The Six was launched last year as an entry-level carbon fibre all-rounder and for 2010 Cannondale has sliced away 100g of weight, achieved due to a revised lay-up of the carbon. Weight for a 56cm frame is quoted at 1.2kg. There’s now BB30 across the range, weight sizes should ensure a good fit for all and there’s even size-specific carbon dropouts.

Six Carbon

In its second year since its inception, the Six Carbon is utilizing more of the Super Six technologies, yet reaching out to those on a budget. Some of the differences in 2010 for the upper end of the line include a revised carbon lay up, a full carbon fork, and improved components.


2010 Cannondale: The Six Carbon had a lively, responsive feel while climbing out of the saddle.

Through a better carbon lay up and minimal paint, the 2010 Six frame is 110 grams lighter. Additionally, the Six fork is now carbon all the way through, saving 300 grams off of last year's weight. These two weight savings combined subtract almost a pound.

The front of the frame uses the same tube shapes as it did last year. The top tube grows in diameter from the seattube, reaching its maximum at the oversized headtube so that they sit flush. And a massive bottom bracket area uses Cannondale’s BB30 technology.

The rear triangle is also visibly the same but with a refined carbon lay up. The seatstays are hourglass-shaped and remain separate above the brake bridge for better vibration damping. The chainstays are asymmetric to optimize stiffness. The left chainstay is wider than the right to provide better lateral stability; the right chainstay is taller for better axial stability as it is more inline with the chain forces. And finally, the carbon dropouts are specifically molded for each frame size for a maximum strength to weight ratio.

I had a chance to try out the Six Carbon 5 for an approximately 40-mile loop that consisted of dirt, long climbs, fast descents, smooth asphalt and not-so-smooth asphalt. The first thing I noticed was a lively response to the pedal stroke. In the saddle or standing, the stiffness of the bottom bracket area was notable. However, the front triangle, stiff that it was, was not quite as stiff as my personal bike, the CAAD9. While it’s hard to know where exactly to give credit, the vertical compliance of the rear triangle was noticeable. Whether it was the saddle, seatpost, wheels, or rear triangle, the system seemed to work.

The Six Carbon line ranges from the 16.8-pound Carbon Six 3 for $3,000, to the 19.6-pound Carbon Six 6 for $1,700. The Six Carbon 5 that I rode weighs 18.2-pounds goes for $2,150.