Cannondale SuperSix (New images)

[Greenduck]

Hi everyone!

This is my new Cannondale SuperSix with Shimano 105 5700 grouppo in Team Replica colors. I know it isn't exactly the same color scheme as the Liquigas-Cannondale riders use but luckily I like this better with the blue paint on the top tube. As a student with limited funds I wanted to prioritize the frame instead of the grouppo and I think the 105 grouppo is great value for money. The saved money will go to fund a better wheelset instead. According to Cannondale this bike should come with Tektro brakes but was deliveres with a Shimano 105 brakes. Anyway, I'm not complaning. The steerer needs to be cut but coming from a 54cm CAAD and this is a 52cm I need to figure out where to cut it. The weight of the bike (without pedals, bottle holders, computer) is around 7.9 kilos. I'm not having any plans at this moment to make it a true WW but maybe get the weight down to around 7-7.2 kilos.

INITIAL RIDE IMPRESSION
I took it out for a short ride and my initial impression is very good. This bike is much more alive than my CAAD9 according to my memory. Maybe it's because of the frame or the wheelset. I feel even the lightest pedal stroke is transformed in speed. My former CAAD9 came with Shimano RS10 wheels and this one features Mavic Aksium Race. For the short ride it was, this wheelset seems to be great value for money. The SuperSix is much more alive and when mastered I think it offers great and very precise cornering. The CAAD9 was more neutral in cornering. I will take it out for a longer ride later today and see how it performs in sprints and going uphill

Ride impression from the second ride and bad news 5 kilometers into the ride my inner sit bone started to hurt like he**. And going over bumps just made it even worse. At some points the pain were so severe that I couldn't even sit and had to stand up. I don't know if this is because I haven't been riding any kind of bike in 1½ year between my CAAD9 and my SS or due to the saddle. The Prologo Scratch Pro is 11 mm wider than the Prologo Choice that I used on my CAAD9. However, this has to be solved ASAP as it takes every joy out of riding

RIDE IMPRESSION (4-23-3011)
Went on a very short ride just to see if anything had changed and it had. No pain, just a small discomfort which I would say is due to me not being on a road bike for 1½ year. But the extreme pain that I experienced before is gone, at least on this ride. I didn't change anything on the bike. Although I was willing to change the saddle for one that didn't neccessarily fit my bike color-wise, I'm glad I hopefully can keep my current saddle. And best of all, the pain seems to be gone for now

However, I'm very happy about the bike























Stay safe everyone...

Regards,
Greenduck

[Ypsylon]

That's really a cool looking frame.

The Aksium are really pretty decent wheels for what they cost, but they certainly could be upgraded.

Since you got the pain on your sitbones really, really early into the ride I'd rule out the frameset as a cause. Some are more comfy than others, but nothing out there will make your butt hurt that soon.

It's most likely a combination of your abscence from riding and the saddle not being the one for you. You could try and play around with it's position, too, since it's colors match the frame so nicely. Sometimes a ° further up or down or a cm to the front or back can do wonders.

[Fibre-Lyte]

I agree with everything that Ypsylon has said, nice ride!

I will add that from a comfort point of view, a lot can happen in a year and a half, especially with your own body. I would suggest some well padded cycling shorts and as Ypsylon said, play a round with the saddle position a bit. Try going out for lots of really short rides, just a few km's at a time, to get used to the bike again and increase the distances as the rides get more comfortable. I'm only suggesting this as I spent the entire winter on my mountain bike which has a really soft saddle and when I switched back to my road bike I needed a few weeks to 'bed in' again

[Greenduck]

Thanks guys. I actually went on a small ride today, about 5 miles. Just to see if anything had changed and it had. No pain, just a small discomfort which I would say is due to me not being on a road bike for 1½ year. But the extreme pain that I experienced before is gone, at least on this ride. I didn't change anything on the bike. Although I was willing to change the saddle for one that didn't neccessarily fit my bike color-wise, I'm glad I hopefully can keep my current saddle. Looks like it so far

[Greenduck]

Inspired by the images of the Cannondale SuperSix Hi-Mod with two-colored handlebar tape I thought I'd give it a try on my SuperSix 105.

And here's the result:







I think it looks pretty good. The next "project" is to try this with blue handlebar tape. Already bought and ready in the same blue color as on the top tube.