Cannondale SuperSix Evo 2026 review: A delight to ride, but is it really any better than the old one?

I think it’s safe to say the Cannondale SuperSix Evo has a passionate, dedicated following. Like the Specialized Tarmac, and maybe the Pinarello Dogma, it has a healthy lineage and hoards of passionate fans keen to espouse how it is the best road bike on the planet.

The new version is very similar to the outgoing model, which I must say was excellent. I had the pleasure of cutting about on a mid-spec model in the French Alps for a good while off the back of some work trips, in addition to a lovely week in Cornwall during a heatwave blasting along the always shockingly hilly coast roads. It’s good. In fact, it’s very good, but I don’t necessarily think it’s sufficiently different from the old one to justify itself from a consumer standpoint, in much the same way as the latest Giant Propel.

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Design and Aesthetics

I know the designers will have been beavering away at improving the platform for months, but when I picked the bike up I did genuinely have to check it wasn’t the previous model. Visually it’s a very similar silhouette, with the key giveaway being the seatpost, which loses the cutout near the top. The fork crown is slimmer, and the head tube is 10mm lower (thanks to input from Ben Healey, apparently) which all amounts to a bike that is, according to Cannondale, basically just as aero as the old one, though anywhere from 35-72g lighter depending on tier, which is the same as one or two double espressos, not including the cup and saucer.

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The geometry is basically the same save for the lower headtube, which affects the stack and slightly the reach too, which is good because the handling was always the big selling point of any racy Cannondale, and top-tier models get a beautiful carbon one-piece cockpit, though mid- and lower-tier options have to make do with a separate system. In my SRAM Force model, retailing for a cool $7,000, I would like to see a one-piece. There isn’t anything physically wrong with the Vision TriMax bar and conceal stem combo, and it is at least relatively narrow, but it looks like a bit of a cop out, especially with the holes at the base of the wings for external cables that will never be used. It’s like Cannondale either got a mad deal on a shedload of them, or already had a load kicking about and needed to fit them to something to shift them.

While we’re talking aesthetics, I am also not overly enamoured with the paint options. It’s matters not a jot to performance, but considering Cannondale is the brand that brought us the lefty fork, a bike with a rollerblade for a front wheel, and sponsors a pro team with vibes being as much of a performance metric as wins, the colour options all look like they were chosen by a boardroom full of Agent Smiths from The Matrix; it’s all a little corporate and plain. Give me anything but variations on grey, please!

Happily, the days of slightly bonkers Cannondale standards are behind us; the wheels are normally dished, and the bottom bracket isn’t a brand new standard that’ll die out in 6-8 months. The only slightly zany thing is the aero bottles and cages, which I have to admit I didn’t get on with; It was like being 17 again. When you’re on a low-pressure training ride it’s fine, but when the chips are down, and you’re pushing on, it takes a level of thought to get them back into the cage that a round bottle and normal cage simply doesn’t require.

Happily, our own wind tunnel tests show a noticeable improvement on the old model in aero terms, with a 6.9 watt benefit versus the old SuperSix, but this still sits it very much mid-table. It isn’t an aero bike, whatever the bottles say, and the low weight does mean it has designs on the high mountains. Top-spec models can be 6.4kg out of the box, while this model tips the balance at 7.7kg, which is certainly competitive at this price point.

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Performance

Unlike the Seka Spear, which has exceptional aerodynamics and a middling ride, the new SuperSix has middling aerodynamics and an exceptional ride. The old one handled very well, and the new one handles… well, the same really. It’s certainly up there in the mix with the best of the best in terms of how it rides, with a poise and balance that only really comes unstuck and gets a little squirrelly above 75km/h when hard on the brakes approaching an alpine hairpin a little too quickly. The rest of the time it’s a delight, turning in on demand and, when faced with surprise oncoming lorries messing up my apex-kissing, able to dive out of a corner as fast as it jumps into it.

There’s nothing terribly wrong with the DT Swiss ERC wheels and Schwalbe One tyres in this spec, but they do feel a little wooden, especially the tyres, when mounted to a platform that sings in the bends as well as this. To see what could reasonably be achieved with some light modding, I slapped a pair of the new Zipp 202 NSW wheels and some 30mm Continental GP5000 S TR tyres and things were markedly better, though probably slightly less aerodynamic.

I have no qualms with the groupset, and other than it feeling like a cheap spec option, the cockpit was plenty stiff enough to hold up to sprints and hard cornering, as was the frame. It’s no Ridley Noah, but it has that taught bowstring I look for in all the best all-rounders that produces a pleasing efficiency when the road points uphill. Again, this was aided by swapping to the Zipp wheels, but realistically I think anything slightly more premium would be an improvement.

One thing that slightly confuses me is the decision to only change the groupset when going from Rival to Force-tier builds. Same wheels, same tyres, same afterthought cockpit. These components feel perfectly good on a Rival-level build, but they feel a little lacklustre on this mid-spec model, and I’d like to see more to bridge the gap to the premium builds. You can get a build with Reserve wheels for more money, which is good to see, however.

I found the position absolutely fine, but I test racy bikes for a living, and so the lower front end proved no impediment. I can’t help but feel, however, that catering to a single Ben Healey may have an alienating effect on a large proportion of the customer base who maybe don’t have the same supple lumbar spines as pro athletes.

In reality, aside from the cockpit, I can’t really fault it in terms of performance. It is brilliant, and while I lament the slightly corporate vibe of the thing, that has no impact on how it goes, turns, and stops, all of which are done in relative comfort. When we tested it in the wind tunnel, the seatpost looked alarmingly flexible laterally, but I am happy to report this wasn't borne out on the road. Comfy, but never floppy anywhere, all without being over-stiff; a bike I’d happily spend all day on were it not for the demands of modern life.

Value

Compared to a Force-equipped Tarmac, there’s a gulf of £250 in favour of the SuperSix at RRP. The Specialized Tarmac SL8, however, comes with a better cockpit and better wheels, so it’s a far better deal in my view. Speccing the better Reserve wheelset jumps things up £2k, but at least then you get the integrated cockpit, and then it’s a good wedge more than the Tarmac.

To further tip the scales against the SuperSix, an Ultegra spec Canyon Aeroad is only £104 dearer than an Ultegra SuperSix, but comes with an integrated cockpit, higher calibre DT Swiss ARC wheels, and top spec Continental tyres.

It’s a hard sell really, no matter how well it handles. This is further compounded by the fact you can still pick up 2025 model SuperSixes, which will ride just as well and only suffer a minor aero and weight penalty, for significantly less cash.

Verdict

In terms of pure performance, the latest Cannondale SuperSix Evo is a brilliant bike to ride. It handles superbly, climbs well, and while the aero package isn’t sensational, it’s an improvement over the old one. When viewed in isolation it’s great, but as soon as you start adding in the context of other options the value proposition isn’t as strong as other options, even from brands that traditionally command a premium.

If you have a SuperSix from a few years ago, I wouldn’t stress about upgrading. It’s certainly in the mix if you’re looking for a brilliant all-rounder, but if you were my mate down the pub I’d suggest you look for a 2025 model on sale before spending big on a 2026 model.