Certainly one for a keen eye, over the past few weeks I have had various glimpses of the “new”, yet unreleased, Cannondale Super Six Evo “Lab 71” bike. From deleted Instagram videos to team press releases and Strava photo uploads, the sightings have become more and more common. Sure enough, then, the mainstream media outlets have picked up on this, and now there are various articles on the web “releasing” the bike to the public.
What Have We Seen So Far?
Lab 71 logos, deeper aero headtube and seat tube profiles, even lower seat stays, wider fork and seat stay clearance for bigger tyres, and a threaded bottom bracket are the new changes that have been spotted so far.
EF Education-EasyPost rider, Ben Healy (left) has been snapped by a fellow rider on Strava, possibly providing the clearest non-team release photo we have seen so far.
From the naked eye and a quick glance, you could probably be forgiven for not noticing too much difference with this bike compared to the “current” Super Six Evo from Cannondale. Following recent trends, there is no major eye-catching new tech or features on what is Cannondale’s range-topping all-round race bike.
The “current” model from Cannondale, the SuperSix Evo, was last refreshed and released in the summer of 2019. When that landed, it was a somewhat drastic shift from the previous versions, much to the sadness of bike-style aficionados around the world with the loss of round tubes and non-dropped seat stays. Three and a half years tends to be the general timeline of a new model being released from the major brands, so these sightings fit clearly into that.
When Can We Expect to See More?
The women’s and men’s UCI World Tour calendar kicks off with the Santos Tour Down Under on the 15th and 17th of January respectively. Both Cannondale-sponsored teams are due to race in full, so we can expect to see plenty more imagery and close-ups of these bikes as the cycling media will be sure to capture as much as they can.
Personal Thoughts
Overall, this looks more like refinement than any great change from Cannondale. As the hunt for marginal gains continues whilst sticking within the UCI regulations, aerodynamics and weight savings become harder to yield and trickier to implement. The law of diminishing returns states that; “diminishing returns are the decrease in marginal output of a production process as the amount of a single factor of production is incrementally increased”, and I think this is what we are finding here with new bike design in general.
Due to the deeper-looking seat tube on this bike, it also looks to be a new seat post that has been designed with a deeper more aero-blade visual. This is welcome news for many Cannondale owners as there certainly have been some well-reported creaking issues with the D-Shaped seat tube on the Super Six since its release in 2019.
Lab 71?
The Lab 71 printed on the seat tube has certainly caught my attention here, is this going to be a new line of bikes we see within the Super Six family? Perhaps akin to the S-Works series of bikes from Specialized, using their best frame technology and reserved for range-topping equipment.
I for one can’t wait to get hands-on with this model where I can give you some first impressions (once released!) and further details once we hear more from the horse’s mouth. Cannondale, over to you…
Other Reportings of the bike are here:
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/cannondale-supersix-evo-2023/
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/products/unreleased-cannondale-supersix-evo-4-spotted-and-it-looks-faster-and-smoother
About the Author:
Who Am I? My name is James and I have been developing an unhealthy/healthy habit of riding bikes since 2011. With 7 years in the cycle industry trade, from shop floor experience to brand development to online technical support, I have garnered a wealth of knowledge throughout these years to support my judgments and relevant thoughts! Not one to shy away from bad weather, you can find me out in the Suffolk and Essex lanes on my road or cross-bike year-round.
