Cannondale SytemSix aero road frame unveiled ahead of Tour de France

As the pro peloton gears up for the Grand Depart of the 2018 Tour de France in Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, in the Vendée department on July 7, Cannondale have unveiled their newest road bike. The Cannondale SystemSix is the American company’s first aero road bike. If you’ve been keeping a close eye on the bikes under EF Education First-Drapac riders in some of the tune-up races for the Tour, you’ll have noticed many of them have been testing the new frame out. With five flat stages and the Roubaix cobbles day in the first nine stages of this year’s Tour, riders will surely be making full use of the new bike in the opening week of this years tour.

The Cannondale SystemSix is disc only which comes just as the UCI ends the trial period of disc brakes in pro races and fully authorizes their use as of July 1. The aerodynamic profile of the frame indicates Cannondale have gone to great lengths to make no compromises in producing a bike dedicated to speed.

“SystemSix is the result of a ground-up design where each element is optimized in pursuit of speed,” said Cannondale design engineer Nathan Barry. “Aerodynamic drag is the single greatest resistive force that riders have to overcome so it is important to everyone, not just racers. SystemSix delivers more speed, to more riders, more of the time.”

With a disc brake only design, Cannondale’s engineers focused on achieving drag-reducing integration between the frame, fork and wheels. The airfoil tubes of the bike on the frame fork and seat post are designed to keep airflow smooth across yaw angles while minimizing drag.

The KNOT System bar

The new Knot HoloGram wheels

In addition to the brand new frame, Cannondale debut their new HollowGram KNOT64 wheels and KNOT SystemBar which were further measures to make the most aero bike possible. The wheels are designed to perform best with large volume tires and of course are aerodynamic to aid airflow over the rest of the bike. The KNOT SystemBar is an innovative integrated system that allows for increased adjustment. There is 8° of pitch adjustment with the stem as well as the ability to change stem length and bar width.

Some of the models come with ready-to-activate Power2Max powermeters. The bikes use thru axles to secure the wheels in place. Internal cable routing allows for a sleek look and less drag on the frame.

The SystemSix line-up includes four men’s models in sizes 47, 51, 54, 58, 60 and 62. The one women’s models is available in 47, 51 and 54. Prices range from $5,670 for the base model built with Ultegra to $14,850 for the high modulus carbon version built with Shimano Di2 Dura-Ace