Cody and Alvin Take New Jersey (Courtesy of Cannondale)
Cannondale is one of our shop's most prominent brands. They often miscast as an oddball brand, one that makes bikes that are just different enough to be out of the ordinary. However, their success and growth as a brand is due more than anything to their dedication to innovation both inside and outside of the cycling industry.
The key to Cannondale's innovation comes from a desire to bring out the best tech they can so riders can have the best riding experience they can. While their innovation comes from competition, the results are found in a wide range of Cannondale's bikes, from mountain, road, commuter, and even their e-bikes. Cannondale doesn't settle for just okay, they go for the very best in their goal to create the perfect riding experience.
Cody and I (Alvin) had the opportunity to see Cannondale's newest tech on display in Vernon, New Jersey. Cannondale had some of their newest bikes available to be ogled and even test-ridden in the beauty of Mountain Creek Resort, which had beautifully-groomed mountain bike trails, beautiful scenery, and plenty of ways to goof off. We took a few photos, and hope to share what we thought was cool with you all.
DAY 1
The 2019 Cannondale lineup getting ready for a weekend of demo riding.
Sunday was a beautiful evening, and the resort a welcome sight after a long flight from SLC to Newark.
Excellent first impression from the Connecticut-based Cannondale.
You'd be as excited as we were if you saw the new 2019 Cannondale Habit model line. Check out our first look review here.
Here's the 2019 Cannondale Jekyll 1, with 27.5" wheels. It's an excellent example of Cannondale's refreshed design ethos, which focuses on simple colorways, minimal branding, and on beautiful colors to highlight the natural beauty of their bikes. A welcome break from the visual busnness of previous bikes.
New for this year is the Cannondale Jekyll 29 with 29er wheels. It maintains tech Jekyll is known for, but applies it to the stable 29" wheel size. WE RODE THIS BIKE! Review found here.
Cannondale made a point to show how much they've worked to simplify their lineup, visually and mechanically. The 2019 Scalpel SI is a good example. The Lefty Ocho is a simpler fork than before, but every model now ships with a Fox shock, 1x drivetrain, more value for the money, and much more simple paint schemes.
Cannondale pulled out the hot paint schemes with these retro colorways. The color-matched Lefty Ocho fork really sets the whole package off. Want one of your own? Good luck, they're nearly all sold out (though we bet we can pull some strings).
It's remarkable how smooth the roller bearing design of the Lefty Ocho felt alongside the standard fork.
"Do not go gentle into that good night" - Dylan Thomas. Electricity was in the air, and as exciting as the bikes were, we were even more excited to go ride the next morning.
DAY 2
Our time in New Jersey was the opposite of Utah weather: wet, variable, and cool. Taking the lifts on our first run of the day took us deep into the fog.
We were particularly excited by the 2019 Cannondale Topstone gravel bike. It's very competitively priced, is well-designed, and effectively does everything you'd want for in a gravel or all road bike. The top model also gets a dropper post. Rad. I (Alvin) took one out for a ride and was seriously impressed with how well it handled over all kinds of surfaces.
There was lot of buzz around the Cannondale SystemSix, their first aero road bike. Despite the barrage of aero bikes released this year, Cannondale still claims that this is the fastest road bike on the market, with the numbers to prove it.
Cannondale's graphics and paint schemes were top notch this year. One of our favorites was this 2019 Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod Women's RED eTap. Our photos make the paint scheme look like cheap guacamole, but we assure you that in person, it's truly striking.
Fabric has been on a roll lately. Between their comprehensive selection of saddles for every anatomy and their growing group of accessories, each product has a distinctly "Fabric" flare.
Rim brakes aren't dead, at least according to the 2019 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Ultegra Race. $3500 nets you a full Ultegra group, a power meter, and carbon wheels. Definitely a niche bike, but an excellent package for anyone looking for a quality race road bike.
Views.
DAY 3
Cannondale wants a kid's first bike to be COOL. Their new push bike has a custom rigid Lefty fork. How cool is that? The new Cannondale Quick 24 is a good choice for pavement-oriented children.
Cannondale's range of pedal-assist bikes now spans urban, mountain, and road bikes. They're pulling out all of the stops with cool bikes like the Synapse NEO road bike and Tesoro NEO X Speed, an all-rounder that offers pedal assist up to 28 mph. Our review found of the Synapse NEO e-road bike found here.
We were able to sneak out for a bit right before our flight on the SystemSix and Synapse NEO. Both offer free speed in completely different ways. Which one do we like more? Your answers will vary based on who you ask!
Cody contemplating ditching the flight and staying at the resort forever.
Thanks to Cannondale for giving us the chance to ride the new 2019 bikes and be well taken care of for a couple of days. We're definitely excited for what's in store, and hopefully our photos give you all a taste of it.
The 2019 Cannondale lineup getting ready for a weekend of demo riding.
Sunday was a beautiful evening, and the resort a welcome sight after a long flight from SLC to Newark.
Excellent first impression from the Connecticut-based Cannondale.
You'd be as excited as we were if you saw the new 2019 Cannondale Habit model line. Check out our first look review here.
Here's the 2019 Cannondale Jekyll 1, with 27.5" wheels. It's an excellent example of Cannondale's refreshed design ethos, which focuses on simple colorways, minimal branding, and on beautiful colors to highlight the natural beauty of their bikes. A welcome break from the visual busnness of previous bikes.
New for this year is the Cannondale Jekyll 29 with 29er wheels. It maintains tech Jekyll is known for, but applies it to the stable 29" wheel size. WE RODE THIS BIKE! Review found here.
Cannondale made a point to show how much they've worked to simplify their lineup, visually and mechanically. The 2019 Scalpel SI is a good example. The Lefty Ocho is a simpler fork than before, but every model now ships with a Fox shock, 1x drivetrain, more value for the money, and much more simple paint schemes.
Cannondale pulled out the hot paint schemes with these retro colorways. The color-matched Lefty Ocho fork really sets the whole package off. Want one of your own? Good luck, they're nearly all sold out (though we bet we can pull some strings).
It's remarkable how smooth the roller bearing design of the Lefty Ocho felt alongside the standard fork.
"Do not go gentle into that good night" - Dylan Thomas. Electricity was in the air, and as exciting as the bikes were, we were even more excited to go ride the next morning.
DAY 2
Our time in New Jersey was the opposite of Utah weather: wet, variable, and cool. Taking the lifts on our first run of the day took us deep into the fog.
We were particularly excited by the 2019 Cannondale Topstone gravel bike. It's very competitively priced, is well-designed, and effectively does everything you'd want for in a gravel or all road bike. The top model also gets a dropper post. Rad. I (Alvin) took one out for a ride and was seriously impressed with how well it handled over all kinds of surfaces.
There was lot of buzz around the Cannondale SystemSix, their first aero road bike. Despite the barrage of aero bikes released this year, Cannondale still claims that this is the fastest road bike on the market, with the numbers to prove it.
Cannondale's graphics and paint schemes were top notch this year. One of our favorites was this 2019 Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod Women's RED eTap. Our photos make the paint scheme look like cheap guacamole, but we assure you that in person, it's truly striking.
Fabric has been on a roll lately. Between their comprehensive selection of saddles for every anatomy and their growing group of accessories, each product has a distinctly "Fabric" flare.
Rim brakes aren't dead, at least according to the 2019 Cannondale SuperSix EVO Ultegra Race. $3500 nets you a full Ultegra group, a power meter, and carbon wheels. Definitely a niche bike, but an excellent package for anyone looking for a quality race road bike.
Views.
DAY 3
Cannondale wants a kid's first bike to be COOL. Their new push bike has a custom rigid Lefty fork. How cool is that? The new Cannondale Quick 24 is a good choice for pavement-oriented children.
Cannondale's range of pedal-assist bikes now spans urban, mountain, and road bikes. They're pulling out all of the stops with cool bikes like the Synapse NEO road bike and Tesoro NEO X Speed, an all-rounder that offers pedal assist up to 28 mph. Our review found of the Synapse NEO e-road bike found here.
We were able to sneak out for a bit right before our flight on the SystemSix and Synapse NEO. Both offer free speed in completely different ways. Which one do we like more? Your answers will vary based on who you ask!
Cody contemplating ditching the flight and staying at the resort forever.
Thanks to Cannondale for giving us the chance to ride the new 2019 bikes and be well taken care of for a couple of days. We're definitely excited for what's in store, and hopefully our photos give you all a taste of it.
