So I thought I might try and fine out what might make this bike so special, and came across this description of the frame:

"SmartForm Alloy Construction combines several common aluminum construction types — hydroforming, taper butting, mechanical shaping, 3D forging, double-pass smooth welding, post-weld heat treat — to tailor the ride quality as much as possible. It’s labor-intensive, but Cannondale believes the payoff is worth it for an aluminum frame with what it believes is near-carbon-quality comfort."

Guess maybe I don't know enough about Al frames, but I'm pretty sure the above is not that special. If Cannondale wants to present itself as the leader in Al frame tech, they'll have to do better than that IMO. Perhaps they have some proprietary Al metallurgy not mentioned?


The bike does have lightened, better quality components and I guess that's a good thing in theory. Someone above mentioned the fork is reminiscent of older Colnagos, not to mention the yellow Coppi frame colour.

If I were interested, I'd wait for the prices to drop significantly first of all, because CD bikes are always overpriced, and then check out the durability of the frames based on consumer reports. That might take a couple of years. But, it sure is a beauty to look!!