Four-time UK National Hill Climb champion Andrew Feather has revamped the Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod he rode for his first victory in 2018. The finished build weighs a scant 5.075kg.
That’s more than 600g lighter than the all-bells-and-whistles SuperSix Evo LAB71 disc-brake bike he piloted to victory in the Struggle in 2023.
So why is Feather going back to the bike that started it all?
After using the 2018 SuperSix Evo for 20,000km of training, the frame was expectedly starting to show its age.
Feather contacted Rob Granville at Carbon Bike Repair in Leatherhead, Surrey and the pair concocted a plan to get the frameset even lighter by not only stripping the original paint but removing excess carbon fibre where it wasn’t needed.
While the latter might initially seem a surefire recipe for disaster (and it is in the wrong hands), this was made possible by robotic technology that can analyse the wall thicknesses of carbon tubes.
Let’s delve into the fascinating journey of the finished build.
Wait, haven’t we seen this bike before?
We covered Feather’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod in 2019, which weighed 5.4kg in a SRAM Red eTap build.
However, this is a sister bike. Feather owns two identical Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod’s – this 2018 bike and the aforementioned 2019 build.
I, Robot
When you’ve already done all you can to lower weight, you have to start getting creative for any further gains (losses?).
Enter Carbon Bike Repair, who have repaired and restored more than 15,000 frames since opening up shop in 2014.
With carbon frames becoming ever lighter, the wall thicknesses of the tubes have decreased, with some as low as 0.4mm.
In 2022, the company invested in a robot that can scan wall thickness and return it to the exact specification of each manufacturer consistently. The robot is able to work within an accuracy of 0.03mm.
“If it takes technology to design and build a modern carbon bike, then you need technology to repair them,” Granville explains.
He agreed to take on this project “as a showcase exercise in what is possible in reducing weight without compromising stiffness or rider safety. There is nothing like a hard climb to test the theory.”
While Granville’s robot is usually used to return a damaged carbon tube to how it was originally, Feather’s frame is the first time the company has used it to remove ‘excess’ carbon.
The stripped frame weighed 790g and the fork 290g.
Under the knife
More than 100g was shaved off the frameset once the paint was removed.
The utmost care is required when stripping paint from carbon frames because of the material’s abrasive nature.
With the paint stripped, an ultrasound depth check was conducted on the frame’s tubes to establish where excess material could be removed.
’Excess material’ suggests significant amounts of carbon being removed, but this only amounted to approximately 0.01mm on the top and down tubes, highlighting the robot’s effectiveness.
Remember, Cannondale would have designed the frame to be as light as possible while preserving the desired riding characteristics in the first place.
Granville says: “This makes no actual difference to the overall wall thickness providing one doesn’t break the carbon structure.”
In areas such as the bottom bracket or head tube, it doesn’t make sense to go lighter because that would be detrimental to the tube’s stiffness.
It wasn’t all plain sailing – four holes appeared in the down tube after removing the material from where the carbon wasn’t originally overlapped properly in the mould. A section of the tube required a careful strip repair.
The finished result after the paint strip, carbon makeover, new graphics and lacquer was 620g for the frame and a 270g fork.
They could have gone even lower – Granville tried to convince Feather to omit the bottle cage rivnuts, but they remained.
10g graphics
A weight-weenie build deserves a weight-weenie paintjob.
But why bother with paint at all if all-out lightness is the goal? The lacquer over any paint protects the carbon from damage. Feather also chose to retain most of the graphics, primarily due to his Cannondale sponsorship.
Marek Homola, CBR’s technical manager, sprayed the frame’s graphics with a bronze mist. Homola reckons the graphics add only around 10g to the frame weight.
Close inspection also reveals a cosmetic carbon weave applied by Homola in certain areas to hide imperfections in the layup.
A suitably Feathery build
The build is a far cry from what Feather ran in 2018, which then consisted of own-brand components with Hunt hill climb tubular wheels.
For 2024, Feather’s running a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 electronic groupset, pairing an 11-28t cassette with a 39t single chainring.
He’s sticking with his usual 172.5mm crank length because “it’s something I’ve always used”.
While there are lighter options available, Feather sticks with his Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 pedals for the same reason.
Like the rest of his bikes, Feather’s running a Rotor InSpider power meter, but reckons the bike's weight would be 4.8kg if it was removed.
Your eyes can’t avoid those striking Cane Creek eeWing brakes, but Feather admits “it feels weird riding rim brakes again”.
Hunt is on wheel duties with the Hill Climb SL Tubulars, which are claimed to come in at 950g for the pair.
22mm-wide Vittoria Crono CS tubular tyres are mounted on the Hunt wheels, although this pair is on its last legs.
The finishing kit is taken care of by Schmolke and MCFK – two specialist lightweight component brands seen regularly on hill climb bikes.
Old habits die hard though when it comes to the omission of handlebar tape. Feather says he’s so used to riding without it now, but won’t chop the drops off for further weight savings.
How does the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod ride? Feather says "the bike is unbelievably lightweight and responsive, even more so than beforehand – a pleasure to ride."
However, Feather says he hasn't yet decided whether he'll use this bike for the 2024 Hill Climb championships.
Andrew Feather’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod 2018 full specifications
- Frameset: Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod 54cm
- Brakes: Cane Creek eeBrakes
- Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150, 11-speed
- Front derailleur: N/A
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150, 11-speed
- Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, 11-28t
- Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace (waxed with Silca Super Secret Chain Blend)
- Crankset: Rotor Aldhu 3D+ cranks, 172.5mm crank length with Rotor InSpider power meter
- Wheelset: Hunt Hill Climb SL Tubular
- Tyres: Vittoria Crono SS, 700c x 22mm
- Handlebar: Schmolke Carbon TLO, 42cm (44cm outside-to-outside)
- Stem: MCFK 100mm, 6-degree
- Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100
- Saddle: Schmolke Carbon TLO
- Seatpost: MCFK 25.4mm
- Other accessories: Garmin out-front mount
