Cannondale SuperX 105

The Cannondale SuperX 105 Disc features a fantastic carbon frame with one of the best paint schemes I’ve seen. Wow. (That’s what it’s called.) It’s stiff yet smooth, and with very short chainstays would be incredibly nimble… except that some of the component choices really dull the handling. The heavy wheels, in particular, let the frame down and ultimately make it poor value compared with its rivals.

Cannondale has seven bikes in its cyclo-cross range for 2017: four aluminium CAADX models, and three carbon SuperX models. All seven come with disc brakes as standard.

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The £2,500 model on test is the cheapest of the carbon trio. It comes with Shimano 105 11-speed shifting a Cannondale Si cranket, FSA 46/36t chainrings, 105 hydraulic brakes, and Maddux CX 2.0 Tubeless Disc wheels.

The SuperX is designed as a full-on race bike. There are no mounts for mudguards or a rack – if you want to get off the beaten track for adventuring rather than racing, you’re better off looking at the Cannondale Slate. Yes, there is nothing to stop you sticking two bottle cages on the SuperX and taking it out on a long ride – it’s certainly a seriously comfortable bike for way more than an hour between the barriers – but the main reason anyone is going to buy this bike is for racing.

Frame and equipment

The BallisTec carbon frame and fork are disc brake-specific, with internal routing for both gear cables and also the brake hose. The 100×12 thru-axle up front and 142×12 spacing in the rear is perfect for upgrades or changing to a race wheelset (although not without some redishing of the rear – more on that below). This also gives the option to use a 29er mountain bike wheelset.

The Maxle axles are perfectly secure when installed, but it’s a hassle getting them in. The front is an Allen-key operated design which is plain difficult and next to useless for quick access. The rear only engages via a small catch, and while it’s better than the front, it’s still a faff.

Out back, Cannondale has redesigned the chainstays, taking them from 43cm down to just 42.2cm, with the aim of increasing traction while also making the bike brilliant fun to ride. There is a drawback – though how major this is depends on how many wheelsets you have. The drive-side has been moved out by 6mm. It’s called an “Asymmetric Integration (Ai) drivetrain” and it requires a standard 142x12mm wheel to be re-dished 6mm to the left. It’s only an issue if you’ve got multiple race wheels, and once your wheels are dished the problem is solved. It’s a little annoying but seems a better solution than Specialized’s ill-fated move to a 135mm system that limited you to a small selection of wheels only. Specialized has moved back to 142×12 this year, possibly putting Cannondale on the back foot in wheel-compatibility.

There’s plenty of tyre clearance around the 33mm Schwalbe X-One tyres, which makes this a very good bike for the UK. The Schwalbes feature a closely packed pattern of knobs that offer grip on dry courses but aren’t the best in the mud, with the tread filling up quickly and failing to clear. The thing that annoyed me was a lack of tubeless compatibility. With the rims being tubeless ready, I wasn’t impressed that a standard clincher tyre had been provided.

Wheels are 32-hole Maddux CX 2.0 Tubeless Discs, with Formula CX20 hubs and DT Champion 1.8 spokes. They’re tough – I had no problems with broken spokes or the wheel going out of true – but not ideal for racing, being heavy and slow to accelerate. Weighed with tyres and cassette, they’re 3.2kg. The wheels alone weigh 2.2kg. To be honest, they’re a bit disappointing on a £2,500 bike. But with the money being put into the frame, there’s got to be a saving somewhere I suppose. As training wheels, they’re great – I was able to hit rocky sections and hop barriers without a second thought – but for racing I’d be quick to upgrade to lighter and stiffer tubulars.

Disc brakes arrived in cyclo-cross a few years ago and, on the amateur scene at least, have become the primary way of slowing down in the mud, although some pros have converted to them, including world champion Wout van Aert. This was my first time and wow, the difference. The Shimano system is excellent and provides perfectly modulated power in all conditions. Even when my hands were frozen, I could still brake with (relative) skill. The weight penalty is easily cancelled out by the improvements in stopping.

Gearing

Shimano provides the bulk of the gearing with its excellent 105 11-speed mechs. For muddy cyclo-cross races, where you can get numerous broken mechs, you really don’t need anything higher value.

Up front, Cannondale has specced its Si cranket with 46/36-tooth FSA chainrings. I much prefer a 40 or 42t single ring; for me, especially off-road, the front mech simply becomes a collection point for mud. For most CX races, a single ring provides an ample gear range. Yes, having the 46t ring is good for the faster sections out on the road, but if this was my bike I’d soon change to a single ring.

At the rear, the 11-28 cassette was perfect for the double chainring. Running a single ring might make you want a larger ratio, though that would depend on the conditions and course.

Controlling the mechs are Shimano’s lower end hydraulic shifters. While the jury’s still out on the aesthetics of SRAM’s hydraulic shifters, these are just plain ugly. Out on the road, I also found them uncomfortable and detrimental to handling.

The comfort issue stems from a lump – the bleed point – on the inside top section of the hood, which caused a rather painful corresponding lump on my hand. The shifter body is also very long and puts your hands quite a way out front of the bar. I found this moved my weight too far forward over the front wheel, which would become an issue on some corners in the rain as the front end would slip out under too much load. While it’s no problem on the road, slippery mud requires a more central body position, though it was only an issue when the rain started to fall.

Finishing kit

The seatpost, stem and bar are all Cannondale units. The bar has a nice compact drop, for easy access to the brakes and a stable riding position. Being aero isn’t as important in cyclo-cross as it is on the road, so it’s good to see Cannondale prioritising control. The 54cm frame comes with a 42cm bar and 10cm stem, and although I’d probably look to change them for something lighter, to bring the overall weight down from 9kg, they’re not too heavy.

Topping the Cannondale C3 seatpost is a Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite saddle. With chromoly rails, it’s a very smart looking seat. The flat profile suited me very well, and the supportive padding was perfect for sloppy remounts at the tail end of a race.

Ride and handling

One of the main assets of the Cannondale frame is the smoothness of the ride. Even on the road with the tyres pumped up hard, the frame soaks up vibrations and remains planted over rough ground. That’s not to say it’s at all spongy; the huge tubes provide plenty of stiffness for hard sprints.

The front end does let the bike down a little, the bar and stem being a bit flexible under load. This undoubtedly helps with the smooth ride, but I found I wanted more stiffness during races, especially on tough climbs.

Climbing and tight corners highlight the weight of the wheels. While slowing down using the disc brakes is a revelation, getting back up to speed is a chore as the weight of the wheels dulls acceleration. The other drawback of the heavy wheels is that the fantastic frame is made to feel very slow through tight corners. Although it’s a very stable bike in a straight line, I didn’t feel it reacted well to fast changes of direction.

> Cyclo-cross bikes vs gravel/adventure bikes: what’s the difference?

On flat and fast courses, typically found in America, rarer in the UK, the SuperX really excels; the slightly heavier weight isn’t a problem, and the stability lends itself to high-speed, flowing courses. On the tighter, slower courses you tend to get in the UK a slightly lower overall weight would be better, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Away from the cyclo-cross course and the SuperX actually handles a mix of riding very well, despite its racing credentials. It’s been a comfortable commuter, with the tyres just about fast enough. And rougher ground is, of course, no issue, with the robust wheels and tyres coming in very handy when I’ve hit the odd rock.

Conclusion

I’m left with rather mixed feelings. The SuperX is a brilliant frameset, but in trying to keep the whole package below the £2,500 price mark there are some obvious compromises. To my mind, a SRAM 1x system would be more suitable, and I’d look to upgrade the wheels for more serious racing. Given the choice (and the money!) I would probably opt for the Ultegra version at £500 more, with Mavic Aksium wheels and Shimano R685 levers.

Verdict

Wow is the paint job and wow! is the frame, but the spec is a price point compromise

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