The start of the 2024 road racing season is on the horizon now. And as day follows night, EF Education-EasyPost have released their latest round of loud and proud Cannondale SuperSix bikes for the season.
Each new season of course means a new cycling kit, paintjobs and equipment for every pro cycling team. You can check out all of the new season's tech in our men's and women's WorldTour tech guides. EF Education launches always garner attention, though, thanks to a colourful history of headline-creating designs for team kits, equipment and special-edition collaborations.
The team also released their new Rapha team kit this week, including, by special request, the return of white socks. Alongside the new kit, history has taught us we can probably expect at least one eye-catching limited-edition team kit later this season, perhaps to celebrate a Grand Tour, so consider this the warm-up.
Here it is then, the new 2024 EF Education Cannondale Supersix Evo Lab 71. It is the very top-tier frameset offered by Cannondale, though the team did ride slightly more normal Hi-Mod frames badged as Lab 71 frames last year for a time.
The 2024 fourth generation SuperSix bikes feature Dura-Ace R9200 electronic groupsets as well as Vision Metron wheels shod in Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres. There are also saddles and handlebar tape from Prologo.
Yellow, pink, white and red all feature on the frame. The team will be well placed if they manage to win all three Grand Tours this year, as Jumbo-Visma did last year.
We think there's enough black on the bike from the wheels, saddle, handlebars and tape to tie everything together. But will it be a little too much for some? Either way, it will draw attention and that's what it's all about.
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As you might expect from a WorldTour race bike, the team machine has a very clean end and the SuperSix Evo has wider fork legs, though not quite as wide as the new BMC TeamMachine R we tested recently.
A neat name sticker on the chain stay lets us know this one is Uran's. The seatpost clamp bolt is also tucked away underneath the seat / top tube joint.
Lab 71 classification was rolled out with the 4th Gen Supersix and the name recognizes Cannondale's efforts since 1971. It represents the brand's top-tier machines and replaces 'Hi-Mod' as the top-spec level. However, the brand is still producing Hi-Mod bikes too. A Lab 71 SuperSix Evo comes in at £4,750 / $6,000.
The paint pattern with yellow, pink and reds catches the eye, and as my colleague Will Jones said, is pretty much a dead ringer for the 'Fruit Salad' sweet branding. Look them up if you haven't seen them.
The Gen 4 SuperSix Evo also did away with the headset bump stops the third generation bike had giving a wider steering range.
The Cannondale MOMO Design handlebar provides a clean front end. Prologo provide the bar tape and an additional sticker on the drops provides a bit more brand recognition.
The team has gone for the 800-dollar FSA K Force team edition chainset instead of the Dura-Ace chainset but with a Power 2 Max power meter spider fitted and aero FSA chainrings, the ones pictured are 40/54T in a 110BCD. Wahoo Speedplay Aero pedals also complete a pretty expensive chainset arrangement.
The most popular bottle cages in pro cycling, it seems, are part of the set up - the Elite Leggero bottle cage. We reckon these custom team bottles will be popular if the team make them available to the public. And what a nice souvenir to end up with at a race if you're given one.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
