CannondaleSystemSix
Origin
Launched in September 2018 after 3.5 years of development, the SystemSix was Cannondale's first dedicated aero road bike and was marketed as 'the world's fastest UCI-legal road bike'. Designed under chief aero engineer Nathan Barry using CFD and wind tunnel testing, it pioneered a holistic 'six-part system' approach — frame, fork, seatpost, bar, stem and wheels all engineered together using truncated airfoil profiles tuned via what Cannondale called 'Yaw Weighted Drag'. The disc-brake-only design allowed deep aero integration that wouldn't have been possible with rim brakes. Ridden in WorldTour by EF Education-EasyPost (then Drapac) through 2019-2022. The bike was about 1kg heavier than the all-rounder SuperSix EVO, which became a problem as competitors (Specialized Tarmac SL7, Trek Madone Gen 7) merged aero and lightweight into a single platform. When Cannondale launched the fourth-generation SuperSix EVO in 2023 — which absorbed both aero and climbing duties in one frame — the SystemSix was quietly retired. By model year 2024 it was effectively run-out stock only.
Specifications
- Frame
- BallisTec Carbon monocoque with highly truncated airfoil tube shapes; top builds use Hi-MOD (Cannondale's stiffest, lightest carbon layup). Claimed bare frame ~981 g (medium), disc-only construction. Asymmetric tube/fork design tuned for pedaling and braking loads.
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x11/12, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x12, SRAM Red eTap AXS 2x12 — disc-brake only, no rim-brake variant ever made
- Brakes
- Hydraulic disc only (no rim-brake variant). Flat-mount calipers matched to groupset (Shimano Ultegra/Dura-Ace or SRAM Red), typically 160 mm rotors front and rear.
- Wheels
- Cannondale HollowGram 64 SL KNØT carbon — 64 mm deep, 32 mm external / 21 mm internal width, tubeless-ready. The wheels are an integral part of the 'six-part system', engineered with the frame for aero gains.
The verdict
- Genuinely one of the fastest UCI-legal road bikes of its era — Cannondale's wind-tunnel data put it at ~203 W drag, lower than the Cervélo S5, Trek Madone and Ridley Noah Fast
- Nimble, sharp handling that belies the deep 64 mm wheels — testers consistently call it agile, not a barge
- Surprisingly capable climber for an aero bike thanks to a very stiff chassis that rewards out-of-saddle efforts (loses out only above ~6% gradient)
- Reasonably light for the aero category (~7.9 kg on the Hi-MOD AXS build) and fully integrated cockpit + wheels system
- Comfortable enough not to beat you up on broken surfaces despite the firm, race-focused ride
- Very stiff everywhere with limited compliance — long in-saddle efforts take a toll over rough roads
- Heavy relative to dedicated climbing bikes; ~1 kg heavier than the SuperSix EVO, the trade-off that ultimately ended the model
- Narrow stock tires look (and ride) odd against the very wide HollowGram rims, adding little bump compliance
- Proprietary HollowGram KNØT cockpit and D-shaped aero seatpost limit fit adjustment and make replacement parts expensive/scarce on the used market
- Premium pricing across the range; the integrated aero parts inflate cost and complicate servicing
Who it’s for
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