definitely the best bang for the buck. My last bike was a S2 with Ultegra SL…can’t notice any more/less road feel compared to the carbon. You could buy 2 caad 10s for the same price as the S2 though. A friend of mine has the supersix 105 from 2011 and it is pretty nice too, but heavier than mine (then again it is a 56 vs my 50cm). Great bike so far, I vote for the aluminum.
The CAAD10 rocks… Most of our guys were on CAAD10 this year and had nothing but positive things to say about the bike. I’m interested to see how the EVO will ride.
I think it’s reasonable to think that the ride quality will be a little bit better on a Supersix because of carbon’s ability to filter out the road buzz, but that’s more apparent on rides longer than 3 hours. The jury is still out on durability- carbon in some cases can be more resilient than thin-wall aluminium. The biggest reason to get a CAAD 10 over the Supersix is that the CAAD10 is the result of newer R+D. The Supersix is in reality, a 5 year old design and Cannondale’s first ever full carbon frame while the CAAD10 is the brainchild of Peter Denk, Cannondale’s head designer (poached from Scott). The CAAD10 and Evo were designed together but the Evo was held back a year so as not to take the shine away from the CAAD10 on its coming out party.
Go to your local Cannondale’s dealer and compare the CAAD10 tubing to the Supersix Evo and you’ll understand why every dealer rep will tell the guys in the shop to buy a CAAD10 over a Supersix base frame.
Is there one other aluminum frame from one other major bike manufacturer that we could be having this conversation about?
Or is the CAAD series unique in AL frames, as the only ones that have been continually refined?
Thanks again everyone
Just an update – I got the Caad10 a bit ago – have logged some good miles and can only say this
I LOVE THIS BIKE SOOOOO MUCH – it’s not even funny. I’m shocked at the responsiveness, comfort, feel etc etc – too bad it’s gettin slushy on Toronto cause my outdoor days are numbered til spring.
here’s a photo I took of her – I have only since added Look Keo Classics, Planet Bikes carbon cage and Specialized Toupe saddle cause I love it feels , and as importantly how it looks. My bars certainly aren’t angled up as much as it looks but shooting at crank height distorted the top a little
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaunmbenson/6329312919/in/photostream/lightbox/
Very nice Ben. I have put about 1000km on my caad 10-3 so far and I’m lovin’ it as well.
CAAD10! New old school is where it’s at!
never ridden a supersix, but my caad9 is the best bike for the money i’ve ever owned.
i imagine the 10 is probably even nicer. go with the 10 and don’t look back.
The CAAD 10 feels amazing, after well over 5k miles i can attest that the bike feels very similar to carbon with the great price benefit of alu.
Totally agree.