Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I ride a lot of cheap bikes, so I decided to rent the fastest UCI legal road bike in the world. Riding it over 2 days in nearly 40°C, it turned out to be an interesting choice…
SIROKO CLOTHING – 10% off (automatically applied via link below): srko.co/tracevelo
I build and ride lots of cheap bikes, mainly built with parts I source from AliExpress. They are usually endurance style bikes, so tend to have some comfort and compliance built into the frame. So while on a recent trip to Majorca in Spain, I decided to put some cash down, and rent a really nice race bike.
I ended up renting the SystemSix, which Cannondale claim is 'The fastest road bike in the world. Period.' It's an extremely stiff aero focused race bike, with 65mm deep carbon wheels, and Dura-Ace groupset.
Over 2 days, and just over 100 miles, I came to realise that this bike was incredibly fast on the flats, but it was also incredibly uncomfortable. On anything over than completely smooth tarmac, the bike was SO harsh. Any small imperfections were transferred through the frame and seat post, directly into my bum.
Climbs on the bike also left a lot to be desired, the aero frame and wheels really caught the wind, and the front end was very twitchy on the descents.
Regardless I am SO pleased that I chose the Cannondale SystemSix over the other endurance style frames that were in the rental shops, and that Dura-Ace groupset opened my eyes to just how good mechanical shifting can be!
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:29 – Intro
01:41 – Cannondale SystemSix
02:39 – First climb - Cap De Formentor
04:00 – Dura-Ace R9120 groupset
05:57 – SystemSix in a cross-wind
08:50 – Performance on the flat
11:25 – Climbing performance- Cap De Femenia
14:54 – Descending - Twitchy front end
16:22 – Day 2 - Avoiding climbs
18:30 – Why so uncomfortable?
21:19 – Bonus Clip Time & Cam Nicholls
Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - go2dev.co.uk
Instagram: instagram.com/tracevelo
Email: tracevelouk@gmail.com
I ride a lot of cheap bikes, so I decided to rent the fastest UCI legal road bike in the world. Riding it over 2 days in nearly 40°C, it turned out to be an interesting choice…
SIROKO CLOTHING – 10% off (automatically applied via link below): srko.co/tracevelo
I build and ride lots of cheap bikes, mainly built with parts I source from AliExpress. They are usually endurance style bikes, so tend to have some comfort and compliance built into the frame. So while on a recent trip to Majorca in Spain, I decided to put some cash down, and rent a really nice race bike.
I ended up renting the SystemSix, which Cannondale claim is 'The fastest road bike in the world. Period.' It's an extremely stiff aero focused race bike, with 65mm deep carbon wheels, and Dura-Ace groupset.
Over 2 days, and just over 100 miles, I came to realise that this bike was incredibly fast on the flats, but it was also incredibly uncomfortable. On anything over than completely smooth tarmac, the bike was SO harsh. Any small imperfections were transferred through the frame and seat post, directly into my bum.
Climbs on the bike also left a lot to be desired, the aero frame and wheels really caught the wind, and the front end was very twitchy on the descents.
Regardless I am SO pleased that I chose the Cannondale SystemSix over the other endurance style frames that were in the rental shops, and that Dura-Ace groupset opened my eyes to just how good mechanical shifting can be!
Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:29 – Intro
01:41 – Cannondale SystemSix
02:39 – First climb - Cap De Formentor
04:00 – Dura-Ace R9120 groupset
05:57 – SystemSix in a cross-wind
08:50 – Performance on the flat
11:25 – Climbing performance- Cap De Femenia
14:54 – Descending - Twitchy front end
16:22 – Day 2 - Avoiding climbs
18:30 – Why so uncomfortable?
21:19 – Bonus Clip Time & Cam Nicholls
Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - go2dev.co.uk
Instagram: instagram.com/tracevelo
Email: tracevelouk@gmail.com
