Cannondale 2013 launch: 655g SuperSix Evo Black

On the sun-drenched slopes of Deer Valley Park, Utah, Cannondale opened the doors to a room that contained the US company's complete 2013 range of bikes, and taking centre stage was the new family of SuperSix Evo bikes.

The SuperSix Evo was launched last year, the latest evolution of the model that has been in Cannondale's range since 2006. Several years in development the frame marked a significant leap forward for the company, as it weighed a mere 695g. That put it instantly in an elite group of frames vying for the title of lightest production frame in the world.

Never one to rest on their laurels, Cannondale have grown the Evo range with the addition of two additional models. First is the Evo Black, a frame that uses a nano resin (where carbon nanotubes are fused with the resin, the bonding agent between the tubes), making the overall frame lighter. Cannondale's product manager Henning Schroeder tells us this sheds about 40g from the previous Evo, making a real world weight of 655g. The same treatment has been applied to the fork which is some 10g lighter.

Cannondale will offer the new lighter frame in its new 'Black' edition, a stealthy finish with decals blacked out and a few highlight decals. They drew inspiration from the high-end automotive world (think limited edition Lamborghini's) and finish the frame with equally impressive components, though they stayed clear of venturing into exotic parts.

So a build featuring a full Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed groupset and Enve wheels, bars, stem and seatpost with custom decals to match the discrete details on the frame. Even with 'stock' components, the weight of this bike is just 5.2kg (11lb).

If you're wondering if this is the bike Peter Sagan and the rest of the Liquigas team are riding, we've been told by Cannondale that they're riding the currently available Evo Hi-Mod.

More affordable Evo Carbon added at lower price point

While pushing the Evo as light as they could realistically go, Cannondale realised there was an opportunity to offer a version of the frame that more of us can afford. The Evo Carbon was born. Rather than the expensive high-modulus carbon of the current Evo Hi-Mod, it makes do with an intermediate modulus carbon, keeping the price down.

Weight rises, about 950g painted, but they reckon the stiffness still hits the same targets as the Hi-Mod, due to clever placement of multiple layers of the carbon used.

All other details on both frames carry over, including internal cable routing for the rear brake only, skinny chainstays, huge diameter downtube and BB30 bottom bracket.

Cannondale haven't confirmed UK prices yet, we'll get those to you as soon as we're told. With the current Evo Hi-Mod frameset costing £2,300, we're hoping the Evo Carbon comes under the the £2K mark, and we won't ever get into hazarding a guess for the Nano.

SiSL2 483g cranks launched

Cannondale also launched the latest iteration of their chainset, the SiSL2. It's lighter with a claimed weight of just 483g, and achieves this with a 100% CNC-machined design. The arms are made by CNC machining the two sides, then bonding them together, creating a hollow crank arm that can be incredibly light. They've managed to find even more material to remove on the SiSL2 without impairing the stiffness and strength. They've also managed to shave away more material from the axle spindle.

The two chainrings and spider, inspired by the wheels on high performance race cars, are one-piece, being first 3D forged then machined from the same billet of aluminium. Cannondale claim high levels of stiffness with this design which resulted in some impressive shifting results, when they tested it against other chainsets.

Double and compact will be available and there's 10 and 11-speed specific versions. They're interchangeable so you could easily swap from a double to a compact, say if you're heading to the Alps for the week.

We'll have more from the rest of the Cannondale 2013 range soon...

www.cannondale.com