Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) is once again racing on his trusty Cannondale SuperX Disc chassis – but it has had several notable component changesJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) will race with the number 9 on his back all seasonJames Huang / Immediate Media
The Cannondale SuperX Disc may look fairly conventional from a distance but its ride quality is anything butJames Huang / Immediate Media
The seatstays are spaced very wide at the seat tube, which requires a radical pinch of the top tubeJames Huang / Immediate Media
The flattened chainstays lend a smooth ride to the Cannondale SuperX DiscJames Huang / Immediate Media
The SRAM Force CX1 hydraulic levers are mounted high on the Zipp barsJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) was an early adopter of hydraulic disc brakes in cyclocrossJames Huang / Immediate Media
The orange Bar Fly 2.0 Garmin computer mount is a nod to Strava. And while a carbon fiber cockpit might be lighter, Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) runs a more durable aluminum setupJames Huang / Immediate Media
The Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team has switched over from long-time tire-supplier Dugastto to Challenge this seasonJames Huang / Immediate Media
Cannondale was an early adopter of disc brakes in cyclocross as well but at least for now, the SuperX Disc frameset still uses quick-release hubs front and rearJames Huang / Immediate Media
Distinctive seat cluster shaping on the Cannondale SuperX DiscJames Huang / Immediate Media
The SRAM Force CX1 rear derailleur is a close cousin to the XX1 mountain bike versionJames Huang / Immediate Media
Save for special occasions, an 11-28T cassette provides a sufficiently wide range for ‘cross racing – at least for Tim JohnsonJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson’s (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) team bike is actually a bit heavier this year despite the move to a 1x drivetrain – largely because of the crank being a fair bit weightier than the top-end Red 22 modelJames Huang / Immediate Media
Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team head Stu Thorne says Shimano’s inexpensive PD-M540 pedals offer substantially better durability than the top-end XTR modelJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) plants himself atop a Fabric Scoop Radius Pro saddle with carbon fiber railsJames Huang / Immediate Media
While there’s still some debate in the cyclocross surrounding rotor size, Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) has settled on 140mm rotors front and rearJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) isn’t above racing with a water bottle when conditions demand itJames Huang / Immediate Media
Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team bikes leave the stock inline hydraulic hose connectors intact. Continuous hose would look cleaner but the connectors do make component swapping easier when necessaryJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) has never been one to shy away from new tech trends in cyclocross, but over the last few years his equipment choice has been relatively stable, This season, however, will see some more substantial changes in his setup.
Advertisement
Johnson is once again racing under the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team banner and as Cannondale hasn’t introduced a new bike for the season, the Red Bull-sponsored rider will stick to his tried-and-true SuperX Disc frameset. Hardly a bad thing, considering it’s one of the lightest on the market, as well as one of the most comfortable.
The cannondale superx disc may look fairly conventional from a distance but its ride quality is anything but: the cannondale superx disc may look fairly conventional from a distance but its ride quality is anything but
The SuperX Disc is not only super light but remarkably comfortable on bumpy courses
Also like last year, Johnson’s bike wears Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon tubular disc wheels and Zipp cockpit components. Little else has carried over though. The previous SRAM Red 22 group has been replaced by the company’s new Force CX1 single-ring drivetrain, Challenge tires are glued in place of the team’s long-running Dugasts, Prologo saddles have been swapped for ones from new company Fabric. Even the pedals are different.
Such upheaval in so many critical areas would throw many riders for a major loop, but Johnson doesn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal.
“I tried CX1 while it was in development last season and liked the approach,” he said. “I’ve ridden my [Cannondale] Scalpel with [SRAM] XX1 and appreciated the way it worked.
“Watching the process unfold on the ‘cross bike, I knew it was not only going to work, but would be advantageous for the majority of users out there. That said, I still train on my double and will race it when necessary.”
