Cannondale SuperX 105 review

Cannondale has totally redesigned its SuperX carbon cyclocross bike for 2017 with new geometry and improved clearance. We've put the 105 variant to the test.

(Image credit: mike prior)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

A great handling cyclocross bike with really good handling and innovative design, but the SuperX would benefit from a cheaper SRAM 1 option and needs a symmetrically dished rear wheel

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Excellent clearance

  • +

    Stable handling off road

  • +

    Tubeless ready

  • +

    Compliance features built into frame

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Front mech cable routing will attract muck

  • -

    Needs symmetrically dished rear wheel - not all aftermarket options are compatible

  • -

    Low component spec for the price

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Cannondale has totally redesigned the SuperX for 2017, with the new frame incorporating technology from its road and mountain bikes. So there’s a slack head tube designed to be more stable off road. The bottom bracket is shifted 6mm to the right, mimicking Cannondale’s mountain bikes in a system which Cannondale calls Asymetric Integration or Ai. This allows the chainstays to be symmetrical and gives very large clearance around the rear wheel. It also means that the rear wheel is dished symmetrically, so evening out spoke tension.

Buy now: Cannondale SuperX Carbon 105 2017 Cyclocross Bike at Evans Cycles for £2,599.99

The SuperX's rear triangle includes vibration damping seatstays and a recessed seatpost bolt

The SuperX's rear triangle includes vibration damping seatstays and a recessed seatpost bolt
(Image credit: mike prior)

Cannondale has included design features from its Synapse endurance road bike too, including SpeedSave flex zones in the rear triangle, a 25.2mm seatpost and a recessed seatpost clamp to increase the free seatpost length. These are features all designed to improve ride comfort at the rear. The SuperX also uses the Synapse’s BB30a bottom bracket for wider bearing placement than a conventional BB30.

Specification

The SuperX comes with Shimano 105 shifting, with hydraulic brakes using Shimano’s chunky R505 hydraulic levers. It has a Cannondale chainset with FSA rings with the classic 46/36 cyclocross ratios.

Cannondale fits its own crankset in the BB30a bottom bracket shell

Cannondale fits its own crankset in the BB30a bottom bracket shell
(Image credit: mike prior)

Rims are Maddux tubeless ready on Formula hubs, shod with Schwalbe X-One 33mm tyres. Some wheel manufacturers sell symmetrically dished wheels, but you need to be careful that aftermarket wheelsets can be realigned to fit the frame. Cannondale gives guidance on-line on available symmetric rear wheels and which can be redished or need new nipples or spokes.

>>> Guide to riding cyclocross

Ride

Cannondale says that the SuperX’s redesign helps to handle modern faster, more technical cyclocross courses. The bike certainly handles well when riding at speed off-road, without sacrificing manoeuvrability. Although not mud tyres, the Schwalbes handle stickier stuff well. They don’t lose too much traction and soon clear once on firmer ground.

>>> Should you change to tubeless tyres?

SuperX comes tubeless ready

SuperX comes tubeless ready
(Image credit: mike prior)

They may not be pretty, but the 105 hydraulic shifters work well and being a tad wider support the hands well when tackling bumpy ground. Cables are fully enclosed, with the rear mech cable taking the classic cyclocross top tube route and emerging towards the bottom of the seat stay, so there’s little exposed cabling to clog up.

>>> Icons of cycling: the Three Peaks cyclocross race

Cable stops include space for a dropper post

Cable stops include space for a dropper post
(Image credit: mike prior)

The front mech cable feeds through a cable guide behind the almost shelfless bottom bracket. It’s tidy enough but will accumulate debris from muddy grass, potentially affecting shifting. But the bike looks to be designed around single ring groupsets and it’s a pity that Cannondale only offers one, pricy, SRAM 1 option.

>>> Cycling Weekly Adventure Cross sportive series

Value

Once things get wintry, clearance is key and on this score Cannondale’s new SuperX excels. It’s got good fore and aft clearance behind the seat tube coupled to much more lateral space than most crossers. This also adds a bit of versatility as you could easily fit wider gravel tyres for excursions on unpaved tracks.

Watch: Guide to cyclocross bikes

Buy now: Cannondale SuperX Carbon 105 2017 Cyclocross Bike at Evans Cycles for £2,599.99

Cannondale has clearly put its investment into the SuperX’s frame and the finishing kit rather reflects this, being a notch below that which you would expect on a road bike at this price. But it’s money well spent, resulting in a bike with a modern design and huge clearance to tackle the demands of cyclocross.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Paul Norman

Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.