Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Spotted: Cannondale’s new SuperSix Evo Disc with SRAM eTAP disc brakes

Ted King shares photo of the upcoming Cannondale SuperSix Evo Disc road bike

Manufacturers use professional racers extensively to test new bikes and products, so you can usually rely on some of them accidentally sharing photos of the latest equipment on social media to get the first glimpse at next year’s release. Former professional Ted King shared this photo of the upcoming Cannondale SuperSix Evo, which provides our first glimpse at the new bike. 

We know the Cannondale SuperSix Evo is coming. It’s right there on the UCI’s list of approved frames, but you don’t need to be an expert to guess that most of the current WorldTour race bikes are going to be available with disc brakes sooner or later, with the disc brake trial since reinforced following a short halt in its proceedings following that incidence in Paris-Roubaix. 

The photo of the new SuperSix Evo Disc has since been taken down from Ted King’s Twitter account, no doubt a quick phone call from Cannondale HQ to get it removed. Unfortunately, we can’t really tell much from the photo, other than it is fitted with a SRAM disc groupset, which looks like the rumoured eTAP Disc groupset that is surely coming soon. It was also spotted on the photo of the Canyon Aeroad Disc we reported on recently. 

- Canyon’s new Aeroad Disc road bike revealed

There are some clear similarities with the current Evo. The shape of the top tube at the seat tube junction looks the same, as do the skinny seat stays and the tapered head tube. What we’d like to know, and we can’t tell from this photo, is if the bike is using quick release or thru-axles. 

Cannondale isn’t new to disc brakes on road bikes, and has been offering a disc version of its aluminium road bike for some years, most recently with the heavily updated CAAD12 Disc. You could say that bike gives us an indication of the decisions Cannondale has made for the Evo, and if that’s the case, the Evo will have quick release axles like the CAAD12. But we suspect, given the company’s history of innovation, it’ll be thru-axles. And wouldn’t it be interesting if it came out with a similar system to the Rapid Axle Technology (RAT) developed by Germain firm Focus?

- Review: Cannondale CAAD12 Disc Dura-Ace

Another question remains over the necessary geometry changes to account for the wider rear axle and the longer chainstays needed to avoid chain line issues. The current Evo has short 405mm chainstays so Cannondale has presumably stretched them out, or come up with a novel solution like Specialized (with its dedicated rear wheel and dropouts) or Cervelo with its R3 Disc and a modified chainset. We won’t know until Cannondale decides to launch the new bike, which we’d hazard a guess at being sometime around the Tour de France. 

We're not sure about the paint job, though. Normally Cannondale paints prototype bikes in its customary green, but we guess this is a special finish for Ted King. A bit like the photo posted by Cannondale pro racer Phil Gaimon in an elevator recently...

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

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
ch | 7 years ago
0 likes

"... following that incidence in Paris-Roubaix. "

 

It should be "incident".

 

"Incidence" noun : the number of times something happens or develops : the rate at which something occurs

 

 

Avatar
Twowheelsaregreat | 7 years ago
0 likes

I'm an engineer and I'm inclined to concur with these speculative comments re hydro brakes

Avatar
Boss Hogg | 7 years ago
0 likes

yes! 

Avatar
bendertherobot | 7 years ago
1 like

Yep, agree with David. That's definitely hydro. 

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 7 years ago
1 like

Stupid question: those 'etap' brakes - still operated by a cable yeah?

Avatar
David Arthur @d... replied to EddyBerckx | 7 years ago
1 like

StoopidUserName wrote:

Stupid question: those 'etap' brakes - still operated by a cable yeah?

 

We assume they'll be a hydraulic disc brake, based on SRAM's current road groupset offerings - the extra height in the lever body when compared to current eTap certainly suggests this is the case

Avatar
Johnny25 | 7 years ago
1 like

I love the look, modern, aggressive and in your face.

Avatar
bendertherobot | 7 years ago
1 like

Agreed. There's nothing that a better paint job, co-ordinating saddle, losing those decals and a better looking fork wouldn't fix.

Still likely to the best unraceable race bike in the planet mind.

Avatar
Arthur Scrimshaw | 7 years ago
0 likes

I like Cannondale bikes and that isn't a great picture but that looks wrong. The wheels and that horrible chunky SRAM chainset really don't do the frame justice. Not too taken by the paint job either.

Latest Comments