Cannondale's proprietary method of high-strength, high-stiffness carbon construction is the ideal blend of the most advanced materials in the world combined with the most advanced carbon engineering and design. The results speak for themselves. In mountain bikes, it lets us build exceptionally strong, light bikes like the F-Si, Scalpel and Habit lines. On the road, it enables us to push the boundaries of light weight while tightly controlling the frame's overall stiffness and ride feel on bikes like the SuperSix EVO, SuperX and Synapse.

It starts with a base structure composed of ultra-strong fibers similar to those used for military ballistic armoring, and high-strength, high-impact resins similar to what is used in the construction of carbon baseball bats; light, stiff and designed to endure thousands of deformation cycles. We combine these fibers and this resin in a lay-up designed to maximize the anisotropic (direction-specific) qualities of the fibers in a carbon structure that is extremely light, extremely stiff and capable of withstanding high loads without damage or loss of structural integrity.  This enables the frames to pass all of our extremely tough destructive and fatigue testing. To tune the overall stiffness and ride-feel of the frame, we strategically add the stiffer, but more brittle higher modulus fibers to create an interconnected network of stiffening fibers throughout the frame. This allows us to precisely tune in different amounts of stiffness and deflection at different points throughout the frame, creating an unbelievably balanced and nuanced ride.

Cannondale Carbon Construction comes in two versions:

Cannondale Hi-MOD Carbon:

Carbon at its best.  Both versions share the same ultra strong base structure, but the Hi-MOD version uses a sophisticated mix of high and ultra-high modulus fibers to create the stiffening network. Due to their extreme rigidity, we can gain tremendous stiffness with less material, which keeps the overall structure weight to a minimum. The Hi-MOD fibers also deliver a communicative, lively ride-feel that keeps riders more connected with the road surface, letting them push the limits with greater control.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR HI-MOD CARBON CANNONDALE BIKES

Cannondale Carbon:

This version shares the same structure, lay-up and shapes as the Hi-MOD versions but the stiffness and ride feel are dialed in with multiple layers of intermediate-modulus fibers, rather than the more expensive high modulus fibers. This additional material adds a slight amount of weight but delivers similar stiffness and deflection as the Hi-MOD versions, and enables us to offer Cannondale Carbon technology to more riders.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR CANNONDALE CARBON FIBER BIKES

By Tim Eaton, Cannondale Sports Marketing and Community Manager