Fantastic performance and value that proves aluminum is far from obsolete
Cannondale's CAAD9 aluminum chassis was a privateer road racer's secret weapon, offering very good frame stiffness and weight at a relatively bargain-basement price. The new CAAD10 is even more so, being substantially lighter than before and with a more refined ride quality. Our CAAD10 4 Rival tester has proven to be especially good value and is just a set of tires and cables away from being all that most of us will ever need, and all at US$1,799.
Ride & handling: Excellent manners on the road with a feel that rivals mid-range carbon
Cannondale can't wield a magic wand and overcome the inherent material property differences between aluminum and carbon fiber but the performance of their new CAAD10 does an excellent job of showcasing what's possible when the limits are pushed. Even when pressed hard, the CAAD10 makes an admirable showing against the much more expensive SuperSix Hi-Mod.
Overall stiffness is very good in most situations and generally on-par – if not better than – many cheaper carbon bikes out there, especially while just cruising along, as many buyers will likely spend most of their time doing anyway. It's not until you really have to put your foot on the gas that the differences between the CAAD10 and the SuperSix Hi-Mod or standard Six become more evident. There's a little more front-end twist when sprinting and the bike doesn't reward surges in power quite as immediately, but neither change is at all objectionable and the SuperSix Hi-Mod establishes some heady benchmarks.
Cannondale's frame design