Product Review
Cannondale Six Carbon 3 Review
By Frank Sarate
As the 2009 race season gets underway, I have had the opportunity to test and race the all new Cannondale Six Carbon 3. After riding the Cannondale Super Six and Six 13 for most of the 2008 season, the Carbon Six 3 feels and rides very similar to the Super Six, but is slightly heavier with a smaller price tag.
The SoCalCycling.com Team bike has SRAM Rival components, ROL wheels,
Race Face bars, stem and seatpost and Serfas seats, tires and bar tape.
The Six Carbon 3 is Cannondale’s mid line race bike and the Super Six’s little brother that delivers. The Six Carbon 3 inherits a lot of what makes the Super Six such a great ride. The down tube and bottom bracket with the BB30 are similar to Super Six’s, however the head tube and top tube shapes are uniquely shaped. There is a sleek triangle shaped top tube that tapers down near the seat tube and flares out near the head tube that almost fits flush with the integrated headset. The head tube is tapered and the rear of the head tube extends slightly to make the head tube a little stiffer. The tube shapes make this bike pleasing to look at.
The Six Carbon 3 is much stiffer than the Super Six in the areas where it is most needed. The chain stays on the rear triangle of the frame are asymmetrical to provide a better power transfer when sprinting and climbing. The rear seat stays are a little beefier than the Super Six. This helps lend to some of the added stiffness for that explosive power transfer. The rear dropouts are ultra clean looking and are full carbon with the replaceable rear derailleur hanger. Despite the stiffness, the Six Carbon 3 is very comfortable on long rides and on unforgiving roads.
The fork is oversized near the top of the crown to give it a seamless fit when it meets the bottom of the head tube. This makes for doing some trick paint schemes that definitely catch your eye and think the Six Carbon 3 is a cleaner looking bike due to the sleek multi-shaped tubes.
Our SoCalCycling.com Team has been racing and training on the Six Carbon 3 since February and has racked up several top three results on it. The stiffness from the frame comes in handy when sprinting and accelerating on hills and jumping out of corners. The head tube and fork feel very similar to the Super Six and makes this bike handle well when flying down technical mountain roads and when maneuvering your way through the pack and handling tight corners.
For 2010, I think you will see some of the technology from the Six Carbon 3 move up to the Super Six, from the design of this prototype Super Six that was at the 2009 Tour of California.
Prototype Super Six that was at the 2009 Tour of California.
Bottom Line: When looking for performance and style without it costing and arm and a leg, the Cannondale Six Carbon 3 does more than just get you to the finish line first - it looks and performs up to expectations. For more information visit Cannondale.com.
All I can say is, make the effort to test ride a SuperSix at one Cannondale’s test locations. It’s like somebody handing you the keys to a Ferrari and telling you to bring it back in couple of hours. You will definitely want more.
