Bikes of the UCI WorldTour 2012: Cannondale SuperSix Evo of Liquigas-Cannondale

No sooner is the Christmas/New Year holiday over before the UCI WorldTour circus starts in Adelaide on January 18th with the Tour Down Under. No wonder that Team Liquigas split their 28 riders into two groups at the Sardinia training camp with the first group including Timothy Duggan the rider of our bike shown above concentrating on training for the rambunctious style of racing they like in Oz and only a month away.

The frame of the SuperSix Evo is not new in the sense that the team raced them this season from the Giro d'Italia onwards and we rode one at the pre-Giro press camp but it was only from the 2012 model year starting in September that actual buyers have been able to get their hands on one of the £7,000 Team Replica bikes. Assuming you'd been able to buy one of these lightest-production-frames-in-the-peloton that would have cost you in the region of £4,000 but Cannondale knowing that these hand-made beauties are in short supply haven't even listed a price for the frame only.

One thing for sure with these Evos is that you know every team bike will weigh exactly 6.8 kilos or 15lbs, the UCI governing body's minimum weight limit, because with each frame coming in at  695 grams with similarly super light Mavic Ultimate wheels and SRAM Red groupset, the bikes all weigh about half-a-pound under limit depending on size. Therefore the Liquigas-Cannondale mechanics have to install precise measures of steel ballast in special mouldings that attach to the insides of the bottle-cage mounts down the inside of the seat tube to bring each one up to legal spec.

Of course, if you're not racing in WorldTour events - eg the rest of us - you don't need to worry about this; and you can get a production Evo with the SRAM Red but without the superfancy wheels for £3,999 that should put the weight somewhere still just under the limit.

The big change in 2012 won't be to the road bikes; it will be the Slice time-trial frames that get a major makeoever and they have already been spotted testing in America. We're expecting that will be another Giro d'Italia launch.

As on the AG2R-La Mondiale Kuota we looked at yesterday, one change we will be seeing on the SRAM-equipped team road bikes come February so possibly missing the gig at the Tour Down Under will be the new version of the Red components.  If they are even lighter as they are rumoured to be, then the mechanics are going to need heavier weights to bring the bikes back to 6,800g. 

Frame: Cannodale SuperSix Evo 1½ - 1⅛" headset, BB30
Fork: Cannondale, tapered full carbon 1½ - 1⅛" steerer
Headset: Cannondale integrated SuperSix, carbon cap
Crankset: Cannondale Hollowgram 2 SRM wireless
BB: SRAM BB30 press fit with ceramic bearings
Gears: SRAM Red
Cassette: SRAM PowerDome OG 1090, 11-23T
Chain: SRAM PC1090R
Brakes: SRAM Red
Stem: FSA OS99 CSI -6°
Handlebar: FSA K-Force Light
Saddle: Fizik Antares
Seatpost: FSA K-Force Light, 27.2
Bar tape: Fizik Microtex
Wheels: Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate
Tyres: Veloflex Carbon tubular, 22mm
Bottle: Elite Corsa Team
Bottlecage: Elite Custom Race Glossy

Timmy Duggan on his Evo: "...a technological marvel but it's still a toy and still a tool for exploration."