A lot of these range topping models do have more affordable options that sit below them in the range. So, in this video Sam Gupta answers explores how much difference there really is between a top of the range road bike and the one which costs much, much less.
We have looked at the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Lab 71 and the Cannondale SuperSix EVO 3 as our points of comparison with each bike representing it's corner very well. The LAB71 model is no doubt sat amongst some of the most desirable road bikes currently available while the EVO 3 represents itself as a bike of the people with a Shimano 105 Di2 groupset, hydraulic brakes and some very honest wheels and finishing kit.
$4000 vs $16,000 Road Bike
We have looked at the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Lab 71 and the Cannondale SuperSix EVO 3 as our points of comparison with each bike representing it's corner very well. The LAB71 model is no doubt sat amongst some of the most desirable road bikes currently available while the EVO 3 represents itself as a bike of the people with a Shimano 105 Di2 groupset, hydraulic brakes and some very honest wheels and finishing kit.
$4000 vs $16,000 Road Bike
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00:00How does your dream bike compare to the one that you can actually afford, the bike that
00:05embodies the same spirit but is more realistically priced?
00:09The question is, if you go for the better value option, will you be disappointed?
00:14I'm going to put these two bikes head to head to tease out the nuances and explain
00:19what these two very different price points mean for the everyday rider.
00:23The bikes in question are these two Super 6s from Cannondale.
00:27We have the Super 6 Evo 3 which comes in at £4,000 or $4,200.
00:34And we also have the range-topping Lab 71 model which comes in at £12,500 or $16,000.
00:48The first thing many of us will jump to as a very obvious point of comparison is weight.
00:54There is no doubt that a bike using Cannondale's most sophisticated carbon fiber layup along
00:59with carbon finishing kit, lightweight wheels and the best components SRAM has to offer will
01:04be lighter than a bike with box section alloy rims and Shimano's third tier groupset.
01:10But the question is, by how much?
01:13Well, according to these scales, the Lab 71 tips the scales at 6.95 kilos and the Super 6
01:20Evo 3 comes in at 8.49 kilos.
01:24That's a difference of around 1.5 kilos.
01:27That means you're paying about £5.52 per gram of weight saved over and above the Evo 3.
01:35If we put that weight difference into the context of overall rider and bike weight,
01:39you're looking at roughly a difference of 1-2%.
01:43The reality is, if your main concern is weight, then opting for a heavier bike,
01:48which also saves you a fair chunk of cash, but in turn may require you to work slightly harder
01:54resulting in more calories being burnt, then I'm confident that's going to net a far greater return.
02:02That being said, between the two bikes, there is a clear weight difference.
02:06It's up to you to decide how much value you can attribute to saving the equivalent
02:11of two 500ml bottles of water.
02:18I'm sure you've heard myself and many others bang on about the fact that upgrading a bike's wheels
02:25should be the first thing you consider changing.
02:27And this advice is especially apparent when looking at these two bikes.
02:32The Evo 3 comes with some reliable, but not flashy, alloy wheels from DT Swiss.
02:37And the Lab 71 comes with a 2.5 grand set of wheels from Reserve,
02:42featuring aerodynamically optimised lightweight carbon rims and spokes with ceramic bearings.
02:49The wheels on the Lab 71 are really very nice.
02:53They're a great example of wheels that manage to combine lightweight and impressive stability,
02:58especially in crosswinds.
03:00They're a thought-after choice for a cyclist to enjoy riding a variety of parkours,
03:04fast on the flat, fast on the climbs, and stable on the descents.
03:08And it's not just the weight and the profile of these wheels which impresses,
03:12but they also feature a semi-hooked rim for good tyre compatibility,
03:17along with a wide internal rim width, making them a great pairing with the very on-trend 28
03:23and 30C road bike tyres that we often see today.
03:27These wheels really are a highlight of the Lab 71 build.
03:31However, the Evo 3's box-section alloy rims really aren't anything to write home about.
03:37Sure, they are strong, reliable wheels from a brand with a great reputation,
03:42of course being DT Swiss, but they aren't the most inspiring things to ride on.
03:47However, this is where I will put it to you.
03:51While the wheels on the Lab 71 are a great choice, they're still not your choice.
03:58Would you instead prefer to purchase a better value bike, which is in need of a wheel upgrade,
04:03allowing you to find the pair which is right for you?
04:06Perhaps you want to go deeper or shallower. At least then you have a set of wheels which matches
04:12the riding you do, with the bonus being that you then have a spare set of alloy wheels at home
04:18for either winter riding or, as a fullback, for when your fancy ones are being serviced.
04:23In that same vein of thinking, if you were to buy the better value bike and then upgrade the wheels
04:29and tyres, due to the huge improvement in ride feel, performance and saved weight,
04:34you're going to take a quantum leap forwards towards the kind of performance one would experience
04:39on the Lab 71, but for a much smaller cost.
04:44You can buy the reserve wheels found on the Lab 71 for around two and a half grand,
04:48which would mean you could buy the Evo 3 and the wheels and have thousands left over.
04:55But for a bike like the Evo 3, I think a set of wheels from Hunt would be a better match-up.
05:01I will put this to you now though, we actually swapped the wheels from the Lab 71 into the Evo 3
05:06to see what the weight difference would be, and it almost knocked off a kilo.
05:15Wheels are not the only thing that you may want to play around with. All too often we see brands
05:21releasing bikes with handlebars which we believe are far too wide for the riders for which they're
05:27intended. And Cannondale is not innocent in this regard. These quite frankly beautiful integrated
05:35carbon bars that come on the Lab 71 are a full 42cm wide, and the Evo 3's coming at 40cm. The
05:43difference here though is that the bars on the Evo 3 are not part of a one-piece cockpit and instead
05:49can fairly easily be changed for an alternative. You could either go for the same specification of bar,
05:56but in the correct width or you could opt for an upgrade. It's your choice. The key here being
06:03is that they would not be nearly as expensive as replacing and fitting the right size of bar on the
06:09Lab 71, which Cannondale is currently listing for £450 or $650. We've tested the effect narrow handlebars have
06:20in the wind tunnel on what's saved. And even by sizing down from a 42cm bar to a modest 38cm bar,
06:28there are savings to be had in the realms of 17 to 35 watts. That's a huge amount and would go a long way
06:37to making you tangibly faster. One of the common buzzwords that we're peppered with by marketing
06:48departments is ceramic, or ceramic bearings. These silky smooth bearings are pretty mesmerising by how
06:55freely they spin. And if you've got the cash, you can expect a full suite of them on the Lab 71 bike,
07:01in both the bottom bracket and the wheels. However, I'm confident that in a blind test, your everyday
07:08rider would never be able to tell the difference. Still bearings, when well maintained and manufactured
07:14by a good brand, will perform at a level so incomprehensibly close to ceramic ones,
07:20and will also save you a fair bit of cash in the long run. So, while it is nice to know that they're
07:26there, I don't think this is something you're going to be missing out on by opting for a better value bike.
07:37Until now, I have talked a lot about what makes these bikes so different, but it's important to
07:43look at what makes them so similar. Of course, they share the same name, and that means they share the
07:48same frame mould, just with different carbon fibre and layups. They do, though, share the same geometry,
07:55and the same engineering quirks such as a triangular shaped steerer tube.
08:00Even parts of the specification are similar. Both have hydraulic disc brakes, and both have
08:05wireless 12 speed group sets. These are the things that as riders we interact with most when cycling.
08:12So, for these parts of the bike to be so similar, brings me back to my original question. Would you be
08:19disappointed with the better value bike? I think that question will always be completely
08:25subjective. It entirely depends on what your point of reference is. If you've never had a carbon road
08:31bike with electronic gears and disc brakes, then no, you absolutely will not be disappointed with the
08:38Evo 3. Unless, of course, you're in love with the beauty of old bikes and nothing will ever change that.
08:44However, if you already own a swish bike with all of these same features and more, then, yes,
08:51it may feel like a downgrade. In which case, the need to buy a bike like this would become questionable
08:57unless you really wanted something to race on or take on holiday.
09:01If you want consumer advice, then I'm sure you can see where I'm going. Buy the better value bike,
09:08upgrade the wheels and tyres, and make sure you have the right width of handlebars. You'll be golden.
09:14But if you have the cash and you just want it, then buy the range topper. It won't disappoint you
09:21and you will have loads of fun on it. Loving your bike is important because that plays a big role in
09:27your desire to want to ride it. Bikes like these are an emotional purchase. We all know that if you
09:33want to ride on the road, you can do that for a much lower price than either of these bikes.
09:38The twelve and a half grand option is just an even more emotional one.
09:43Nobody buying the Lab 71 build can claim to need it for the marginal gains because those that need
09:50marginal gains aren't buying bikes. They're being paid to be on them. We buy bikes because we want
09:56them and because we like them. We like how they look, how they make us feel and the enjoyment they
10:01enable of propelling ourselves down the tarmac. So while I'm sure we'd all love to have a beast like this
10:08sat in our garage, we all know that we'd be just as quick on something costing much less.
10:14For most of us, speed isn't the biggest factor. It's about something far more intangible.
10:20Let's not forget, if it is speed you're after, it's about you, not the bike.
10:25So, let's go.
10:30Let's go.