The Herald-Sun
March 24, 2005
DURHAM — Picture yourself riding a Six-13 — the bike so light, Cannondale claims they had to “add weights to the frame just to make it UCI-legal.” A plush blend of carbon fiber (hence the six – check your periodic table of elements) and aluminum (the thirteen) not your style? Then how about taking a spin on the Prophet – Mountain Biking Magazine’s pick for Bike of the Year?
Next week, you’ll get your chance.
Cannondale is touring the country, showing off its latest technology by bringing it with them. On Thursday, March 31st, Cannondale will be at the Durham Cycle Center with a full fleet of Six-13s and Prophets. Guaranteed, they’ll have one that’s your size. They’ll be back in the area, at the Clean Machine in Carrboro, on Sunday, April 3rd, to let you test ride the Prophets on some Orange County singletrack.
Demo tours offer you the chance to take one of these beauties for a “longer test ride than on an in-store bike” says Brian Bergeler, store manager at Durham Cycle Center. He adds that Cannondale’s visit promises to bring together some top-of-the-line “bikes that aren’t normally found in great quantities anywhere.”
The Prophet, with five inches of travel in the fork and the rear swing-arm, is the current pinnacle of full-suspension technology. It’s “super plush” says Matthew Lee, Carrboro resident and member of the Cannondale Mountain Bike Team. And at just under 28 lbs, the Prophet is “a lot lighter than other 5-inch travel bikes.”
The Six-13 is the bike of choice for the 2005 Lampre-Caffita team, a professional road racing team in the European circuit. The Six-13 combines aluminum downtube and chainstays with carbon fiber top tube and seatstays. The result is a rigid powertrain with a more humane, more comfortable seat.
Cannondale has long been the most innovative of the major bike manufacturers. They made their name establishing aluminum as a reliable frame material in the late 1980s. The single-pivot rear suspension design pioneered in their “Super V” model is one of the the most unique and most mimicked frame designs ever. Named for the unusual V shape to the frame, these are the beefy-but-light bikes that both the Duke and Durham Police Department’s Bike Units rely on. Advanced as the Super V was, Lee says the Prophet is a tremendous improvement.
Lee will be riding a Cannondale this summer, when he rides in the Great Divide Race for his second time. The GDR is a 2500 mile mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide. Lee did well last year; this year he’s out for a record.
But you don’t need to be a pro to visit with the Cannondale representatives next week. A longer test ride on these Ferraris of the cycling world gives you more of a feel for the bike in case you want to take one home with you. For most of us, Cannondale’s visit is a chance to throttle some of the nicest bikes in the industry. For free.