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Cannondale 2015: Synapse Disc range expands and CAAD10 Track and Disc bikes launched

Here are seven highlights from Cannondale’s latest range, including more disc brakes on both carbon and aluminium bikes

Disc brakes are a key theme of Cannondale’s 2015 range with seven Synapse Disc bikes to choose from. They’ve also launched the CAAD10 with disc brakes and there is a track version too. For women there is a new top-spec SuperSix Evo added to the line-up.

We gave you a little teaser of the latest Cannondale bikes a while ago, but we’ve just been down to Cannondale’s UK distributor CSG UK (Cycling Sports Group) in sunny Poole to get a close look at the actual bikes. So here are seven highlights from the Cannondale 2015 range.

CAAD10 SRAM Rival Disc £1,799

We’ve been hearing rumours all year of a disc-equipped CAAD10 bike, and it really is a thing, here it is in all its glory.

The CAAD10 Disc is based on the same recognisable frame as the regular bikes but there are a few vital differences. The most notable is that Cannondale have internally routed the hydraulic hoses and gear cables (the regular CAAD10 features only internal rear brake cable routing).

Entering the head tube junction on the non-driveside, the internal routing is cleanly finished.

The chainstays have been redesigned to both ensure they cope with the disc brake forces, and to accommodate the brake caliper and internal hose routing.

Cannondale offer the bike with a SRAM Rival 22  groupset, featuring the revised hydraulic disc brakes following their much publicised recall. Rather than use SRAM’s disc rotors, Cannondale have opted for Centreline T1 rotors, with a 160mm front and 140mm rear combination.

Schwalbe Lugano 25mm tyres are fitted to Fulcrum Racing Sport disc wheels. Cannondale’s own C2 bars, stem and handlebar, all in aluminium, are used along with a Prologo Kappa Evo saddle. Eight frame sizes from 48 to 63cm will be available.

CAAD10 Track £1,499

Well here it is, the new CAAD10 Track bike that we first caught a glimpse of with some carefully ‘leaked’ photos on Facebook earlier this year. 

Cannondale have joined a brand new rear triangle, with horizontal dropouts, to the same front triangle as used on the regular geared CAAD10. There’s a new carbon fibre fork with alloy dropouts and tapered steerer tube too.

Cannondale tell us the geometry of the new bike has been designed for racing. This is a track racing bike, developed so Elia Viviani could race it in the track world championships back in March.

That said, the fork does feature a drilling for a brake caliper, but there are no cable routing stops on the frame anywhere, so fitting a brake might be tricky, but not impossible for the determined hipster.

The CAAD10 Track is specced with Mavic Ellipse Track wheels with 25mm Schwalbe Lugano tyres, a 48t SRAM Omnium chainset and Cannondale C2 handlebars and stem. The frame is available in seven sizes from 48 to 60cm.

You won’t have failed to notice the paint job. It’s been causing quite a stir since photos first appeared. Cannondale call it Viserker Green Fade Gloss over Polished Aluminium. 

It vaguely reminds us of some of the more entertaining paint jobs that were popular on aluminium mountain bikes during the 90s.

CAAD10 Racing Edition £1,799

Cannondale have expanded the CAAD10 range with three caliper rim brake models, priced from £1,299 for a 105 specced bike and rising to £1,799 for this Racing Edition. There’s also an Ultegra model at £1,699.

We’re always harping on about the fantastic attributes of good aluminium framesets and the CAAD10 is one of our favourite aluminium frames, so it’s good to see Cannondale now offering more models.

Among other things, it’s an ideal material for racing, especially criterium and circuit racing where its stiffness is ideally suited. It’s also a fair bit cheaper than buying a carbon race bike if you want to get into racing. Cannondale know this too, so they’ve built up this Racing Edition for 2015.

The bike has been built with a SRAM Force 22 groupset with FSA’s new CZero Carbon wheels. We don’t know much about these new wheels, this is actually the first time we’ve seen them, but we’ll be sure to get the full low-down at Eurobike later this month. It’s clear they follow the current trend for a wider profile.

Cannondale have specced the rest of the bike with a Hollowgram Si BB30 chainset with a semi-compact 52/36 chainring setup. Available in six sizes, it’s painted in an Acid Red over Charcoal Grey with Fine Silver details. Quite a looker we reckon you’ll agree.

Synapse disc range expands to seven models

Whether you like it or not, disc brakes are coming, and for 2015 Cannondale will offer seven disc models price from £849 all the way up to £6,499.

The Synapse only launched just over a year ago but Cannondale didn’t take too long to offer a disc version, with two aluminium and one carbon bikes last year. With disc brakes the hot trend in road cycling right now, Cannondale have clearly decided to show their commitment with bikes at a wider range of prices. In fact, the top five bikes in the Synapse range are all equipped with disc brakes.

Don’t fret, there are still five non-disc Synapse bikes, but it’s clear discs are the where Cannondale feels the future is for this mode. That certainly ties in with the vibe we’re getting from the industry for ‘endurance’ bikes like the Synapse. Only last month rival company Giant totally revamped their Defy with disc brakes. Days are numbered for rim brake bikes in this category it would seem.

Synapse Hi-Mod Black Inc Di2 Disc £6,499

So last year there was the Synapse Black and it cost a staggering  £6,999. This year it costs a little less staggering £6,499. Superficially it’s mostly unchanged, with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Vision Metron 40 Disc carbon clincher wheels wrapped with Schwalbe One 28mm tyres.

Cannondale’s super light Hollowgram SiSL2 BB30 chainset is fitted with a compact 50/34 chainring pairing.

It gets a new snazzy paint job that is really hard to photograph. If you get the chance to see one in the flesh, take the time to have a good close look at the glittery paint and attention to detail in the gold trim.

Synapse Carbon Ultegra Disc £2,499

You could buy two of the £2,499 Synapse Carbon Ultegra Disc bikes for the price of the Synapse Black and still have change for a very nice couple of weeks in Italy to enjoy the ride.

While the frame shares all the essential design features of that top Synapse, the carbon layup drops the Hi-Mod carbon for a lower modulus carbon to save money. That price saving also impacts the weight too, but in reality you’re unlikely to really notice.

Mavic’s new Aksium One Disc wheels with Mavic Aksion 28mm tyres are fitted, along with a Fabric Spoon saddle with titanium rails. Cannondale’s Hollowgram Si 50/34 compact chainset is used. 

Lots of tyre clearances for fitting big 28mm tyres. You can choose from six sizes, 48 to 61cm.

SuperSix Evo Women’s Ultegra 3 £1,999

More choice for women, with Cannondale offering two SuperSix Evo models in 2015, adding this £1999.99 Ultegra-equipped bike at the top of the range.

It’s available in five sizes (44, 48, 51, 54 and 56cm) with each fitted with women’s-specific Prologo Nago saddles, narrower handlebars and shorter stems. The Ultegra brake levers have the optional reach adjust shims fitted.

Mavic Aksium WTS wheels with Mavic Aksion tyres in 25mm width and a Cannondale Hollowgram Si compact 50/34 chainset completes the build.

Cannondale call this sleek finish Plum with Jet Black and Gold. Tidy.

SuperSix Evo 105 5 £1,499  - entry-level Evo now £200 cheaper

Last year Cannondale expanded their SuperSix Evo range down to its lowest ever price, in the process pushing the old SuperSix into the history books. We tested that bike and were massively impressed, finding it to offer much of the performance of the top-end Evos but at a far more affordable price. 

This year the opening SuperSix Evo 105 5 is £200 cheaper, with a pricetag of £1,499. So you can buy what is near enough the same frame the Cannondale pro cycling team, and Peter Sagan, race but with a Shimano 105 groupset. That’s pretty appealing.

The main changes from the top-end Evo is the fully external cable routing (that reduces build times) and a different grade of carbon fibre. It’s still uses the same Ballistec Carbon that Cannondale uses across the Evo line, just pairs it not with a lower modulus carbon.The geometry however is identical.

This bike features a Shimano 105 groupset, and it’s a full set including the brakes, only the FSA Gossamer 52/36 chainset deviates from the Shimano catalogue. That’s because the frame uses a BB30 bottom bracket and Shimano don’t offer a compatible chainset without the need for adapters.

Shimano RS11 wheels, with colour matched decals, are paired with Schwalbe Lugano 25mm tyres. Finishing kit, by which we mean bars, stem and saddle, are Cannondale’s own brand C3 kit.

We'll have full details of availabiliity of these new bikes soon. More at www.cannndale.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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31 comments

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matthewn5 | 9 years ago
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Plenty of hipsters also ride with just a front brake round where I live.

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J90 replied to matthewn5 | 9 years ago
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drmatthewhardy wrote:

Plenty of hipsters also ride with just a front brake round where I live.

They're not true to the cause then.

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J90 | 9 years ago
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Hipsters wouldn't ride anything but brakeless fixed gear. Skid stops are the brakes.

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Skylark | 9 years ago
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Version 0.1 in disc brakes.
Also quality appears to be somewhat lacking. To me these bikes look rushed. Totally devoid of aesthetic appeal.

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Metjas | 9 years ago
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what sits in between the £6500 Dura Ace HiMod and £2500 Ultegra Synapse models?

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donnieboy replied to Metjas | 9 years ago
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Ultegra/Force Hi mods and hollogram cranks. So stiffness increase for super powered athletes and weight savings for climbing/acceleration. Also different colors, brakes and wheels.

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pauldmorgan | 9 years ago
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I have both disc and canti road bikes. The former allows me to brake later with confidence, performance in the wet is much better and it's easier on the hands and arms on steep descents. No worry about heat build up in the rim either for those on carbon clinchers.

I have no more issues with rear wheel lockouts than on the conventional bike, just as I can switch between the two cars that I have that have that have completely different brake feel. You brain just sorts it out.

Whilst I have a lot of sympathy for anyone getting injured riding a bike (I've had my share) many people have had serious injuries from making contact with mundane components like wheels, seatposts, handlebars, stems etc so disc rotors are not particularly exceptional in that regard and they've been around a long time on bikes that are crashed at speed a whole lot more.

Discs are just better at stopping you, this is a given. The debate is about whether for aesthetic, cost or weight reasons you want to make the switch. Anyone saying they're pointless on a road bike hasn't tried them in the wet on a road bike.

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donnieboy replied to pauldmorgan | 9 years ago
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Glad to see some 11sp 105 stuff and cheaper 105 10sp to make race bikes and marathon bikes more accessible to people to love to ride bikes and know what is best for them.

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donnieboy replied to pauldmorgan | 9 years ago
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Pauldmorgan wrote:

I have both disc and canti road bikes. The former allows me to brake later with confidence, performance in the wet is much better and it's easier on the hands and arms on steep descents. No worry about heat build up in the rim either for those on carbon clinchers.

I have no more issues with rear wheel lockouts than on the conventional bike, just as I can switch between the two cars that I have that have that have completely different brake feel. You brain just sorts it out.

Whilst I have a lot of sympathy for anyone getting injured riding a bike (I've had my share) many people have had serious injuries from making contact with mundane components like wheels, seatposts, handlebars, stems etc so disc rotors are not particularly exceptional in that regard and they've been around a long time on bikes that are crashed at speed a whole lot more.

Discs are just better at stopping you, this is a given. The debate is about whether for aesthetic, cost or weight reasons you want to make the switch. Anyone saying they're pointless on a road bike hasn't tried them in the wet on a road bike.

I have disc and caliper road bikes. Cantis are actually used on touring bikes, mtbs and cyclocross bikes.

"Disc brakes are better" is a false statement because it is a hasty generalization.
You can have great disc brakes and great caliper brakes. The truth is in the choice of parts and the pro setup of each particular system (or its lack thereof).

Ultegra calipers with PTFE coated cable, compressionless sealed housing and proper methodologies in the setup will lock your tires. So will cheap tektro cantilevers that cost 22 dollars with nice upgraded kool stop pads. So can easily serviced BB7 mechanical discs with resin or metal pads. So can mineral oil dependant, yet smooth feeling hydraulic brakes. The weakest link in ANY quality tuned braking system is the tire to contact surface. This means that if your wheels can lock, your brakes are good. The only possible certain advantage for disc brakes is less pad changes. You will likely have to pay a higher cost for the brake initially though (this is the trade off). The rest is marketing/sheeple blindly following the herd or making up "gospel" from limited (and unspecified, yet specific) very particular personal experience. I sell bikes, ride every day, own 13 bikes I have built and tuned myself. I know better than to buy what the snake oil salesmen offer based on pilferred knowledge that is "best" because it's easiest to understand for most people. The flaw in that is, most people don't know jack. Keep regurgitating what you read in magazines and assuming all discs and "cantis" are the same. You'll enjoy a fleecy lifestyle (almost as warm as wool but it really stinks when things get hot).  10

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fukawitribe replied to donnieboy | 8 years ago
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donnieboy wrote:

"Disc brakes are better" is a false statement because it is a hasty generalization.
You can have great disc brakes and great caliper brakes. The truth is in the choice of parts and the pro setup of each particular system (or its lack thereof).

Absolutely.

donnieboy wrote:

The weakest link in ANY quality tuned braking system is the tire to contact surface. This means that if your wheels can lock, your brakes are good.

No, of course it doesn't.

donnieboy wrote:

The only possible certain advantage for disc brakes is less pad changes.

Nope.

donnieboy wrote:

You will likely have to pay a higher cost for the brake initially though (this is the trade off). The rest is marketing/sheeple blindly following the herd or making up "gospel" from limited (and unspecified, yet specific) very particular personal experience.

No, it isn't necessarily. The experience of 'good' disc brake systems has moved rather beyond "gospel" and it's far from "limited ... very particular personal experience". Ditto for the experience with 'good' rim brake systems.

donnieboy wrote:

I sell bikes, ride every day, own 13 bikes I have built and tuned myself. I know better than to buy what the snake oil salesmen offer based on pilferred knowledge that is "best" because it's easiest to understand for most people.

Ah well, i'd disagree that you know best as, scarily for someone selling bikes, it seems you have a rather odd perception of what makes a 'good' braking system.

donnieboy wrote:

The flaw in that is, most people don't know jack. Keep regurgitating what you read in magazines and assuming all discs and "cantis" are the same. You'll enjoy a fleecy lifestyle (almost as warm as wool but it really stinks when things get hot).  10

Of course people over generalising about the benefits of a particular braking system can be ridiculous - but there are some benefits that appear in general assuming a reasonably level playing field, e.g. not comparing the best hydraulic brakes with the worst V-brakes.

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JumboJuice | 9 years ago
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The CAAD10 fork isn't internal routing the brake hose...

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banzicyclist2 | 9 years ago
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Latest ultegra rim brakes are very impressive. I'm not sure I need disc brakes on my road bike, but they are useful on my all weather commuter.

The disc brakes (Hope) on my Orange Five are awsome, but it's a completely different situation to road bike braking.
.

I usually do my road riding in the Lake District..... brakes tend to be BLOODY IMPORTANT on every ride! Kirkstone pass does not take prisoners, and that one is a pussy compared to some of the others.

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James Warrener | 9 years ago
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C
o
n
v
e
r
t

Love them  4  4  4  4  4  4

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kasual | 9 years ago
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"the fork does feature a drilling for a brake caliper, but there are no cable routing stops on the frame anywhere, so fitting a brake might be tricky, but not impossible for the determined hipster."

I'm sure even the determined hipster will figure out that you don't need cable routing stops for a front brake.

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Cyclist | 9 years ago
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I have ridden disc brakes for years on MTB, racing them etc great on MTB middle of winter muddied up etc, however, pain in the arse for servicing, currently have Hayes stoker carbons on my MTB and have never bothered to service them myself other than pads, I have had failure of a disc brake, takes you a little by shock and doesn't have an happy ending. I don't want them on my road bike, if you know how to modulate your braking in different conditions then you don't need them, they wear, replace easily at home with cost effective pads. Easy.
I touched just under 50mph (80kph for purists) today in the Peak District down hill wind behind, 4 rubber pads stopped me in control, and at exactly the point where I wanted too. I will never buy a disc road bike, and I can't wait until the dealers/websites/LBS need to get rid of the canti frames. They have been put on the bikes to Ehemm cough cough attract the heavier rider and commuter one company does it they all do it.
My mate lost a chunk of his calve from a rotor, crashed in wales doing a downhill, still got the chunk missing and he was solo. Can't imagine the further damage that will do in a sprint when dozens go down, as if they don't have enough injuries already. Sorry, no likey no buyey. And I am not a techno phobe.. Exactly the opposite, but some things are just done for the sake of it.

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McVittees | 9 years ago
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I'm a bit disappointed that Cannondale have speced 10 speed on the SuperSix Evo 105. I thought 11 speed 5800 would be the de rigueur for 2015, although it does explain how they can sell it for £200 less than the year before.

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samvegg replied to McVittees | 9 years ago
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It is 11 speed

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big mick replied to samvegg | 8 years ago
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samvegg wrote:

It is 11 speed

Yea all Shimano from 105 through to Dura-ace are now on 11 speed.

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caaad10 | 9 years ago
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Pleased to see the CAAD10 is still going strong, I love mine to bits, what a classic machine. If they did an Ultegra Di2 Synapse, preferably in a subtle colour scheme, I'd probably get one of those too, just for a change of scenery. However, a Supersix Evo coming in under £1500 must be the bargain of the decade..... if I was buying from scratch that would be my 1st choice (sorry my faithful CAAD  3

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Paul J | 9 years ago
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So the CAAD10 fixie has brake mounts? So a road CAAD10 single-speed is a possibility? Hmmm...  3

Edit: Ah, only the front fork. Hmm, never mind.

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caaad10 replied to Paul J | 9 years ago
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Paul J wrote:

So the CAAD10 fixie has brake mounts? So a road CAAD10 single-speed is a possibility? Hmmm...  3

Edit: Ah, only the front fork. Hmm, never mind.

A front brake is probably all you need!... that bikes looks featherweight, I'd like to know the specs out of curiosity

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Paul J replied to caaad10 | 9 years ago
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Even if the track CAAD10 is lighter, overall my own weight dominates. I wouldn't be happy with just a front brake on the road. Shame :(.

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tangledfeet | 9 years ago
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Any info on the 2015 CAADX's, please..?

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stem | 9 years ago
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Cannondale not convinced by bolt-through axles then? I thought they were meant to be the future!

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ficklewhippet | 9 years ago
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Who set those bars up? Most look really odd.

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stuartp replied to ficklewhippet | 9 years ago
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ficklewhippet wrote:

Who set those bars up? Most look really odd.

I thought that too, even on the track bike

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cub | 9 years ago
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My CAAD10 has served me very well, crashed it a few times and its still going strong. So would a carbon frame probably, but you'd always have doubts.

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TheHound | 9 years ago
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I've got a caad8 and really like it.

But I flat out refuse to buy another bike with BB30. It's just so much faffing.

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glynr36 | 9 years ago
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Like the CAAD10 Track and the CAAD10 racing.
Don't like all the disc brake models, those synapses look wrong.

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big mick replied to glynr36 | 8 years ago
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glynr36 wrote:

Like the CAAD10 Track and the CAAD10 racing.
Don't like all the disc brake models, those synapses look wrong.

Try one of the disc braked bikes.They make caliper brakes feel dangerous.

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