Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra Feminine

If you've read the fairy tale 'The Red Shoes' by Hans Christian Anderson, there's a parallel between the girl who almost dances herself to the grave due to her shiny red shoes and an enduring desire to ride faster, harder and further on the equally pretty Cannondale Super Six.

This is a bike I'd been looking forward to riding since I read Mat's review of the SuperSix 105. I wasn't disappointed. So addictive is the experience that the SuperSix Feminine is a hard bike to climb off of at the end of a ride, and harder still to take it easy when you are in the saddle. I noticed a distinct tendency want to stay in the upper gears- cruising just does NOT seem to be an option on this bike. Riding the Super Six is like having a voice inside your head always whispering 'faster, you can go faster' although hopefully not to the point of riding yourself to death! It'll draw the absolute best from any rider, whether they be an enthusiastic sporting amateur or an elite pro, and is guaranteed to get you fit fast!

On average I was a good few mph faster over familiar routes than usual, and much quicker up hills. The ride was extraordinarily responsive, with excellent acceleration from standing and at speed, whilst handling was slightly flighty but easy to get used to. The ability to truly accelerate uphill was impressive, as was just the general surge of power transmitted through to forward motion when the effort was upped. Even on a post-winter pothole riddled road the ride was surprisingly comfortable, with little road buzz, thanks to the combined efforts of the carbon frame (particularly the back end), forks and seatpost, and those Schwalbe Durano tyres. The frame geometry was spot on, giving a lively ride without being too erratic. Even on steep hill climbs the front wheel stayed pretty firmly rooted, with only a little lightening.

There is an issue with toe overlap with the front wheel however, due to the geometry, but this only manifest itself on extremely tight turns, much tighter than you would usually expect to encounter in normal riding conditions, although it could feasibly pose issues in city and traffic riding.

I'm not going to get drawn into an argument about whether there's actually a requirement for female specific bikes like the SuperSix Feminine now. Suffice it to say these frames and bikes can make life easier for the averagely built woman without access to a reliable and talented LBS with the know how to fit a unisex bike properly. In some cases they also use female tuned components - that is what you get here, the actual frame itself is the same as the men's version - the Feminine models are simply available in smaller sizes with an overlap with the smallest men's sizes.

The Super Six Ultegra Feminine from Cannondale is part of a relatively new movement in female specific bicycles. Whether it's a response to a rise in profile of female pro riders or just part of a general trend, it's got to be a good thing that now there's access to high end, performance orientated bikes akin to what's been available to men for years. There has been plenty of choice in the leisure and recreation end of the market, but little for women looking to race hard or really push their personal performance.

At the risk of sounding clichd, the first thing you notice about the Super Six Ultegra Feminine is its looks. Predominantly white, with flashes of bright red, it has an understated and totally non-girly appeal, in keeping with its serious racing demeanour. It really is a genuinely attractive bike, with nice attention to detail, but it's far from being just a pretty face.

Moving onto the more important stuff, this is a high end bike, at a high end price, with all the details you'd expect. The whole bike weighs just 7.36kg - for the 51cm bike I tested. With a full carbon frame, forks, crank and seatpost, as well as handlebar, there's not an extraneous ounce to be found on the Super Six. This is all about no-compromise speed and performance in mind. The bb30 bottom bracket is massively oversized and designed to deliver the absolute maximum of power for each pedal stroke, while the head tube and forks combo aim to give as much stiffness as is required for a responsive and precise ride. The Shimano Ultegra throughout gives a smooth transmission, while the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe hubs and rims offer the means to convert all that power.

In essence, yes, £2599 is a LOT of money, but you really are getting an awful lot of bike for that. On the other hand, there is a 105 version, you've guessed it, the SuperSix 105 Feminine, at £1799 (frame and spec, barring some women specific finishing kit are the same as the SuperSix 105 already reviewed on road.cc and that is a very tempting bike indeed). That said, the Super Six Ultegra is fast, faster than me definitely, responsive and will really encourage any rider to do their best and compete, even if it's only with their own times.

Verdict

A LOT of money, but for one hell of a lot of bike... although you might also want to consider the SuperSix Feminine 105 for £800 less