NewsCannondale's six13 Slice
Cannondale has melded carbon and aluminum to create its latest speed machine
Published Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Cannondale has a new bike coming to the triathlon world this spring. The new six13 Slice has a unique blend of carbon and aluminum, making for a comfortable, fast race machine that will likely get you through your next Ironman ride a bit faster.
You'd think that whatever Faris Al-Sultan used to ride in front of the field for so much of last year's Ford Ironman World Championship would be enough, but leave it to the guys at Cannondale to improve on what was already an impressive package.
Road riders got the first taste of Cannondale’s answers to those questions last year when Cannondale’s composite engineers Mike Parkin and Brad Paquin developed a unique design for combining aluminum and carbon, utilizing that technology to create the road version of the six13 series. The top and down tubes of the six13 frames are carbon fiber, while the rest of the frame is aluminum. The idea is to combine the shock absorbing properties of carbon fiber frames with the responsiveness of aluminum models.
When I saw pictures of an aero-tubed tri version of the six13 (the six13 Slice) in January, I was desperate to try one out. (Really, it was to ensure I was providing ironman.com readers the most up-to-date info. I was doing it for you … I promise!)
In addition to the new frame design, the six13 Slice has an innovative seat post that allows athletes to vary their position. The frames have a 75 degree seat tube angle, but with the new “SUMO” seat post from USE, the position can be set up to be more relaxed, or steeper (up to 78 degrees). It all sounded like the ultimate combination of comfort and performance.
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I got my wish just a few days before heading to Malaysia and New Zealand to do our live coverage of those events. With its high gloss paint, the blue and black Six13 Slice turned more than a few eyes in the bike shop when I took it in. Equipped with Shimano’s Ultegra components, Profile Carbon Stryke bars and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, it weighed in at 17.6 pounds, which is as light as I’ve seen an Ultegra equipped bike. Throw on some lighter wheels, upgrade to the Dura Ace model … well, I’ll let you imagine just how light things could get!
While we all care about weight, what’s even more important is how the bike rides. My first ride on the six13 Slice came along the bike course in Malaysia. I’ll be honest about my first impression: it felt almost too relaxed and comfortable. I was beginning to wonder if Cannondale had made a mistake with the geometry of the new frame in order to ensure a comfortable ride, sacrificing performance to attain that comfort. Then I noticed a couple of things.
First, I was riding one- or two-miles-per-hour faster than I felt I should have been. I turned around to make sure that I wasn’t just enjoying the benefits of a tail wind, and was surprised to see that I didn’t slow down. Then I suddenly noticed that I had been riding in the aero position for pretty much the entire ride. Considering the fact that I was coming off almost three straight months of sitting on a CompuTrainer, this was a bit of a shock. Traditionally it takes me weeks to be able to stay that aero, that long.
My second ride confirmed those first impressions. This time I got the opportunity to take the Six13 for a longer effort, and found that I was once again incredibly comfortable in the aero position, riding faster than I imagined I should be, and suddenly starting to quite enjoy the combination of smooth and impressive performance. I kept picturing competing in an Ironman on a bike that rode like this: very stable, very comfortable … very fast. It was a nice picture!
It wasn’t until I got to New Zealand and had the opportunity to ride the bike on some good climbs that I became completely convinced that Cannondale has got it right with the six13 Slice. Powering up a short climb, or grinding up almost a thousand feet, I was impressed with the results. There was no noticeable flex in the bottom bracket no matter how hard I was pushing up the hills, an encouraging gauge of performance. The climbing prowess of the six13 Slice is no-doubt helped by the Cannondale’s unique Si Carbon crank set, which is light, stiff, and looks pretty cool, too.
Was there anything not to like? With my long upper body and short legs, I found the top-tube on the six13 Slice tough to fit around.
While the six13 Slice is obviously a great choice for Ironman racing, the light, responsive frame certainly won’t slow you down if you’re planning on focusing on Ironman 70.3 distances.
Cannondale offers the six13 Slice at a variety of levels – everything from the Ultegra equipped model I was on to the no-holds-barred top of the line model which features Dura Ace components with the SRM/ Hollowgram crank and Zipp 404 wheels. Cannondale hasn’t forgotten smaller riders, either. The 47 cm sized frame comes with 650 c wheels, while the rest of the frame sizes will feature 700 c wheels.
Regardless of the model you pick, you won’t be disappointed with Cannondale’s latest triathlon offering. Hey, if it’s fast enough for Faris, how can you go wrong?
