# Cannondale Six Carbon



## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

I'm interested in the new Six Carbon 105 (european model), so, once there are some owners in this forum, I'll be glad to know what they, or someone else, thinks about this new Cannondale model.
Thanks.


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## pc997 (Nov 18, 2008)

I just bought a six carbon 105,I'll post a review later


so far, very nice bike....


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

pc997 said:


> I just bought a six carbon 105,I'll post a review later
> 
> 
> so far, very nice bike....


Ok, that´s a start. I´ll be waiting for your review.
Your's is very nice, I'm after the same model (105) but in white.


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## PigmyRacer (Oct 3, 2007)

Regarding your posts comparing the six to the CAAD9...

As most of the grumpy old men on this forum will tell you, comfort is often less dependent on frame material and more dependent on tire pressure, saddle and other contact points. In other words, a carbon frame built to the exact same specs as an aluminum, steel or titanium frame will probably feel about the same. In my opinion, top-end aluminum trumps middle of the road carbon any day.


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## ShadowWraith25 (Dec 1, 2008)

I recently had to decide between the CAAD9 and Six Carbon too.

My LBS let me test ride a CAAD9 (7 i think), Six Carbon 6, and a Synapse Carbon. The CAAD9 felt very stiff, responsive, and cornered extremely well. However, the Six Carbon and Synapse Carbon rode great and felt smoother and more comfortable than the CAAD. The Six Carbon also accelerated really well and felt good climbing. I ended up ordering a Six Carbon 5 because it was comfortable, but still had a lot of the CAAD's sportiness.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

PigmyRacer said:


> Regarding your posts comparing the six to the CAAD9...
> 
> As most of the grumpy old men on this forum will tell you, comfort is often less dependent on frame material and more dependent on tire pressure, saddle and other contact points. In other words, a carbon frame built to the exact same specs as an aluminum, steel or titanium frame will probably feel about the same. In my opinion, top-end aluminum trumps middle of the road carbon any day.


Probably you're right!
Has I said before, I have litle experience in road bikes, but (in theory at least) carbon should provide a stiffer and confortable frame over alu, once it should absorve (litle) bumps better, but I also now that carbon isn't all the same!
I guess that in many ways, many carbon frames are related to a certain... "fashion" and doesn't bring any, or close to none, improvement over a well sorted and prooven alu frame.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

ShadowWraith25 said:


> I recently had to decide between the CAAD9 and Six Carbon too.
> 
> My LBS let me test ride a CAAD9 (7 i think), Six Carbon 6, and a Synapse Carbon. The CAAD9 felt very stiff, responsive, and cornered extremely well. However, the Six Carbon and Synapse Carbon rode great and felt smoother and more comfortable than the CAAD. The Six Carbon also accelerated really well and felt good climbing. I ended up ordering a Six Carbon 5 because it was comfortable, but still had a lot of the CAAD's sportiness.


That's the way I tought the difference should be noticed! But I didn't try any of the bikes... yet


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

ShadowWraith25 said:


> I recently had to decide between the CAAD9 and Six Carbon too.
> 
> My LBS let me test ride a CAAD9 (7 i think), Six Carbon 6, and a Synapse Carbon. The CAAD9 felt very stiff, responsive, and cornered extremely well. However, the Six Carbon and Synapse Carbon rode great and felt smoother and more comfortable than the CAAD. The Six Carbon also accelerated really well and felt good climbing. I ended up ordering a Six Carbon 5 because it was comfortable, but still had a lot of the CAAD's sportiness.


cool... ill see you on the team with a bike similar to mine?

i just talked to mikes bikes... long story short i should have it within 2 weeks

to the OP... i plan to ride the hell out of the bike once i get it. ill keep you posted if this thread is still alive.


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## Farmer Tan (Jan 25, 2009)

I'm in the market for a new bike this spring. Right now, what's on my list of bikes to test ride are:

-Cannondale Six Carbon 1 and 3
-Trek Madone 5.2
-Felt AR4 and F3SL

If anyone can give feedback on those Cannondale models it would be mucho appreciated. I'd like to know about how it rides, things that stand out, what you do not like about it (if any) or any area of improvement, and anything else you can add.

-Thanks


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## kronis (Aug 17, 2008)

how do you feel about the weight of the six carbon frame?


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

kronis said:


> how do you feel about the weight of the six carbon frame?


Someone, at Cannondale, told me (by mail) that the frame of the Six Carbon was 1300gr and the (all carbon) fork 420gr.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

Farmer Tan said:


> I'm in the market for a new bike this spring. Right now, what's on my list of bikes to test ride are:
> 
> -Cannondale Six Carbon 1 and 3
> -Trek Madone 5.2
> ...


The things that stand out in the Six Carbon, in the my opinion:
- Oversized tapered head tube;
- BB30, wich will bring, in theory at last, some added stifness to the BB area;
- Lifetime warranty (all Cannondale models).


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## kronis (Aug 17, 2008)

and that would be the unpainted one or? I ride a 48cm six carbon 3 white/red.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

kronis said:


> and that would be the unpainted one or? I ride a 48cm six carbon 3 white/red.


Don't know, didn't ask that...


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## htsui (Oct 4, 2008)

It's quite a heavy bike, just had my 6C6 weighted with a bunch of upgrades and it came to 19.8 lbs.

Upgrades include (all weights are from manufacturers' websites):

Fulcrum Racing 3 - 710g/895g without QR
Michelin Pro3 Race tyres - 200g ea
Michelin A1 Aircomp tubes - 77g ea
SRAM Force Crankset - 665g
SRAM Red BB - 105g
Shimano 105 brakeset - 359g
Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow saddle - 220g
Crankbrothers Smarty pedals - 282g
But I am sure you can knock some weight off by going with the 6C3 or 6C1 with a lighter grouppo.


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## ShadowWraith25 (Dec 1, 2008)

htsui said:


> It's quite a heavy bike, just had my 6C6 weighted with a bunch of upgrades and it came to 19.8 lbs.
> 
> Upgrades include (all weights are from manufacturers' websites):
> 
> ...


Wow, that's pretty heavy. I was figuring it would be around 19 lbs at most. htsui and kronis, do you notice the weight when you're riding? would you still recommend it as a good bike?


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## frdfandc (Nov 27, 2007)

htsui,

you will need to scale all your parts yourself. I did the same thing for my mountain bike. Took all the manufacturers listed weights and added it up.

Then I weighed everything one day. Bike ended up being just over 1 lb less.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

htsui said:


> It's quite a heavy bike, just had my 6C6 weighted with a bunch of upgrades and it came to 19.8 lbs.
> 
> Upgrades include (all weights are from manufacturers' websites):
> 
> ...


Frdrandc is right, or you can step on a scale, and then step on it holding your bike. Subtract the difference. Or you can just bring to your bike shop and have it weighed.

If the true weight is indeed more than 19 lbs, there are several factors in play: 1) I have a feeling the stock fork is heavy (is it a carbon or alum steerer tube?) and there's nothing you can do short of getting a new fork. 2) do you have the stock seat post, handlebar and stem. The stock ones are pretty heavy, especially the post which is a "carbon wrap" meaning it's just a piece of carbon layer over alum. The bolting mechanism is probably heavy too. I suspect the stem and bar are a bit on the heavy side. You can find stems that weigh around 115g and bars under 250g for pretty cheap if interested 3) you seem to have steel or alloy bottle cages-get either lighter plastic or splurge on carbon fiber You also seem to have something between your downtube cage and the downtube--is that extra washers? 4) You probably like your pedals, but those are heavy. 5) Titanium skewers. 6) if your butt can take it, get an Selle Italia SLR xp or Carbonio saddle (165 or 135 g respectively). I know that these upgrades are frivolous, but if your bike is really about 20 lbs, and you don't want to spend even more money on a lighter wheelset, or derailleurs, shifters or brakes (which appear to be Shimano 105), then you might want to make some or all of those "frivolous" upgrades. 

But it perplexes me you have a full carbon bike with the decent parts I see and it still weighs 19.8 lbs. I have a 2005 small Giant TCR Advanced with all Ultegra drivetrain components,FSA crank. Look carbon ti pedals, and heavy Easton Vista clinchers as a training bike, and it weighs 16.6 lbs. Frankly I was amazed.


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

kronis said:


> and that would be the unpainted one or? I ride a 48cm six carbon 3 white/red.


thats exactly the bike i ordered :thumbsup: ... white wasnt availible so i went with black tho :mad2:


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

htsui said:


> It's quite a heavy bike, just had my 6C6 weighted with a bunch of upgrades and it came to 19.8 lbs.
> 
> Upgrades include (all weights are from manufacturers' websites):
> 
> ...


That's pretty heavy


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## funhog1 (Jan 26, 2003)

ping771 said:


> Frankly I was amazed.


Early Carbon Synapse frames, completey bare size 56 (m/l) weighed as much as 1500 grams. (Not the 09' HM Synapse)

Again that's the full carbon ones. 

The Six's are currently heavy. 1300-1400 ish grams or even more. For my money = not a good deal. 

Pegasus, (now it's Dorel) knew that the market automatically thinks carbon is the better deal as far as weight goes. Not the best or only metric with which to rate a bike, but at that price point is indeed often a justified concern to some.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

funhog1 said:


> Early Carbon Synapse frames, completey bare size 56 (m/l) weighed as much as 1500 grams. (Not the 09' HM Synapse)
> 
> Again that's the full carbon ones.
> 
> ...


When you say 1300-1400g do you mean the Six (with alum and carbon tubes) or the Six Carbon (full carbon)? If you mean Six Carbon, I wonder what your weight estimation is of the Six?

Hope your revelation here does not rain on the parade of the new Six Carbon owners here. I suspect that many Six and Six Carbon owners choose comfort and ride quality over weight, and I hope that the Six/Six Carbon delivers on those fronts.


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## junior varsity (Dec 16, 2006)

The problem is when people look at frames all they seem to care about is weight. There is a lot more that goes into a frame than just making it light. It has to be durable and be stiff in the right places while being compliant in others.

And withe the Pegasus and Dorel bashing, remember, Cannondale was bankrupt in '03. It was also falling behind. People don't realize that Cannondale's first full carbon race frame didn't come out until 2008 and they weighted 1150-1250 grams. It's not always about the weight. People are also complaining that Dorel is to blame for a lower priced carbon frame which is simply not true. Frames (platforms) are planned out for years and the Six was started way before the Dorel purchase. Think about it, Cannondale still makes the CAAD 9with 105 and now they are making BB30 CAAD 9's for teams. Some people demand carbon and that's why there is $1600 Full Carbon bike with 105. It's aimed at a different customer than the CAAD. I for one am happy to see the BB30 and Carbon coming down to a lower price point as are most other dealers.


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

junior varsity said:


> The problem is when people look at frames all they seem to care about is weight. There is a lot more that goes into a frame than just making it light. It has to be durable and be stiff in the right places while being compliant in others.
> 
> And withe the Pegasus and Dorel bashing, remember, Cannondale was bankrupt in '03. It was also falling behind. People don't realize that Cannondale's first full carbon race frame didn't come out until 2008 and they weighted 1150-1250 grams. It's not always about the weight. People are also complaining that Dorel is to blame for a lower priced carbon frame which is simply not true. Frames (platforms) are planned out for years and the Six was started way before the Dorel purchase. Think about it, Cannondale still makes the CAAD 9with 105 and now they are making BB30 CAAD 9's for teams. Some people demand carbon and that's why there is $1600 Full Carbon bike with 105. It's aimed at a different customer than the CAAD. I for one am happy to see the BB30 and Carbon coming down to a lower price point as are most other dealers.


:thumbsup: screw weight weenie isms... i look for geometry and performance. if it happens to be light so be it. who cares if its 100g's over the scale.

i also like stuff that's cheap because college students dont got a lot of money.


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## ShadowWraith25 (Dec 1, 2008)

I just took delivery of my SixC5 yesterday. The shop weighed my 56 in white at 19.66lbs with a toupe saddle, ultegra pedals, reflectors on the wheels, and no cages. They said that the SixC3 seems to be a little heavier than the stock SixC5. Strange... I was also told that a lot of the weight for the SixC is in the components rather than the frame.

I only had time for a quick ride today, but the bike felt really smooth and efficient. It also looks great! I did notice what seemed to be the front wheel rubbing on the brakes under hard accelerations. Is that easy to fix, or is it just the crappy wheels flexing?


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## htsui (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi ping771,

My LBS did weigh the bike and that's where I got 19.8 from. You are right about the fork being heavy, it's aluminium steerer. I tried changing the seatpost too; tried the Deda Blackstick (clamp didn't fit too well, maybe I was just too picky, you can see a pic of it in my gallery) and then tried the Deda SuperZero (clamp didn't agree with my saddle) so I am back to the stock Canondale C2 carbon-wrapped post (that's easily 270g+). I do have a new stem on its way, a 3T ARX Team (120g), which is apparently "stuck" at Canadian customs.  

At this point, I have decided to put a stop (at least a pause) to my upgrades with the possible exception of a new post if I can find one that I (my bike and saddle) like.

Even at that weight, I am really enjoying my rides these days. The bike doesn't seem to feel that heavy and I am just enjoying being out there riding.


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

ShadowWraith25 said:


> I just took delivery of my SixC5 yesterday. The shop weighed my 56 in white at 19.66lbs with a toupe saddle, ultegra pedals, reflectors on the wheels, and no cages. They said that the SixC3 seems to be a little heavier than the stock SixC5. Strange... I was also told that a lot of the weight for the SixC is in the components rather than the frame.
> 
> I only had time for a quick ride today, but the bike felt really smooth and efficient. It also looks great! I did notice what seemed to be the front wheel rubbing on the brakes under hard accelerations. Is that easy to fix, or is it just the crappy wheels flexing?


nice

i think the six C3 weighs more because it has a BB30. my guess. 

your front wheel probably isnt secured right. tighten the quick release. if that dont do it, the tension in your spokes might be loose.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

ShadowWraith25 said:


> Wow, that's pretty heavy. I was figuring it would be around 19 lbs at most. htsui and kronis, do you notice the weight when you're riding? would you still recommend it as a good bike?


The weight seems to be right (on the 4th page) http://www.roadbike.de/news/highlights-2009-neue-bikes-parts-und-bekleidung.280089.9.htm?skip=3 
Yeah, I know that´s in german but...
They also mention the stifness on the headtube and bb area.


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

got my bike sunday. havent had much time to snap pics or anything due to midterms and crap. 

for all the weight weenies out there. i weighed my bike in the shop with SPD mountain pedals. it came in at 20lbs flat. a little heavy for a full carbon frame. (six C 3) but who cares. apparently the wheels are really heavy. i have a size 48 cm frame as well. pics coming soon when i can catch a break from school


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

Linga115 said:


> got my bike sunday. havent had much time to snap pics or anything due to midterms and crap.
> 
> for all the weight weenies out there. i weighed my bike in the shop with SPD mountain pedals. it came in at 20lbs flat. a little heavy for a full carbon frame. (six C 3) but who cares. apparently the wheels are really heavy. i have a size 48 cm frame as well. pics coming soon when i can catch a break from school


I'm not a weight weenie but, as you say, it's preatty heavy for an all carbon model.
If possible, tell us something about how it rides too.


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## STARNUT (Jun 19, 2005)

It's not the parts............. The frame is actually really heavy. 

The CAAD9 is lighter.

Starnut


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## Linga115 (Aug 14, 2008)

jmsp said:


> I'm not a weight weenie but, as you say, it's preatty heavy for an all carbon model.
> If possible, tell us something about how it rides too.


i have yet to do any real riding with it yet. i did one group ride that was about 30-40 miles with lots of sprints. it kept me in the group until some pro 1-2 guys hopped in and led the sprints. 

over all the bike feels fast and smooth. riding over train tracks and rough road, i felt minimal vibration compared to my steel framed commuter bike. havent really hit any hard corners yet, but the ones that i did hit during the group ride, i found myself almost hitting the person in front of me. although this could be due to the person in front of me squeezing the brakes harder than i was. 

ill give a full ride report once i spend some quality time on it.


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## ShadowWraith25 (Dec 1, 2008)

Linga115 said:


> i have yet to do any real riding with it yet. i did one group ride that was about 30-40 miles with lots of sprints. it kept me in the group until some pro 1-2 guys hopped in and led the sprints.
> 
> over all the bike feels fast and smooth. riding over train tracks and rough road, i felt minimal vibration compared to my steel framed commuter bike. havent really hit any hard corners yet, but the ones that i did hit during the group ride, i found myself almost hitting the person in front of me. although this could be due to the person in front of me squeezing the brakes harder than i was.
> 
> ill give a full ride report once i spend some quality time on it.


glad to hear you got your bike. i want to see some pictures. i bet the black looks really nice.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

I weighed the new Super Six 3-D at my shop and in a size 56 it weighed 16.1lbs w/o pedals, stock...pretty decent!


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## htsui (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi all, upgrades all done now (is that even possible?, OK, maybe a couple of carbon cages)  

Six Carbon 6 with the following upgrades:
3T ARX Team 90mm Stem
Blackburn Neuro 4.0 Cadence Computer
Crank Brothers Smarty Pedals
Deda Elementi Black Stick Seatpost
Fulcrum Racing 3 Wheelset
Michelin Pro3 Race Tyres
Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow Saddle
Shimano 105 Brakes
SRAM Force Carbon Compact Crankset
SRAM Red Ceramic BB

Always counting down to the next ride!


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

STARNUT said:


> It's not the parts............. The frame is actually really heavy.
> 
> The CAAD9 is lighter.
> 
> Starnut


Yes, the frame and also the fork!
According to http://www.roadbike.de/news/highlights-2009-neue-bikes-parts-und-bekleidung.280089.9.htm?skip=3.de (page4) the frame (size 56) is 1382gr and fork 734gr!!! I can't believe that an all carbon fork, from Cnnondale, can weight so much!!!
But, as I understand, stifness achived nice values too, with 79Nm in the headtube and 119Nm in the BB. I hope I'm not mistake about the interpretation of this values 

CAAD9 (frame+fork) should be lighter, stiffer and... unconfortable (with the same equipament as a Six) on longer rides?
The position on the Six's will be a bit more relax too, right?


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## Farmer Tan (Jan 25, 2009)

Nice ride! I like that color.


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## jmsp (Oct 23, 2008)

It really looks great!!!:thumbsup:


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